Eureka Ignite Camp Stove Review – Why It’s My Favorite

Choosing a camp stove can be a difficult task since there are so many on the market. You want to choose something that is going to do a good job and give you similar results to what you would experience cooking on your home stove.

However, many camp stoves are cheap and do not offer the amount of control over the flame that you might like to see.

When I began my search for a camping stove that would be used in my van, I was overwhelmed with the number of different ones on the market. It’s often difficult to trust reviews online because some reviews are done by people that didn’t know what they were doing or were expecting something different from the product.

I have been an outdoorsman and avid camper most of my life so I have used a lot of different camping stoves. Most all of the ones that I have used have been sufficient for cooking meals, heating water, and doing other things that you would need to do.

Where they differ has been with some of the controls and how well they work, the overall quality as well as how long they last.

I took a chance on the Eureka Ignite stove and purchased it because I liked the way that it looked and it seemed like it would work well as my van stove. This has been over a year ago and I have used it numerous times so I feel like I am able to write a review and share my thoughts on the product after extended to use.

First Impressions

I purchased the Eureka Ignite because it looked like it would be a good solution as a way to cook meals in my van. There weren’t very many reviews on the grill when I first purchased it so I had to take my chances and assume that it would be a good one. It seemed to be a high-quality stove from the images available.

One of the main features that made me choose this grill is the simmer control. It is supposed to give you greater precision when operating the flame at a simmering level. I know from experience, simmering on a camp stove doesn’t always work very well.

Upon receiving the grill, and opening up the package to first take a look at it, I saw that it was pretty good quality. It was about as good of quality as you will find on a camping stove in this price range. Most all of these types of grills in this price range are about the same as far as quality goes.

The grill isn’t much different from what you would expect from any of these types of grills. As far as looks go, I think it looks better than other grills in this price range as well as the grills that I have used camping throughout my life. This one has a higher quality look to it but, of course, looks don’t matter when you are using it to cook with.

The real test is using the grill to cook with which is the primary reason that I purchased it. My hope is that it will be a good grill to perform all of the tasks that I would expect from it for cooking meals and boiling water for coffee and tea.

First impressions are good and it’s exactly as I would expect it to be. I feel like the quality of it is sufficient and it seems like it will do the job that I purchased it to do.

Using The Stove

Having used the stove many times while camping in my van, I have been impressed with how well it works. It’s very similar to a gas stove that you would have at your house and you can control the flame quite well. The simmer control on the stove works very well and you can reduce the flame very low to simmer the food.

There isn’t a lot to say about the workings of the stove itself. It works like you would expect a stove to work. The igniters work great and I’ve never experienced the stove not being able to fire up. I generally have to push the ignite button 2 – 3 times before it fires up.

It uses the 1 pound propane tanks which work well for me. I keep 3 or 4 of these in my van at all times so I won’t run out. I can use one tank for quite a while before needing to change one out. In fact, after using the grill for over a year now, I have only gone through one full tank. I am only a weekender though so if you are planning to use this grill for full-time living, you will burn through them much quicker.

I have used it to cook meals many times but the majority of the time I use it, I am boiling water for my coffee. The grill fires up quickly and when the flame is set to the max level, it boils a full 1 Liter (34 fl oz) kettle of water in about five minutes.

Things I Like About The Eureka Ignite

After using this grill for over a year now in various situations, I feel more confident in my opinions of the product. I have mainly used it inside my van but have used it to cook outside a few times as well. Overall, it has proven to be a great grill and the following are the things I like about it and only two that I wish were better.

High quality

I have been impressed with the quality of the stove. It seems to be well-made and a step above the stoves that I have used in the past. It seems like a stove that will last for years to come. I have used it in various settings and have had no issues with anything as of yet. I have been using the stove for over a year as I write this and I’ve had no noticeable issues as far as quality goes.

Simmer Control

With the camp stoves that I’ve used in the past, the ability to simmer left a little to be desired. Most of the controls on camp stoves I’ve used in the past are either high or low and not much in between. It was always difficult trying to get the right amount of flame to keep from burning food.

Simmer control is essential if you want to cook a meal that needs cooking on low heat for longer periods. With the Eureka Ignite, it handles this very well. I can get the flame to where it’s barely running and almost turned all the way off. This allows me to simmer food just the way I would at home and gives me a good result without burning the food.

Lightweight & Small

The Ignite is small and compact for a two-burner stove. I’m able to store it away nice and easily when not in use but it’s simple to get back out when needed. Being small and lightweight also makes it easy to take outside of my van and use it in other settings.

The stove weighs approximately 10 pounds as tested on my home scale.

Compatible With JetLink

I am a big fan of the Jetboil system. Being an avid hiker, I often carry my Jetboil system in my pack so that I can have a hot meal, coffee, or tea while out on the trail. The Eureka stove systems connect with these Jetboil systems using the JetLink accessory hose to allow you to be able to connect multiple burners.

To be honest, I probably won’t use this feature but I do use the Jetboil system so this was a bonus. If I choose to utilize this feature in the future, at least it’s there. It’s something beyond what other camp stove options offered during my search.

It Looks Good

One other simple reason that I like this stove is that it just looks good. This isn’t on the top of my list for things to search for in a camping stove but I have been pleasantly surprised with how well this one looks. When compared to the old olive drab green stoves that I have had in the past, this one is an upgrade in the looks department.

Easy To Clean

The stainless steel tray is easy to keep clean. I have had pots to boil over plenty of times but have been able to easily clean it up afterward. The stainless steel ensures that I won’t have any rust issues with it in the future.

Things I Don’t Like About The Eureka Ignite

Wind Guards

I am not a big fan of the wind guards on the stove. If you do need to use them, they are quite large and will probably help with the wind. However, in the setting in which I use my stove for the most part, which is in the van, they just get in the way. I wish there was a way for the lid to stay open without having to use these.

I could customize it myself to do this, but I feel like it should give you a better solution for when the wind guards aren’t needed.

I can’t count the times that I have accidentally bumped one or both of the flimsy wind guards and it caused the lid to fall backward. This can get annoying and I wish it had a better way to connect them more securely to the lid. The little sockets that it sits in when you have the lid raised, have too much play in them and it doesn’t hold as securely as I’d like.

This isn’t uncommon so many other stoves are just like this but it is something that irks me about it.

No Carrying Case

It doesn’t come with any kind of carrying case for storage so I keep it stored in the cardboard box it came in when not in use. It would be much handier if there was an included case with padding and handles. This would make it easier for storage and also make it easier to carry to other locations. Just a cheap, cloth case with a little padding and a few extra pockets would be nice.

You can purchase cases from other brands online but it would be nice if Eureka would include one with their stoves. Even a cheap portable fire pit I purchased came with a padded case with handles. I don’t see any reason that Eureka can’t include one with their products.

Bottom Line

This stove is perfect if you are looking for something small that will handle most of your cooking needs. I don’t cook intricate meals so I’m usually only using a saucepan and a 10-inch skillet. It has served me well during the time I have had it and it has turned out to be a good purchase overall.

Many people who have camper vans or other RVs have built-in stoves and this can be a big advantage. However, if you don’t have one built-in, a stove like this will give you great results. If you are someone who cooks a lot or need to feed more than one or two people, something larger might work better. The Eureka Ignite Plus may be the better option in this case.

I like the Ignite because it is small and stores out of the way easily when not in use. It is high-quality and gives me precise control over the flame. For the price, I feel like it would be hard to beat this stove.