Heat exchanger on my camp stove started rusting after 3 trips

I bought this little foldable camp stove from a brand I never heard of back in April for like $40 on a whim. Figured it'd be junk but the reviews were good. First trip it worked great, second trip fine, third trip last weekend I noticed the heat exchanger fins have orange rust spots all over them. Not surface stuff either, like pitting. I keep it dry when not in use, store it in the garage. Has anyone else run into this with cheaper stoves or am I just unlucky? Thinking about spending more on a MSR or something but not if they do the same thing.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_michael1mo ago

Got a similar cheap stove from Amazon last year and same thing happened to me after maybe 4 or 5 trips. Honestly I just hit the rust spots with a wire brush and painted over them with high temp BBQ paint from the hardware store for like $8. It held up fine for the rest of the season. Ngl the cheaper stoves use thinner metal that rusts way faster, my buddy's MSR pocket rocket has been going strong for like 3 years with no rust at all. Tbh if you plan on keeping it long term the extra $40-50 for a name brand is worth it.

luna5191mo ago

Paint job is genius honestly.