SOTO Amicus Stove with or Without Igniter

Soto Amicus is one of the best stoves you can get, though a little loud. But if you're reading this, just know you can get the exact same stove for the same price from REI website and it includes a free cookpot kit! I didn't realize this when I ordered. Oh well. Now you know.

Bought the one with the igniter. Piezos can be hit or miss so I tested at home when the stove arrived and it worked. Took it to the backcountry for a 4 day trip and it failed, nearly every time. Luckily I always carry a lighter as a backup. When it did work, it took full throttle gas for a few seconds until you could smell it a few feet away and half a dozen clicks to get ignition. No bueno. By contrast my MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe lights with one click at half throttle (granted, it has a regulator, but ironically a stove that gets bad reviews for its piezo). Had to return it and bought the one w/o the piezo to save a little weight and just jump to the chase with a manual light.Pros: good wind resistance, adjustable flame down to a simmer, 4 support legs which are nearly flat, compact enough to fit in a 550ml cup, great value, double ring seals at the canister connection, proven performance (besides the piezo).Cons: piezo doesn’t work consistently enough to be worth it; frustrating, semi dangerous, and wastes gas.5 stars for the stove, 1 for the piezo; 3 overall.

Should you buy this stove? Well, it depends on what you are going to do with it. If you are an ultra light backpacker or just need a simmering stove, this is the stove for you. It is $25 cheaper than the MSR Pocket Rocket 2 and works just as good if not better. The SOTO has four support arms as opposed to three and is just as easy to use as the PR2. The only caveat is that the SOTO is slightly more noisy than the SOTO. The noise does not bother me at all. If you are long distance backpacker and are going to be out for a week or more or are going to be out in cold, windy weather then a liquid fuel stove such as the MSR Whisper Lite might be a better choice (although it is not a good simmering stove). You must adjust the flame using tank pressure as opposed to an adjustable valve. The SOTO Amicus and MSR PR2 both use an adjustable valve. An 8 oz butane/propane canister will last you about 3 hours, a 4 oz canister an hour and a half which means you will have to pack multiple pressurized canisters if you are going on a long trip. If you have decided to buy this stove, keep in mind that an 8 oz canister will fit in the River Pot but you will have to store it upside down, turn the lid upside down and stow the stove (in it's very nice pouch) in the lid and cinch it all together with the net bag. A 4 oz canister on the other hand will allow you to fit everything in the pot for better protection of the stove itself. I don't want to judge SOTO for how things stow but by the great quality of this product. The MSR PR2 kit will allow for better stowage but in my opinion, it is not really worth the $25 difference in price. After much ado, I finally decided on this one and I am glad I did! It worked perfectly out of the box!

I have the non-igniter model. The flame is very wide and resists wind. The valve allows a low simmer flame as well. This stove is very quiet. It purrs compared to my Pocket Rocket2 which is very loud. My only concern (thus -1 star) is that the four legs are spring loaded, but they do lock in place. Even if the springs wear out I think the stove will still hold a pot. They do not provide extra O-rings so be careful using and storing this stove.

The improved burner design and internal piezo ignition are a big improvement over older stoves. I have problems with other stoves with the external piezo cermanic insulator getting cracked and shorting out the electric circuit. The internal design of this model prevents that. The folding pot holders are simple and solid. It is also much lighter and more compact than my old primus techno trail. The feature I like best about butane stoves as that you can simmer at very low flame heights which is necessary for making things like bannock or pizza on the trail. I find I get the best fuel economy by boiling water at medium flame heights. I am extremely happy with this stove.

Great quality, very small and lightweight but very very well thought out.

This stove is incredibly small. It is ideal for 1-3 people using small pots and pans (>8in diameter) or metal mugs. It is not suitable for large pots (4L+) as the support arms wouldn't be wide enough to balance them. The support arms are very easy to set up and stay secure. It boils water very quickly and cooks veggies unbelievably quickly, even on low power. It is easy to adjust the heat. In the user manual, it cautions against using a windscreen, as the contained heat is so much that it might damage the stove. Having used the stove mainly on low power, I believe that this is possible. Would recommend.

I like the four supports on the burner vs three on many other stoves. Nice and light and compact. Was a bit disappinted in the pot. Sure it's light, but it has a plastic cover so I could not use it over a fire. Maybe I don’t need to but it’s nice to have the option. Seems like it may dent easily but it is very light which is a bonus. Not worth the extra $15 in my opinion, but it works ok on the stove if it is just going to be your only piece. I might just get the stove alone if I had to do it over since I have some other cookware, but the still pot is nice to have. The stove does not fit into the pot with a 230g canister, but the smaller canister would fit with the stove.

I spend a huge amount of time every year out camping in the wilds, mostly using gas to cook with on various quality stoves like Primus, MSR, Optimus. This Amicus stove was bought to replace an MSR pocket rocket, which didn't fit my new Primus pot very well. I've already spent 12 days cooking on it, and am very impressed. It's well made, simmers well, very wind-resistant, fuel efficient, burns butane with a decent size flame right down to neat freezing temps. It cools down quickly, and doesn't transmit heat to the can valve like many can top burners.

If anybody wonders why look at the YouTube Soto reviews where failure to ignite first time using the piezo igniter is a common theme. Even after the igniter had been replaced with a Soto supplied spare. I say trust your firesteel, Bic or Clipper.So i wanted a stove with a wind-resistant burner with no piezo. Good output and low simmer on a 200g half full canister. At the dimensions I like the extra support from four supports. This is a good buy though I would have liked a hard case over a bag.

I had the msr pocket rocket 2 and this is better. Slightly wider flame for better pot coverage when cooking. Worked just fine in the wind. And good quality. Plus the igniter is just handy, I always say bring a lighter just in case but having the igniter built in means one less thing to pull out the bag and lose.My pocket rocket's wind guard fell off after a few trips and one of the screws nearly got lose and fell out.Much happier with this overall and the weight difference is really negligible.

I made the leap to a better camping stove. I do like the Soto and some of its features. The built in ignighter works well, it does well in wind conditions, it’s small and lightweight. Only downside for me is a feel sometimes the extension arms which hold the cooking pot are a little flimsy and appear that they could bend easy. Other than that it’s a great product.

Great stove, bought it mainly for its wind resistance and built in ignitor.... The pot supports are also substantially wider and more solid than the MSR PR2. It folds up VERY small and the bag that comes with it keeps it safe from potential damage.Every bit as powerful as the PR2, but quieter, more stable and more compact.Works extremely well in windy positions.