Coleman 5438 Propane single burner made 4/95 has similar grill/windscreen design as the 550b did. Nice non slip grill on stove that simmers and has good high heat. This one is in good condition for a design that was not known for being very sturdy to save weight. Daryl sunny SoCal
@Daryl Locally acquired, I was attracted to cheap unused Coleman propane cylinders to power my blowtorch. The seller included a stove such as you featured, of 03 93 manufacturing date. What caught my eye was that the stove is fitted with a regulator and not merely a needle valve control. It has the regulator valve characteristic of a left-hand thread on the control spindle, so that fully clockwise (off) has the control knob projecting to its greatest extent. Fully opening thr valve anti-clockwise screws the control knob inwards. Action summarised in this diagram packed with a Soto Windmaster, also equipped with a regulator. Like the Soto, the regulator confers excellent controllability and no fluctuation in output, whatever the ambient temperature or altitude may be. Regardless of the stove’s qualities, I’m unlikely to be using it, given the purpose of my purchase was the fuel for my blowtorch. The propane bottles are old stock, judging by the price labels on them, well under half the cheapest price they sell for currently. I paid considerably less than even the ‘old’ marked price I’m glad to say. John
I will confess I am unmoved by that Coleman propane 1-burner stove; we see a lot of them here over the years. High center of gravity, for starters. But we use the lantern of the same ilk regularly during the Winter big tent campouts, not wanting liquid fuel inside the tent. Of course, those Coleman 'one-pounder' propane canisters are ubiquitous in the States.
Of course, they are. Here in the UK they’re expensive. My usual propane fuel is about half the price of the Coleman product in cylinders such as this. The Coleman cylinders are better for being short and of larger diameter, enhanced by the clip-on plastic base. Setting the blowtorch down without a tendency for it to topple will be a real boon for the next few months.
