What stove

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rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
I dearly love my 123R, it's one of my favourite stoves but I'm a realist. It's heavy, cumbersome and wind sensitive compared to a true roarer.

Depends upon your demands, put a 123 with a 1 litre heat efficient pot and foil windshild and it will perform as well as the vast majority of stoves.

Whats your definition of a 'true roarer burner'? 1400BTU's on a 123 and ETA type pot or a Nova with any old pot and about 3000 BTU's? Both have their place but don't rule out the 123, long term the 123 and ETA pot will still be performing when many other setups have packed up or melted.
 

widu13

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 9, 2008
2,334
19
Ubique Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt
Nova is a roarer to me. My Hiker+ is too heavy to carry anywhere but brilliant, the 123R performs well but there is better out there. Why give advice to someone looking to set up that a 123R with the finned pots is a good set up? It improves the 123R no end, but why not just get a better set up to start with? My Chinese clone now gets more outings than the 123R, but it does still get used.
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
Nova is a roarer to me. My Hiker+ is too heavy to carry anywhere but brilliant, the 123R performs well but there is better out there. Why give advice to someone looking to set up that a 123R with the finned pots is a good set up? It improves the 123R no end, but why not just get a better set up to start with? My Chinese clone now gets more outings than the 123R, but it does still get used.

Padawan , the 123 will last longer :)
 

PDA1

Settler
Feb 3, 2011
646
5
Framingham, MA USA
I have to admit that if I ere doing much deep winter camping, involving much snow melting, then I would probably find the 123 somewhat overpowered, and one of the MSR remotes or equivalents would become more attractive. I have a colleague who has done winter high altitude expeditions and swears by the MSR XGK as the ultimate stove. Can't disagree as I have never done that type of climbing, so for me, and the type of hiking/camping I do, which is mainly solo, the 123 would be the best all-rounder.,
 
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sapper1

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 3, 2008
2,572
1
swansea
I like the primus range of stoves and am leaning towards the omnifuel,I had a look at the omnifuel yesterday in brecon the only thing that concerns me is the fuel valve on the stove,It doesn't fold out of the way(rik) the tube is still sticking out after the handle for the valve is folded.Other than that it seems to be favourite .I'd love to have the omnilite ti but is the lighter weight,smaller size and and extra £30 worth it?

I'm not looking for the older types that don't use gas as well as liquid fuel,MSR have just released a whisperlite that does this ,so the choice seems to be between 2-3 manufacturers.
 
Jan 15, 2012
467
0
essex
omnifuel-ti-inhand.jpg
when you fold it up the feet, legs go on the sides of the tube, so protect the tube if thats what your worried about. plus you get a metal pump not plastic what other makes use.
 

sapper1

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 3, 2008
2,572
1
swansea
omnifuel-ti-inhand.jpg
when you fold it up the feet, legs go on the sides of the tube, so protect the tube if thats what your worried about. plus you get a metal pump not plastic what other makes use.

Thanks Phil,what I was concerned about was the tube sticking out and damaging something else in my pack.
It's amazing how hard it is to find a picture of some stoves in the folded position.
 

Teepee

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 15, 2010
4,115
5
Northamptonshire
I'm getting on really well with my Omnifuel. It sits in my trangia at the moment, stripped down and has some serious poke.

I've put 4l of unleaded through it so far and all it needs is the jet poking with the provided wire on the tool. The petrol was free from an old stash of lawnmower petrol, Its already started paying itself back. Fuel has never been as cheap :)

It can struggle to simmer with this dirty fuel if the jet isn't poked every time though.

I paid £75 for mine off the bay with 3 spare bottles and spares kit.
 
Jan 15, 2012
467
0
essex
Thanks Phil,what I was concerned about was the tube sticking out and damaging something else in my pack.
It's amazing how hard it is to find a picture of some stoves in the folded position.

no problem, as you can see it folds up nice. my one came with a thick bag with 2 pockets, small one i got the parts what came with it. the instructions fit in the bigger one if you want to take them, the stove goes in the main one. i put my one in a mess tin and stick it in one of the side pouches on my rucksack, fuel in the other pouch so if any leaks happen it stays outside my rucksack. heat reflecter and wind screen and bottle came with it to. about £120
 

bilmo-p5

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 5, 2010
8,168
9
west yorkshire
Teepee said:
I've put 4l of unleaded through it so far and all it needs is the jet poking with the provided wire on the tool. The petrol was free from an old stash of lawnmower petrol, Its already started paying itself back. Fuel has never been as cheap

Repeated pricking can enlarge the jet orifice to the point where your stove burns badly and, ultimately, you need to replace the jet.
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,980
14
In the woods if possible.
I'm getting on really well with my Omnifuel. It sits in my trangia at the moment, stripped down and has some serious poke.

I've put 4l of unleaded through it so far and all it needs is the jet poking with the provided wire on the tool. ...

Doesn't the Omnifuel have a built-in jet cleaner then? Some have 'shaker' cleaners, the one on my Nova is magnetic and there's a little magnet on the supplied tool to activate it.

It can struggle to simmer with this dirty fuel if the jet isn't poked every time though.

As has been said using the cleaning wire can wear the jet but if you're careful it shouldn't cause serious wear for at least a few years, and a jet isn't expensive compared with what you'll save on a few gallons of Coleman Fuel.

Fairly early on I learned that it's important to put these stoves out the correct way. Don't turn the flame down until it goes out, because at the end it will burn with a very small yellow flame. A yellow flame makes soot and soot clogs the jet. It's best to blow it out while it's still burning a blue flame -- you can turn it down to make it easy to blow out, but not so low as to get a yellow flame. Turn off the fuel tap immediately after blowing out the flame, obviously. :)

[Edit to add] Another point is that when I turn off the Nova I prefer to use the flip-over-bottle method where possible. When the stove cools after turning it off using the tap, the tap can get very tight indeed, to the point where I'm a bit worried about breaking the hinge on the tap lever when I turn it back on. If I turn it off using the tap, while it is cooling I turn it on and off again a couple of times. That stops the tap getting so very tight when it's cold.

I paid £75 for mine off the bay with 3 spare bottles and spares kit.

That was a bargain, good job you saw it first!
 
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Jan 15, 2012
467
0
essex
fip the bottle over to clear the fuel line, dont switch it off or blow it out. no fuel in the fuel line when you unscrew it too. £75 was a good price, before i got my one they were going for just under £100 on ebay, i was not going to pay that much for second had one, not 20 pounds less than new.
 

sapper1

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 3, 2008
2,572
1
swansea
Have you seen the price of them?
Is the Ti version any better other than lighter and just a little smaller?
 

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