Hello everyone... I'm new here and glad I've come across this site. I'm very interested in this whole taming of the roarers with the quiet cap... contemplating methods I could try and implement something of my own. Anyhow first things first... I need a stove. My goal is to find a liquid fuel stove that has simmer control and is light (for backpacking). As much as I love my double burner classic coleman stove it just doesn't "fit" into the backpacking world. So after researching around... looking at MSR, Optimus, and Primus models which are all locally available at a fair price, I happened to find this brand Fire-Maple. To the best of my knowledge I see its a chinese brand. So what I'm seeking is what your opinions would be of the brand and the stove in question (FMS-F3). Since most everything is made in China anyway how bad can it be? It certainly comes in at a cheaper price.
Never heard of it. The seller's site does not specify which fuel(s) it uses. Does not seem to be capable of burning propane / butane. Yonadav
How bad can it be? As bad as it can be . the problem with Chinese made stuff is that it is NOT all bad. It is that we don't know the good from the bad until we use it. I don't know about Fire Maple but if I am in the middle of BFE with only one stove, I would like it to be known for reliability. Most of the Optimus, Primus and MSR stoves are well made and very reliable. The guys with anecdotal evidence to the contrary may now chime it.
https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/16515 There is some interesting background information in this thread. Regards, Kerophile.
For my tuppence worth, the old Coleman 530 is a tough act to beat. Easy to light, holds enough fuel to be truly useful, almost maintainance free, the carrying case doubles as cooking pots, and can be packed up quickly, even while hot. For simmering, the simmer plate does wonders, and the cleaning needle doubles as a flame control better than one might think. The Optimus 8R, 99 and SVEA 123R are great stoves, but in arctic conditions, it's nice not to bleep around with preheat cups and carrying a minipump for when it gets witch's tit COLD, let alone carrying meths and white gas. You might think it's a spot heavy, but it balances out the need to assemble a stove from packed bits, and plastic pumps with their problems, or need for special fuel bottles to fit, like some of the lightweight wonder stoves. When it's all said and done, it's your call. Me? I'll bet my backside on tried and true, and be right wary of the Chinese made equipment. Murph
Another fine option would be the brown no letter coleman 400. They're very, very hot, simmer better than my kitchen stove, lighter than the 530 and just as easy (though less entertaining) to light and come equipped with a silent burner out the chute. Worth looking in to I think. I backpack with a Svea 123, there's nothing I trust more and they're very light. The no letter variant also simmers well.
Agreed, Optimus 8R and Svea 123R are great stoves. Also like to add Optimus 199 to the list - I'm still trying to get one myself.
That Svea looks pretty cool... as do the others. However I'm after something smaller and lighter such as the Optimus Nova+ or the Primus OmniLite Ti, but due to their higher cost was considering the Fire-Maple version.
A svea 123R with cup, handle and key weighs 18 ounces, which is actually quite trim. I'm not sold on the quick connector used on the Nova, apart from that both are wonderful stoves...of equivalent weight to the 123. Remember they don't weigh the bottle or rebuild kit when they give specs for the new stoves. If you're looking for a light, well built, inexpensive liquid fuel stove you might investigate the Primus express lander. I don't have one, I can't vouch for their quality, but in my experience Primus makes very high quality stoves, I love my Hymalaya. It's an old one and it weighs more than the 123 does. I use the 123 because they're so simple. No pump, no check valve, no hose, no BS just a valve and a fill cap. They are the most reliable stove I can think of, and I like that and will pack the little extra weight for it.
This Svea 123 is growing on me... I assume that any new purchase of this stove would be the "R" version? This whole weight thing is so misleading it seems. I'm beginning to think the Svea is lighter than other liquid fuel stoves even with the addition of an additional fuel "transportation/storage device/container". My initial hesitance with the Svea is the lack of pump... just so used to pumping. The cup it comes with may not get much use but I guess its a bonus. How rugged in the Svea? If I have it packed down in my pack is there worry that it may get crushed? Or is it solid enough to hold its own? (within reason of course). Ah yes the express lander... I had looked at that one... very nice design and very desirable size. My only concern with it is that it appears to be discontinued. Seems it wasn't available for too long... so I question why it is discontinued.
The Svea is perhaps the most rugged stove ever built. This is of course a slight exaggeration, but they really are sturdy little buggers, top notch quality control and simple design. The "R" model was introduced in about 1969, so yes you'll have to go used to get one of the no letter ones. I understand the new production ones are made in China or something and they're not as well made as the old Swedish ones. The R model is lovely in it's own right but doesn't simmer as well. As far as weight goes, it's actually kind of a crap shoot and "your millage may vary" The svea has too small a fuel tank to cover more than an overnighter. You can't run these things dry, they use a wick instead of a pickup tube and if you run it out of fuel it'll char the wick and cause it to not run well. So you have to carry a fuel bottle anyways. When it comes to the Multifuels and Novas one could be lighter for one trip and heavier for another depending on how much fuel you need. MSR's are definitely lighter. The Svea uses a bit less fuel than the expedition stoves because it's less powerful, though not unreasonably so. My Himalaya will boil a litre of water in about 4.5 minutes, the svea does it in around 6. The main selling point for me about the Svea is that expedition stoves are awful maintenance intensive. There's a half dozen o-rings and a pump and a hose and all this extra crap that just makes the stove less reliable. If you're engaging in international backcountry travel and the multifuel capability is a must, then you take the tradeoff. If you're doing hardcore mountaineering and melting snow for a crew of 5, they're worth the trouble. But for me, on short weekend backpacking trips in the states what I want is simplicity. The Svea is as simple as a butane stove.
The SVEA is ideal for one person. If you want to cook for a small group, the more powerful stoves have an advantage. Pumps give you an advantage in low temperatures and high elevations. Yonadav
Hello! The stoves sold by Fire-Maple are always worth a try. Especially the ones for canister gas are quite good (is there a canister gas stove at all that is not being produced in China ?). As to the Optimus 123 R ("Svea 123 R") you might be interested in this thread: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/23094 I am not very satisfied with it, especially when I compare its performance with my other stoves (Primus 71, Optimus 00, Optimus 111 T, Sigg Firejet and others). If simmering is very imporant for you then an Optimus 111 T is a great choice. It really simmers like a canister gas stove, down to an almost invisible but still blue flame and no noise at all. Takes paraffin/kerosene as well as Coleman fuel/White gas. However, it is heavy, also due to the steel case. You could leave this case out and store the stove in a plastic box or a self-made cloth bag. You will love it, I promise ! Regards, Philipp
I disagree with some of the claims above. Comparing the performance of a 123R and a 111T is comparing apples and oranges. The 123 is a lightweight (500 gram) backpacking stove while the 111 is a much heavier (1600 gram) high power stove. The quality and popularity of the 123 do not need any proof. Here's a quote from Wikipedia: "The Svea 123, introduced in 1955, is considered to be the first compact backpacking white gas stove and one of the most popular camping stoves ever made, and is still in production. Because of its simple design and reputation for dependable performance, even under extreme conditions, the Svea 123 enjoys a devoted following." The problems alluded to in Philipp's topic are fettling issues, not stove issues. Yonadav
I haven't gone on a backpacking trip in the last 5 years (when I started again after a really long hiatus) without my Svea 123. The big caveat is that it is with the Sigg Tourist set. It is fine for two and indeed three people in that configuration. I really wouldn't know what to do with the thing without the Sigg set; the combination is awesome. As to the "burning dry" business; we've talked about this before. Mine has run out of fuel during operation on at least 3 occasions, probably more (it does have a small capacity, after all) without the least problem. I have my doubts about the "scorched wick" theory, though I'm sure it may have happened to somebody. What has happened in my case is that the stove has gone out; that's all.
About the scorched wick business, I figure it's easy enough to check and fill the tank before firing it every time which minimizes the possibility of problems and under most circumstances eliminates the inconvenience of running out of fuel mid-meal. Seems like a reasonable best practice kind of thing to me, so thats how I operate.
Well you guys certainly aren't making it easy to decide. I'm attracted to the low maintenance and simplistic nature of the Svea 123. Now I wouldn't be cooking for a large group I'm after a second stove to complement my friends stove (believe its an older Peak 1 Apex II). As we're impatient when it comes to cooking/boiling water for 4 ppl. After watching this... 2t6KNs8P8l8[/media]]Svea 123 Demo At 7:15 he weighs a Nova with all the goods to a Svea 123. Even with an added empty bottle the Svea comes in lighter. Now it would seem if I want a Svea 123 I'm best to find a non letter version if I'm after decent simmer control. Also it seems the R version being outsourced just isn't as good as the original. Can the 123R really be that bad? If that's the case, then I am still somewhat leaning toward the Fire-Maple stove as its considerably cheaper than say the Nova+ or Multifuel... giving the chinese brand a try. Also it claims to be lighter. (However the jury is still out on that one as no site seems to report their actual weights of everything combined.)
Question about the Svea 123... how hot to the touch does it get? Does the windscreen become burning hot or the tank itself? (Under normal operation of course). I could seem myself topping up the tank every time I'm about to use it... guess that means I should keep one of those tiny funnels handy.
Just an idea for the scorching wick problem. What about a wick made of the unburnable "rope" many of us used in the priming cup to avoid spirit to run out of the cup, and to slow its burning? I'll try in one of my 8R, when I'll had run it dry too many times. Orsoorso
