Sportsman SBCIS Single Burner Cast Iron Stove

I bought a Brinkman charcoal smoker. What a piece of garbage. I can't find the one I got on line anywhere, they must have discontinued it, no surprise. I bought it at walmart for around $60. They should tell you that its impossible to get to a temperature that whatever you are smoking doesn't spoil before its cooked. I decided to try a propane burner under the wood chip holder. I bought this although the reviews were mixed. This little dude is magnificent. It fits in my smoker. I ran the tank hose through the vent in the bottom of the Brinkman. At the lowest temperature it smokes the wood chips almost immediately. It is supremely adjustable with the valve that it comes with or the valve on the tank or a combination of the two. I keep it on the lowest temperature around 200 and it smokes perfectly. I can adjust this thing that it will throw off enough heat to warm the two car garage. I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend more money than this. It was a snap putting together, the only thing I can say negative is that some of the burner holes were clogged with black paint so I used an awl to clear them before I started the burner up. I maybe didn't have to do that, but every hole ignited first time and every time since. If you want to set up a cheap smoker I think I have just under $100 in this thing but thats half the price of a regular cheap propane smoker.

1) Not Your Father's Cast IronAnyone familiar with the cast iron products of yesteryear will have to lower their expectations for this stove considerably. It is a very cheap, lightweight cast. This stove is simply another in the long line of lower quality, non-existent QC products from China. The first stove I received was missing the 4 legs, and the replacement was cast so poorly I had to drill out one of the holes where the burner attaches to the frame in order to get the mounting screw through it.2) Disposable Canister WarningIf you are planning on connecting a disposable 'Coleman style' (#1 1lb) propane canister to this stove you will need not one, but TWO accessories. First, you need the hose and regulator assembly pictured on this page in the "Frequently bought together" section (Sportsman LPHK5 5-Foot Propane Regulator Hose Kit). That gives you the regulator and the connection to the stove. However, the connector on this kit only allows attachment to a standard refillable propane tank (FEMALE Type 1 ACME), not to a disposable canister. For that you need an additional adapter to convert the Type 1 connector to the 1" threads on a canister (Camp Chef Disposable Bottle Adapter).It took me a while to figure this all out because the company that distributes Sportsman products, Buffalo Tools, insisted that the LPHK5 hose/regulator would work directly with the canisters. Yes, I called them before ordering. But alas, they were mistaken. So the website description as well as the labeling on the box, is a bit misleading. This left me to enter the myriad, often confusing world of propane connectors, adapters, fittings and so forth and such as. I don't think the people at Buffalo have ever actually seen these stoves in person. I now have more info about propane connectors rolling around my brain than I should, but no worry, it should all be forgotten in a week or two.By the way, I did find an adapter that allows connecting a propane canister directly to the stove. This would negate the need to buy the regulator/hose kit. The thing is, I already have a different brand propane stove that works that way, and the problem is it's hard to regulate the flame. I seriously doubt if the valve on this stove allows for fine control of the flame, so even though the regulator may not be required to lower the pressure from the 1lb canisters, the flow adjustment on the regulator should help with flame control (I will update the review when I have used the stove more).So, Amazon defines three stars = OK, and that's just about right. It's clear from other reviews that the stoves do work. I'm going to keep and use mine for two reasons; 1) the price is right. It won't take too many cookouts to "amortize" the investment. Secondly, there appears to be no market for folks who wouldn't mind spending a little more for better quality. It seems prices jump WAY UP from here, and I have to wonder how the quality is on the expensive camping stoves as well. Hint: I'm not going to risk finding out.[UPDATE SEP, 2014]Dropping star rating TO 2 stars. Since I bought my unit for $23.90 in June of 2014 the price has nearly doubled. This makes this $50, larger, more sturdy stove (Bayou Classic Single Burner Patio Stove) a better alternative as it comes with the hose you have to pay $20 extra for with this stove.[UPDATE DEC, 2014Price is back down to mid-twenties so star rating back to three. Clearly the seller is trying to find the optimum price point. Under $25 and this stove is still recommended with above caveats.

I purchased this stove from SAS Tools.I am quite disappointed with my purchase.The one I received cannot be assembled! The burner casting is too long for the outer frame. Also when I hooked up the propane the flame is far smaller than any of the other one's I have owned. So small it won't work for why I bought it.I am used to these type of burners having owned several. They are always a bit rough but they generally put out a good flame. This one is very rough and little flame.I wrote SAS Tools asking if I can return the item or if they have any suggestions. It's been 4 days now and I haven't heard anything back yet. Maybe they'll write. I don't know. No reply yet though.I suppose I can get out the grinder and take almost half an inch off the casting and drill new holes in the iron frame and burner assembly so it can be assembled. I have a father in law that's a furnace man and he says he can open up the orifice on the burner jet so it will produce more flame. It will take him a while to get it larger. But... why should I have to do anything except screw it together and turn it on.Overall I would give this a negative number but Amazon doesn't have a setting for that. I'm out money and time and not sure it's going to work when I'm finished. And again.... so far I've heard nothing from SAS TOOLS. I'm not sure why. Maybe they're on vacation this week and they'll come through?I would recommend looking elsewhere for a unit. Mark

I've owned a burner very similar to this one before, and used it as my primary cooking stove for three months. It was a wonderful little stove, and when it was stolen, I had to replace it. So I bought this, which is slightly different. The temperature adjustment valve is a little different from what I had previously used, but it works very well, and seems to have even more precision than my last one. But it does feel very cheaply made, and the parts do not fit together as well as you would hope (or as well as my last one did).Since it's made of cast iron, it is brittle, and should be taken care of. A good drop (like what happened with my previous stove) can break a leg (though, fyi, it stands fine on three).The biggest downfall of this stove is wind, and without a good windscreen, the flame can easily blow out, especially when simmering. But it is a great, cheap stove, that cooks extremely well. I would recommend it.