Base stats
– BTU:  10,326 w/ White Gas
– Weight:  7.1 oz, (16.1 oz incl. pump, bottle)
– Stove comparison chart

There are such great features in this stove, I want this to be my favorite.  Scratch that, with one modification (see addendum 1 below), this is now my favorite compact liquid fuel stove.  It is beautifully designed, solves one of the biggest issues with liquid fuel stoves (compactness), and does so without sacrificing value in most other areas.  With one exception, this is a marvel of engineering, and beautifully thought out.

SIDEBAR EDIT: If you get this stove, order spare titanium legs at the same time you order the Edelrid Hexon. article number: 566010000000.  Edelrid is opening shop in the US, so there may be a USD option in the near future.

When it comes to liquid fuel stoves, most are quite bulky and not really designed to fit inside the majority of cooksets out there.  There are very few liquid fuel stoves on the market that fit inside smaller cups like the GSI Halulite, and the Snow Peak Summit Hybrid. In fact, There are really only three that fit without issue: Primus Omnilite, Soto Muka, and the Edelrid Hexon. The Primus Omnilite fits inside the the Snow Peak Summit Hybrid very neatly, but sticks out of the GSI Halulite. One disadvantage here is that to make the Edelrid Hexon fit in the narrow cook sets, you have to remove two of the legs.

But, unlike every other liquid fuel stove out there, the legs are designed to be removed. No tools, no disassembly, just pull on one side of a leg and it comes off. Super simple.

More importantly, the Edelrid Hexon and Soto Muka are also the only two stoves that fit inside the Snow Peak Multi Compact cookset. Here it is inside the smaller of the two pots.  And the Edelrid Hexon fits without taking the legs off.

Of the two, only the Edelrid Hexon can simmer.

This feature alone makes me want to love the Edelrid Hexon for lightweight backpacking using liquid fuel.

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COMPONENTS:

– Pump:

I like the design as it’s easy to set this up with gloves on. Size-wise, it’s comparable with the Optimus Polaris OptiFuel pump. In usage, the stabilizer bar (what you rest the stove on when in use that keeps it from rolling, and keeps the fuel intake at the bottom of the laid-flat bottle), is on a hinge. You pull on the bar to unlock the hinge and twist. This makes access to the screw knob easier. the screw knob is used to screw on the lindal valve fuel line connector to the pump.  It’s among the easiest mechanisms I’ve experienced for attaching the fuel line connector to the pump to date. Once screwed on firmly, you simply twist the stabilizer bar back in place. Pretty easy.

[On a separate note:  As a lindal valve, it also means the fuel line connects to LPG gas canisters.]

– The Generator coil:

While fairly common and not necessarily a flaw, the core stove has one area of concern for me. The generator coil, as you can see in the photos above, is not reinforced with steel brackets. This should be standard on anything using copper or brass generators as these are softer metals and prone to bending and possibly more serious damage.  Correction, the generator coil in this case is steel and should be fine.  Personally, I would prefer a steel bracket on the end you see above.  It is still too loose and easily damaged a setup.  But, as I mentioned initially, this is not necessarily a flaw.

– Heat shield and flame spreader:

(Edelrid Hexon on the left, Primus OmniLite on the right)
The flame spreader or heat shield is surprisingly thin compared to other similar stoves I own. Being thinner might actually be a benefit as it lightens the stove, but also aids in faster cool downs. Whether there are any durability issues, I don’t know yet.

– Housing/Chassis

This is probably where the name Hexon comes from as it appears to have 6 sides when viewed from the top. interestingly, this was clearly designed to match a Trangia alcohol stove, which allows the Hexon to fit into storm cook sets like the Trangia 25-x and 27-x. Of course, you need another component to hold it in place (called the tradaptor), but a good design element. The housing is also where the holes on the top and bottom are located.  These holes are for the pot stand/legs, and by being off set, allows the legs to “lock” open or “lock closed.

– Pot stand/Legs:  The one flaw

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Which brings us to the pot stand/legs. These steel titanium legs are really just metal rods that are roughly bent into a “C” shape. Conceptually, it’s a great design, but there is a flaw. The legs require torsional tension to either “lock” closed or “lock” open.

NOTE:  See Addendum 1 for solution to this problem

That torsional tension is a problem in practice:

When the stove is in use, the intense heat from the flame softens the metal rods along the upper end of the “C”. And when it softens, it starts to give way to the tension created by the “locking” spring mechanism already mentioned, and this warping happens rapidly. In just two water boiling tests using lightweight titanium pots, you can see in the above photo that two of the legs warped enough to make the stove unstable. You can order spare titanium pot stand legs which are better at resisting warping. Unfortunately, you can’t order them from just any retailer, so make sure to ask about them at the time of the order. The article number is at the top of this review in red. Note that the article number is not the part number used when you order from the retailer. it’s the part number used by the retailer when ordering from Edelrid.

Edit 20151215 (based on manufacturer comment):  While it’s true that I was in error and the pot stand legs were titanium to begin with, and it’s also true that running the Edelrid Hexon at lower heat would alleviate the problem (as the manufacturer has noted), to me, this is still a pretty significant product design flaw.  If I purchase a blender and run it on “high” the blender will not begin to break down.  If I order a microwave and run it on “high” it will not break down.  And frankly, every other stove I own can run on at its maximum heat without breaking down.  

– The Jet Bolt

The Jet Bolt (a.k.a. nozzle, jet, nipple) uses the same fuel spreading technology as the Optimus Nova+ and Polaris OptiFuel, which allows this single jet to be usable on both kerosene and white gas (and diesel and unleaded) with just this one bolt.

– Throttle:
The stove only has a single throttle, which reduces precision simmering, but it does simmer. This is a huge advantage over the Soto Muka, who’s idea of simmer seems to be “why bother?”

– Maintenance:
The Hexon is fairly easy to field strip for maintenance.  Simply remove the legs, unscrew the bottom bolt, and slide the core stove out.  Remove the splash guard to unscrew the bolt.

– The priming pad is a tad thin, but is also a denser material than seen on most other liquid fuel stoves. Like most stoves, it will likely be among the first components to need replacing, so it’s a good idea to carry a spare. Note that any priming pad will do, though for thicker pads, you might want to slice it to make it thin enough to fit under the priming pad brackets at the base of the stove.

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– Tradapter:

There is also a separately sold tradapter that allows the Hexon to be used with storm cook sets designed for alcohol stoves like the Sigg storm or the Trangia 25-X or 27-X. And that is a real benefit as it means it alsos work with the new FireBox 5” G2 as well for a true multi-fuel setup.

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Now, some quick notes on the Snow Peak Multi-Compact cook set, (or you can check out the full review here:  https://somecampingstoves.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/snow-peak-titanium-multi-compact-cookset/ )

This is a titanium set that I really liked for two reasons.  First, it’s wider than the Trek 900 and 1400.  This is useful when frying up bacon, sausage, even pancakes.  Second, it’s heigh is lower than the Toaks 1600ml and 1300ml pot pan set.  Low and wide, my two goals.

You can use the Snow Peak Multi Compact cookset with any stove, but the pairing of any stove with it always seems just a bit off:

• MSR XGK EX no simmer, weighs a lot, doesn’t fit, designed for heavier pots
• MSR Dragonfly can simmer, but too big
• Primus Omnilite matches up nicely in power & lightness, but doesn’t fit
• Nova+ and Polaris Optifuel don’t fit.
• Omnifuel doesn’t fit.
• Soto Muka fits wonderfully, but at 15,800 BTU and no simmer, too powerful
• SVEA 123R doesn’t fit
• Hiker+ is a great simmer stove, but more a car camping stove
• Optimus 8R / 111 would match well, but packing would be difficult.
• Trangia alcohol burner works well, and fits, but better in Trangia 27-2.
• Wood stoves…some work well
• Most LPG stoves work best, and large 220g LPG fits.

So…among liquid fuel stoves, the Hexon is really the only perfect match for the Snow Peak Multi Compact cook set.

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It might not simmer as well as the Nova+, Polaris Optifuel, Primus Omnilite/Omnifuel, or MSR Dragonfly, but it competes fairly well against the WhisperLite, and getting the hang of simmering is not difficult. The main thing is that when the fuel bottle is full (about 500ml in a 700ml bottle), simmering is much more challenging. But when it’s about half full (250ml in a 700ml bottle) simmering becomes much simpler as pressure is easier to control and maintain for a while.

Incidentally, the pump doesn’t require Edelrid fuel bottles, it works with pretty much any regular fuel bottle from MSR, Primus, Optimus out there. I did notice leaking with one of my fuel bottles, but can’t remember which one. It had to do with the very top edge, or rim, of the fuel bottle that made the o-ring seal not quite effective, but for the most part, any fuel bottle from these companies should work. I currently pair it with a Primus fuel bottle, and there are no leaks.

The Edelrid Hexon, with one modification (See addendum 1), is a great stove and reliable day in and day out.  With the Tradapter, it also works with the Firebox G2 and any Storm  cook set.

This is now my go to stove for lightweight backpacking trips where I want to bring a liquid fuel stove.

Other stove reviews:

• http://backcountrygearshack.blogspot.com/2010/05/gear-reviews-edelrid-hexon-multifuel.html
• http://www.gearweare.com/review/edelrid-hexon-multifuel-stove/
• http://www.taiwancamping.net/2016/05/diy-edelrid-hexon-multifuel-stove-with.html

Videos:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcERyy7Pllg

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ADDENDUM 1:

To solve the problem of the heat softened and tension warping of the legs, the simple solution appears to be to remove the tension in the legs.  Without tension, the legs will not warp so easily when heated.

There happens to be space to add additional drill holes in the outer chassis that allow the top and bottom ends of the pot stand/legs to be aligned, when opened, so there is no tension on the legs while the stove is in use.

Full disclosure:  I got the idea for this somewhere else, but have since been struggling to remember and find where I saw it.

ABOVE:  You can see the new hole I drilled.  This aligns with the hold at the base of the unit.

BELOW:  Much easier to see the old non-aligned bend of the legs versus the new, no aligned legs.

Of course, because the top and bottom of the legs are now aligned, there is no longer any tension to “lock” the legs in place when opened and closed.  I drilled very tight holes, so for now, there is enough friction resistance that the legs don’t move much once opened, but I imagine, over time, the hole will suffer some wear and the pivot movement will become more free.  Time will tell if that becomes a problem or not.

Either way, what a huge improvement

After 3 consecutive water boils with the stove going full blast, the top of the legs reddened as usual, but did not warp.

Thanks to this innovation, I am now quite happy to bring this stove on trips.

Happy camping!

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ADDENDUM 2:

As Edelrid is a German manufacturer, a lot of reviewers talk about the precision German engineering, and I certainly agree that the precision cut of the outer chassis is a thing of beauty.

But, while the outer chassis is gorgeous (and quite possibly made by Edelrid), I believe that the majority of the stove is an OEM of a Chinese stove manufacturer.

This addendum is only here to provide a comparative data point to many commenters stating the stove is of German manufacture, and in no way implies there is a quality problem with the core stove components.  There are many who believe that Chinese manufacturing implies low quality.  This is simply not true.  And the Edelrid Hexon is no exception.  The core stove, pump, generator coil, all work flawlessly and I would trust these components in the field.

Edelrid is mainly a climbing gear company, so while they certainly do have excellent credibility in climbing equipment (and by association, excellent metal working credibility), it makes sense for the company to also have a lightweight but reliable liquid fuel stove in their product lineup as many outdoor climbers probably backpack out as well and would have need of a stove. It is also logical for the company to OEM a stove as it doesn’t fit their core expertise. Many of the components seem identical to stoves from Chinese company BRS/Bulin, which has been making camping stoves for quite some time.

The pump is identical to many BRS pumps out there. (Edelrid Hexon on the left, BRS stove pump on the right)

The fuel line and throttle are identical, (Edelrid Hexon on the left, BRS stove on the right)

and the core stove heat shield (or spreader) and splash guard also look identical with the same, slightly thinner walls on the chimney and heat spreader. (Ederid Hexon on the left, BRS on the right.  Material is different, but otherwise, the internal stove parts are identical)

The generator coil also looks identical to those found on several BRS stoves, though the material is brass or copper. The pump is also identical to many BRS pumps out there.

Even the multi-tool is identical

My guess would be that the fuel line, stove, generator, and pump come from BRS or Bulin, and the aluminum housing and leg/pot stand design comes from Edelrid.

As Edelrid certainly has proven expertise in metal work, it makes sense that they would want to design the housing to make the stove their own. I don’t know this for sure, since it’s possible the entire stove was OEM’d, but without confirmation from Edelrid, it’s the best guess I’ve got. The core stove really isn’t German engineering, but it is still a wonderful design and begs to be used.

To reiterate, regardless of whether the chassis was Edelrid made or BRS made, I’m impressed with the design. This unique chassis design is exactly why the stove fits inside the Snow Peak Multi Compact cook set, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

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