OEX Heiro solo camping stove

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OEX Heiro solo stove review

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OEX Heiro: basics

OEX is a budget brand with its eye on the premium market. This solo backpacking camping stove is designed to give the Jetboil, MSR Pocket Rocket and Coleman Fyrestorm a run for their money, being an all-in-one unit with built-in wind protection that lights easily using piezo ignition.

We were keen to see if it performed anywhere near as well.

First impressions

This is a smart, very compact and simple stove with minimal packaging – which I liked.

Is it easy to set up?

The OEX Heiro is easier to set up than the other solo stoves of this type on test, and doesn’t overwhelm with its instructions or safety messages. They give enough information to click the correct parts together.

What type of fuel does it use?

OEX Heiro solo camping stove takes a screw-top butane/propane cannister (110g, 230g or 500g). If you’re backpacking, the 110g cannister fits inside the stove, saving you even more space.

The pros of this fuel cartridge are that it’s instant, lightweight, compact and easily available – you’ll find them in any high street outdoors shop. The cons are that this will only give you around three hours of cooking time for a 450/500g cartridge, so for longer trips you’ll need more than one.

Is it easy to use?

It genuinely couldn’t be easier. The piezo ignition takes the work out of lighting it, the windshield ensures fuel efficiency and protection in windy and rainy conditions, and the pot is stable as it clicks into place.

The only tricky part was twisting it off after the water had boiled – the handles are a thin folding metal and weren’t strong enough to twist off the pot. I had to grip the pot and turn it – fine, as it’s insulated with neoprene and therefore couldn’t scold me. Plus, when I poured the water out through the pouring hole, the lid fell off.

How quickly does it boil water?

The OEX Heiro solo camping stove boiled 500ml water in exactly 2 minutes in our test.

Is it easy to clean?

Yes – the integrated pot is non-stick.

Is it good value?

This is exceptional value for this type of camping stove, which normally retail at double the price. OK it doesn’t have quite the same flash features (neoprene handle, external water boil indicator), but it’s lighter, more compact and offers a competitively rapid boil time. Highly recommended.

What’s it best for?

Solo backpacking

Also consider

Coleman Fyrestorm

Here's another good camping stove for solo campers and couples who want to boil water quickly. It comes with built-in wind protection to keep it fuel-efficient, and an insulated handle to help avoid burns. In our test, it boiled 500ml of water in three minutes, so it's not the fastest around, and it is a little bulkier than other designs on the market - but it can hold 1.3L.

We liked the long gas cable, which gives you a little more flexibility in how you use the stove. The set comes with a non-stick pot and it's lightweight in design, making it a convenient option. It's also readily available in high street outdoor stores. You can read more about this set in our full-length Coleman Fyrestorm review.

Alternatively, see our full round-up of camping stove reviews to find other options.