Optimus Crux Lite

Summary

Lightweight powerhouse that's small enough to forget it's there.

Picked one of these up as an alternative to my alcohol stove for the occasions when I want to do more than just boil water. It is TINY! Even though it's not a folder (a la original Crux) it takes almost no space in my cook kit. The build quality seems to be quite nice overall with nice castings and clean threads. The flip out pot supports are stiff but sturdy.

This is a powerful little guy! Boils water in my Snow Peak 900 in about 6min. The burner head is quite beautiful and puts out a very broad, evenly distributed flame. I use Ti pans which are scorch and hotspot prone but it seems that the broad, even flame helps with this a tiny bit. Similar in design to the Soto unit. On my unit there are 2-3 ports that never seem to get fuel. Not sure if this is a manufacturing issue or the got clogged at some point but as I remember they were that way since day 1. Has zero effect on the stove's capability.

This stove does really well in the wind. I've yet to have it blow out on me however, it does have an annoying tendency to turn itself down. This makes cooking anything at a simmer a big pain in the bum as you will have to babysit it or it will turn itself off. Doing some reading, it appears that mine is not an isolated case. It's not really an issue when running it wide open. This stove has 3 pot supports as opposed to 4 on a stove such as a Giga-Power which may make it a hair easier to tip your pot but I have not had any problems to date.

I've used this stove for approx 1 year and I have to say I like it!. It has a few shortcomings but nothing that has really bothered me. It is a great stove at a great price.

Summary

This stove is very compact and lightweight. It lights easily and burns consistently. I recommend it for any backpacker who wants to travel light and boil water!

It lit first try. Flame Control was great. I only boiled water with it, but it was very responsive until the low end of the flame.

The stove set up very easily and balanced very well. I used a 750 mL cup on it and had no tipping issues. The stove packed away in the same cup very nicely with all kinds of room to spare.  

Boil time was true to spec.

Although I was not in wind, I would imagine a wind screen to be a benefit in windy conditions.

I haven't burned through a complete canister yet. We boiled for 3 meals and two cups of hot chocolate and couldn't tell a huge difference in the weight of the canister.

This stove was perfect and it seems to be of quality construction and I would expect a good lifespan from it.  

I thought I would throw my hat in the ring and review this stove since it does not have one yet. Being 16 I'm not a real gear head like my dad (my hiking partner) is. But, since I like cooking and have been creating my own trail cooking website, I do play around with the various stoves, posts, windscreens and other assorted items.

We bought this stove as a replacement to one of our MSR Pocket Rockets. We were tired of the jet blast flame and unstable pot supports of the Pocket Rocket and recently bought 3 different models to play around with, including the Crux Lite.

The Optimus Crux Lite is different than the Crux in that it does not fold over like the Crux, but it is still small enough to fit in most of my pots for packing.

I really like how the Crux Lite has a wider flame pattern. The wider flame pattern I think helps when doing real cooking. My largest gripe about the stove is the flame adjustment. It is very touchy.

I have been in the past that the stove is "optimized" for regular butane/propane canisters instead of Isobutane. We found either canister made no difference with regard to the flame adjustment. Still, with a little practice and a light hand, you can get it adjusted for simmering and be able to do so every time you use it. It's just touchy at first and you have to get used to it.

The pot stand arms look small but they grip our pots and frying pan very well.

Overall, very happy with the stove but because of the flame adjustment, giving it only 4 stars.