Primus Firestick

Primus Firestick in pristine, unused condition

Primus Firestick always looked like fun, but also expensive for what it is: fairly standard screw-on gas burner with a design gimmick.

One day I saw this for 40€, passed it, then realized it comes with a carry bag and the Primus piezo igniter (easily 16€ by itself), went back another day and picked it up.

Already when taking it out of the box, it looks flimsier than in the photographs and the tripod "flaps" don't seem to reach very far.

Box contents, there's also a manual.

The cap needs to be removed to open the flaps, which is simple enough, but putting it back together needs a tiny amount of practice. Yes, it opens hassle-free and "automatically", but is that a major draw?

The loose cap can be considered at least a minor design flaw, it might have been a better to have it hinge on one of the flaps or something.

For a first quick test, I warmed a Duossal's worth of pea soup, and the Primus did just fine.

Jalostajan Hernekeitto, mmm...

When put together, the Firestick is not only compact but the round form is quite convenient for carrying. I'm tempted to carry it as is, but because the burner component needs protection and the cap could come loose, it's better to keep it in the bag. The bag is also a good place for the piezo igniter.

If I have to compare this to "Furno 360", the Firestick is likely not as powerful, but it takes a little less space.

At first it was puzzling that I needed to turn the valve quite a lot before the gas even begins to flow. But the valve is quite generous, a quarter-turn isn't going to send the burner into a fit. This is quite pleasant, much better than in my Primus Mimer stove.

The jagged parts don't connect with a normal pot

A little wind didn't create a problem, but on more open ground the Firestick turned out to be quite sensitive to even normal wind, when attempting a low flame. But this is quite common with burners, especially the taller screw-on models. Heating water with a full-on blast is unlikely to be a problem.

Yet I'm starting to think one of those collapsible windshields might make sense. And yes, Trangia storm cookers have solved this already.

The pot holds firmly enough, even though the tripod parts don't connect in the most ideal way. It might be there is a specific Primus pot or cup that connects better into it.

Fire Maple Feast Heat Exchanger

Notably this is the second system I've bought that has some problems with the Fire Maple Feast Heat Exchanger pot. It looks like the Firestick flaps nearly fit inside the opening inside the exchanger, but it doesn't without squeezing the flaps inward a little. So it can become "locked", which depending on the situation might be a good or a bad thing. I'm inclined to think it might be a bad thing.

Boohoo, it's dirty already

If the idea of the design is that the flap outsides would retain their color better than in other models, no such luck, the burn colorization attacked it the first time. The cap obviously remains clean.

So, yet another burner that's unlikely to pull much weight in winter conditions, but hey, the Primus piezo igniter is quite good.