Vango Folding Gas Stove: Recall, Models and Safe Use

A folding gas stove is a small, packable cooker that runs on a gas canister and gives a household a way to boil water and heat food when the mains gas, the electricity or both have gone off. The Vango versions fold down to a packed size of L9.5 x H10.5 x W6.0cm and come with a storage box, so they take up little room in a cupboard or an emergency kit¹. Both are rated at 2600W¹.

Before anything else, check whether yours is one of the stoves recalled in 2024. Two styles of Vango branded folding gas stoves with hose were affected: the Folding Gas Stove ACXSTOVE DAKZ36 and the Folding Stove with Windshield and Piezo ACXSTOVE DEWZ36³. The recall notice says the gas hose may degrade over time, leading to a gas leak and possible hose ignition, and that owners must stop using affected stoves immediately and return them to the place of purchase³.

If your stove is not affected, it is a sensible piece of standby cooking kit: light, simple and independent of the mains. What it cannot do is heat a room, and it must never be used indoors. This page sets out the recall first, then the two versions, what the stove can and cannot do in an emergency, and how to keep it ready and use it safely.

The Vango folding gas stove recall, and what owners should do

The recall notice was published on 6 June 2024 and covers two styles of Vango branded folding gas stoves with hose³. The hazard identified is that the gas hose may degrade over time, leading to a gas leak and possible hose ignition, so the stoves present a risk of fire, explosion and burns³. The corrective action is a recall of the product from end users³. Vango's own safety page confirms that the stoves listed there are subject to product recall⁵.

The affected models and production numbers are set out in the notice. The production number and month and year are located on the underside of the stove, so you will need to turn it over to read them³.

If your stove matches, stop using it immediately and return it to the place of purchase³. You can also contact AMG Group on 08447 707058, or by emailing stoves@amg-group.co.uk³. Do not keep a recalled stove as a spare and do not pass it on to a neighbour or a charity shop: the risk is a gas leak and possible hose ignition, and it does not go away with age.

There is a separate recall of OEX folding gas stoves, PSD number 2405-0060, also notified by Local Authority Trading Standards, with the same combination of recall from end users and withdrawal from the market⁶. If you are not sure which brand you have, read the name on the stove itself rather than the box, and match it to the right notice.

Folding gas stove versions and how they differ

Vango lists two folding stoves. They share the same folded size, the same 2600W rating and the same storage box, and differ mainly in the windshield and the ignition¹.

The maker describes the Folding Gas Stove as ideal for longer expeditions and larger pots, with a wider flame so food cooks quickly and more evenly¹. The Folding Stove with Windshield and Piezo is described as an all weather stove, with a built-in windshield that shelters the flame from wind for increased efficiency and reduced cooking times, and a high quality piezo igniter². Vango states that it boils 1L of water in 5 minutes².

For a household, the practical difference is the windshield. A flame that is sheltered from the wind uses less fuel and cooks faster, which matters when you are working through a canister and cannot easily buy another. The piezo igniter saves you hunting for matches in the dark, though it is worth keeping a backup means of lighting the stove in your kit.

What the stove can do in an emergency, and for how long

The stove's job in a household emergency is narrow and useful: boiling water, heating a pan of food, making a hot drink. It is not a heater and it is not a substitute for a boiler. Rated at 2600W, it delivers heat to the base of a pot rather than to a room¹.

How long it runs depends on the canister. Vango gives approximate burn times of 35 minutes on a 110g canister, 75 minutes on a 230g canister and 145 minutes on a 450g canister¹. The maker's own figures for the windshield version list 35 minutes on a 110g canister and 75 minutes on a 230g canister². The two maker pages do not agree on the longer canister figure, so treat the 450g time as approximate and plan on the shorter end.

To put that in perspective, a slow cooker is listed at 200 watts as an example appliance load⁷. The stove is not an electrical appliance and does not run from a battery, so the comparison is only about what a household is trying to replace: a hot meal. A 450g canister giving 145 minutes is enough for several rounds of boiling and reheating over a short outage, provided you use it sensibly and shelter the flame.

What it cannot do:

• It cannot heat a room. Do not use it for warmth.
• It cannot run a fridge, a freezer or any electrical appliance.
• It cannot be refuelled from the mains gas supply; it needs its own canisters.
• It cannot be used indoors, in a tent, a caravan or a confined space⁴.

If you are planning how cooking fits into a wider outage, the guide to heating and cooking without mains power or gas sets the stove alongside other options, and backup power at home covers what a battery or generator can and cannot run.

Using a folding gas stove safely

Every instruction here comes from official guidance or from the maker's own instructions for its own product. Read them before the first use, not during the outage.

The official guidance for camping, caravanning and boating is blunt: read the manufacturer's instructions⁴. Beyond that, the maker's own guidance for gas burners is to place the stove in a protected position from the wind to save on fuel⁸. A windshield does part of that job, but siting still matters.

For a stove with a separate windshield, the maker's instruction is to place the lower windshield on a flat piece of ground, away from flammable materials and sheltered from the wind⁹. The same principle applies to a built-in windshield: flat ground, nothing flammable nearby, out of the wind.

If clothing catches fire, the fire and rescue service advises rolling several times, which helps to smother the fire and stop it from spreading¹⁰. Keep loose sleeves and tea towels away from the burner, and never move a lit stove.

A short checklist before you light it:

• Set it up outdoors on flat, stable ground, away from tents, awnings, dry grass and anything else that can burn⁹.
• Check the hose for cracks or stiffness before every use, and never use a stove with a damaged hose.
• Keep the canister upright and connect it as the maker instructs.
• Light it with the piezo igniter or a long match, keeping your hands and face back from the burner.
• Never leave a lit stove unattended, and let it cool fully before you disconnect the canister.
• Store it in its box, away from heat, once it is cold.

Keeping it ready between emergencies

A stove that has sat in a shed for two years is not ready. Check the hose each time you take the stove out, and replace it if it looks cracked, stiff or perished rather than using it.

Store the stove in its storage box, which Vango lists with both versions¹. The box keeps dust and grit out of the burner and protects the hose from knocks. Keep the box somewhere dry and away from heat, and keep canisters upright and separate from the stove.

Keep a small stock of canisters matched to how you would use the stove. A 110g canister gives about 35 minutes, a 230g about 75 minutes and a 450g about 145 minutes¹. For a household plan, work out how many hot meals and hot drinks you would want over a three-day outage and buy canisters to cover it, then rotate them so nothing sits unused for years.

A stove is one part of a wider kit. The emergency kit guide covers what else a household should keep ready, and the gas and heating failures section covers what to do when the mains supply itself fails. If you smell gas in the home, contact National Gas¹¹; the National Gas Emergency Service page explains when to ring and what happens next.

Support, spares and the maker

Vango's own safety page lists the stoves subject to product recall, and is the place to check the current position before you buy or use one⁵. For a recalled stove, the route is the place of purchase or AMG Group on 08447 707058, or stoves@amg-group.co.uk³.

For a stove that is not affected, the maker's product pages carry the specifications and the burn times quoted here¹. Vango is listed on this site's Vango brand page, and the Stoves brand page covers the wider category.

The stove is a small, light piece of kit that suits a household that wants a hot meal when the power is off, and suits camping and expedition use as well. It does not suit anyone who wants to heat a room, and it does not suit indoor use at all. Check the model and the underside number first, keep the hose in good order, and store it in its box with a few canisters beside it.