When Jetboil launched its original stove, the backpacking stove world was turned on its head. Suddenly, an entirely new level of efficiency was possible. White gas stoves looked antiquated as a result. Justifiably, the Jetboil was a huge success.
It took a few years, but MSR came out with a response to the Jetboil. This stove is called the Reactor. Much like a Jetboil, this canister stove sports a heat exchanger tacked on to the bottom of an integrated pot. However, that’s where many of the similarities end. Instead of an open flame, the Reactor internalizes the flame so all you see is a glowing red surface with a black MSR logo on top. This helps reduce the chance that the flame will get blown out by the wind.
So how does this stove perform? Boiling a liter of water takes roughly 3 minutes in our tests. Efficiency was much better than we expected. I prepared breakfast and dinner for four people over a total of four days with the Reactor and didn’t come nearly close to running out of fuel in an 8 ounce canister.
Additionally, the stove is surprisingly quiet while running. The white gas stoves I’m used to sound like jet engines while cooking. The Reactor by comparison is merely a whisper.
There are a few limitations to the stove though. On our last day of testing, our camp had fairly high winds. As a result, the Reactor was a bit hard to light and went out twice before we could get it started. Additionally, it’s pretty hard to do much more than boil water with the included 1.7 liter pot (maximum 1 liter liquid capacity). Anything else requires a bigger cooking surface or more control over the heat than the stove provides. MSR is selling a 2.5 liter pot for the stove that should make cooking a bit easier. For anything involved though, I’d still use a white gas stove.
While no stove is perfect, there are a few areas I’d like to see improved in the Reactor. I love the piezo ignition system on the Jetboil stoves and wish MSR would put something similar on the Reactor. While it’s not a huge deal to light a match, clicking a button to start a stove is quicker and easier. The only other area I’d like to see improved is some sort of locking mechanism for the pot. In its current incarnation, the pot sits on top of the stove without anything other than gravity keeping it in place. A simple locking mechanism would help stabilize the stove.
Overall though, the Reactor is a very nice stove without any deal breaking faults. It’s not the cheapest stove on the market at $160, but it is a quality product that does its job well.
[...] has since come out with the Reactor, and Primus is soon to release their own competitor to the PCS. However, Jetboil hasn’t taken [...]
Your review is mostly on target. I agree with your two primary criticisms: its lack of a piezoelectric ignition system, and the pot’s limited to boiling water and heating food (as opposed to actually cooking a meal). However, I think your readers should know just how wind-proof this system is compared to everything else on the market. Once lit, it stays lit. Moreover, wind will not rob the system of heat as it does with every other stove. So while the Reactor is certainly more efficient than other burners in a windless environment, the Reactor becomes increasingly and significantly more efficient as the wind increases. The only difficulty is that, as with all stoves, it’s difficult to light in high wind. Which is why the lack of a piezoelectric starter is such a glaring oversight. Even still, MSR has managed to produce the only wind-proof camping stove in existence, and that is something every review should emphasize.
I agree with the above comments – The Reactor is lacking in two main areas 1.) Piezo ignition, and… 2.) Needs to be able to regulate gas, so as to be adjustable for simmering !
I going backpacking in Aussi and going to test this stove. I will let you all know what i think when i am back.