I got my Firelite 500 pot today! I really fell in love with it and this is definitely going to be my solo pot of choice. The handle on the lid stays in an upright position making it easier to lift the lid without burning your fingers. And the handles are very ergonomic. The capacity and compactness are perfect for my style of packing. But...

The lid seems like it doesn't fit. It doesn't form a seal around the rim of the pot and it tilts up on one side. It's almost like the lid was cut a little too big to fit inside the inner rim. Here is a photo:


Is anyone else's like this or is mine defective? I've already emailed customer support to see if I can get a replacement.

Jason:

James Pitts posted about problems with the lid as well.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/5532/index.html

Edited by ben2world on 01/05/2007 20:24:24 MST.

I got mine the other day and for sure I am not happy with the lid. Your photo posted here could have been the unit I got in the mail. The lid fits too tightly. I'll probably wind up using foil for a lid, but this was a costly little pot (relatively speaking) and I think it's fair to expect it should fit better. I guess what I am saying is if I was exepcted to use foil for a lid (because that's what we people do here) then it shouldn't have shipped with a lid at all. If you are going to do something then do it right. eh?

Still, I like it. It's lighter than my SnowPeak 700 for sure... my "old reliable" and a good match to my SnowPeak 600 (which also has no lid). I think it's a unit on the right track but not QUITE there yet...

Thanks for the link Ben and thanks for the confirmation James. It's just disappointing because I like everything else about the pot. If any staff members are following this thread, maybe they can tell us if this is just a production-run mistake, quality-control issue, or something else; that would be great. I agree with you James that for the money, the lid should fit correctly. I don't think we should have to resort to making our own. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a mere defect that can be fixed...

My lid is the same. I can get it on ok and its not too tight where I'm concerned about it bending the pot or anything. It should work fine, it is only a lid.

Bend? Mine won't even seat in the rim if I smashed it down. That means it's going to cause efficiency issues. I think it should be matched to the pot for the price and the tout.

Edited by jasonklass on 01/05/2007 21:14:35 MST.

Mine fits fine, but it's tight. If I deform the shape of the pot slightly by pressing gently on the sides of the pot with my fingers the lid pops out of place. I wonder if some of the pots are a little out of round. Does it make a difference if the handle is folded or extended? I also wonder if it will settle into place when the pot heats and expands slightly? Or will the lid just expand by the same amount?

Wayne,

My lid is more like yours. It does actually go into the pot unlike Jason's. It also pops out if I press the sides a little. I think it should be just fine sitting on top of my stove with water in it though.

I boiled water in mine with a Red Bull stove tonight. The lid popped off when the water got hot. My heart skipped a beat! I felt really dumb... tight fitting lid, bringing water to a boil. If I find a way to make the lid work I'll have to drill a hole in the top of it. I may cut a slot in the top to make a "drain hole" like the Snow Peak 700 mug has. That would resolve my little heart attack problem. ;)

I, too, love the size and weight of my FireLite 500, though I have experienced similar lid fit problems others have mentioned. I returned the first one I ordered since the lid didn't seat in the pot at all. BPL sent a replacement that was supposedly much better, but the lid on it also does not fit quite right (though better than the first). Seems like a manucacturing QC issue to me. I have used the pot a few times, and it works fine with the lid resting on top, but the fit/finish is a notch or two below my snowpeak 700. Again, it will definitely be my "go to" pot for fast and light excursions, but I do wish the lid fit better.

Add my BPL Ti pot to the list of those that don't have a lid that fits. But at least it's not like wearing shoes that are too tight or too loose, the non-fitting lid is aggravating but not a real painful experience. Tried to remedy the problem by applying firm pressure on the pot's sides near the top. That seemed to help get the lid to go on flush with the pot. But then another problem arose. A very strong "pull" was needed to remove the lid.

In all fairness, given the number of "bad" experiences, sales of these pots should be suspended until quality control issues get resolved. I don't plan to send my Ti pot back since that just requires additional expense for shipping (and gas to go the post office).

Maybe the pot lid will shrink with use and old age, like a favorite old flannel shirt.

JRS

Richard,
I wouldn't hold your breath on the lid shrinking. Mine is going back to BPL. I'll stick with my Snow Peak 600 until they get the bugs worked out of the Firelite. The $4 in shipping cost is better than losing $30 to something I'm not happy with. If they fix the lid, I'll definitely buy another one though.

Edited by jasonklass on 01/06/2007 12:52:49 MST.

Jason:

If the lid is ill fitting and you are unhappy about it, you should ask for an exchange -- but have BPL inspect to ensure that the replacement lid fits perfectly -- or else ask for a refund -- INCLUDING ORIGINAL AND RETURN SHIPPING (as applicable).

Customers should NOT have to eat the shipping cost in this case.

I actually wondered if it is the spot weld holding the lid handle to the lid, that distorts the lid slightly, certainly mine is a little out of alignment, but I will happily live with it.

At least I will never have a problem getting the lid off.

I've ordered a few things from BPL and been satisfied to date, and have considered buying a Firelite 500. I'm curious what BPL's response has been from anyone who has heard back from them regarding the ill fitting lids.

MikeB

"I actually wondered if it is the spot weld holding the lid handle to the lid, that distorts the lid slightly, certainly mine is a little out of alignment, but I will happily live with it."



The lid on mine fits just about perfect...BUT..I've got the non handled version of the pot. Maybe others with the non handled version could comment on how their lids fit?

Edited by dag4643 on 01/06/2007 16:48:35 MST.

Hey Roger,
Me too! I suppose it's the weekend so we probably won't get any feedback from staff members until next week. I'm anxiously awaiting their response. In the meantime, I've been working on a few DIY lids to see if I can salvage the pot (even though I don't think I should have to make my own lid for a pot that costs thirty bucks!) We'll see...

BMW Ti Pot Lid Fix

When I bought my FireLite SUL-500 Titanium Cookpot (62 grams with the lid)
I got the one without the handles. I wanted the lightest option I could get. The first thing I did was put a "Bail" on the pot to lift it with.

I noticed the Lid had a minor "fit" problem. Mine wasn't to bad and the lid was heavy (13.3 grams). I decided I could make a lighter lid so I never worried about the stock lid. I am not a one issue person and I did not buy the pot for the lid I bought the pot for a very light weight pot.

With all the moaning and groaning the last few days about the lid fit I decided that since it was on my Hike "To Do List" I would work on it this morning.

For materials I would use a piece of Aluminum Oven Liner for one lid and I discovered that the top and bottom of a NIDO Dry Milk container had a flange on them that fit over the BMW Ti Pot. The fit is about as perfect as you could want. You do have to cut away the cardboard sides of the container from the metal parts.


Easy Fix #1:

I took an aluminum oven liner and cut a disk a little bigger than the pot opening. Then I just bent it around the pot and made a simple lid. I left some extra at one spot to use as a way to lift it from the pot. The lid works fine and weighs 2.9 grams.



Easy Fix #2:

I have not finished this version yet as I need to work on something this afternoon that is more important. You can see that the center part is open. I would cut a disk out of thin Aluminum and attach it to the disk. Some might say why not use some thin Titanium. I have some thin Aluminum that weighs almost the same as the Ti and it is cheaper and a lot easier to work with. I don't need the extra strength of Ti so I will save it. You can see in one picture that the fit is so good that I can hold the Ti Pot upside down and the lid does not fall off. The ring alone weighs 9.5 grams.




East Fit #3:

As with #2 I have not finished this lid. It could be used as you see it if you didn't care if you have a lift ring. There are a lot of different ways a lifting device could be made and if you make a lid like this I am sure you can come up with something simple and light. This lid also fits well enough to turn upside down and the lid will not fall off. The lid as you see it weighs 15.3 grams. This is 2 grams heavier than the stock lid.



For a long hike I think I would go for lid #2 as it would be much more durable and also really keep the pot closed when packed. For a short hike of 3 to 5 days I would go with the Oven Liner version.

The Ti Pot w/the Oven Liner Lid weighs 55.3 grams or 1.95 ounces.

I made three different ones and can't decide which one I like best:







The first one actually lowers the weight of the pot to 2.4 oz. (out-of-the-box weight is 2.8).

These options will work but I still wish I could use the lid it came with and am now on the fence about whether or not I'll keep the Firelite. It would be one thing if I chose to make my own lid because it would be lighter but the fact that I have to make one because the one it came with doesn't fit still bothers me.

Edited by jasonklass on 01/07/2007 15:27:40 MST.

My personal opinion is that BPL should get a run of the lids produced that fit the pots properly and they should be sent out to people that have purchased the pots that want a replacement. I would not want BPL to get soaked on this, it only raises their costs and those costs tend to get passed on to the consumer (not sure if this applies to BPL but that's what I would expect from a lot of businesses), but if there is a way to make this right I would think it would be in the best interest of everyone to make it so.