I guys as I said before in my earlier posts I am a new guy to these forums. I thought I would share this story with you that happened last night, but first I will give you a little background in case you didn't see my earlier posts. I purchased a 123, and a 123R. The latter had a description on ebay that it had been used once or twice. The 123 fired up like a champ that it is, where the 123R wouldn't do much of anything. However I had also ordered new fuel cap gaskets for them as the condition was relatively unknown having never looked at them in person. The 123R wouldn't do much of anything, so I was afraid I had wasted 60 bux. Then last night I got looking at it, and indeed it didn't even have a fuel cap gasket. I put one on and badda bing badda boom, she roars. I am super happy. With that being said, which version do you guys like best? Thanks for reading my thread fellas, Jamie from Oregon.
123 is my preference. no problem with needing to prick the jet. However I do have a 123r, made in Sweden, that is a real roarer. Ivan
Boath are good, I have a 123R a real power house. I would like a 123 also but one may come up in the future. My advice is keep boath. The 123 and 123R are just as good. Cheers Rob
Hi, Congratulations on your success, Jamie! I have both, and can't say it better than Arch already did... Rick C
I have a Sievert 123 from 1966. I like it because nearly all parts have engraving on them. The newer versions tend to have less engravings of part numbers, etc. I bought a more recent Optimus 123 four years ago, and it ran well. I think these ones are still available new, but I suspect are made in China, rather than Sweden. Welcome to the world of collectible stoves, Jamie, please be aware they tend to multiply, when left to their own devices. Cheers Simon Foxxx New Zealand
I suspect that you're right I have several Swedish mauser rifles with serial numbers on the smallest of parts dated from like 1902
the swedes wouldn't even let the germans make their mauser rifles for them unless they used Swedish steel. That is historical fact
I suppose what I mean by my previous comments is that simply the swedes like quality such as the sveas and other things that we have
Hiya Jamie, Yes, the 1966 stove I have is of very high quality, I suspect that the ones made today in China do not have quite the same attention to detail. Cheers Simon
Hi Jamie, my favorite is a 123 burner on a Primus71 tank, with a silent cap made by Bernie Dawg, sitting in an ex-British army green case! Works great! I also have 2 Svea 123s, but no 123R so I can't compare. Best regards, and welcome, Wim
Good to meet you and thank you for your post wim, I am a former soldier so I appreciate where you're from. I mean given ww2 and all. My family was there. I was born in 1985 however.
I was also wondering about those wim, now that I have had a sleep haha. What do you think about the silencers fellas? I was thinking about them not only for my old sveas but for my new ones like msr dragonfliy and optimus Polaris.
Hi Jamie, thanks for your kind comment! Yes, we had a pretty rough time, during both World Wars! One of my (to many) hobbies is living history, I depict a 1913-1914 Grenadier and a 1916 Engineering corps (as blacksmith). Re the silencers; I like both roarers & silents, it just depends when one uses them. It can be a bit more difficult to have a conversation with a roarer between yourself and the person you talk to . All in all, they mostly are a fairly expensive "add-on" to convert a roarer. It is nice to have a choice though. (This morning, I enjoyed the roar of an Optimus 8 I have brought back to life) Best regards, Wim
I have two friends with Dragonflys. They love the silent caps on them since that is a very loud stove. Conversation is impossible with them on high, but if you have one you already know that. I appreciate the silent cap on my 8r and 123R when hunting, if the wind co-operates. The roarer is better in the wind.
