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Snow Peak Giga Power Stove with Piezo

Hiking & Camping > Stoves & FuelRated: **** by 10 reviews.

REI

This featherweight, super-compact stove is barely noticeable in your pack—click the Piezo igniter for an instant 10,000 BTUs of cooking power.

  • Collapsible stove top screws onto Snow Peak or MSR isobutane cartridges or Primus butane/propane canisters so you never have to pump or prime
  • Built-in Piezo igniter sends out an electric spark that starts the flame once the gas is turned on; no matches required!
  • The stove performs well in cold temperatures and can be reduced to a true simmer for actual cooking, not just boiling water for freeze-dried foods
  • Fold-out wires provide support for most sizes of cooking pots; stable stove base allows cooking on varied surfaces
  • Operates most efficiently with Snow Peak fuel canisters
  • Stove comes in a plastic box for easy packing; size specifications are based on storage box
  • Fuel canister sold separately
  • Weight includes stove, not the canister

Average boil time:4 min. 16 sec.
Burn time (max flame):(100g canister) 32 minutes
Cold weather use:Good
Dimensions:3.6 x 2.0 x 1.8 inches
Ease of operation:Excellent
Fuel:GigaPower canisters
Fuel capacity:220 grams
Pot stability:Excellent
Stove stability:Fair
Suggested use:Backpacking
Water boiled per 100g fuel:7.6 liters
Weight (without fuel):3.75 ounces

View other products from Snow Peak classified in Hiking & Camping > Stoves & Fuel.

View all products from Snow Peak.
View other products classified in Hiking & Camping > Stoves & Fuel.

Snow Peak Giga Power Stove with Piezo Reviews Summary:

RatingNumber
of Reviews
*****5
****4
***1
**0
*0
To see how this product compares to others view Camping Stove Reviews.

Positive Reviews:

Better than Pocket Rocket

Rating:****
Got one to replace MSR Pocket Rocket.

Pocket Rocket pot supports are too flimsy. Struts are so thin that pots sway and twist when sturring Lipton noodles & rice dishes. Happens too much even with the MSR 1.5 litre pot, and much more with the 2 litre pot.

With Snowpeak Gigapower my pots no longer sway or twist. Gigapower is also less tippy on uneven ground (approximately 2-3 times as stable as pocket rocket)

Gigapower flame pattern also created less of a hot spot and was easier to cook Lipton Fettacine Alredo without sticking. (2-3" circle had sticking problem with pocket rocket and MSR teflon coated aluminum pot.)

Gigapower was also a lot better in a light to medium wind - but both needed a wind break of some sort for medium to heavy wind. The Gigapower did flame-out more at minimal gas setting, but delivered much more flame to bottom of pot at 10-25% gas setting. (Pocket Rocket flame blew sideways).

Also - piezo ignitor is AWESOME. Had issues getting 2 different (full) Bics to light at 35 degrees (F). (Approximately 10-20 trys required to get a small flame).

Plus - piezo allows stove to be relit without removing pot - which eliminates (almost non-existant) flame out issue at VERY low gas setting. Piezo seems very sturdy (not bendy, or bump-prone) and looks easily replaceable. It's held in with two #1 phillips screws.
John G. at REI on 10/23/2007

This stove is perfect after a long hike!

Rating:*****
This stove is head and shoulders above other lightweight stoves for SO many reasons. It takes only seconds to set up, lights easily and reliably, it burns hot, is surprisingly stable, and folds up tiny.

How's this for easy-to-use? I can fit the stove, fuel canister, and my trimmed spoon all inside my 0.9L pot. To use it, I simply screw the stove onto the fuel canister, fold out the 4 wires, start the gas, and click the Piezo igniter. Done! No one in camp can start cooking faster than I can!

It's so stable because the cooking surface has 4 wires instead of 3 - and they are actually level when unfolded. This makes it much easier to balance a full pot when cooking. Also, because the cooking surface is lower than other stoves, it has a much better center of balance. And don't think that having 4 wires makes it more bulky. I tried fitting other "tiny" stoves in my pot and they just wouldn't fit.

As for performance, it throws nicely distributed heat that can easily be adjusted with the large gas control lever. The Piezo lighter hasn't failed me yet and is placed far away from the flames (my fingers appreciate that). If you want fast, lightweight, and hassle-free then this is the stove for you.
Mike See at REI on 09/09/2007

Dependable workhorse

Rating:*****
I LOVE this stove! I have owned one for over 6 years and it has never given me any problems at all. I have taken it in all kinds of weather and on all kinds of trips and this stove has always kept on doing its job! In sub-freezing temps it might require a little of a warm up period but that has to be expected with a cannister stove. I have used an alcohol stove, a compact tablet stove, a MSR type stove and many other cannister stoves. I have never found one that holds a candle to this guy. After all these years the peizo still works too. The only half way complaint I can muster in regards to this stove is that it has trouble with wind. But if you use the wind screen then that is no longer a problem AT ALL! I am eager to see how the new snow peak stove stacks up to it. I would trust no other stove on a long trip.
okey from mskokey at REI on 09/09/2008

Alcohol Stove What????

Rating:*****
Ok, I was really shaving weight, and wanted to dump my old white gas workhorse stove for something lighter. I tried an alcohol stove, but I didn't want to light myself on fire, and the output was terrible, so I got looking.
I did comparisons on all the different stoves, and got this one. For power and weight this seemed like the best. It is very stable. Burns from raging to simmer, and packs down to the size of two matchbooks. Comparing to an alcohol stove isn't really fair, but it's with gas it's not much more or even less wieght than an alcohol stove if you were cooking more than a few meals. The alcohol for cooking say 6 meals would make that package wiegh more than snow peak with gas to cook about 9 or ten meals.
This stove is a good alternative to an alcohol stove if you want the wieght savings, but want some serious BTU's. It's a very cool stove.
Backcountry Fly-Fisherman at REI on 01/20/2008

Get the piezo!!

Rating:****
No, you don't need the Ti version of this stove. If you spit a couple of times, you've just lost all the weight you save with the Ti version. Seriously. You DO, however, need the piezo. It's reliable and since it's attached to the stove, you can't lose it. I mean, yeah, you should always carry a backup firestarter, but the piezo is a great feature that shouldn't be skipped -- ESPECIALLY for weight reasons.

One thing to note: this stove needs to be located with a little forethought when you're in a windy spot. It is pretty strongly affected by wind, and your boil times will go sharply up if you don't keep it from getting all wind-sputtery. That said, there really isn't much to keep you from buying this. It's the best summer stove you'll ever find (and it fits inside Snow Peak's Trek700 mug with a canister of fuel, which is terribly convenient). Get one.
Wally B at REI on 10/15/2007

GREAT STOVE

Rating:*****
This is a great stove that is easy to use, easy to light, small and light. I recently bought the titanium version to save weight and it works like a charm and is incredibly fast and easy to use. I also own a jet boil but i think this is definitely better and faster at cooking and is a fourth of the size. Overall i recommend this product to anyone that needs to save space and weight but still wants a simple easy to use stove that boils water very quickly. I even ran a test to see how fast it could boil water and it boiled it in 1 minute and 18 seconds!!!!! This is a great buy just like all of the other snow peak products
william charlton at REI on 04/19/2008

Five years and going strong

Rating:*****
I owned this stove for just about five years now and it is still going strong. Since I am petite in size, I have to be very careful about the weight I carry on my back - every ounce counts! This stove fits that purpose. Not just that, it is easy to use, set up, quiet, compact in size(fits nicely into the Snowpeak 3 piece Titanium pots set I own). Really, I have no complaints. Only recommendation for those who don't already know, keep the gas canisters in the sleeping bag with you and you won't have trouble starting it in the morning (This is a gas canister issue and not anything to do with the stove).
JackieKim at REI on 06/20/2008

It is what it is...

Rating:****
I bought this as a l/w alternative to the MSR Whisperlite stove. The whole stove and fuel can fit in the SnowPeak Ti mug. The stove lits well and burns hot. The only problem I encountered is that in 20 degree weather, I was only able to boil 5 liters of water before using a 110 SnowPeak fuel can. It is a great stove if you don't depend on it to purify your water AND if you are willing to carry multiple canisters of fuel. Use it only as necessary and you'll love it.
REI Addict at REI on 12/26/2007

Hassle free

Rating:****
Great stove. Had it out in sub-freezing temps (low 20's in Appalachians), and did not pre-warm canister, which was sitting in tent vestibule all night. Stove fired right up, burned fine. Did notice flame control was not so great in low temps - but no issue with lighting or boiling water quick.

Highly recommended; hard to beat the convenience to weight ratio of this little gem.
milenine at REI on 10/24/2008

Neutral Reviews:

Good Stove But Not Great.

Rating:***
I bought this stove as a lightweight/more compact replacement to my MSR Wisperlight gas stove. It is very lightweight and folds up into a small plastic box that fits in your hand (and very nicely in a 300ml cup). Using the stove at home, there were no problems whatsoever - it burned hot, simmered decent, and was relatively easy on fuel. The Piezo ignitor worked fine.

The real issues started when we camped at 12,000ft and the weather got windy and cold. The Piezo ignitor would not work and had to use matches. The stove heated water fine but consumed fuel at an alarming rate, burning through a 110g canister over the course of 3 meals (my old Whisperlight would last 2-3 days of meals, in comparison). My buddy's Jetboil stove consumed much less fuel and I ended up bumming an unused fuel can from him towards the end of our trip. When I got back home I examined the Piezo ignitor and noticed it had been bent in too closely, at some point in time, and the spark was not big enough to light the stove. I bent it out slightly and it worked fine leading me to believe that this feature may not be all that great or even worth the extra price since when matches are always with me anyways. I'm considering a liquid fuel stove for my future higher altitude, cold weather adventures.

This stove, in my opinion, would be better suited for short trips to moderate altitudes where minimum weight and space are a concern.
johnc85 at REI on 02/28/2009