Best Budget Canister Stove of 2021

The Hamans Ultralight Stove comes with a piezo lighter and a wind-protection bevel similar to much more expensive stoves on our list. However, with a very lackluster boil time and a tiny pot support system, it left us wanting more. The included piezo lighter works fine, and it simmers well. So for a $20 stove, we weren’t too disappointed. It would make for a great beginner or backup stove in case your other system breaks on the trail. With all of the accessories and the great price, the Hamans Ultralight Stove is the Best Budget Canister Stove of 2021.

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See Our Best Backcountry Canister Stove Review HERE!

Right off the bat, the Hamans Ultralight Backpacking Stove raises some interesting questions, namely: Why doesn’t Hamans have their own website, and why does this product go by different names depending on the country of purchase? We were only concerned about one thing, though: do these factors impact its quality?

The Hamans Ultralight Backpacking Stove can only be found on Amazon. As with most products on Amazon (US or Canadian versions), you find many similar products going under different names. So, be mindful when purchasing products and checking out the number of reviews often help to determine if the product is “legitimate.”

When we looked on Amazon for a budget backpacking stove, we saw that the Hamans had fairly positive reviews, was under $20, and had a piezo lighter. So naturally, we had to find out for ourselves if this could keep up with similar products from well-known brands.

The Stove

Right after opening the Amazon box, I was impressed to see that the stove came in a hardshell case. I had seen stoves with cases in other Amazon ads, but not this particular stove, so it was a pleasant surprise. The stove itself weighs 3.5oz (99g), so it’s not the heaviest in our review but certainly has some weight to it. Made of stainless steel, the solid orange fuel-connection point contributes to a lot of that weight.

Ease of Use

The budget-friendly Hamans stove comes with the same bells and whistles that you find on the Jetboil MightyMo, which costs $40 more. The included piezo lighter worked every time we used it during testing or in the field. It looks and feels more durable than the Jetboil piezo lighter, but unfortunately, we haven’t been able to test them for long-term durability.

The support legs are where we ran into some problems; they use a spinning platform to expand and collapse that locks into place with a bent piece of metal. One day in the field, I assumed that they were locked into place and placed a pot on to boil some water. It would turn out that it had not fully opened, so two of the support legs were pretty far from each other, and I knocked the water over. It was user error for sure, but I have asked others to open the stove and they have done a similar thing. So, just be cautious when spreading the support legs to ensure everything is locked into place. The pot supports “flop” out on the top of the legs and do not lock into place. While this is not a significant concern, it would be great to have some more structural integrity. Ultimately, the stove’s small platform means that larger pots and pans will have to be watched very carefully.

Simmering

We liked the simmer control on the Hamans stove; it can hold a flame quite well right to the bottom of the regulator rotation. However, we did notice that when you turn on the stove, the regulator must essentially be completely open before fuel could be heard and a flame could be generated. This leads to some larger flames at the start than we found with other stoves and is something to be aware of when operating the Hamans Ultralight Backpacking Stove.

The slightly beveled lip around the burner helps with wind protection. It is not the perfect system, but it works similarly to the SOTO WindMaster—one of the best on the market for wind protection. Another wind-protection component is the close proximity of the supports to the burner. With a fairly large gap, the flame is not as protected from wind gusts.

Boil Time

The Hamans Ultralight Backpacking Stove claims to boil 500ml of water in 3 minutes on its Amazon page. During our testing, it was able to boil 1 liter of water in 6 minutes and 10 seconds, so the claim is pretty spot-on. Our only issue is that the advertisement claims the stove has a maximum energy output of 3,000 Watts, precisely like the Jetboil MightyMo. With the differing boil times, we aren’t too confident with the validity of that claim.

Fuel Use

During the over 6-minute boil test, the Hamans only used 16g of fuel. This was on par with the MSR PocketRocket 2 despite running for twice as long as the MSR. While the outcome is the same—a liter of boiled water—the fuel consumption is right where we wanted it to be.

The Bottom Line

Amazon products can get a bad reputation and are often considered “knock-off” products. With the Hamans Ultralight Backpacking Stove, this preconceived reputation feels like it doesn’t do the stove justice. While the technology may not be as advanced as the better-known brands, for $20, you get a very capable stove that will please anyone just getting into camping or looking for a cheap stove. The bells and whistles are all there, and the price is hard to ignore, earning the title as the Best Budget Canister Stove of 2021.

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