Volcano Grills 3-Fuel Portable Camping Stove/Fire Pit, Charcoal, Collapses Down to 5 inches; for Convenient Portability and Storage (VL-20-300)

4.0 out of 5 stars

By R. Darrington - Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2016

Great stoves for charcoal and wood, propane, not so much.

I've owned this stove (the Volcano 2) for a little over 3 years now and it is a great little stove for dutch oven cooking and grilling. The model I purchased did not have the propane adapter on it but I have purchased a second Volcano 3 recently, thinking propane would be a great option to have on this stove. Well, there are some drawbacks to using propane. The propane adapter is great for frying or grilling but forget about baking anything with it, even if you do have the hood. You just can't get the temperature below 425-450 and it's super hot directly above the burner (of course). The supplied heat diffuser is insufficient to mitigate the intense heat from the burner. The good news is, with the flame turned down low, there is little danger of it being blown out by the wind. The burner itself is relatively small in diameter for a 19,500 BTU burner, which is probably part of the problem. A better valve for regulating flame height might help as well. These stoves work exceptionally well with a 12 inch dutch oven, bean pot or skillet. They fit down inside so they don't slip around at all. The bottom of my stove gets warm to the touch, you can place your hand on it and hold it there without getting burned, as long as you're using the stove for normal baking or cooking. Using it on a picnic table or even a plastic roll around cart as I do is not an issue. Of course, placing hot lids, grates and heat diffusers on that plastic cart is another story. *** Edit 4/18/2016 *** I did some trouble shooting on the gas value (it's a simple ball valve) that regulates the flow of propane after the regulator. It appears to be very cheaply made and when it is turned down to lower settings for baking or simmering, applying any downward pressure on it will shut off the gas to the burner long enough for the burner to go out... Not a good thing since you have to remove your dutch oven or skillet to notice it. This valve is also not replaceable which means the only other means you have of regulating flow is with the tank valve. When it comes time to replace this hose, you're going to have issues finding a replacement as I've never seen another like it. This is, in my humble opinion, the weak link in an otherwise great little stove. *** Edit 1/5/2017 ***. My one complaint about the flame adjustment has been solved. After contacting the distributor, I took the valve apart and lubricated the rubber O ring inside with a little oil. That has made it much easier to adjust the flame height. Now I can adjust it down to the tiniest of flames. Yeah!!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Chris Robbins - Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2017

As Promised, Great Sturdy Unit

This was a splurge compared to other camp grills but we just love it. The propane element grills hot enough to put a nice crispy sear on the skin of fish. My kids roasted marshmallows over the element in a pinch. We roasted red peppers the same way (on a stick). We've put a frying pan directly on the heat diffuser insert and that worked, too, although we'll need a pan with an offset handle because the drop is several inches. Instead of ordering a cover, we just tented the grill grate with heavy-duty foil and put a kid on duty to make sure it didn't blow away. I was puzzled that other reviewers were making such a big deal about the carrying case, but on receipt we found that it deserves the praise: heavy-duty rubber-coated nylon, with a pocket for the grates and diffuser elements, and everything tucks neatly inside. The Volcano is hefty enough that it's nice to carry it around with a handle (it's not a backpacking item). It cools quickly and can be cleaned/stored shortly after the meal. We're using it with the Amazon-recommended adapter for the 1-lb bottle, purchased separately.

3.0 out of 5 stars

By Anonymous Buyer - Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2020

Nice concept, but fails as a fire pit!

Took the Volcano to a recent camping trip and here are my thoughts. It's a good concept, but falls short in many places. I love the fact that the legs extend out from under the unit by tugging on the handle and that it can take wood, charcoal or propane. However, using it as a fire pit with propane is a joke. The temps dropped down to about 40 degrees F at night and with the regulator fully open, you still cannot feel the heat. You literally have to sit inches away from the Volcano and you literally have to place your hands or feet right on top of the Volcano to feel any heat. We decided to disconnect the propane and switch to firewood. Wood did much better, but not much. The way the unit is designed is to dissipate heat up. Cooking on the unit with propane is like any other propane grill. It does the job. I also like the fact that you can place this unit right in the middle of camp and cook around your social circle. One thing I didn't like was the fact that once you're grilling on the cooking grate, you cannot lift or move the Volcano because the grate impedes the handle. Therefore, hindering the "portability" useless. So you better make sure once you set this down, it better be where you want your cooking done. Things I would like to see improved on future revisions: 1. Increase the BTU capacity of the unit from 19,500 BTU to over 50,000 BTU like other competing propane fire pits. 2. Have the option of a bigger unit. At around 16" diameter, it is small. Perfect from a solo or couple. But not big enough for a family/friends of 4+. 3. Better carry bag. Mine ripped on the first trip out. 4. Better handle design that will allow you to lift and move the Volcano while you're grilling with the provided grate. 5. Did I say, increase the BTU capacity to make it a true fire pit????