I first saw Brunton’s Flex stove at a trade show ages ago when the brand was getting launched in the UK, but it’s fell on its arse and Brunton is nowhere in the UK market. It do hope that changes though. It’s a shame actually, because although many camping stoves are made in the same factory or to the same design (Primus, Snow Peak, Markill, Optimus and Brunton etc often have the same basic chassis), there’s always tweaks in the spec ordered by the different brands that make them stand out, or indeed not stand out.
With that in mind, the Flex is very similar to the Optimus Crux, but is also very different. The valve body is machined differently, there’s four very curved pot supports to the Crux’s less swoopy looking three, but they both have that cracking wide burner that I love on the Optimus Crux and Crux Lite.
The Flex comes in at gram lighter than advertised at 96g which is fine, and when you add in the folding feature that it shares with the Crux you’re got a bit of kit that just disappears. In the wee stuck-on photies below you can see the little pouch that keeps the stove in the hollow bit at the bottom of your gas canister. I don’t know if I’ll use that all the time or not, it looks a bit like supreme faffery, but I suppose one trip out will get the measure of it.
It’s a kinda cool bit of kit, I like the more robust feeling valve compared to the Optimus version, and it looks easy stripped for maintenance, but time will tell whether it’s really any different. The Crux Lite has been my favourite stove for over a year, so this’ll have to be good.
Anodised orange as well, Help ma’ Boab!
Anodised Orange……mmmmmmmmm
That would go nicely with an ME Xero 250, POE Ether Thermo 6 and a Karrimor Alpiniste 45+10 (possibly even a Pro Action Hike-Lite)
I want one…
I love my Brunton Crux which I have had for a few years now. Where did you get the Flex from? Is it being sold in the UK?
Brunton is part of the Silva/Gerber group and they do have distribution here, I’ve seen the whole range and it does have some cool stuff, like stick-on gauges for your gas canisters and aluminium pots with green anodosing! Plus a bunch of other derivative designed but again very cool-looking stoves.
But, from what I can gather, retailers were horrified at the prices (I have the list somewhere, I’m sure the Flex was nearly £90…), and it has to compete with all the established stuff, MSR’s Pocket Rocket and the bargain wonder of Coleman’s F1 for example.
So they are in the UK, but finding them is another matter. Long story short, my one is from the US!
Side by side test against the crux needs to be done !
Weight boiling time etc and of course green vs orange now thats a tough one !
There’ll be nothing in it performance-wise I think, but that battle of the colours shall rage eternally…
I love my Optimus Crux. I had my head turned briefly by the Brunton until I saw the price! Ouch! So pretty though. She’s like one of those uptown office girls you know is out of your league!
As for the wee baggie that sits under gas cart, I can’t get it to fit a 200 cart and keep the lid on my Titan kettle so now the Crux just goes in my mug along with the fire-steel and Primus stove feet (genius bit of kit).
I’ll second that – F1, stove feet, firesteel, windshield and folding ti spoon in a Vargo ti lite. The only addition is a miniscule folding plastic mug that means I can enjoy a brew whilst boiling more water.
Aye, the pouch is a bit bulky, I can’t see it lasting.
Looks like we’ve all got our cook-kit dialled in, it’s great when that’s sorted. Keep me from my cuppa at your peril.
I looked at those Primus feet recently. It’s one of those things that I’ve never thought I needed, but now I’ve seen, is making me paranoid for not having it…
Mmmffff.
You don’t ‘need’ the feet. I took them on a recent four day trip along with a 200 size MSR gas cart and realised that they didn’t even fit that brand! Deadweight, all 23grams of it ;-)
I should have sent you the Brunton one that doesn’t fit Coleman, Primus or Rekri8, I bet it’s perfect!
The Jetboil feet (an extra which comes with the adaptor for non-Jetboil pans), are by far the best design. The triangular centre frame fits snugly over the valve collar on your gas container & the legs fold neatly along each side of the triangle. Drop it in your mug, drop in the gas, inverted & the thing takes up virtually no space at all but stops the valve knocking against the bottom of your mug.
Expensive though at around £13 for the kit, especially as I don’t have a Jetboil(managed to sell on the pan fitting though)!
Hmm, I did have to wander about looking for a flat rock to cook on last time out.
This line of enquiry has given me a plan though, more later.