Here's the Primus Himalaya MultiFuel. It's different from the VariFuel since it can take butane canisters and different from the OmniFuel since there is no flame control near the stove. Still a neat stove and its ability to use multiple fuels is pretty cool. In the following photos, I tested the stove with butane and kerosene to see what the differences were. I found some big differences between the two fuels. Butane, although easy to work with, was quite weak compared to kerosene. The heating differences were quite astonishing. With butane, it took 10:25 to heat a liter of water. I thought that maybe the altitude was affecting the stove. I was quite wrong when I changed fuels to kerosene. I was able to perform the same boil test in 3:50 seconds - a huge difference in power. Total time with priming was about an extra minute and a half, so a total of about 5 minutes. As for noise, it ranks right up there with the DragonFly and similar stoves. It may even be louder. I won't know for sure until I take this on a hike and get out in the open. I was performing the test within a concrete laden area which reflected the sound very well. When I first received the stove, it had the white gas jet installed, so I tested the stove then but didn't do any timing. I remember how fast it was able to boil and was about the same as kerosene. One thing I found was the control of the flame was a little tricky since there is about 12 inches of hose to control fuel flow through. Throttling the stove was a bit delayed but controllable. I also tested flipping the bottle over to shut the stove off. That worked quite well and I was able to burn off the fuel in the hose and depressurize the fuel bottle - a really nice feature that ought to be in every stove. It made it quite easy to remove the pump and not have fuel spraying out as I did so. I am quite impressed with the metal pump. It exhibits literally no flimsiness at all, like the plastic MSR pumps. I don't feel like I'm going to break something as I pump it, even though I'm still careful as I pressurize the bottle, which is, of course, not a primus bottle, but an MSR bottle. It didn't seem to make a difference, even though instructions or people say to use the bottles of the manufacturer of the stove. This is a very high quality pump indeed. The stove came with what looks like a maintenance kit, with parts and tools. The tool is not what would come in a regular stove package. The multi-tool is definitely something that was added to the stove kit after purchase, and works really well. The kit doesn't have the original tool but I'll try to get by with the multi version. Primus Himalaya MultiFuel. Well used but taken care of by previous owner. The entire kit, which includes stove, pump, box, instructions, maintenance parts, and tool. Maintenance kit with pump oil, retainer, O-ring, leather pump cup, two white gas jets, washer, pump end, priming material, flame spreader/plate, and another washer. Another shot of the stove and surrounding items. The high-quality pump. Stove attached to a butane canister. Lit the stove and had it going in 21 seconds flat. Nice blue butane flame. There's a little propane in the mix too. Here's the flame underneath the kettle. The camera lit up the burner bell but it was still quite orange while heating the water. Kettle shot. Steel kettle with porcelain surface. Now we are on to the kerosene. Here's just after priming. Pretty ferocious. That would scare just about any bear away. After settling down, the stove produces very adequate heat using kerosene and also a brilliant blue flame. Underneath the kettle, the flames spread a bit and engulf the whole kettle. At full power, the flames are so ferocious they hit the bottom and start coming up the sides of the kettle. The entire setup. You can barely see a lick of blue flame coming out from underneath the kettle. The sound is quite deafening, so I can't hear my wife screaming my name while I'm out playing with this wonder. After the 3:50 time on the boil test, I let the stove run for quite some time to see what it would do and also to see if it would sustain the pressure. I let it run for about 30 minutes total but about 8 minutes into it, a bunch of shooters started coming out of the flames. Must have loosened something up under all that heat. Heat and quench by maximum output? Only, there was no quench. It stopped shooting the shooters after about 5 minutes and really got going. This was a really fun stove to play with. I guess the latest version is the OmniFuel, which has the micro flame control near the stove. This stove works quite well and would be excellent for trips where the fuel type is unknown. If you want really good fire/heat, this stove can deliver it. Later, sam
Nice report. That is a huge, and surprising, difference between gas and kero. Did you get a separate jet for butane/propane or does the white gas jet served double duty? As many here know, in the newer versions of this same stove the pump does have more plastic. However, most critical parts are still metal and it seems very solid and trust-worthy. I would add that the use of canister gas does allow really fine control of the flame so, depending on how much heat you will need and the type of cooking you will be doing, it may have its place. Indeed, I can imagine trips where packing this stove with both a gas canister and a bottle of liquid fuel would be useful. Use the gas for cooking and the liquid fuel for boiling/sterilizing water.
Interesting review and a nice little stove, you did well to get so many spares with it, mine didnt even come with a storage bag when it was new. I think there was an earlier type of pump, with a round knurled top and a traditional NRV at the bottom of the pump tube, even less plastic except for the pump knob. I couldnt believe your boil time for gas so I dug mine out, I boiled a litre in a possibly more efficient kettle using a bigger gas bottle and I still only managed 7 mins 40 sec, so you are near enough, Id forgotten how loud it is, couldnt hear my kettle whistling over the racket! Enough noise to drive a stovie to alcohol.
One thing regarding LPG burning. With a stove like that you should turn the canister upside down and feed the stove liquid LPG thus avoiding "destillation" of the gasses. That way your gas canister will ignite and work every time in cold temps. Just a heads up
Of course I love my old brass stoves. But I also love my new omnifuel and always carry it with me to pair it with one of the brassies. However, I really envy that all-metal pump. The new so-called "ergo-pump" contais some plastic parts, wich are good-quality plastic... but still plastic. The all-aluminum pump is not brass... but it's all metal, no plastics. If I get the chance to get such stove, I'd buy it just to have the all-metal pump in my new omnifuel. Rafael
I have 2 of these one each assigned to my car trunk(boot) emergency gear as well as my fiancee's. Of all the compact campstoves i own... this one is the champ when it comes to high output blue flame output on kerosene. My copy glows orange... not cherry red... ORANGE. It beats the nova with kero by burning it more efficiently. it beats the omnifuel for sheer power at the top end. (based on my observations with my copies of each) Alas i have the newer style pump which i don't like as much as the one you got. (yours is more fireproof) I have a zen attitude towards simmering with this stove... i just don't expect it to. We're both happier. Let it ROAR!!!
Hi Sam, Great stove and tutorial on this model. I agree with you and 111T, they are massive powerhouses. I was lucky to have scored a few like yours with the metal pumps. I have robbed one of the fuel lines and pump for my Kap Artic, but will eventually get it back to the himalaya sometime. Its kind of sad that they cheapened the pump and discontinued the all metal one, but I am sure the newer ones are still pretty well made. Thanks again for sharing, Dan
Great stove! Serious BTUs there! Is Optimus the only name brand stove with an all metal pump now? I got a Primus Gravity MF last year, and wouldn't trust it to hold up. The fuel connection at the pump is ALL plastic except for the retainer clip. I think the old metal pumps will become a hot ticket on geebay in the near future. Hold em if ya got em. Mike
I blundered the above posting. According to the big gray instruction booklet, it says to use jet nipple marked 35 for canister gas (.i.e., LPG, Butane, Butane/Propane mix). The same is true for petrol gas or liquid gas. The 35 means 0.35 mm. The manual says it is capable of using unleaded gas but cautions it use. But, "If you have the choice between leaded and unleaded petrol, always use unleaded." I'll go with Kerosene. For jet nipple marked 28 (.28mm) use Kerosene/Paraffin or Jet Fuel. The manual says that Diesel and Alcohol are not suitable for use with this stove. I failed the gas canister boil test and didn't change the jet nipple to the .35mm jet. I used the .28mm jet to test gas canister boil. That's why it took so long. I changed the jet to .35mm and did the test again. This time it took 6:10 to boil a litre in the same kettle as before. There's still a large difference in time when using Kerosene versus gas canister. Another interesting tidbit: a table in the back of the booklet says: Fuel Energy (kcal/kg) Primus liquid fuel 11900 Propane gas 12000 Butane gas 11800 Petrol 10200 Kerosene 10100 Diesel 9800 Coal (approx.) 8400 Methylated spirits 6300 Dry wood 4000 Here's an interesting set of bullet points in the booklet. It's titled Safe fuel, but maybe that's a typo and meant to say Save fuel: Safe fuel Always put a lid on the pot. Cook on a wind protected spot. Use a heat reflector and an external windshield - especially if it is windy! Fold the windshield smaller if you use a smaller pot. Use pots that conduct heat well (aluminum or aluminum steel). Don't turn the flame higher than necessary. If you are using liquid fuel, priming will consume some of it (depending on your skill, fuel and the ambient temperatur). You might save more fuel by letting the stove burn on a low flame, before you brew your tea after the meal. A black or sooty pot absorbs more heat than a polished one. I thought it was interesting. On the same page there's picture of the stove wrapped in the windshield and reflector with this caption: If you use the heat reflector you will need about 17% less fuel. With an external windshield this value will increase.[/i] sam
I would still rather have the Primus, especially now that there are production quality problems with the Novas. Well, ok, maybe an older Nova... sam
Have you found that currently available jets fit this stove? I only have a jet marked 35. I also don't have any tools or a service kit. Ken
They are available but are hard to find for this stove but can be found. If you look for the Primus service kit using the Model number of the stove a few vendors have them for sale for a little less than Primus has them. Here's Primus' product page for the service kit for the Mulit-Fuel: http://www.primuscamping.com/product.php?id=100 $36 USD. sam
Customer service above and beyond. I emailed Primus (Brunton) inquiring about getting kerosene jets and a tool, and they sent me a pkg of (5) .28mm jets and a multi-tool. Ken
