Jetboil Flash 1.0 Stove System Review
The JetBoil Flash 1.0L Stove System is an improved version of the JetBoil Flash that boils water faster than the previous model and is safer and easier to use. The key difference between the two models is in the burner head assembly, which has a combined ignition and flame adjustment control that gets rid of the push button piezo lighter and wire flame control found on the previous model and combines them in a single knob. To light the stove you twist the knob to the left until it clicks to ignite the gas and to the right to control the flame height.
- Weight: 14.1 oz without a fuel canister and with the fuel stand (which I recommend using)
- Volume: 1.0L (max recommended liquid volume is 2 cups)
- Pot: 1.0L anodized aluminum pot with flux ring
- Stove: 5300 BTU
- Regulated: No
- Boil Time 2 cups: 120-130 sec
- Water boiled: 10 liters per 100g Isobutane can
The BTU output of burner head was also increased, reducing the average time needed to boil 2 cups of water from 150 seconds down to 130-120 seconds. The locking points between the burner assembly and the flux ring were improved so you get a more secure fit between the two units and orange grip zones were added to the exterior of the burner head assembly so you can safely grip it when decoupling it from a hot pot or when screwing it onto a pressurized fuel canister.
While all these changes make the new Jetboil Flash 1.0L faster to use and safer, I question whether its worth upgrading if you own one of the earlier Flash models and you’re used to its idiosyncrasies. However, if you’re looking to buy a Jetboil Flash for yourself or a friend, make sure you buy the new model which is called the “Jetboil Flash 1.0L” instead of the previous “Jetboil Flash.”
Jetboil Flash 101
If you’ve never used a Jetboil stove system before, the Jetboil Flash 1.0L is a tightly integrated cooking system that is optimized for boiling water very quickly and efficiently: like 16 oz (2 cups) in 2 minutes. It includes:
- An anodized aluminum pot wrapped in an insulated cloth cover w/handle. The pot has aluminum fins welded to the bottom which absorb heat and reduce the amount of fuel required to boil water, by about 10%. The insulated cover has thermochromic stripes that turn orange when the water has reached a boiling temperature.
- A burner head with a flame control and integrated piezo igniter so you can ignite it without matches.
- A plastic lid that fits over the top of the pot, with a sipping hole and colander holes so you can strain water out of the pot.
- A plastic measuring cup which fits over the base of the pot when packed (and is easily cracked.)
- A fuel can stabilizer that helps prevent the top heavy system from tipping over.
The Jetboil Flash 1.0L is compatible with isobutane canister gas from multiple brands as long as it has a standard threaded valve. When packed, all of the stove components fit together into a cylinder that’s about the size of 32 oz Nalgene bottle. There’s also room inside for a 100g fuel canister, sold separately.
There are a few things about the Jetboil Flash (both the new and the old versions) which aren’t obvious. While the cook pot can hold 1.0L of water, there’s an engraved line inside the pot called the fill line, which is just over 16 oz, and is the maximum recommended amount of water you’d want to boil at a time. If you try to boil more than that, there’s a real danger that water will boil over the top, which can burn you, or cause the entire unit to tip over.
If you’re very careful, you can simmer food in the Jetboil Flash, but it helps to stir it continuously when doing so. Otherwise, the food can float to the top of the pot and create a virtual lid, which can errupt unexpectedly and burn you or tip over. One strategy, is to boil water and turn the stove off, before adding ingredients that can rehydrate easily, like instant rice, in the cook pot..
Disclosure: Jetboil donated a Flash for review.
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My hope is that this new unit mitigates the tendency of all Jetboil predecessors (and similar products using flexible “snap-on” tops) to have the top pop off if the unit tips over when filled with boiling content. This represents a huge hazard of scalding burns in the backcountry. After testing several combinations of cookware, the ONLY system I’ve found to have a lid likely to stay in place is the MSR Windburner, which is why I carry one. I became a dedicated cookware tester after spilling boiling lentil soup on to my ankle when the pot tipped over (believe me, it DOES happen) on the Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas. I then had to hike 15 miles back to my truck with 3rd degree burns.
use the canister stand included with these stoves. it really does help with stability.
I have to admit, and despite having multiple stoves on hand, twig stoves, MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe, Optimus Polaris MultiFuel, and a Trangia ( I love stoves), I’ve been tempted to get a JetBoil to test out. Unfortunately, here in Canada at $165, it’s a bit pricey for just testing unless I plan to use it. But I am still interested in it, especially with the newer version as I know on other stoves, the standard Piezo doesn’t last long. I’m also curious how much creative cooking one can do with this kind of system. I would like to take this out and try cooking several of my recipes to see how it performs. Plus, with the anodized aluminum pot, which I love anodized pots, it a plus in my corner; and the BTU rating!
I’ve had the previous model just under 12 months and already having problems with the igniter. I would definitely recommend staying away from the older version.
I’ve also read your review of the Soto Amicus Stove and cookset (the one you picked up in Scotland?) You also seem to have a high opinion of it, too. I realize that kit and the Flash 1.0 aren’t perfectly comparable, but was wondering, for general backpacking in decent weather using freeze-dried food cooking for one person, which (if either) of the cooksets you prefer?
If you only need it to boil water, get the Jetboil Flash. I don’t eat freeze-dried food.
I eat freeze dried on one or two night trips, and mix in ramen noodle or other almost-no- cooking meals on longer trips (not many of those as I enter my mid-70’s and after quadruple bypass surgery.) The main reason for stating “freeze dried” was shorthand to indicate not a lot of cooking and simmering going on.
Thanks for your insight. I’ve never been a big fan of Jetboil in the past, but a friend was showing me his Flash 1.0. Between the two of you, I’m going to replace my Amicus set with it for most of my trips.
If cooking for one person, why not a Stash? Or get a lighter set up for less money using a Soto Windmaster and an Evernew or Toaks cookpot. The Soto igniter is probably the most reliable, from what I’ve seen, but still carry a Bic mini.
Bunny: $20 more expensive, smaller pot, no cozy, less wind protection, and slightly longer boil time (if I’m reading the specs on REI correctly.) Yes, it’s 6 or 7 ounces heavier – but that’s 2 or 3 granola bars, and at a 19-pound total weight (including food and a liter of water), I’m not that fanatic about saving weight.