Saw these today ! They are getting cheaper and this is the cheapest I have seen.
Good for cooking in blackouts or when the homes gas supply runs out… or camping.
My local bunnings had heaps of them.I am pretty sure Bunnings have nationwide or maybe just statewide pricing as well.
So chances are if your local has these in stock they will be this price.
I used something simmilar when i drove from perth to melbourne. They are quite good. I bought a 4 pack of gas cans for about $12. I think each can lasted almost 1 hour on high. One good thing about them was that the flame didnt go out even though it was quite windy some days. It ended up being one of the best things we took as you could have a hot tea\breakfast\meal whenever you wanted.
@ daydream
Bunnings don't have "sales", so I gather $12.78 is their regular price.
I know (they do change prices though) but I meant how much do these cost elsewhere/original price to understand why it's a bargain :-)
heaps good
these things are heaps great - if you have an asian grocery mart or a dollar store close by you can pick up cartridges for a pretty low price.
just wondering whether anyone new the rrp on these things? this a good deal?
yeah but you've got to be careful with those as I think I've bought some from $2 shops and they don't last as long. check out Woolies and feel the weight and compare with the asian groceries shops..
Good price but I think it's not uncommon to see these things on special for about the same price at Kmart and Big W etc.
Big W has one on special now for $12.88.
http://www.lasoo.com.au/offer/campmaster-portable-stove/4hut…
The replacement gas cans can be have, again, fairly commonly for about $2 a pop (but you generally have to buy a pack of 3 or 4) for places like Kmart and Big W etc.
Anaconda currently has a special of 4-pack for $9.
I actually got this for $10 at my local k-mart when they were on special few months back. If I recalled correctly, they have this burner on $10 specials several times already. So if you don't really need one but want one, then it may be worth keeping a lookout on this in the k-mart catalogs.
Similarly, the gas cartridges are also frequently on sale at k-mart. I remember seeing them as low as $5 for a pack of 4. The last time I bought them, I paid $7.
I remember getting the Kmart ones though and tried about three and none actually worked. I reckon the whole batch must have been faulty for some reason or another. They were on special at the time but what a waste of time trying three different one out. Eventually I gave up and decided just to get my money back.
But they are super handy, for cooking etc. when you go camping. Had one before.
Their regular price at Kmart is $20. However I have seen this at KMart and BigW for $ 12.99 many many times. Almost once a month or two at Kmart for 12.99. When they sell it for 12.99 I have seen they always have reduced the price of gas cans and all those times it was 4 cans for $ 5. That's pretty cheap.
Is there a model like this one which will work with a small LPG cylinder?
These things are good for "steam boat" cuisine! A mate of mine was running a steam boat restaurant using these units.
This is what happens when one of these things explodes whilst you are cooking on it …
(the following image is not suitable for weak stomach or whilst eating)
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/ffd244acc6.jpg
I had burns like this to arms and back. My mate had burns like this to face.
It happened first night of a camping trip to Moreton Island.
I highly recommend avoiding these things at all costs; if you are going to use one, do not let it overheat. We had been using a fry pan on it to cook sausages for about 20 minutes; The frying pan was larger than cooking surface and we can only guess the heat radiated back and made the thing way too hot.
The burns doctors at hospital reckon they get 3 of these per week over the xmas holidays. Pay extra and get yourself a gas cylinder that is separate to the cooking area.
Thanks for the warning. I drive an LPG car and don't fear gas, but $10 burners do make me very wary. Is the quality of the burner and $2 cartridge always going to be up to scratch? The larger frying pan than the cooking surface is a way of overheating the butane container I haven't considered before. The safety overpressure value on the container would eventually rupture…
Wow!!
Sorry about what happened to you guys and thanks for the warning.
Oh wow. :(
You would think that if this is common they would stop selling these things?
I don't think they are that dangerous though.
I've been using one for years and my family have a couple for years as well. And someone mentioned that many Chinese restaurants have them on tables every night.
Of course accidents do happen and especially when there's flame and gas involved, but just use it with caution and I think you'll be fine.
I too bought one of these a month back and never used it till now. When I bought it, I thought we can connect it to the gas cylinder of the barbeque. However when I opened it and see later I found that this can not be connected to a gas cylinder.
Does anybody know if there is any way to use these with a normal gas cylinder OR if there is any place where we can buy a small cooker like this to be use with a gas cylinder? If you know please share the place, brand and price if you can find.. I saw the same question was asked before..
The average backyard BBQ only runs on propane gas, while these small cooktop units usually require butane gas. Butane boils at 0C, so if camping in freezing climates is required then you'll find small propane canisters too, but butane is usually used. The two gases behave differently and require different burner hole sizes. Somehow hooking up propane gas to a butane burner is likely to lead to unexpected behaviour. You will find people posting videos on Youtube doing such things with propane, but it's not recommended.
It's also the reason why you cannot connect LPG meant for vehicles to a BBQ: LPG is usually 60% butane, 40% propane while your BBQ is built to handle only propane. LPG fueled cars are designed to run on varying mixtures, up to 100% propane if necessary (happened in August 2008 in Adelaide, due to contaminated butane supply).
Not entirely accurate. If a stove or BBQ is labelled "LPG", it means it will accept any combination of butane and propane. Thats what mine says. Do other stove specify propane-only?
Pure butane is used as LPG in warmer climates.
I think these stoves specify butane simply because they use the cheaper butane-only cylinders. (less pressure)
@freddy: Information specifically about Australian BBQs is a bit sparse on the Internet, but looking at American links (a much larger, more influential BBQ market), 'BBQ fuel' there contains a much higher percentage of propane compared to many other countries. Burner nozzle size is calibrated to the type of fuel used, and apparently unadjusted American BBQs work poorly in countries that use a lot of butane (eg. Mexico). Propane has the advantage of being usable anywhere, while as you state butane is only useful in warmer climates.
The original post was regarding using our BBQ fuel in cheap camping stoves built for butane. I've been informed that our BBQ fuel is almost totally propane, so it's going to give disappointing results at the best of times. Some people believe there's a conspiracy going on to sell BBQ fuel for much higher prices than LPG, as many think it's exactly the same product in Australia.
@Cluster: wow, important details.. back to the question, let's forget about BBQ gas cylinder. Have you seen any small stove, which can be connected to a proper gas cylinder, be it LPG or what ever, but a bigger and safer cylinder than small gas canisters used in this portable stove. I am not after the mobility, just want to have a cooker in my shed which can supply fuel for a long time and still safe..
Please post if you know any such stove.
@rmamila: For your shed, you can use a small LPG cylinder (e.g. 4.5kg) with a burner attached directly to the top.
They are sold cheaply from K-mart, camping shops, etc.
That's a nasty burn you have there… I have used these portable stoves for well over 15 years now. I'm a regular camper and use them extensively every month on average. I've cooked on small and large pans/pots, cooking on high through several gas bottles at a time (I often cook for a large crowd at camp). The units themselves last several years, the only reason I change them is when they get overly greasy/sandy/dirty and cleaning them just doesn't seem worth the time and effort given they are so affordable.
In terms of the quality of the Gasmate stoves available at Bunnings, they are just like any other similarly designed portable stove on the market. I've just recently purchased two of them from Bunnings some 4 weeks ago (on special @ $17 ea) and have taken them to camp on two different occasions without any problems. I do own a gas cynlinder setup too, but I find these stoves are much more portable and do the job just as well.
In regards to your stats, given that almost every family over Christmas has some sort of portable stove (for bbqing, campt etc)… with this style of stove being on average the most portable & affordable… and the fact that the holidays only span over a couple weeks… and the potential for misuse and abuse… I suspect those statistics your doctor speaks of were cases of misuse and abuse or simply an exaggeration of the facts.
I do sympathise your case and hope you have filed to sue them if you so believe that their product was at fault. Despite this, I don't believe scaremongering people from this great product is the way to go. Accidents do happen, but if care and common sense are used, such accidents are preventable.
On a lighter note, I'll be picking a couple more of these up since they've dropped a further $5. To answer someones question before, the average price of these units are approx $25-30 from retailers such as BCF, Ray's outdoors etc. Oh! and I purchased gas bottles from bunnings before too at a mere $5-6 for 4cans.. cheapest I've found apart from when Supercheap Auto have them on sale at $4 for 4cans.
I have seen this type of stoves used in Chinese and Korean restaurants all the time for cooking hot pots. Cooking time varies from 1 hour to 3 hours. If these stoves have design faults and accidents always happen, I believe none restaurants will use it again.
Bunnings does have good prices on everything. If something is discounted on already "lowest price", I doubt the product quality. However, I don't know what's the difference between this one and more expensive ones.
I feel sorry after seeing the photo posted by "mshannon". It is quite a nasty burn. I will take extra care when I use it next time.
Hi, I do agree with the excellent points you raise.
This particular portable camping stove (owned by my good friend) had been used countless times over the years for beach camping holidays. Why it exploded is still a mystery; It could be operator error/misuse (maybe the canister was not fitted 100% correctly that night). The unit itself could have corroded/deteriorated over the years; I still believe it was radiated heat from a large fry-pan over a long period of time that set the reaction in motion.
Am I scaremongering? Yes
Either way, people whom I have told my experience are likely to take a lot more "care" now when using one of these. I was completely oblivious to the danger.
I may write to mythbusters to see if they can do some tests :)
I guess there are many variables that come into play! I myself will have that horrific image in the back of my head every time I use these stoves now! Appreciate your input and goodluck with mythbusters =)
In any case, I bought myself two of these stoves at bunnings today as well as two packs of butane cans (4 in a pack) which went for approx $5.50ea! Can't ever have too many of them! I'd most likely be using these to keep soups on the serving table nice and hot when we have parties.
like others have said wow , i think i will be throwing mine out now
just be sensible and do not overheat it by using large pans on high for extended time.
I take it the injuries are from venting overheated cylinders?
It has to be a lot safer than a wood fire or kero stove.
Could these be used in hotel rooms that dont have cookers?
Most hotels would have rules not permitting cooking in rooms. If there is no exhaust, dont even think about cooking in a room. It would be a safety hazard and inconvenience to other guest.
…inconvenience to other guest.
Especially when the fire alarm goes off and the sprinkers turn on ;-)
.
Just FYI. Rays Outdoors currently have butane stoves + 4 free cartridges (worth $8.50) for $19 (till 28/3 - Back page of current catalogue)
Alongside these units there are also 4pk Cartridges for $4.95
Some Qs: What's the normal price? How much for cartridges? How long do they last? Thanks