Gas One GS-3000 Review

As a camping stove, we came across the Gas One by accident. A family member bought it to cook a meal in the middle of the dining room table. It worked perfectly (however, the instructions say not to do this because of carbon monoxide hazards, so please don't try this at home!) Highly portable and wickedly cheap, this gem is super easy to use and clean and great as a supplemental burner to a larger system.

Performance Comparison

The cast-iron skillet weighs almost twice that of the stove underneath, yet the Gas One remains sturdy and cooks single-pan dishes well.

Time to Boil

Boiling times on this stove varied depending on which fuel canister was used and how full it was. With a full Gas One butane can, it boils fast. But as the can reaches about halfway, the boil time decreases dramatically. Then we switched butane cans, and the boiling time got even slower. These variations aside, there are other stoves in our test suite that boiled water at an even slower pace.

The Gas One averaged 4.5 minutes to boil a liter of water in windless conditions. This is 30 seconds faster than our other single burner, the Coleman Butane Instastart, but far from making it a front-runner.

This model doesn't break any speed-boil records but still gets it done when there isn't much wind.

Wind Resistance

It's too bad you can't use this stove inside its case. The safety lever will not allow you to, and we cracked the case trying to force it. You can take the case off, turn it sideways and make a wind block, but you then will have to keep the case from blowing away. Without any wind block, this stove does not work well in a breeze.

Standing two feet from a fan, it took the Gas One 13 minutes to boil. This is not a terrible time and beats several of our other tested models. Still, it's not ideal for windy weather, and we would recommend getting an aluminum windscreen like the kind that comes with backpacking stoves. They are light, flexible, and easy to use.

Simmering

We love the auto-igniter dial and simmer control on this stove. The instant start (Piezo igniter) is built into the dial, which means you don't have to press an extra button and brace your hand against a potentially hot stove as with most other camp stoves. The dial is very accurate concerning the flame size, allowing you to simmer or keep your food warm, which is a luxury while camping. Many other camp stoves may boil water fast but don't always keep a small flame, resulting in burnt eggs and over-crisped bacon.

For its price, the flame control on this little heater is fantastic. Folks who tend to cook on the lower end of the flame spectrum will not be disappointed in this department. The Gas One cooked perfect eggs, popped popcorn, and fried bacon on par with much more expensive models.

The GS-3000 flame output is tameable for a breakfast fry-up.

Ease of Set Up

This is one of the easiest stoves in our test suite to set up. Just remove the stove from the case, flip over the drip pan, insert the fuel canister, press the safety lever to engage the can, and turn the dial. Like the Instastart, there is no propane regulator to attach. Almost all the other contenders require that extra step.

Of course, setting up this stove is so easy because it's highly simplistic. Models with windscreens, legs, and propane tanks do take more time to get running, but they also provide better wind protection and fuel efficiency.

Getting to cooking on the Gas One is super easy - just pop in the butane canister and hit the ignition button.

Ease of Care

This stove is easy to clean. The drip pan lifts off the stove for quick and thorough cleanings, as well as easier access to the internal parts should your cooking excitement get a little out of hand.

What's tricky for many people with this stove is finding the butane cartridges. They tend to be available at Asian food stores and cooking supply stores — many camping stores may not carry them. The canisters are inexpensive, but they don't last for more than a few hours of heavy use, so you'll probably want to stock up before a big cooking extravaganza or consider a different purchase.

A removable drip pan makes it easier to clean the surface and internal parts of the stove as necessary.

Portability

The small size of this stove is awesome — it's super compact and comes with a little suitcase-like carrying case for transport. The case is a little flimsy when open, but when closed, it does a fine job of protecting everything. This is the smallest stove we tested, so obviously, it scores high in this category. There are smaller stoves available, but they tend to be more flimsy.

We noticed a small detail that results in a nice safety feature when storing this model. To fit inside its case, the drip pan needs to be flipped upside down. Then, the fuel canister must be disengaged for it to rest on top of the stove. The result is that you cannot store this model in its case with the butane canister engaged, which we consider a good thing.

As long as the Fuel Lock is engaged, this stove cannot be packed into its carry case. We like this safety feature that prevents gas leakage during storage.

Value

This model is just barely more than the cheapest model in our review, the Coleman Butane InstaStart. We chose the Gas One as our Best Buy Award winner because you get a few nice extra touches. It's lighter weight, a little smaller, and boils water faster. This burner represents the best value of all the models we reviewed.

Something to keep in mind: if you plan to cook for more than a few people over more than a few days, you will go through a small pile of butane canisters. If you are using your camp stove heavily and often, a propane model may be a better choice so as not to create so much waste. Propane models also have the option to connect a refillable five or twenty-gallon tank for even less waste. This also saves money over the long haul.

Keep your expenditures low with this affordable and capable single-burner. The price to performance ratio here is super.

Conclusion

If you're keeping it simple, you might as well keep it cheap. And for that, there isn't a better stove in this review. The Gas One GS-3000 is a functional single-burner that makes set up and cleaning a breeze. For anyone cooking more complex delicacies or for larger groups, consider using this as an additional piece for your camp kitchen setup. However, if you're ok with simple one-pot meals, you can save space and a lot of money by opting for this little gem.

Is it the stove or the chef? Both. We cooked a perfect batch of popcorn with this stove, popping almost every kernel with no burnt ones.