I just purchased a Giga from a local sporting goods store, brought it home and lit it up.

I was disappointed when I saw that the flame wasn't even. Directly across from the automatic ignition, the flame disappears. When I turn the knob, it evens out in spots, but not reliably.

It doesn't appear clogged, and there was no wind to interfere.

Any ideas / shared experiences?

That should NOT happen. Period. (Premier quality stove.)

You could try posting some photos of the flames here, so we can see if we can guess what's wrong.
But I suspect you should simply take it back for a replacement. Could be worth while checking the flame pattern of the new one in the shop.

Cheers

I have the same stove and mine does not have that problem. It sounds like it is defective.

Thank you both for the quick response.

I'll save the trouble of posting pictures since the store is down the road and I have the receipt.

However, I failed to mention in my last post that I used an MSR 8 oz. fuel canister with the stove. I had bought two with a pocket rocket, and just assumed the threading was the same.

Is the company suggestion to only use Snow Peak fuel valid, or is this simply a defective product?

Finally, if the stove were to be 'clogged,' what is the safe way to go about cleaning it?

Thanks again.

Hi Dylan

Well, all of your questions are answered in our (many) articles on canister stoves. Subscribe and read. :-)

> Is the company suggestion to only use Snow Peak fuel valid,
Marketing scam. ALL good-brand screw-thread canisters are compatible with all good-brand screw-thread stoves.
There was an exception for some very dodgy Chinese canisters which had faulty threads, but they may not be imported. They may not exist any more either.

> Finally, if the stove were to be 'clogged,' what is the safe way to go about cleaning it?
We have a detailed technical article on that too:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/essential_stove_maintenance.html

Cheers

Edited by rcaffin on 12/09/2009 16:50:50 MST.

Roger,

Again, thank you for the quick response. I just tested a new Giga, and it worked great. Good to know I can use different fuel brands, saves me a bit of cash. :)

I'll be sure to take a closer look prior to popping a question next time.

Hi Dylan

> I'll be sure to take a closer look prior to popping a question next time.
The Forum channels are OK for short answers, but obviously can't compare with a full-length article with photos and diagrams.

Cheers

A couple of years ago I came across a hiker who could not get her cannister stove to light because no fuel would flow. I threaded my snow peak stove onto her cannister and it worked fine. I then tried her cannister with her stove (can't remember the brands) and it now worked fine. I think that somehow the stove she was using would not thread on far enough to get it going. Don't know why, but I do remember that the brand of her stove and the brand of the cannister were different.

Dirt on the thread causing a jam maybe.

Cheers