Where is my camping stove made? All KOVEA camping stoves are made in South Korea, a country with high wages and high scores for labour rights, press freedom, democracy and other indicators.
In these times of growing geopolitical tension and concern about Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, we think it is important to ask, and to consider where your money goes when you buy a stove. Here is our quick guide to let you know where most common stove brands are made. We have also included some key data about the countries where different brands are made, to help you make an informed decision.
We have noticed that there are quite a lot of fake or knock off gas stoves available online.
Fakes are different to genuine stoves of different brands which are made in the same factory.
Fake and Knock off stoves are unauthorised copies of existing genuine products.
The genuine stoves have been designed and thoroughly tested and certified to meet advanced safety regulations. They also have warranty cover and a return address in your home market.
Knock offs and fakes are made to look like the original but are made cheaply with lower quality materials and less regard for safety and durability. In some cases even the packaging is made to look like the original.
Here are 4 examples we have found recently.
Where is my stove made? Human Rights Reports & General Information
Country Data & Further Reading
Adjusted Net National Income per capita: World Bank
World Press Freedom Ranking: Reporters Without Borders
Corruption Perception Index: Transparency International
Global Freedom Index: Freedom House.org
CHINA:
SOUTH KOREA:
JAPAN:
At MercatorGear.com we are committed to acting as good global citizens. We are committed to providing as much information as we can to support our users so you can maximise enjoyment and safety. We are also keen to provide lots of information about stove performance, and about how to maintain and repair your stove. Where your stove is made is also an important consideration because in the words of a famous historian, “All actions are political“. In other words, all purchase decisions have consequences for workers, the environment, economies and governments. So it is really worth spending a bit of time to think about what kind of company and government you are supporting when you buy your stove. The information on this page should help you to make an informed decision.
We want your KOVEA stove to last as long as possible by providing a range of official spare parts and technical support for a growing number of models. This is your exclusive “Right to Repair” and is only available for selected premium brand stoves.