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WE LOVED THE FIRE MAPLE BLADE 2 STOVE.

A DECADE AGO WE PICKED ONE UP IN CHENGDU AS A SECOND STOVE AND QUICKLY REALIZED IT WAS BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE AT THE TIME. POWERFUL, LIGHT, ROBUST, EASY TO RIG – IT WAS THE HOLY GRAIL OF ALPINE STOVES FOR A LONG TIME.

THEN IT THREW A FLAME OUT FROM THE JUNCTION OF THE GAS FEED TUBE AND THE BURNER HEAD. WHILST IN A PORTALEDGE. AT 5000m. IN TIBET. IN WINTER. ON A GRANITE WALL. THREE DAYS WALK FROM THE ROAD. IT GOT PITCHED OUTSIDE FAST TO AVOID THE OBVIOUS NIGHTMARE, BUT WE RETRIEVED IT FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES.

FAIR ENOUGH, WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS. IT HAD SEEN PROBABLY 60 DAYS HARD ALPINE USE, JUST A GLITCHY UNIT. NOT GREAT BUT FORGIVABLE. THEN A YEAR LATER ANOTHER ONE DID THE SAME THING IN A TENT IN JAPAN, AND THAT WAS THAT. THE END OF THE BLADE 2 STOVE ON OUR TRIPS.

RECENTLY AMONGST THE CLIMBERS IN CHINA WE HAVE SEEN A FEW ISOLATED REPORTS OF THE SAME, ALL AFTER LONG USE. NOT MANY, BUT ENOUGH INSTANCES THAT WE ADVOCATE AGAINST THEM, JUST LIKE WE DO AGAINST THE REACTOR WITH ITS STUPID ‘SAFETY’ TRIP. OTHER FIRE MAPLE STUFF WE HAVE HAD NO ISSUES AND STILL FIND THEM AMONG THE BEST STOVES GOING AND THE ONLY ONES GEARED BY DEFAULT FOR HIGH ALTITUDE USE. MAYBE FIRE MAPLE WILL ADDRESS THIS, WHO KNOWS, BUT THE PROBLEM WILL ALWAYS BE IT TAKES MONTHS OF ACCUMULATED USE SEEMINGLY TO SHOW THE PROBLEM.

THANKFULLY, ANOTHER STOVE TAKES IT’S PLACE – THE IWATANI PRIMUS ULTRA SPIDER. UNAVAILABLE OUTSIDE JAPAN FOR SOME REASON, IT DOES ALL THAT THE BLADE 2 DID, AND FIVE YEARS OF USE ACROSS HALF A DOZEN UNITS BRINGS ZERO PROBLEMS.

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