JetBoil Flash Carbon 1.0L

How well is it built?

Everything about the Flash Carbon is built to work as one unit.

The 1-litre FluxRing cooking cup sits directly on the burner, the burner sits on the canister, and the fuel-canister stabiliser in the pack spreads the footprint out, which matters with a tall stove standing on top of a small can.

The insulating cosy wraps the cooking cup, so boiled water stays warm while you sort out the rest of the brew, and a handle strap on the side makes it easy to hold.

Packed, the whole system measures 104 x 180mm, which is about the size of a big flask, so it slips into a rucksack pocket or the corner of a carryall without any fuss.

For me, the attention to detail is what lifts the build score. At 371g it's light for a full cooking system, and nothing in the pack is a throwaway extra. I think the 9.0 is well earned, as it's a properly engineered bit of kit.

Heat & Performance

So, how quick is it? Half a litre comes to the boil in 100 seconds, and the burner runs at 2.6kW, or 9,000 BTU/h.

That isn't the biggest output on paper, as the Trakker Armolife CG4 is a 3500W stove, but the burner and cooking cup are built as a pair, and that 100-second figure shows how well the pairing works.

It's efficient with gas as well. A 100-gram JetPower can boils around 10 litres of water, which works out at roughly 20 half-litre boils from one small can. On a two-night session that should mean fewer spare canisters in the barrow and less weight on the walk round.

There's one catch, and it's that boiling is its whole job. A 1-litre cup is spot on for brews and for pouring water onto a dehydrated meal, but it isn't a frying pan, and bacon and eggs would need JetBoil's compatible skillet and pot support.

For pure boiling speed, though, I think the 9.3 is fair.

Ease of Use

Lighting it couldn't be much simpler, as the push-button igniter starts the burner without matches or a lighter. Stand the canister on its stabiliser, sit the burner and cup on top, press the button and you're boiling.

When you're done, it packs back down into one small bundle, so there's no hunting around for bits at the end of a session.

The one thing to respect is the height. A tall system on a small canister isn't as steady as a low, wide stove like the Trakker Armolife CG4, so the stabiliser should always go on before you light it.

Never cook or run a gas stove inside a closed bivvy or tent, because of carbon monoxide and fire. Cook in the open or under a well-ventilated porch, on a stable, flat base.

For me, it's about as easy as a stove gets, and only that height keeps it short of a 9. I think 8.9 sums it up well, and anyone new to bankside cooking should get the hang of it straight away.

Is it good value for money?

Does the price add up? It's one of the dearer stoves for the bank, and dearer than the Fox Cookware Infrared Stove V2, which is the other fast-boil route.

What you're paying for is the whole system, with the burner, cooking cup, cosy, bowl and stabiliser designed to work together, and its efficiency with gas should claw a little of that back over a season.

To be fair, it's a specialist. If you cook proper meals on the bank, a cook station like the RidgeMonkey Grilla Cookstation Single Hob will suit you better, and JetBoil's add-ons, from the coffee press to the skillet, push the cost up further.

Overall, I'd recommend the Flash Carbon to the angler who wants the quickest brew on the bank, travels light and lives on hot drinks, soup and dehydrated meals. Roving anglers and anyone who carries everything to the swim in one trip should get on with it really well.