At a glance
Plusses: Light, inexpensive, powerful.
Minuses: Light materials, noisy.

Features: Unlike the other stoves in this test, the Amicus is not pressure-regulated. It is a super compact stove weighing 81g, with a small burner head and four serrated pot-supports that provide excellent pot stability. The electric line is hidden inside the burner, providing reliable ignition in windy conditions. Wind performance is enhanced by the raised burner head ledge. 

Construction: The protected ignition mechanism adds durability to what is a lightly-made stove using small parts and thin materials – the slim pot supports flex and twist under firm hand pressure. The Piezo button is located right next to the flame adjuster which I found required a cramped grip of the stove and was less comfortable to use, especially while wearing gloves. 

Power: It’s small, but packs a huge punch: 10,210BTU. As such, it had a near equal boil time to the pressure-regulated stoves in this review. The flame adjuster is small, but can be used easily to refine output. 

In use: The small-circumference burner head provides a noisy jet-like flame that was easy to adjust. Ignition usually happened on the first or second press of the Piezo and the flame was adequately protected by the raised burner head ledge so that the breeze didn’t knock the flame about too much.

The pot supports are small, but because there are four and they are fully serrated, they provide a grippy and stable surface for pots.

At sea level, 500ml of water was boiled in 1min59sec and at altitude, it took 2min11sec.

It was remarkably efficient in the 20-minute risotto test, using the least amount of gas to cook the meal. 

Value: This is a cheap stove offering reliable lightweight performance. 

Verdict: A truly compact stove that packs huge power and fast boil times into a lightweight package. 

Where and how the stoves were used

This stove, the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe and Jetboil MightyMo were all tested under the same conditions and for doing the same tasks. They were used to boil water at sea level and at 1000m altitude in Tongariro National Park in temperatures ranging from 13℃ to 19℃. The stoves were also used to cook a risotto meal which required 20 minutes of continuous cooking time.