There have been recent posts on the Nova recall and Mike mentioned that he had 00's of £££'s tied up in Nova's that he can no longer sell. He is not alone: This morning I was in Aviemore getting some kit - and there are 7, soon to be 8 outdoor shops in Aviemore, not surprisingly with access to mountains and rivers. Anyway in one of the shops that I use which sells high end products such as Klätermusen and Haglöf kit also stocks multifuels stoves from Optimus and Primus (long ago they ceased to stock MSR stoves due to the problem pumps and have never re-stocked.) The last time I was there was August and there were a lot of Nova’s on the shelf today I noted only two. Why were there any I asked…as there is a recall…this was the answer “unfortunately all of ours were not within the recall set …..unfortunately because no one now wants a Nova! People will only buy Primus so we now have stoves that we can’t sell and probably never will be able to sell.” This is the time of the year when up here the outdoor shops are displaying their winter kit: snow shovels, crampons, ice axe’s etc etc…..and of course liquid fuel stoves for melting snow…. Bad news always travelled faster than good news – now in the time of the internet bad news travels the world in an instant. A product that gets a bad name such as the Nova might not recover especially if what I saw and heard today is repeated throughout the U.K. and other countries. Rob
Hey, Snowgoose, Rob, you bring up a very good point, and I can easily see how that can happen to a dealer "stuck" with Nova stoves that won't sell. However, the silver lining "might" be, that some savvy folks just may get a great deal on a Nova which was "Made in Sweden", but which suffers from being painted with the same broad brush as the later models. It's how I got my first Trangia 25 red kit, my second Optimus 111T, my Optimus #11 Explorer, and several other stoves that got a bad rap on the press, but which were, and still are, outstanding stoves!! If I were in the market for a GOOD Nova, I'd be checking dealer stocks every time I hit outdoors stores, for the Swedish-made Novas, which were not a problem. Word to the wise, maybe.... Take care and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Rob It's sad to watch the whole Nova episode unfold as it has. Seems that Nova may be turning out to be a rather prophetic name. From Merriams: Nova - a star that suddenly increases its light output tremendously and then fades away to its former obscurity in a few months or years By the way, if there are any owners of "bad" Novas out there who would be interested in disposing of their units for reasonable coin (I'm more interested in the Nova versus Nova+, though either could work), please let me know. I have an interest in trying to work out a fix/upgrade. Possibly in a substantially different direction than retrofitting to the CEJN couplings that ArcticFlame has already proposed. I'd insist on paying for it. Thanks. Best, Gary
the good Nova's might be old and made in Sweden , but where are any service kits or spares going to come from? even they have been recalled, i know basecamp has some older spares but when they dry up? btw the only trouble i have had with my nova's is the mouse tampons and others have had problems with them. where did i get my spare tampons..... yup the new service kit's No8511 that's been recalled, other people say they have never had the same trouble, i bet they have older ones fitted
It would be a shame to see such a good stove bite the dust after giving such wonderful service. Even if sorted I doubt Optimus have the cash to re-advertise and put peoples mind at rest. I never liked the Nova + or the Hiker + or even the Nomad (which before having I thought would be great) but that was just personal taste, I tried them and sold them on. I'd hate to see Optimus go under. My original Nova is still going strong, never had to replace a thing.
Hi, Richard, Well said, Mate, and spot on! Like you, my original Nova stoves (2) work like champs, and have never given even a hint of trouble. I wish that Optimus could climb out of this hole, and will hope that they do. Again, well stated, my Friend. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Katadyn tried to do me a favor by getting my stove turned around before a Scout outing. When I got it back I commented that I thought that the o-ring on the fuel tube looked over sized for the groove it sat in. Days later I tried to insert it into the pump and it sheared itself in half. I compared the fragments to a blue OEM ring and it was nearly twice the correct size. Part of the recall was to correct defective o-rings that guess what in contact w/ fuel. The return email said that The hell of this mess it that I think my blue o-ring are OK. Haven't detected any fuel related problems. I have been concerned w/ the rough machining indicated in the recall as well as the pump quick connector style. AR
Perhaps a future avenue for stovies will be picking up Nova burners and pumps on the cheap and using them for conversion projects. I will probably go down the CEJN 141 route because the pump pumps and the burner burns, its just the connection (and the stupid filters) that kills it. I can well forsee Optimus as a brand being allowed to quietly wither away. It doesnt offer anything special to a modern consumer. Katadyn is in a real bind here and cutting their losses is going to look very attractive. The real Optimus vanished many years ago, of course.
I have noticed the same thing happening at stores. Dealers just can't afford to put something on the shelve that doesn't sell. I wouldn't count Optimus out yet. They could just start making parts for old stoves and make some good coin if they had to. I don't see the nova name not coming back. We should start thinking up new names for them besides the + they seem to like some much. Cheers, Jeff
Well, Chevrolet finally found the reason for their Nova's(a passenger car) incredibly poor sales figures in the Hispanic community... The meaning of No va in Spanish is, "will not" (as in: will not run).
Sounds to me that if we wait a few months then buy up the dodgy Novas cheap. Give the rough bits a little polish and put proper o-rings in we get a stove almost as good as it ever was
Hi all. Don't worry too much. There are spare parts (CEJN couplings+hoses) still available in Germany. I just received some and 2 sets will go to Gary. The new Nova has 2 weak points: The O-rings and sometimes a leak at the connection between intake fuel hose and pump housing. If rebuild to the CEJN version you just have to check if the stove stops burning when the fuel bottle is turned upside-down. If not, a drop of epoxy at the intake fuel hose/pump housing will seal the leak. Quick test for fuel resistance, after 1 hour in Coleman fuel: The defct one has swollen to twice the original size. After drying the size returns, but it's weak now like a piece of marshmellows. Unusable. But the main reason why I would step back to CEJN is a different one, besides ease of operation. Have a look at the cross section of the new coupling: Just for reference the inners of a CEJN: By far more sophisticated. O-rings are never in contact with sharp parts. There are always brass washers in between. Inserting the nipple is guided by a tight tolerance brass insert. All moving parts have smooth surfaces. The new coupling has a quite primitive inner seal: A small cylindrical piece of rubber inside a brass holder. It is hard pressed against the lower (sharp) end you can see in the cross section pics. Even new the rubber surface already shows distinctive deep marks.... Sorry, I can only attach 5 pics. If of interest I can provide additional pics to show the seal. The Nova burner itself is still as good as it has been all the years before. You just have to get it back to the CEJN version :smile: Anyone in need of spare parts to do that, just PT. Cheers juergen
Hey Juergen, thanks for the insight and pictures on both types of connectors. As you mentioned there are parts available at your end. The last picture shown would eventually be attached to the hose. Does it have the female CEJN with the correct thread to screw into the pump housing? Ron
Hi Ron. Yes exactly. Shipping to the US is pricey. I will ship to Gary tomorrow anyhow. If you are interested I can put in another set. Gary could then send it to you. Discuss pricing with him, it's a special offer :smile: I would suggest a complete hose to avoid crimping, plus female CEJN coupling for the pump. Have a look at the end of this thread to see how well it fits to the pump. https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/16355 I can provide a detailed description on how to disassemble/reassemble the coupling as shown in the pic, just in case maintenance would be required at some time. Mine (3 in total permanently being used) work without for 7 years now, except some silicone greasing once a year. It's not difficult (tools not really required) but more a matter of knowhow. Cheers juergen
Hi All. In addition to the CEJN coupling here is the new bayonet inner sealing in detail. Well.... It's not exactly what I would call a solid engineering solution. :smile: As for CEJN, there are other makes of self-sealing/self locking 2-stage couplings. Here is another one. On top the chrome version assembled, below a brass version disassembled. That's why I tend to prefer CEJN Cheers juergen
Wow. Thanks Juergen for the in-depth report! I'm not impressed with how Katadyn is running the brand. It takes a special sort of skill to take such a well designed product and run it straight into the ground. If they mess with the 123r... i may have to post some nasty comments to them.
I too am really wondering what reasons eventually brought us this new design. Reminds me of Donald Duck. I'm sure Gyro Gearloose would have done better, not to mention grandpa Ratchet Gearloose. :smile: juergen
Thanks for the great pictures Juergen! I have been wondering myself too. I am sure cost was the biggest factor. I have been playing with my two Nova's The recalled one and the Brunton (second nova I think) The money they saved on going cheap is all gone I am sure now. Jeff
