Customer Reviews

Century 4680 Matchless Two-Burner Stove with Carry Bag, Black/Silver

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Received product the same day I was going on a camping trip. The next morning (while camping) I decided to try this stove out. Connected the hose to the propane tank, turned on the gas valves, and clicked the igniter. The right burner turned on, the left one didn't. There was no wind, but I changed to a different angle just in case, same thing, right on, left off. Luckly I had my matches. Came back home, called Century they said they were going to get the part number and call me right back. Two days passed and no call back. I had to call them again. They said they were still trying to find the part number. About 20 minutes later, they called me telling me that they were going to ship the part. When they were about to hang up I asked them what address where they going to ship it, they paused and then asked me: "Oh can we have your address?" Five days later I got the part, a burner with no instructions on how to replace it. My problem wasn't the burner, it was the igniter; I made it clear to them. I put everything back in the box, and shipped it right back. At tried my best to work things out.

Product: 3 Stars, Customer Service: 2 Stars.

This is a substantial downgrade in quality and design from their earlier model.
Propane hose not fixed to stove - you have to screw in the stove end of the hose to the stove - hard to do.
And, the loose hose must be stowed - awkward.
Side windbreaks more difficult to attach to the open lid.
Side windbreaks have gap at bottom, allowing wind in.
Burner knobs have a memory. They want to spring back little after adjustment, making the flame hard to adjust.
Grill more difficult than the previous model to get in place. Have to line up the four feet with their four holes. Previous model acted like a hinge.

Lots of little flaws make it an unhandy stove, certainly compared to the nicely made previous model. I discarded this one and found the previous model on eBay.

Still waiting for the stove that delivers what it promises. Our last Century stove was the only unit we could find with a flexible fuel connection hose, and it has worked OK (with a manual lighter) for several years. Unfortunately, this new Century 4680 2-Burner Stove is a significant step backward in utility and durability than our previous model.

I have no doubt that this company called "Century" (or whatever), could source the manufacturing know-how necessary to make this a successful camping tool, but they choose not to. The poor quality in materials and construction will likely doom this mostly well-designed stove to an early grave. Flimsy sharp-edged parts, misaligned assembly and poor tolerances conspire to frustrate the user almost every time it's used.

On our unit, the lid got stuck on the misaligned drip pan so that it had to be pried apart with a screwdriver, twisting both the lid and the drip pan. The gaps in the lid expose the flame so much that the burners are really compromised in anything but a dead calm. The promise of "push-button piezo igniter for quick, match-free lighting" continues to be a cruel joke foisted upon unwary campers everywhere. It might work a few times testing in the store or at home but in the real world, after a half dozen uses, I was lucky to get it to work 1 in 10 times - if ever. Of course, these deficiencies usually occur at the most inopportune times, in the middle of nowhere, when you're really counting on your kit to perform as advertised.

I'm giving it a generous two stars because it's a good compact design and it's the only stove with a flexible propane connection. If you're using it for light tailgaiting in friendly weather and you're careful with it, it should be fine. I would not recommend it for use in rough conditions or any location that may be exposed to even the slightest wind. We used aluminum foil to protect the burners with some success.

Overall, the stove is so flimsy that I don't expect that it will last nearly as long as the stove it's replacing, so I think I'll keep it.

The old stove, that is.