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      If you could only have one stove, what would it be?     

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gotwins
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04/16/2021 05:37PM  
I love camping stoves. I have a ton. Not as many as Butthead, but more than my wife thinks any man should have.
Current roster:
MSR Whisperlite
MSR Dragonfly (I have 2 with burner caps to quiet them down)
Beer can stove from antigravity gear
Trangia stove and cookset
Coleman 533 Sportster
Coleman 2 burner suitcase stove circa 1978
Coleman 3 burner suticase stove circa late 1950's
Coleman 2 burner suitcase stove circa late 1950's
Coleman 2 burner propane stove circa 2005
Primus Yellowstone canister stove with piezo ignighter that sometimes still works, circa 2002
El Cheapo Amazon Chinese canister stove with remote tank and piezo igniter that died afer one use

If I could only have one, I'm not sure what I'd choose. I'm curious to think what people would choose if you had to only have one. I'll make the conditions that it's for BWCA use, rather than backpacking, for example where you're trying to save every ounce you can. If I could only have one, it would probably be the MSR Dragonfly. Good temp control, will burn pretty much any fuel, it's loud, but the dragon tamer helps! Plus they are easy to repair in the field.

Curious to see what others like. I'd love to take the coleman 3 burner up, but I'd have to hide it my buddie's duluth pack ;)
 
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PVnRT
senior member (86)senior membersenior member
  
04/16/2021 06:19PM  
My Coleman Peak 1 served admirably for 30 years! until sent to Davey Jones locker. Not sure my current go to, the Jet Boil Mini Mo will last that long. Invested in a Primus 2 years ago and has proven to be a bit finicky. So, the Peak ! has my vote.
 
gotwins
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04/16/2021 06:24PM  
Ideal Gas Law, you just reminded me that I forgot to list my Jet Boil!
 
04/16/2021 07:06PM  
JetBoil Sol . . . or similar.
 
SevenofNine
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04/16/2021 07:37PM  
Whisperlite universal or Primus Omnifuel. I’ve had my Primus for years and am quite happy but the MSR has additional features.
 
04/16/2021 07:40PM  
I met a family in Quetico last summer that drove up from Toronto. They intended to buy their fuel canisters somewhere along their 17 hour drive. They started to panic as they couldn't find cannisters anywhere such was the scarcity of camping supplies last summer.

It made me think that my Primus Omnifuel stove had a great feature in that it will burn almost any available fuel including gasoline and diesel. It's not quiet though. But it's rugged.
 
04/16/2021 08:39PM  
Primus Classic Trail Stove. Not the lightest or most compact but sturdy, dependable, effective and efficient. Wider flame pattern to eliminate hotspots. No Piezo lighter, this is a no frills stove that just works. Bulletproof.


Currently not available on Amazon, not sure why but hopefully available somewhere. 4.7 stars on 429 reviews, read some for support to what I am saying. It's a great stove, the only one I would own if I could only have one...heck the only one i do own because it's all I need.

Primus Classic Trail Stove

Oh, did I mention the price? Typically available for 20 bucks.
 
04/16/2021 08:55PM  
Nice thing is having a choice. But if limited same as you gotwins, a Dragonfly.

Although out of all my stoves the hottest burning, fastest snow melting, quickest water boiling, best cold weather stove I have is a modified Whisperlite 600 universal, only stove I have melted 3/16ths aluminum plate over

butthead
 
cyclones30
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04/16/2021 09:00PM  
MSR Whisperlite international if I had to pick.

But simmerlite and dragonfly aren't far behind
 
04/16/2021 10:08PM  
My Vargo ( Pocket rocket Type) Titanium is all I need. Been serving me well for many years.
 
gotwins
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04/16/2021 10:17PM  
butthead: "Nice thing is having a choice. But if limited same as you gotwins, a Dragonfly.

Although out of all my stoves the hottest burning, fastest snow melting, quickest water boiling, best cold weather stove I have is a modified Whisperlite 600 universal, only stove I have melted 3/16ths aluminum plate over


butthead"


Do tell us more about this stove! I’m curious!
 
gotwins
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04/16/2021 10:19PM  
lindylair: "Primus Classic Trail Stove. Not the lightest or most compact but sturdy, dependable, effective and efficient. Wider flame pattern to eliminate hotspots. No Piezo lighter, this is a no frills stove that just works. Bulletproof.



Currently not available on Amazon, not sure why but hopefully available somewhere. 4.7 stars on 429 reviews, read some for support to what I am saying. It's a great stove, the only one I would own if I could only have one...heck the only one i do own because it's all I need.


Primus Classic Trail Stove


Oh, did I mention the price? Typically available for 20 bucks. "


These are good looking stoves. When I bought my Prius Yellowstone techno trail, it was between it and your stove. I’ve always admired the Classic. Simple design with a nice spread on the flame.
 
billconner
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04/17/2021 05:59AM  
Dragonfly for me. With dragon tamer.
 
HappyHuskies
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04/17/2021 06:34AM  
My preferred stove for the last 10 years or so has been a Caldera Cone Fissure Ti-Tri sized for the 640ml Evernew pot.
 
TipsyPaddler
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04/17/2021 07:08AM  
Blatz: "My Vargo ( Pocket rocket Type) Titanium is all I need. Been serving me well for many years."


+1 (specifically a MSR Pocket Rocket II) all the stove I need for my cooking needs.

I used an MSR Dragonfly for two seasons but when I stopped running the BWCA equivalent of a food truck it was way more stove than I needed.
 
04/17/2021 07:36AM  
"Do tell us more about this stove! I’m curious!"

The MSR Whisperlite 600 International, a large fuel feed tube with an extra thick heating section and interchangeable jets for kerosene or naphtha. I removed the shaker needle weight assembly installed a slightly enlarged G jet and an extra waffle burner plate for more flame.
I use a 5.5 inch 3/16ths thick aluminum plate as a diffuser/hot plate, used to boil water the pot and plate could be removed from the burner to the fire grate would keep boiling for 5+ minutes. After he mods tried some baking at home and melted one of the al disks, turned it into a kinda butterfly looking thing where the al slagged over the pot supports.

9 minutes in length of my 600 assembling priming and running.

butthead

 
gotwins
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04/17/2021 09:06AM  
Is the 600 different than a regular MSR international? Nice mod. That thing looks really hot!
 
04/17/2021 09:30AM  
Dragonfly, hands down. Boils fast, simmers well, robust, reasonably efficient. Mine doesn't seem that loud.
 
04/17/2021 10:08AM  
Old version from 70's.

butthead
 
gotwins
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04/17/2021 10:45AM  
Nice flame control in that stove, too, butthead. Looks like you could even simmer.
 
04/17/2021 12:57PM  
You can simmer with a Whisperlite but there is significant lag between valve adjustment and flame response- it is cumbersome if most of your cuisine requires simmering.

If I just had to boil water I would choose my recent vintage Whisperlite International over the Dragonfly. Quieter, a bit quicker and more efficient.
 
gotwins
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04/17/2021 01:02PM  
Banksiana: "You can simmer with a Whisperlite but there is significant lag between valve adjustment and flame response- it is cumbersome if most of your cuisine requires simmering.


If I just had to boil water I would choose my recent vintage Whisperlite International over the Dragonfly. Quieter, a bit quicker and more efficient."


Agreed, Banksiana. I've been able to achieve it, but it's tricky. I wonder if the newer pump that butthead has helps. Mine is the old gray one with a dial instead of the wing thing.
 
04/17/2021 04:25PM  
Another help with Whisperlite simmer/flame control is removing the shaker jet.

butthead
 
gotwins
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04/17/2021 04:50PM  
butthead: "Another help with Whisperlite simmer/flame control is removing the shaker jet.


butthead"


Mine’s a pre shakerjet whisperlite, so just the regular jet. Another tip is to not pump up the tank too much.

I met Will Steiger at a party last year and asked him why he liked the whisperlite over the Dragonfly. He said, well, the whisperlite is a lot more quiet :). We also discussed that he is mainly melting snow and boiling water so simmering wasn’t important to him on the Arctic expeditions.

My style of BWCA camping is more like gourmet cooking, lots of fresh foods, not really dehydrated so I like the simmer. Butthead, you had a photo of your food for a one week trip that all fit in a bear canister. What is on your typical one week menu? Mostly backpacking food? I was curious and impressed when I saw that post.
 
Oldtown13
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04/17/2021 08:19PM  
I'm no expert on all the stoves, but the Whisperlite International would have to be my pick if truly on one option.
 
Oldtown13
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04/17/2021 08:19PM  
I'm no expert on all the stoves, but the Whisperlite International would have to be my pick if truly only one option.
 
04/17/2021 09:10PM  
I pack food like stocking a pantry. Single ingredients dried/freeze-dried. Starches carbohydrates like potatoes, rice, noodles. Veggies and fruits dried. Milk products most all powdered, sour cream, cheddar cheese, whole milk, buttermilk. Dried meats beef, poultry, pork, fish. Mix with water sauces, spices, drinks, candy. Bisquick mix. I can bake breads, and full meals from beef Stroganoff to andouille sausage/shrimp gumbo with dumplings.

butthead
 
blackdawg9
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04/18/2021 08:32AM  
i have a few stoves, some i adore and some i just dont appreciate.

if i could only have 1 type of stove, it would be a wet gas stove.
my nomination, for the must have is the old svea 123 slant valve stove. from there. if it had to be a seperate bottle stove. it would be a optimus polaris or msr xpg. i like the jet bell burners.

i have 2 sveas 123. slant valve and current production
msr whisperlite. i dont love it. i think it drinks to much and the pot stand stinks and dont like teh msr pumps. they need to be metal.
coleman 442 feather weight
$6 iso burner
trangia. it is a novelty.

i may be looking for a better quality iso burner, i just dont love them.
 
04/18/2021 10:15AM  
Dragonfly.
 
gotwins
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04/18/2021 04:52PM  
butthead: "I pack food like stocking a pantry. Single ingredients dried/freeze-dried. Starches carbohydrates like potatoes, rice, noodles. Veggies and fruits dried. Milk products most all powdered, sour cream, cheddar cheese, whole milk, buttermilk. Dried meats beef, poultry, pork, fish. Mix with water sauces, spices, drinks, candy. Bisquick mix. I can bake breads, and full meals from beef Stroganoff to andouille sausage/shrimp gumbo with dumplings.


butthead"


One of these trips I'll try the super lightweight style like this. I did it in my backpacking days when I lived out in California in the early 2000's hiking around the Sierra Nevada. Maybe for my someday trip to Angleworm that I dream of trying someday. I'd still probably sneak in a first night ribeye :)
 
04/19/2021 09:06AM  
"it would be a optimus polaris or msr xpg. i like the jet bell burners."

That's a XGK and the Dragonfly uses the same jet, plate, and bell.
Far as the MSR pumps, the newer versions are Composite nylon filled and as strong/stronger than the Primus which still has plastic internal parts. You may be over priming the Whisperlite as both mine use the same amount of fuel on average as my Nova and all the other liquid fuel stoves I have.

butthead
 
gymcoachdon
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04/19/2021 02:11PM  
WindPro II, because it IS the only stove I have.
 
Lawnchair107
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04/19/2021 03:37PM  
Another Dragonfly vote here.
 
CRL
senior member (85)senior membersenior member
  
04/19/2021 03:56PM  
Silky Tsurgi, a sharp Hudson Bay axe, and dead black spruce 4" dia.
OR leather gloves and dead and down jackpine or spruce with loads of 1/2"- 1.5" branches
 
OCDave
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04/19/2021 04:34PM  
I also have several stoves but, if limited to just one it would certainly be the MSR Whisperlite Universal.

It is not the first stove I grab for most trips but, it is too versitile to not be the first choice if I can own just one. I burn white gas in the winter, canister fuel when temps are more accomodating. I could burn korosene or gasoline post apocolypse.
 
tarnkt
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04/19/2021 07:31PM  
lindylair: "Primus Classic Trail Stove. Not the lightest or most compact but sturdy, dependable, effective and efficient. Wider flame pattern to eliminate hotspots. No Piezo lighter, this is a no frills stove that just works. Bulletproof.



Currently not available on Amazon, not sure why but hopefully available somewhere. 4.7 stars on 429 reviews, read some for support to what I am saying. It's a great stove, the only one I would own if I could only have one...heck the only one i do own because it's all I need.


Primus Classic Trail Stove


Oh, did I mention the price? Typically available for 20 bucks. "


This was always my vote too. When I tried to buy another last summer I couldn’t find one anywhere and I think it might have been discontinued. This GSI copycat is just as good:

GSI Stove
 
04/19/2021 07:59PM  
If it had to be just one stove, this would be it! Cooks a great breakfast and keeps the coffee warm at the same time.
Hands down, my favorite stove.

 
chessie
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04/19/2021 08:16PM  
Trangia. Simple. Quiet. Burns denatured alcohol.
 
mgraber
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04/19/2021 09:04PM  
MSR Windpro 2, it is the best I've found in the canister category that I prefer, and I've tried a lot of them.
 
04/20/2021 03:36PM  
Whisperlite international but I've been eyeing up a stick stove for a trial run this summer.

(Note: I think I need to go to the Butthead school of tinkering :) That stove mod setup is impressive.)
 
mr.barley
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04/21/2021 04:20PM  
I'm a dragonfly guy. I have a dragon tamer on mine which really quiets it down.
 
Voyager
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04/21/2021 07:41PM  
I just received a new stove today from Amazon for about $16.00. It's amazingly tiny and only weighs .9 oz. with the pouch. It makes my Pocket Rocket look monstrous. I'm strictly a" boil the water for a pouch dinner cook." It's called a Hawk Zing.
 
HistoryDoc
senior member (66)senior membersenior member
  
04/21/2021 08:20PM  
Have several stoves, and use the Jet Boil and MSR Expedition a lot. For car campng, it is the 1980's vintage Coleman 2-burner. For pure nostalgia and in keeping with my thrifty Scotch heritage, my Optimus 8R purchased for $15.00 at the Maine Mall Woolworths in 1974 is my sentimental favorite. Still works fine and with Coleman fuel, eliminates the issue of empty canisters.
 
Savage Voyageur
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04/21/2021 09:16PM  
Dragonfly stove. That thing burns about 5 different fuels. Only problem is noise.
 
gotwins
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05/26/2021 10:04PM  
I just got back from a 6 day trip going in at Snowbank. Here’s my story.

Paddled from Snowbank to Jordan the first day. Time for dinner. My step dad realizes he has forgotten his stove at home, a Coleman Peak 1 model 400. I hate this stove with a passion, but he insists on bringing it every trip. In recent years, I’ve just slipped my Dragonfly into my personal pack as a backup. This wasn’t the first trip where it saved our trip.

Paced everything up the next morning and got to our site for the next 3 days on Thomas. Pulled the stove out for dinner and found that the main fuel valve didn’t want to open. Knowing this was our main stove for the rest of the week, I was nervous about forcing it. Finally got it to turn, though I had to use pliers to get it to open. Valve opened, but wouldn’t stop turning open, just kept spinning. I took the retaining nut off and removed the valve. Noticed red plastic on the valve threads. Ugh. Looks like it might be stripped or cross threaded. Managed to reassemble and could get valve to close and open, with some adjustment to get regular flow. The simmer valve worked just fine, so I just left the main valve in the open position and used the simmer control valve for on/off. Thought I was in the clear, then I got lousy burn, it would only burn yellow flames from under the Bernie Dawg quiet cap. Was worried I was getting the “under burn” that I had read about, but couldn’t remember what to do about it (now I know and have committed it to memory!) Turns out, the jet was clogged up with some nasty carbon tar type buildup. I was able to clear that out with the pricker tool, problem solved. Same thing happened after this burn. Step father admitted the fuel I was using might be old. Switched to my fuel and never had the issue again. Finished the trip and all was well.

Now back at home, I tore the stove apart for a good cleaning. I’ll replace the pump as I think it’s stripped on the plastic. I’m really happy that I had this stove along, and that it was possible to field repair it enough to keep it working for the trip. The dirty fuel might be the culprit that was causing his Peak 1 stove to not work well, so we can investigate that as well. However, I’ll never stop stashing a MSR stove in my pack on every trip with him!
 
05/26/2021 10:54PM  
Dragonfly with a tamer for me. We normally have my dragonfly and 2 whisper lights on our trips. Most of our cooking is over a fire, but 90% of the time the dragonfly is the main cooker when using a stove. I dehydrate most of our food (needs to simmer), cook fish, and make coffee in a percolator. All require good temp control. I will say that noise was a major turn off with the dragonfly until I bought a dragon tamer. I’m still burning up my fathers 30 year old stockpile of white gas with it, and it could probably burn my everclear.
 
05/27/2021 09:08AM  
gotwins, how old was the pump? old style made of brittle plastic.
Newer style nylon impregnated plastic "seahorse" style.

butthead
 
gotwins
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05/27/2021 09:23AM  
Butthead, it was the red one. I have two of those. I have one of the gray ones, but it has a crack where the fuel line goes in, so I don't use that one.
 
05/27/2021 09:33AM  
While I'm here a note on silent caps. The BernieDawg caps are the original caps made by Gary Adams designs inspired by Primus classic burner caps. 2 sources print them i.materialise Belgium, Shapeways New York.
Several will fit a Dragonfly. DragonTamer, 5 rows of burner holes, Midcap for US Mil stoves, 4 row of holes, and the XGK EX with 6 rows of holes.
I use the Midcap US Military and the XGK EX cap on my roarer burner MSR stoves. Midcap is the only fitting cap on my XGK2's but works with Dragonfly and Firefly. The 6 row EX cap can fit the Dragonfly, it's tight and may need sanding but really throws out the heat,
Yeah, I have to be the odd man out and do not use the DragonTamer, instead switch between the lower power Midcap and the extra hot EX.

A bit long but running my Dragonfly with the EX cap.

butthead
 
gkimball
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05/30/2021 07:19PM  
Summer time: Without fire restrictions requiring a stove with a shut off valve: Trangia alcohol stove for cooking and a home made 3 lb coffee can stick stove for heating water.

With restrictions: a Svea123 I bought for backpacking in 1978. Still going strong!

Winter time: Coleman Peak 1

Obviously I'm in the "keep it simple" camp.

 
Savage Voyageur
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05/30/2021 08:47PM  
Another great option is the Optimus 8R stove. Compact, steel case, brass body stove and tank, self cleaning needle, only one moving part, tank is part of the stove so no hose to fail, blow torch of a flame.
 
mgraber
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05/31/2021 03:53PM  
MSR Wind Pro2. I have a pile of stoves and like this stove the best, super light, fairly quiet, comes with wind screen, simmers great. I have given up on liquid fuel stoves. MSR has always fixed any problem I've had for free. Even when my wife ruined the fitting by cross threading, I told them what happened and offered to pay for part, but they insisted on sending the fitting for free.
 
gotwins
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05/31/2021 04:01PM  
Savage Voyageur: "Another great option is the Optimus 8R stove. Compact, steel case, brass body stove and tank, self cleaning needle, only one moving part, tank is part of the stove so no hose to fail, blow torch of a flame. "


I’ll be on the lookout for one of these classics. I’ve always admired them.
 
Savage Voyageur
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05/31/2021 08:51PM  
gotwins: "
Savage Voyageur: "Another great option is the Optimus 8R stove. Compact, steel case, brass body stove and tank, self cleaning needle, only one moving part, tank is part of the stove so no hose to fail, blow torch of a flame. "



I’ll be on the lookout for one of these classics. I’ve always admired them. "



I still have mine, but seldom it gets used anymore. It was a workhorse for us on many trips. You can still find then on eBay once in a while.
 
gotwins
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05/31/2021 08:59PM  
Savage Voyageur: "
gotwins: "
Savage Voyageur: "Another great option is the Optimus 8R stove. Compact, steel case, brass body stove and tank, self cleaning needle, only one moving part, tank is part of the stove so no hose to fail, blow torch of a flame. "




I’ll be on the lookout for one of these classics. I’ve always admired them. "




I still have mine, but seldom it gets used anymore. It was a workhorse for us on many trips. You can still find then on eBay once in a while. "


I have a friend in Denmark who has one, maybe 2. We once pulled it out on a visit I made just to make soup on it!
 
06/01/2021 08:24AM  
 
06/01/2021 08:26AM  
 
Windchaser
member (6)member
  
07/27/2021 10:58AM  
My wife and I like the Voyageurs Camp Stove.
 
07/27/2021 02:11PM  
I think if I were recommending to most people what stove to buy if they could only have one I would probably recommend the MSR Windpro 2. Easy to use, stable, easy to maintain, nice large burner, reasonable light and safe, works well in cold and warm weather. Only drawback is the reliance on fuel canisters and lack of field maintainability.

However if I could only have one stove I would probably take an XGK EX. Similar to a dragonfly (same burner), but beefier and easier to maintain and it has a generator tube so it works much better in truly cold weather. Only drawback is the lack of a secondary adjustment valve (which is also what makes it easier to maintain/more durable). This means it's much more difficult to simmer with it (but it can be done!). It's a stove with a learning curve and it's a bit heavy, but I don't think there's a more bombproof or coldproof stove out there.

It's probably worth mentioning that while I don't have one, I have considered a whisperlite universal as well simply because it can run the only type of fuel the XGK can't (canister), but what I've heard is that the stoves that will run both liquid fuel and canisters tend to suffer some performance loss because of compromises to make that happen. That and I already have the windpro, an old whisperlite, the XGK, and others so there's definitely some redundancy there already. :)
 
07/27/2021 05:07PM  
keth0601, The Universal takes care of the AF ratio by using 2 different jets. An excellent performer either way!

butthead
 
07/27/2021 05:44PM  
butthead: "keth0601, The Universal takes care of the AF ratio by using 2 different jets. An excellent performer either way!


butthead
"


I was under the impression that the design of the burner head itself may/may not lend itself well to running both fuels, but maybe that's more of a design consideration with the turbulent burners that are dependent on fuel flow rate and flow through the burner itself to control the fuel/air mix like on the svea/optimus/xgk style stoves. No idea how that impacts a whisperlite burner (which I believe is a laminar-flow burner?).
 
07/27/2021 06:28PM  
I have owned muti fuel Primus Brunton and MSR single burners, with waffle plate heads from MSR, roarer cup burners Brunton, ported head like Windpro and Simmerlight. MSR and Primus use different jets, the Brunton Vapor AF used variable air intakes. I have cobbled some strange combos like XKG with canister, and own Rapidfire/Whiperlites canaister/liquid gas using waffle plates and WindPro/Simmelights with ported heads. All seem to work fine with the jetting/porting they are designed with. Odd thing is stoves for canister gas have too large a jet size for liquid fuels and burn very rich. Liquid fuel stoves can convert to canister fuel more readily but the jet size limits the BTU output.
Anyway the fuel no matter the type (liquid gas, kerosene, alcohol, butane/propane) is fully a vapor by the time it hits the burner head.

The Brunton Vapor AF was a very interesting and versatile stove, roarer cup style burner with a needle valve in the burner base. Adjustable as a Dragonfly on liquid fuel (and as loud) yet needed no parts to convert to canister fuel. Sold it to a board member when I decided to concentrate on MSR stoves.

butthead
 
mgraber
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07/27/2021 06:30PM  
MSR Windpro 2. My favorite out of several I own. I prefer canisters as there is no maintenance and no leaky fuel bottles. This stove is light (6.6 oz) , simmers great, reasonably quiet, comes with a wind screen, and best of all MSR's amazing customer service. My wife cross threaded a fuel canister on a 4-5 year old stove, ruining the threads. MSR insisted on replacing the part for free, and did so within 48hrs. The lifetime warranty is great.
 
07/28/2021 06:11PM  
Although I've owned Svea, MSR, Coleman, etc, through the years, I now own only one stove--it's an Optimus Vega remote canister stove with great simmer, the ability to run the canister normally or inverted, etc. It fits easily in my compact cook set. And it's QUIET! Fired it up this afternoon in preparation for our Quetico trip--nice blue flame evenly formed around the burner. And it's QUIET!

TZ
 
07/29/2021 08:51AM  
Can't let this thread slide bye without another Optimus stove being mentioned. I love the Nova stove, have used it many years, and scout troop used it as well. As long as they understood the directions, it was bombproof. Of course, user error can cause some "interesting" start ups, lol. Simple to maintain, few parts that really wear out, great simmer, etc. Never used as a multifuel stove, but has that capability.
 
Garny
member (14)member
  
07/31/2021 01:17PM  
Another Dragonfly enthusiast used with a dragon tamer.
I use canister stoves for heating water, coffee, etc. But I love the ability to simmer, fry and even bake with no worries of burning the food on the Dragonfly.

It sounds like the Nova is a good alternative if it ever gives out.
 
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