Newbie and a Optimus hiker plus question

Hi All,
With much excitement I opened the package containing our new Hiker Plus stove
I had purchased on line from a store showing the case with the white screen printed label, mine has the embossed black paint label.

Not a major problem, I had watched a video on Youtube of this set up, reassured that this had a brass tank, thought no more of it.

Shock horror, the hinge that keeps supports the tank where it is spot welded has popped open, dam and blast.

Spoke to the seller, ok return for a refund, but they can't replace it as they are out of stock.

Looked on the box, made in Sweden, but I see that they have moved to Romania, wondering where mine was made.

Second horror the tank is steel, triple darn and blast.

Looking for opinion, maybe the steel tank is a blessing it can go back, I could have lived with a pop welded hinge.

My question is has this company gone down the path of trading on a fine name and now knocking out shoddy gear.

The steel tank is my prime concern.

The up side is that in a temper I bid and won a very pretty tinned Primus 210 in excellent condition, appears to be all there.

By the way I will be looking for instructions on how to dismantle a Companion with a silent cap that is playing up.
I can get it to light but as soon as I pump even a little it squirts fuel out the nipple and floods. I think that I have a build up of carbon some where. All the seals have been changed.

Guess I am feet first into fuel stoves, I have thrown out two propane cheapies in the last month so decided to get some class gear.

cheers Rosemary

 

That sounds bad! Do you have any photos of this Hiker?

 

Seems that the earlier version had steel tanks and a more recent run have non-ferrous tanks, hopefully of brass. I'd probably be more displeased with the broken weld. There are plenty of these still out there, so unless you got a great deal on it, why not return it?

Now for the two cents stuff. What were your thoughts and plans behind this stove purchase? Given its mixed reviews there may be better choices at lower cost, a used 111 for example.

 

I second itchys advice. Find an older 111T which can be fueled by Coleman fuel, or by Kerosene (my favourite) or in a pinch and by changing the fuel nozzel alcohol OR you could go with a plain 111 which is a dedicated kerosene model, would be my choice.
Stan

 

I bought a Hiker + when they first came out. I've been meaning to sell it on ebay, just haven't gotten around to it.

Steel tank, puke green, stupid adjustment knob, rubber washers, crappy performance in the slightest breeze... what were they thinking? What was I thinking when I bought it? In your shoes I'd try to trade for a different stove. If you love this style, then get a 111B. I'm a kero-phobe, personally.

This site might give you some good ideas:

http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/

 

Sell it and buy a proper 111T....and run it on paraffin.

Caveat emptor and all that.

 

Have a look at this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OPTIMUS-1...door_Camping_Küchenbedarf&hash=item43b883bf6e

This fellow sells one of these every 10 days.

 

And if you don't live in europe,I'm willing to help. Just buy it and have it send to me(I live in Holland, where the seller of the E-bay add lives) And I'll ship it to you, you can just paypal or bank it ir how you wanna pay the shipping costs to me and I'll send it to you.

regards,

Arjan.

 

Now I'm confused, Arjen.

If he's in Holland, why it the description written in German?

I might just have to get a 111T, first have to see how money here plays out.

Murph

 

Thanks for the advise, varied as expected.
Over night had a think about it and a talk to my husband.
Thinking that just pop rivet the hinge back, accept that the tank is steel. The whole thing set me back less than $100.00 $Aus, delivered to the door.

The idea if a real 111B appeals but I will have to look into that. Thanks for the offer from Holland, please contact me off list to discuss.

In the light of a negative field report and a seller on the Bay that is probably not happy to play ball, I am inclined to send it back.

How do others deal with frypans spitting stuff in the lid of this type of stove, re cleaning.

I will post the pics of the wrecked stove.
cheers Rosemary 8)

 

You can line the area around your pan or burner with foil. I use a smaller stove to cook up bacon, sausages, stuff that splatters. The bigger stoves like a 111 for simmering pastas or boiling water. You can always use a classic Coleman two burner stove that has seen better days to cook messy foods. My restored classic Optimus stoves get clean cooking duty, too much work to have to then scrub them. The Coleman can deal with that.
Duane

 

Here are the pictures Optimus Hiker+
cheers Rosemary

 

As for splatters, oil etc, I normally line the bottom of my 111 with aluminum foil which could be replaced. It also helps when priming alcohol or kerosene drip underneath the priming cup. As Hikerduane has mentioned, aluminum foil wrapped around the pan lip would help. The whole point though is that you can clean up the spatters and drips after every trip. Am not familiar thought with the Hiker and to me looks a bit odd...then again I do not own one.

Ron

 

I've had one for a few years now. Other than the fact that my tank is steel I have no complaints with the stove.
The Nova burner primes very quickly and can burn just about anything flammable.

 

It is only a few miles from the border with Germany and his main customer base appears to be in Germany.

 

What snowgoose said and since there are only 17 million Dutch people and about 130 million Germans... Selling in Germany has more odd's

 

I have fixed a broken tank support of a 111T with some solder back in 2007(I have found the post, but the pictures are gone due to fact I canceled my hosting provider a while back) and that still holds, almost 6 years later. So, if the seller doesn't want to take the stove back AND if you don't mind some damage to the paint, you can solder the support back in place and it will hold, no problem.

If you opt to go for a propper 111T just contact me via a PT(Personal Thread) and we'll set things up

As for cleaning the stove, I just remove the tank,(just 2 screws) remove the pot supports and wash it before storing the stove.

Hope that helps.

 

Just use a pop rivet or buy a new shield, they don't cost a lot.

As for cleaning, well just wipe the lid and if your the finicky type remove the 'stove' and wipe the base, its not really harder than faffing about with foil etc to be honest.

Get a 111T, much better stove IMHO.

 

i'd return the stove pronto just due to the broken hinge - not worth living with it

i also don't care for the design of the stove - if you get any contamination in the fuel or even a miniscule flake of debris in the fuel tank, the stove's fuel line will clog up - this happened to me with the stove in new-out-of-the-box condition...

had i been out camping, this would have left me stranded because a) a spare filter, smaller than the smallest pip on a brassie's NRV, needs to be inserted into the fuel line by loosening a brass nut and b) no tool, nor spare filter is included with the stove

it's a sad situation, because AFAIK this is the last remaining single-burner liquid multifuel box stove on the market and still in production

it should be a showpiece product, yet instead, IMHO, it is a kludged hack and a POS - others here may argue the point

Katadyn should be ashamed

just my US$0.03 (adjusted for inflation)

willie
on the Gulf of Mexico

 

You got right there Willie.