User Review: Coleman Xtreme Powermax Stove

Blazing heat: 14,000 BTUs. Superfast to assemble and get cooking.

I have an Optimus 8R, my very first backpacking stove (1973).

Went with MSR later, including a multifuel Whisperlite Internationale, terrific for overseas treks.

I would never have considered "COLEMAN", purveyor to car campers as a maker of backpacking stoves. But then a friend of mine pulled out his Coleman Exponent, got the water boiling in half the time it took me assembling pumping, priming and firing up the MSR, and it also did a superb job frying trout.

So I got one.

Before purchasing it, I looked at the Jetboil, but at the time it only heated water for freeze-dried food (spring 2005).

Is the current multi-function Jetboil better than the Coleman today? Yes, and no. Jetboil's fuel efficiency and heating speed are tops--but only when used with Jetboil's FluxRing-welded pot and pan. You can't cook with your old pots and pans without converting the Jetboil to a slow-heating, low-BTU stove.

Coleman PowerMax canisters are widely available. You can even get them at Wal-Mart. So, for domestic trips, the Coleman is a really good stove.