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What a winner.
Thanks for the reviews Sara, I've been toying with the idea of replacing my MSR with a jetboil .
I've never considered a Jetboil, although I've seen them being used, because of the fact that you have to replace the fuel cannisters and throw the empty ones away. That's an absolute deal breaker for me, and the primary reason I'd never use one. Sara, can you recycle them or reuse them at all?
I buy the biggest fuel canister I can, so that I'm recycling less overall material (compared to buying small cans). To recycle, you just need to puncture the empty container and flatten it (there's a nice display in Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, CO too, that I wish I'd snapped a photo of!). I'm 100% sure that the Jetboil is more fuel efficient than I am with a liquid fuel stove... there's no spillage, overflow, etc. And, because of the Jetboil's design, it heats more efficiently than the liquid fuel backpacking stove I tried (although, my climbing partner's Coleman is nearly as fast -- it just takes a "touch" that I can't seem to develop consistently to get the thing to light). For me, since I'm incompetent (and apparently, unteachable) with liquid fuel stoves, I would rather use the stove that lights easily without fuss, than the stove that lights with several tries, wasted fuel, and a bunch of drama (if at all).
On temp adjustment... I've used my jetboil mostly to boil, and to simmer... I haven't tried to really fine tune the temperature but it does well between a simmer and a boil. I keep meaning to try scrambling eggs in it, so will let you know if I do that experiment... :)
I've found one of the best tricks to get the Whisperlite burning clean and quick is to burn some broken up firelighters by the fuel pipe on the top level (does that make sense), when it's practically burnt out just let the valve open a bit and it goes straight away. Ok, it does mean you have a bit of faffing around to begin with, but it also means that it stays relatively soot free.
There are a couple things that put Jetboil into a different category from other stoves. The main realization for many people is that we don't just make a water boiler, we make a truly efficient Cooking System. Most people start off with the PCS and add on accessories as they go. Going from the 1-2 person system to the 3-6 person system takes about one minute and allows you to cater to different sized groups. An added plus is that everything will always fit into either the PCS or the GCS! My personal favorite is the Spatula that stows underneath the Frying Pan!
I also want to confirm a couple things about canisters. Yes, they are recyclable! All you need to do is use them until they are basically out of fuel and then puncture them. At that point they are no different than a soup can! The other upside with canisters is that they are cleaner and easier to use. There isn't any need to prime the stove or spill any excess fuel. Just click the igniter and go! Also, because of the added efficiency of the FluxRing your canisters will use less fuel per boil and will, in turn, last much longer than you'd think.
For what it's worth, my cooking generally comes down to heating up oatmeal and coffee in the morning, soup and crackers for lunch and maybe some chili or pasta at night. I've also done eggs and pancakes with the Frypan accessory, which was particularly fun. The PCS is small enough to fit into a crashpad easily enough so we end up taking it on daytrips almost the entire fall season.
I've been lucky enough to use an early version of the Flash and the heat indicators and see through lid are a nice bonus if you want to wait until October 1st.
I hope that clears some stuff up a little! Feel free to ask questions too! I'm happy to help.
@ianryerson
Cheers!