I purchased a Coleman Exponent F1 Ultralight stove this past spring in preparation for a trip to the Cascades in Oregon. I have owned a liquid fuel stove for years (MSR Whisperlite purchased in approx 1992), and have loved it, but as I am getting older, I have been wanting to trim my pack weight down. I have found the following advantages to the F1 Ultralight.
#1. Easy to use. Simply unscrew the burner head, open the pan supports, screw the burner head back down, screw stove onto canister, light match, twist valve, and you are cooking with gas.
#2. No priming. The liquid fuel stoves required priming, and pumping, which made them harder to use than I would have expected. With this stove, you simply turn the valve and light. No waiting for the generator to heat up.
#3. Very light weight. The stove assembly itself weighs less than just the small fuel bottle for my liquid fuel stove alone. This thing is a feather on the back.
The disadvantages are there as well.
#1. Canister stoves rely on the low boiling point of the fuel to force fuel vapor up and out of the canister, and at temps close to, or below the boiling point, which is close to 0 fahrenheit, the stove simply will not work. For me, where and when I camp, this is not an issue.
#2. Fuel cannot be used as an emergency fire starter.
#3. Fuel is EXPENSIVE compared to white gas, or unleaded gasoline.
The owners manual claims this stove only works with Coleman Brand canisters, but I have found that any threaded canister of 70/30 Butane / Propane blend works. I have used Brunton, Coleman, MSR, and some odd black Canister I bought at a gas station in Oregon with it, all with excellent results..
Compared with other canister stoves such as the MSR Pocket Rocket, Brunton Optimus Crux, Snow Peak Giga Power Stove, or Primus Yellowstone Techno Trail, the Coleman Exponent F1 Ultralight had the design that made the most sense to me, sported the lowest weight (.4oz lower than its nearest competitor), and from what I was able to determine in impromptu in store testing, appeared to have the best pot stability of the group, with pot supports that spread out nice and wide. One tidbit about this however is... The Evernew 1.3L Titanium cookpot, is oddly shaped on the bottom, and sits and a slightly odd angle on the F1. I have tried many other pots and this is the only one I have a problem with. The issue is whith the oddly dimpled bottom of the Evernew pot, and NOT with the Coleman stove...
SUMMARY. If you camp where the temps aren't freezing, low weight, ease of use are important, and cost of fuel is unimportant, then this is the stove for you. However you must carry some other sort of emergency fire starter in lieu of having stove gas to start wet wood. If however the cost of fuel is going to be a factor for you, or you are going to go mountain climbing, or whatever, you will want to bypass any canister stove at all, and just go with a gasoline model instead. The Coleman F1 Ultralight is the lightest of the group of stoves I had considered, had the best design, and came in at a price point that I liked. For the majority of backpackers out there, I would say this would be the best stove for you.
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Coleman F1 Ultralight StoveProduct Description: The Coleman F1 UltraLight Stove isn't just a weight saving stove; it's also ultra-compact and ultra-powerful for its size. Hailing from Coleman's award-winning Exponent line of backpacking gear, the F1 UltraLight weighs in at a scant 2.7 ounces, but packs 16,400 BTUs of heat in its single burner for lightning-quick boiling time at full blast. Full flame adjustability means it's also capable of a low simmer and everything in between, and the serrated pot supports fold away for storage in the included stuff sack. If you pack light but don't want to sacrifice function, the F1 UltraLight from Coleman should be a part of your checklist.
Product Features
Material: Stainless steel
Fuel Type: Butane, propane (220g resealable cartridge)
Burn Time: [High] 50min; [Low] 2hrs
Boil Time: 3.7min (1L)
Simmer: Yes
Auto Ignition: No
Windscreen: No
Heat Reflector: No
Parts Kit: No
Cleaning Tool:
Stuff Sack: Yes
Hard Case: No
Size: [Folded] 6 x 1 x 6in (15 x 2.5 x 15cm)
Weight: 2.7oz (76.5g)
Recommended Use: Ultralight backpacking, camping
Manufacturer Warranty: Lifetime
Country of Origin: France (Includes Monaco)
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Prior to this purchase, I've bought covers from this company for both our old 24" electric stove and our newer 30" gas stove.This set was for the electric stove which has 3 small burners and 1 large one.Usually, I cover one back burner with a tea kettle rather than buy two sets of covers since most manufacturers tend to package these sets as 2 large and 2 small covers. In the past, the quality was far superior to the ones I can buy at a local discount store, but not this time.None of these covers fit their respective electric burners well and all were flimsy.On top of that, the ebony color spotted badly and the edges rusted after a couple of quick washings in the sink.I won't be buying these again.
