I'll have to take some tonight. Is there anything specifically that you would like to see or have me focus on? I plan to upload pictures of: -old fuel line that was on the unit (I hope I still have a chunk) -replacement file line -instructions that show it is an original replacement part
I am in the process of attempting to contact the original owner to see if any modifications were made. However, my gut feeling is that this was from an estate sale so don't hold your breath.
The smoking gun? This is the only other example I could find. It is from an auction on eBay that ended in October. You can search item number 131619167766.
Just to summarize my position...If I picked up a used car that had a radiator hose problem and I found an OEM hose in the trunk with the automaker's instructions and it looked identical to the radiator hose on the car, and there were no signs the hose was previously replaced (i.e. scratch marks on clamps), it is logical to conclude that the broken hose was original. This argument becomes even stronger when other car models are observed in identical condition and with identical parts. The fact that there are only a few models observed in this condition supports that idea that the manufacture made a change shortly after production began and an obvious flaw was corrected in a short period of time.
Hey, Pstm13, Many thanks for your additional information. NOW, we "may" be getting somewhere, as to separating real documentation, from "opinion"! Also, I agree with Ken, that our discussion does not need snarky comments, as with your last one above. We are all seeking FACTS and TRUTH, and our discussion is a part of doing just that. But, "opinions" can never be used as fact, and one real problem in our internet world of today, is that, far too many times, "opinions" are taken as gospel and factual, when in truth they have NO supporting evidence. My oldest Firefly stove came with it's original box, the same MSR blue bag as did yours, it's original pump, and also an MSR Maintenance Kit #22134, still factory sealed. Note the bag, and the fuel line on this older version of the Firefly. Also, note the fabric-covered fuel line on the stove. Here's the info sheet from the maintenance kit. Note the various parts contained therein. And, on the reverse side, note the drawings of the fuel line, which show the crosshatching of a fabric cover on it. Note also the comment labeling it "the jacketed hose assembly". This, amongst many other bits of information, is what has long convinced me that the FF never had a plain rubber hose. I've also never found notice of the recall for this stove, due to a rubber fuel line. Still seeking that info, and the hunt goes on. To that end, I've sent an email, trying to contact the original designer of the MSR Firefly, Bill Sumner, who is a very well-respected mountain climber, with massive successful climbs to his credit. IF I can discuss this topic with Bill, then we can learn the absolute truth, as he, being the original designer, would KNOW, and thereby help separate fact from fiction. Now, having said all that, I find your new evidence intriguing, and would LOVE to see a proper photo of the entire contents list in the Maintenance Kit you have shown us. Can you take and post that information, please? I'd love to see both sides of the sheet, if possible, so I can compare it to mine. One way, or another, it seems we are making some good headway in learning long forgotten information about this wonderful stove!! That is fantastic, and I will cheer such news with open arms, once provenance is established!! If my efforts to contact Bill Sumner, via his old friend and climbing partner, Jim Whittaker, I will post that information here, and in the Stove Reference Gallery, too. We march on, together, all of us, seeking the truth, and that, my friend, is what makes CCS, and our membership, so very special!!! Talk soon, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
They are clearly different repair kits. I will post a copy when I get home from work. f you look at MSR and there history the FireFly is rarely mentioned if at all. It is a great stove that just needed attention to one area (in my opinion) and was later removed from the public eye. I see this as very interesting and enjoy a good natured debate. I hope to keep it that way.
Hi, Pstm13, Excellent. I look forward to seeing your maintenance sheet, in full, both sides. Thanks for sharing it. As an aside, none of the folks currently employed at MSR, know much about the historical info on the older stoves. And, sadly, those in charge of MSR, sometime after Larry Penberthy sold the company, destroyed most of the documentation that would give us tons of good information, believing it to be worthless!!!! Sad, in the extreme, IMHO. All that brings us to CCS, and our continuing quest for factual information to post here. We are now having a good natured debate, and we are on the same path. So, not to worry. Unfortunately, we've had folks post incorrect info on MSR stoves, and others, in our Reference Gallery, that turned out to be incorrect. And, so, factual documentation is always needed to support information shared here, and opinion should never be considered factual. You are now offering information from MSR to support your opinion, and that, my friend, is what we are all seeking, together! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Repair kit #22134 from 1983. Note illustration depicting original MSR "plastic" tube and instructions.
Yippee!!! Now, THAT is the proof I've been waiting for!! Well done, and thanks for sharing it here!! I would love to see if MSR actually offered more maintenance kits for the FF than what you and I have. I'll have to check my stash of such things, and see if there are different numbers on the kits. You asked when I bought my own oldest stove, but I bought it from the original owner, and not new. On a work trip, a few years back, I also found another FF stove, in that same blue bag, and with the same pump, at a backpacking surplus store, quite used but in good condition. I've since passed that one on to a friend in need, and no longer have it. Wish I'd taken some photos of it, before passing it on, but so far, I can't find a single one. Thanks for sharing your new information, and I hope you will post that in the Reference Gallery. Now, I'm on the hunt for that same version of FF!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
