Hello everyone,

I just bought a chinese-made copy of the MSR Pocket Rocket stove off eBay...

It looks like it's pretty much the same thing, and sells for about 10 $... Now that i'm waiting for it, i've started to wonder how safe this stove will be out in the real world.

Technically speaking, is there a chance that a problem with the stove itself could make the gas canister blow up or something?

Does anyone know how these stove works in detail? I thought I read something about this being impossible because of the way the lindal valve works (impossible for fire to crawl back into the can.

Anyways, your thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

I can't see how would fire gets back in the can regardless, there's no oxygen inside to support combustion.

The Chinese copy should be just as safe as the original MSR design. Here are other copies from well known retailers in the UK.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/intensity-gas-stove-p158213
http://www.outdoormania.co.uk/Item-13-0-cat-8-brand-654-Gelert_Intensity_Mini_Folding_Gas_Stove.aspx

MSR pocket rocket clones from 2 well known companies in the UK such as Hi-gear and Gelert. They all probably come from the same factory town in China which manufactures the MSR pocket rocket.

I've had no trouble with a Markill Peak Ignition Titanium Stove copy produced by Gelert called the Blaze PZ Micro Stove, which retails for 1/4 the price.

http://www.outdoorworld.co.uk/gelert-blaze-pz-micro-stove-p-3650.html

Is it a Gelert or a Markhill Peak Ignition or a Kovea Elemental

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGSrE8sqfOg

Even the plastic case for the hi end Kovea looks identical to the el cheapo Gelert

Here is a full titanium version copy of the what looks like an Optimus Crux lite stove.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/blaze-titanium-stove-p158215

I can see the materials being cheaper the fit and finish being worse and possibly tightness or looseness of a few moving pieces now if not later after some wear and tear but not it being a safety hazard. My two cents but if i was you id do more research and read more reviews just dont trust the "its like the real thing its so amazing omg wow's" cause Im sure that wont be the case ither.

The Pocket Rocket has been my main stove ever since it came out, and I have been very happy with it, but"tightness or looseness of a few moving pieces" could be critical to its proper and safe operation. You do have to be sure that the stove is completely shut down, and not leaking; even with the original PR this is something you have to pay attention to, and it can be a bit tricky.

I always detach the stove from the canister when I am finished in order to prevent inadvertent leaks. I have never had a problem with the canisters leaking with the stove removed, although I have heard of such a thing happening - makes it hard to brew that nice cup of tea the next morning.

Other than possible leaks from improperly closed valves, I don't think there is very much that can go wrong with the stove; it is basically just a burner head.

The real MSR pocket rocket is made in Korea...not China. I have a pocket rocket and it has seen far more use then any other stove I have ever had and or currently own.

I would be reluctant to purchase a China made knock off of these stoves. The price point on a real pocket rocket can be very attractive this time of year as summer hiking and summer mountaineering season winds down. The cheapest I seen these stoves on sale were $22.00. Not bad for a original quality stove from the MSR company which has outstanding customer service....I speak from firsthand experience on this.

Let me answer this another way - with a real PocketRocket from MSR, its a very safe stove - at least no public incidences of blowing up on tender Scouts and young campers. With a knock off version from [China] costing less than 1/3 of the PocketRocket, who knows - in part that's what you pay for when you pay MSR / Cascade Designs their $39.95. I doubt if the knock off blows up in your face, you will have so much as a legal entity to sue for damages, or to recover your medical costs. You might get eBay to ban future sales, that's if you have a good lawyer and lots of publicity for your plight. But the simple fact is that its a simple stove design, more likely to clog irrevocably over time than to explode, so have at it.

FWIW I still have a PocketRocket gathering dust in my gear closet - its a nice stove, but I don't hook up to canisters all that often, and the Rocket burn is a little on the noisy side. (For all around cookery I really like my Primus that runs on white gas and other fuels).

The main worry I would have with a cheap knock-off wouldn't be the safety of the burner, but the reliability of the fold-out pot supports. As there are only three, if one of the supports snaps or a rivet fails, you'll need to find a way to hold the pot over the flame.