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Fire Maple FMC-XK6 Aluminum Pot

rated 4.0 of 5 stars
photo: Fire Maple FMC-XK6 Aluminum Pot pot/pan

Pot heats evenly and very quickly. Lightweight yet big enough for two. Lid is the only weak point.

Pros

  • Heats very quickly and evenly, 1 min 20 sec to 200 degrees
  • 1L capacity
  • Capacity markings are stamped into the metal, in liters
  • Lightweight—6.8 oz with lid
  • 230g fuel canister fits inside

Cons

  • Lid will melt if pot gets too hot
  • Lid seals fairly tightly, but not watertight
  • That seal works against you if you need to remove when hot.
  • Drain hole in lid does not have a separate vent, so it pours terribly
  • Name—come on, Fire Maple, I can't even remember the name of this thing for this review

I really like the Fire Maple Petrel, but 600ml capacity was a little too small for two people. I make some dehydrated meals that require actual cooking. So the extra size of the XK6 helps keep things in the pot vs boiling over, or sloshing out when stirred. The XK6 will actually handle 1.05L if you fill to the brim. I don't recommend this as it can easily boil over.

A 230 or taller 450 gram isobutane tank will fit inside the XK6. The pot weighs 6.8 oz with the lid. The lid is .72 oz by itself, and the pot is 6oz without the lid. Specs show 190 grams or 6.7 oz, just a hair off, but also seems my scale is a little off.

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6 oz for pot 7.2 oz for the lid and some error in my scale

Fill markings are fairly visible on the inside, in metric only, so for us US folks that occasionally get directions in cups, be ready for some conversion.

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Time to boil is what really attracted me to the Petrel and the XK6 produces nearly the same boil time. 

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2 cups water @70 degrees to begin

Starting with 2 cups of water at 70 degrees, the pot and my MSR PocketRocket 2 produced boiling water in 1 min 22 and 1 min 20 seconds during two timed tests. This is a little slower than my same tests with the Petrel at 1min 17 seconds. However, it was a little bit more breezy today, so I think it's a pretty close call. My non-heat-exchanger pot was 2 minutes 9 seconds for a 200 degree boil. So quite a bit of time and therefore gas is saved. Both were boiled with the PR2 on full blast with a full tank of isobutane with 2 cups water @ 70 degrees.

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1 min 22 sec to a boil at 200 degrees
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2 minute 9 seconds for non-heat-exchanger pot
The handles are different from the Petrel in that they swing out instead of down and locking. This is a bit more wobbly. But it means the little sharp edge on the Petrel is gone. As is the tiny risk of squeezing in the handles during pouring and having the handle come off. So overall, not much difference. As with all these type of handles, be careful with your flame and keep the handles out if you want to avoid melting the plastic covers on the handles. So far, mine are unscathed.

The XK6 bottom lacks the slots of the Petrel, and that does make a difference with the stability. With the Petrel, I could lift my stove using the pot. Not so with the XK6, just like any regular pot, you

accidentally

 hit it and your pot will slide right off. However, the upside is the XK6 is compatible with most if not all stoves.

The real con of the pot is the lid. It's a soft silicone with a small vent. The silicone can melt if you get it too hot. The lid does fit fairly snugly—though not water tight. This can present a problem if you get the stove hot with the lid on, it's hard to get off and can easily slip to one side and melt. The center knob is not very prominent and can be hard to fully grab. So it's not a great setup. There is a small tab on one side that can also be used to remove the lid. But, it's pretty flexible—especially when warm, so again not awesome.

The spout on the lid is also not very functional. It can be used to drain, but there is no secondary hole to allow for air to come in and water to escape, so it has to be poured very slowly. I tried to capture this in the pic below. If you pour too fast, the water dribbles out, goes down the pot a bit and ends up everywhere.  

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Spout on lid

Overall the pot is what I wanted; its bigger capacity will allow me to cook a bit better for two and should reduce my fuel usage. It's not much heavier than the Petrel, but is missing the Petrels' slots, which I really liked. I may get out a file and DIY some slots. We shall see. 

Background

Used the pot on a few meals so far without any issues.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $29

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Specs

Price MSRP: $35.40
Reviewers Paid: $29.00
Weight 190g
Capacity 1L / 33.8 oz
Material Hard anodized aluminum
Size 115 x 133 m
Product Details from Fire Maple »

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