Jetboil Flash vs MiniMo

Short Summary

Jetboil MiniMo Review

Jetboil MiniMo is one of the most versatile stoves out there. Although slower than the Flash in terms of boiling water, it's still pretty fast. Its simmering ability allows precision cooking even at temperatures as low as 20F (-6C), which is considerably better when compared to the Flash.

• Data Set: Backpacking Stoves

	Jetboil Minimo   Read Review	MSR Pocket Rocket 2 Read Review	Jetboil Micromo Read Review	Jetboil Flash Read Review	MSR Whisperlite Universal Read Review	MSR Whisperlite International Read Review	MSR Dragonfly Read Review
Overall Score	91/100	87/100	87/100	81/100	76/100	74/100	72/100
	Jetboil Minimo	MSR Pocket Rocket 2	Jetboil Micromo	Jetboil Flash	MSR Whisperlite Universal	MSR Whisperlite International	MSR Dragonfly
Best for	All-around, fuel efficient uses for precision cooking and boiling water (even in wind)	Ultralight uses	Top alternative to Minimo	Those who will boil water ONLY in non-windy conditions	Multiple fuel compatibility (White Gas, Kerosene, Unleaded Gasoline, Canister)
	Jetboil Minimo	MSR Pocket Rocket 2	Jetboil Micromo	Jetboil Flash	MSR Whisperlite Universal	MSR Whisperlite International	MSR Dragonfly
Pros	Fuel efficient, amazing simmering, compact and light, fast boiling, great in the wind, incredibly versatile	Extremely light and compact, great at simmering, easy to use & simple	Designed identical to Minimo (except the pot)	Extremely fast boiling, completely packs up in to one small unit, light	Variety of fuels, quiet, versatile, durable	Lighter, more simple use than Dragonfly, quiet, durable	Windscreen, great at simmering, very powerful, durable
	Jetboil Minimo	MSR Pocket Rocket 2	Jetboil Micromo	Jetboil Flash	MSR Whisperlite Universal	MSR Whisperlite International	MSR Dragonfly
Cons	4.7 oz heavier than MSR Pocket Rocket 2, can be "overkill" for some	Considerably less fuel efficient than Minimo, not for wind, boils slower, small pot size	2.1 oz heavier than MSR Pocket Rocket 2, small pot size, worse than Minimo in the wind	Can't simmer, redundant features, not for wind	Bad at simmering, less compact	Bad at simmering, no canister fuel, less compact	Very loud, no canister fuel, heavy, less compact
Fuel Canis-ters  (bought sepera-tely)	Jetpower	IsoPro	Jetpower	Jetpower	IsoPro	IsoPro	IsoPro

Lastly, this stove at REI seems to be a solid alternative to MSR and Jetboil, but I'm yet to review it. 

Unless you're going to be boiling water only with your new stove or if 1.5 oz of weight is a deal breaker for you, I'd recommend the MiniMo over the Flash without a doubt. 

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Jetboil Flash Review

Jetboil Flash is meant for boiling in SECONDS instead of minutes. It's solely designed around the purpose of providing the fastest and easiest way to boil water and hence its name. This is also why it lacks in terms of cooking meals - it doesn't have a fuel regulator.

The sacrifice comes with this much of an effectiveness is that when compared to Jetboil MiniMo, it isn't even nearly as good at simmering. If you're looking for a stove for both simmering & cooking meals AND boiling water rather than boiling water only, go for MiniMo.

Sure, it isn't end all be all and you can still precision cook with Flash - but for this purpose, it just can't compete against MiniMo. 

If you're going to be boiling water for dehydrated meals, coffee, and tea only; Jetboil Flash can be a perfect choice for you. 

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Now let's get to the nuts and bolts.

Fuel efficiency

When it comes to fuel efficiency, Minimo is so much centered around it that it makes even Flash look bad - which is also pretty good at it compared to other stoves in the market.

Gas consumption of Minimo is 6 MJ/hr (AU) || 120 g/hr [1.75kW] (EU) || 6,000 BTU/hr (CA) whereas that of Flash is 7 MJ/hr (AU) || 139 g/hr [2kW] (EU) || 9,000 BTU/hr (CA). As a result, per 100 g Jetpower can, you can boil 12 liters of water with Minimo and 10 liters of water with Flash. So you consume less gas canisters with Minimo - which makes it more fuel efficient.

The main cause of this difference is the FluxRing.

The efficiency gap between these two stoves grows even further in windy conditions. Since Flash is taller and is equipped with a narrower burner than the Minimo, its efficiency decreases even further (more on this later under the versatility heading).

Both stoves work with Butane-Propane Gas mixture under vapor pressure, and both are used only 100g/230g/450g Jetboil Jetpower Isobutane/Propane Gas Cartridges only [see the manuals in the table at the top]. 

Beware: These canisters are sold separately (you don't get any of them with either of these stoves) and can be purchased on Amazon:

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If you want your canister to be packed into the pot as well, go with the smallest one!

An additional advantage canister fuels have over liquids is that they don’t require priming, preheating or pumping! If you prefer using these canisters, make sure you read my post about the things you should know about butane canisters as a hiker, though.

Using MSR Canisters with Jetboil Stoves

Short answer: Yes you can use MSR Canisters with Jetboil Stoves.

A little longer answer is:

Boiling Speed

Flash stands at 100sec per .5 liter (avg. over life of JetPower can) boil time compared to Minimo's 2m 15sec per .5 liter (avg. over life of Jetpower can) which is a huge difference. Winner is Flash. By far...

Some might say, hey, 75 seconds of difference isn't a big deal and I don't have problems with this argument. It's just that you should know that these numbers are just an average. 

If you're a 4 season hiker, during the winter the difference can increase too much because of more severe environmental conditions - not just cold but also the wind - and it might start making a noticeable difference. As a result, if you go for Minimo, you might end up wishing having a super rigorous stove with you instead.

It's also better if you're planning to go after meals and drinks prepared with hot water only. I have an article on camping foods prepared without cooking or need to refrigerate, but there are lots of dehydrated meals I've placed there, so it can be a good read if you're one of them.

Also... this is actually the reason behind why Flash is less fuel efficient. You need to consume A LOT of gas to be able to boil water in only 100 seconds. It's great for more serious thru-hikers, but not optimal for, say, myself, a recreational hiker.

Before moving on I should also say that Flash is better by far only in perfect conditions. In a windy weather (say, more than 6-8 mph) Minimo boils the water FASTER than Flash (more on this later under the versatility heading)!

Compactness and Weight

First things first: Neither of these stoves are truly lightweight.

At 14.6 oz (Minimo) and 13.1 oz (Flash), their weight ballpark had been considered light for many years. But then, other brands such as MSR, EtekCity, Primus and Snow Peak came up with very compact and much lighter stoves. Including the pot, Pocket Rocket 2 weighs as low as 10 oz (see my Jetboil Minimo vs MSR Pocket Rocket comparison for more information).

That's why, in today's world, I can't really say Minimo and Flash are in "lightweight stoves" category although they're regarded as such by some. Also, this is the major disadvantage of most Jetboil stoves out there - not just Minimo and Flash.

If this is a deal breaker for you and you'd prefer going with the best lightweight and compact stove in the market, I'd recommend you to check out MSR Pocket Rocket 2:

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Still, this doesn't mean Minimo and Flash aren't necessarily for a solo backpacker but more for car camping or a large group or an expedition. They're being used perfectly fine by thousands of people for almost a decade.

Also, do make sure you know how to pack your backpack the optimal way for a better weight distribution and you should do perfectly fine.

Now here's how to pack them into their pot & how they end up measuring.

Both Minimo and Flash can be easily packed up into one small unit as you see above. Another tip here: If you want your canister to be packed into the pot as well, you'd better go with the smallest one.

It's plus points for both stoves that you can fit the entire assembly into the pot.

I didn't give extra points to Flash just for being 1.3 oz lighter because chances are this is a very, very minor difference for 95% of you. I call it a draw for this criteria.

Simmering

This is one of the most important things you should know when you can't decide between these two stoves (which is why I repeated it many times until this point): Minimo is much better at simmering than Flash. In fact, you don't even have the option to simmer in Flash because it isn't equipped with a fuel regulator. It's made to get liquid hots as quickly as possible.

If you're unaware, this means that you can't adjust the fuel intensity once the water is boiled.

Getting yourself a stove with the fuel regulator and hence the option to simmer has two main advantages:

• You get to cook precisely (duh). This means that you can literally cook with Minimo as if you're cooking with your oven at home. When your stove can't do this, obviously it's going to boil full-power only, and hence you can only boil water for dehydrated meals (unless you like burnt meal)
• You get to control gas consumption. You can consume less fuel once the water boils at 100 Celsius (212 Fahrenheit) Degrees

As explained in the first heading, Minimo was already superior than Flash in terms of fuel efficiency, so Number 2 helps with it even further.

Versatility

Simmering ability alone is enough to make Minimo more versatile than Flash.

Flash comes with a color changing heat indicator at its body. The indicator basically fills up to indicate how long it's until the water is boiled.

Another different thing worth mentioning is accessories. Coffee press is the most popular accessory (sold separately) and different models are compatible for both of these models. Below you can see the one compatible with Minimo (at left) and another one compatible with Flash (at right).

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For other accessories, check out Jetboil's site for Minimo and Flash.

Another thing to mention in terms of versatility is the winter conditions. The problem comes with it mostly isn't the cold but the wind.

In addition to the width, as I illustrated many times earlier Flash is considerably taller than Minimo, which causes it to tilt very easily in the wind. Combine these two reasons together and you see why Minimo is marketed as a 4 season stove, whereas Flash as a 3 season stove. Regardless, I'd recommend guarding both stoves out in the rather windy (more than, say, 6-8 mph wind) environments.

As a result, Minimo works better than Flash in the wind - even in terms of boiling speed! If you're looking for the best backpacking stove in the wind, you might be better clicking over to the MSR Windburner:

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In summary, the winner for versatility is Minimo by far - which is the main difference between these two stoves.

Conclusion

In my opinion, whatever Minimo very slightly lacks in boil speed compared to Flash, it makes up in its versatility, fuel efficiency and simmering ability. Without a doubt I'd recommend Minimo over the Flash for 90% of us.

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The truth is, Flash is just too niche and inflexible for 90% of us. While it’s certainly effective, durable and great for just boiling water, you can achieve the same results with Minimo if you compromise the boil time a little - and in addition, you get to simmer and use a canister for longer due to increased fuel efficiency.

Still, if you literally have no plans to simmer, it's probably one of your best choices out there.

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Product Videos

Jetboil Minimo:

Jetboil Flash: