Optimus Crux

Summary

Great little stove! I've read some people had a hard time with the flame adjustment to simmer, not me. Lights easy, folds down tiny, and flame adjustment from barely there to jet engine.

This little pocket stove works great. Fires right up, although no electronic ignition, just bring a lighter. Simmers very well if you're not in the wind.

While it is sturdy enough for a small camp skillet, I would avoid heavy iron skillets or pots, those are best used on larger stove.

The folding arms make for a small packing size, and the carrying case fits in the recess of the fuel canister. Just remember to not grab it and try to fold it right after you turn it off.

Summary

Good tiny stove for boiling water.

Got this stove back in 2008 and have used it a bit since. The stove definitely follows a KISS mentality — lock the head in place, flip out the arms, screw it on a iso can, flip out the control wire and turn, light.

I find the control works OK, however you need to be careful not to turn too far one way or another. Not what I would call a simmering stove, but I haven't tried it for that purpose, only for boiling water. 

This stove can put out quite a bit of heat, so much so that I find the arms  can get red hot and seem to bend a bit under the weight of heavier pots (I have an MSR Titan Kettle which doesn't do this).

I'd say this stove's main advantage is the size it can fold down to, combined with its neoprene case and a shorter iso can (such as a MSR 115), this stove fits perfectly inside the Titan kettle and the neoprene keeps it from rattling.

For boiling water, and a very packable package I like this stove a lot, but if you were doing anything more complex or anything more than one or two people's worth of boiled water I believe there are better options out there. 

Great lightweight stove.

This thing is tiny and lightweight, when in its little neoprene case it can be carried anywhere (even in the hollow in the bottom of the gas canister).

I use this with the optimus terra cookset most of the time, great combo.

The only problem I have is that when trying to use really low heat it often goes out when bumped.

Like most stoves that screw in to a gas bottle it can sometime be a little unsteady, but that is usually down to user heavy hands while stirring!

Good stove.

It is a little loose when 'snapped' into position. This is the only downfall once you have placed a pot on it. Bear in mind you buy this stove for its packability and light weight...so, deal with the smaller pot arms and loose burner.

I have read reviews that it shakes when a pot is at full boil however, I have NEVER encountered this problem. I wish Optimus would get a hold of me because I could fix this whole 'loose' issue without compromising weight or overall design.

The best part of this stove is that it simmers extremely well. The 12,000 BTU's are a lot! I have never had to turn this stove on full to cook anything, regardless of wind or temperature.

It is difficult, maybe impossible at this time, to find a lighter or more packable stove! It is well worth the few dollars Optimus charges for this unit...BUY IT!

Enjoy this stove as much as I have.

Nice and small but the black stove is a older version and has a little shake to it. On top of being small it shakes!

The new orange stove - still folds and is much more stable.

The five main things I like about this stove is: 1. 12,000 BTU's, 2. The way it folds down & fits into the bottom of your fuel canister, 3. Very lightweight, 4. Constructed of high quality components for durability and longevity, 5. Fuel efficient. Uses 5g of fuel to bring 8oz of water to boil. If you're a stove nut like me, this is a must have for your collection.