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Questions Comparing PF13L160 and PF13L160EI

Inquiry:

Hello, I am deciding to get the 13″ PF13L160 (manual) or the PF13L160EI (electronic ignition). I have some questions about the two.

1.) The “manual” version is a new generation with improvements in hose, regulator, spider guard and burner plate. I like that. How come

the “EI” version does not have these improvement?

2.) You mentioned on your website that you can’t guarantee that the main burner can be reliable ignited by the electronic igniter head. Is

the electronic igniter head not reliable? Good for a few months or a few years?

3) The website also mentioned that you “re-introduce” the “EI” version with “continuous heat adjustment”….what does that mean? Does the

“manual” version NOT have the “continuous heat adjustment??

Thank You and looking forward to your answers and purchasing your product.

Outdoorstirfry:

Thank you for considering our products.  You raised very good questions.

  1. What is available to each product depends on material from our vendors. Unlike most stove retailers, we are stove manufacturers.  We are able to source individual material to make stoves to our design.   However we are still limited to what are available from our vendors.   For PF13L160 we are able to source better material with more of our designed (patented) parts.   We have a plan to migrate our “EI” version as well, however not right now, maybe in another year or so.
  2. If you use gas stove inside your house, you would notice that sometimes the electronic ignition had to keep trying. The inside house gas stove control has more “brain” and knows when to try again until the stove is ignited.   For our “EI” version, you get one electronic strike by turning the front control knob.  This single turn may not ignite the gas from the pilot tube.   In fact this is harder than in-house gas stove because the gas from our “EI” stove is at much higher pressure.   Imagine you want to light up a BBQ manual ignitor under strong wind.   Higher pressure gas is like strong wind as compared with no wind of in-house stove top.   However if you try a few times, it increases the chance to ignite for the “EI” stove.   Another factor that makes our “EI” stove hard to ignite is because it is exposed outside instead of an indoor environment.
  3. Our initial “EI” version stove has only two main power settings. This is still true to our lower power PF13x130EI stoves.   We have improved on this to continuous adjustable power for PF13x160EI stoves.   Our PF13L160 always has continuous power adjustment.

Let us know any further question.

Inquiry:

Hello, Thank You for the very detailed answer.   Great customer support!!  I have decided to buy the manual version (PF13L160) as this is the new generation.