Introducing the ultimate fire starting torch - the Snow Peak Gigapower

Santa brought me a new toy, er, competition tool this year. It's a compact blowtorch with almost the power of a full-sized weed burner. It runs on either isopropane canisters (shown above and sold anywhere camping gear is stocked), or butane canisters for portable stoves like this one: Two fuels, hence 2Way torch.




A full sized weedburner is ideal for those who have large pits and use them to quickly get up to temp. But they're overlarge for those that work with WSM's and kettle grills, as well as those who don't have equipment trailers to stow all our gear.

So I present to you the Snow Peak Gigapower 2Way torch. Snow Peak is a Japanese company that makes high end camp stoves and accessories. They engineered this purpose-built torch for starting charcoal grills and bonfires.

One thoughtful feature is the "generator" that allows the torch to work upside down. At $38 MSRP, it's a little more expensive than your average plumber's torch, but then most propane torches don't work upside down, nor do they put out 14,000 BTU's.

Compare the Snow Peak with my old Bernzomatic propane torch, which I'm putting out to pasture because I've melted the stater button and the jet's a little clogged.


Speaking of jets, here's the view of the working end of the Snow Peak. The brass ring at the mouth of the barrel is the "generator," what allows it to continue working upside down. I have no idea how it works, might have to contact the company to find out.



I made a quick and dirty video on my phone yesterday for its very first firing. Sorry about the poor sound quality, but you'll get the drift of what this mini flamethrower can do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTC8br5VZj0

I'm smoking some briskets first thing tomorrow morning when I cook for brother The Frog's wedding. I'll let you know if the torch sucks or not. Long term thoughts - will keep you informed. :wink:

jawpaul said:

I believe the generator works by gasifying any liquid fuel before it is burned. Basically the fuel flows through the tube and is heated and expanded before burning. Should work in low tempatures too.

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I believe you're correct after looking at the photo for a while. That length of brass tube gives the liquid compressed fuel extra headroom to vaporize. When held upside down, the tube is still feeding vaporized fuel through the nozzle instead of liquid.

You make a good point about the preheated gas and low temperatures. Not something I really worry about in So Cal, but it's a good thing for you frozen-in types.

mikeTRON said:

So how important is it to have a torch that lights upside down? Also how expensive are those tanks vs the butane tanks for the other torches?

I am currently thinking about getting a torch or weed burner so I am full of questions :wink:

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The upside down thing is important if you're using a blowtorch with a fixed, upward pointing nozzle. My old propane torch has a swiveling nozzle, so I can aim it down without it sputtering.

The isopropane cartridges come in several sizes. The one in my photo sells for about $5. The butane stove fuel canisters sell for even less, about $3 or so. From a purely financial POV, a weed burner with a full propane tank will give you a better bang for buck.

But that's beside the point. I don't have the room for a weed burner in my station wagon when I go to contests.

blackdog043 said:

Looks interesting, I'll have to see what you think of it. I use my propane torch.

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I used it today for the first time. With the Bernzomatic torch, I load maybe a couple dozen briquettes in my chimney starter and insert a blowtorch down into the chimney. When I stuck the nozzle of the Snow Peak down into the mostly-empty chimney, it actually snuffed the flame. Apparently, combustion is so fierce that it used up all the oxygen within the chimney and put out the torch. When it did, i could see a white fog of vaporized gas leaving the barrel. It was kind of cool, actually.

So I set the Snow Peak on the grate of the smoker, held my chimney above the nozzle, and lit the charcoal from underneath. Flame didn't snuff out. In fact, it blazed away and my coals were inferno-lit within about 60 seconds.