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| MSR Reactor   | 
| Page Type: Gear Review Manufacturer: Mountain Safety Research (MSR)
| Page By: squishy Created/Edited: Sep 11, 2007 / Mar 29, 2008 Object ID: 3927 Hits: 1956 Loading... |
FeaturesMinimum Weight: 20.9880 oz. (595 g) w/o fuel, including pot
Packaged Weight: 21.5876 oz. (612 g)
Dimensions: 7 x 5.5 inches
Pot size: 2-quart (1.7-liter)
Burn time: 1 hr. 20 min
Water boiled per 100g of fuel: 9.7 liters
*Easy to hang
*boils 1 liter of water in about 3 minutes.
*Radiant burner encloseing heat exchanger.
*Built in Wind Protection
*Internal regulator equalizes fuel pressure for optimal performance in all conditions and at all fuel levels.InfoFrom MSR:
The Reactor's radiant burner is enclosed by a unique heat exchanger for unmatched performance in windy conditions while an advanced pressure regulator provides optimal heat output over the life of each fuel canister. Stove and fuel canister stow inside of the high-efficiency 1.7 liter pot that's great for everything from solo trips to cooking for groups of up to three people. A collapsible handle locks the unique see-thru lid in place for safe and easy transport.
From a Trailspace review:
"During the MSR demo, he and designer Redwood Stephens put the Reactor up against the MSR PocketRocket, with both fuel canisters sitting in ice baths and with a fan providing a light 9.5 mph wind. The Reactor won easily. In fact, it even boiled a second liter of water, while still in the wind, before the PocketRocket, now out of the wind, boiled its first."
LinksDemonstration of the latest MSR Reactor stove
Backpacker's Editor Choice 2007 video
Images |
Reviews
| kozman18 | Reactor | | 
Voted 5/5 | I bought this stove a few weeks ago and finally had a chance to try it out in the White Mountains. Amazingly hot, it appears to trap virtually all of the heat generated (you can put your hands right next to the burner without feeling much heat loss). Boils 2 quarts of water in minutes. Did not have a chance to test it in the wind, and for November it wasn't very cold, nor did I measure its fuel consumption. But first indications are that this is an awesome stove that lives up to the hype. I'll add more details after the next (winter) trip. | | Posted Nov 9, 2007 4:11 pm |
| jschrock | Reactor | | 
Voted 4/5 | 1/27/08 - Thus far the stove has been used on winter hiking trips and single day climbs - nothing serious or extended. It has performed great. Only "problems" with performance have been caused by the owner...i.e. trying to see just how good it is in coping with cold temps - be realistic and don't bury the cannister in the snow. duh... =)
Boil times in poor conditions (i.e. windy, cold, 10k ft) have been better than any other stove I've owned. In perfect conditions - performance is as advertised.
Everyone makes the comparison to the Jetboil. I owned a Jetboil prior to the Reactor and had no significant complaints (although they should have just designed the damn thing without the useless piezo lighter) except for its performance in any kind of breeze when boil times would increase dramatically. My opinion, this negates most/all of the efficiency claims made by the Jetboil folks - I very rarely use my stove in the perfect conditions used to calculate those numbers. As close as the two are in the lab...I'm convinced the Reactor wins hands down in the real world.
The Reactor is bulkier and a bit heavier than the standard Jetboil. I'll fall back on the real world efficiency of the Reactor to offset the additional 5 oz. On a related note, the 3 minute boil times for the Jetboil are for half a liter ... the Reactor takes the same time to boil - but pumps out a full liter at a time. With the Reactor, I can boil, refill, and be on the go faster than i ever could with my Jetboil by virtue of this fact alone. Big points in my book.
Complaints?
- Due to the configuration of the Reactor, it's tougher to rig a hanging system.
- The convenience of the pot being attached to the jetboil was a really cool feature - I miss this on the Reactor.
- The bulk is a downside - but not a major factor for me (difference is 1.4 inches in girth - I haven't run out of room in my 36 liter winter climb day-pack yet).
- Reactor's "guts" are complex. I don't know what's going on "in there" and don't know how to fix it if something goes wrong. This is easily my biggest concern with the Reactor. The simplicity of a basic Jetboil/Pocketrocket burner is a big plus. I'll need to develop more familiarity with the Reactor before I'll be really at ease with this.
4 out of 5 stars. | | Posted Dec 23, 2007 7:07 pm |
| travelin_light | Reactor | | 
Hasn't voted | Just got mine.
Boiled 1L of water just under 3 min., as advertised. Used about 0.05 oz of fuel.
It is very quiet.
Lots of carbon monoxide warnings, including one that has to be cut off with a decent sized wire cutter. Makes me a little nervous as I have never seen so many warnings before on a stove.
Pot, burner, and lid weigh 20.5 oz., as advertised.
Pot capacity is approx. 1.5L. I am wondering how snow melting will go.
This was my post (above) from the thread in the gear section.
One more thing I noticed since then. Sometime when I start it up all I get is a blue flame on the top and it won't fully engage (It is not turning orange). I have to turn it off and light it at an angle, then it usually works. Anyone have this problem? | | Posted Jan 4, 2008 1:36 pm |
 | | jschrock | Re: Reactor | |
Voted 4/5 | It's just warming up - should take only 30 seconds or so. Mine does the same thing. I just quick drop the pot over the top of the burner for one or two seconds and that triggers it to get the burner going. Not sure why this is but it doesn't seem to be a problem.
cheers. | | Posted Jan 27, 2008 2:21 pm |
| Kai | Hanging Kit | | 
Hasn't voted | I bought an MSR Reactor stove.
However, I prefer hanging stoves because I sometimes find myself without any level ground to cook on, and I am a klutz and tend to bump and kick over stoves that are on the ground.
So, I decided to craft a hanging system for the Reactor. I bought some wire, hooks, swages, and tinkered with the stove for several hours. I couldn't come up with any decent solutions.
Then, I decided to take a look at the Jetboil hanging stove kit. I figured that I might be able to modify the Jetboil hanging kit to work with the Reactor. Well, as it turns out, no modification is necessary. The Jetboil hanging kit works perfectly with the Reactor. In fact, I'd say that it actually works better with the Reactor than it does with the Jetboil because it's easier to take the pot off and put it back on again. It's very stable. I filled the Reactor pot full of water, hung it off a tree, and swung it back and forth and batted it around with my hands. The pot stays put, even under lots of swinging and smacking.
So, all of you who have been looking for a hanging system for the Reactor. It's here. Just buy the Jetboil hanging kit.
http://www.jetboil.com/Products/Accessories/Hanging-Kit
(However, even with the hanging kit, I wouldn't recommend using this stove in a tent, particularly after reading the test results for carbon monoxide testing over at Backpackinglight.com. This stove would almost certainly kill you if you used it in an confined space.)
| | Posted Feb 5, 2008 5:14 pm |
| Ario | in high altitude | | 
Voted 5/5 | 2 and 1/2 standard canisters for 2 persons in a 15-day expedition (no snow melted)in altitudes ranging from 3700m to 5750m (high camp) and no issue. Boiled 1 liter of water faster than a XGK running on local fuel ("nafta"). Exceeded all expectations!
PS: data from an expedition on the Argentinean side of Ojos del Salado in (southern hemisphere) summer. | | Posted Feb 6, 2008 3:39 am |
| Bombchaser | Works great | | 
Hasn't voted | Used this one several winter trips and have had no problems. Melts the filled cup of water fast, and boil times are good. Used this for melting snow at 8000 feet, took only a couple minutes to melt entire cup. Light weight, little heavier than the Jet Boil, but outperforms at higher altitudes. | | Posted Mar 3, 2008 5:36 pm |
| rickford | Very impressed! | | 
Voted 5/5 | I used the Reactor on Aconcagua (up to 17,500 ft) as well as in Patagonia (Tierra del Fuego, Torres del Paine, and arount El Chalten). I used the stove in a variety of conditions- from warm to cold temperatures, high to low elevations, and in windy conditions as well. In each case, I was very happy with the reactor.
The biggest plus for me was its efficiency at melting snow! With a white gas stove, it usually takes at least 30 minutes to boil a liter or two of water from snow... With the reactor, at altitude and in some wind, I was cranking out liter after liter from snow in less than 8 minutes each!!!
This stove bounced around in my backpack for three months in South America; yet, it still fires up as though it were brand new. Despite its complex design, I have no reason to have doubts about the durability of its construction, yet.
I give it a 5/5! | | Posted Mar 22, 2008 12:56 pm |
| Bill Kish | excellent stove | | 
Hasn't voted | I love this stove system. Like the Jetboil it is super-efficient. It is much better than the Jetboil in windy conditions and for melting snow (due to the larger pot). | | Posted Oct 14, 2008 10:59 pm |
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