Here is an Optimus No. 88 I picked up. Even though it is incomplete I thought it worthwhile, seeing they are as rare as hen's teeth in Australia. The (incomplete) windshield/pot stand and cook set. First in pack-up configuration: Then the aluminium: This is the Svea 123R stove with the kit: NOTE the marks of the stove clip that holds the stove to the base. I left this on. This is the box (the top was long gone): Here it is up and running: Starting. First boil. No soot! Second boil. No soot! I did the minimal fettle on this stove. It had been roughly cleaned before I bought it so I replaced the washer in the filler cap and the pip in the SRV (The Fettle Box). I soaked the tank and burner tube in acetone. That's all. I'll try to find a pot and/or lid to complete this set, because its a very good size for one-person bushwalking. It will he a user. Cheers Tony
@Tony Press That's a very functional piece of kit. The marks left by the retaining clip just show that the stove is original to the kit. Someone's made a lot of use of it. Looks like you left the control key fitted. Did it stay cool or were you wearing gloves? There's plenty of warnings on this site about burnt thumbs. I don't want to find out the hard way should I ever get lucky enough to own an 88 (or Sigg Tourist) set. Regards John
@Jeopardy You noticed! I was surprised at how ‘cool’ the key was. Maybe all the aluminium of the 88 takes the heat from the key. Cheers Tony
On my 123R, I always left the key in place, it has never been too hot to touch. But the key of my 123 becomes hot, so it is best to take it off. I do not have the 88-cookset, so I do not know if that makes any difference.
The genuine article. There are a lot of Sigg Tourists around which people have put 123rs into instead of the original alky burner but the clip which must be a factory mod takes this to a new level.
Hiya Geeves, Sorry, I am not sure what you mean by "original alky burner". I am curious; would you be good enough to elaborate, please? Thanks. Cheers Simon Foxxx
Sigg tourist came in many forms. The alcahol burner used in most is very similar to the Triangia burner. The Sigg Tourist I have came like this but I acquired a 123r which is a perfect fit in the ridge in the bottom. However without that clip its only a cheap copy of what you have but of course you probably paid 10 times what I did possibly more for the box as well. Im sure you know the term "alky" Often used to describe regular consumers of copious amounts of alcohol whether by burning or imbibing.
G,,day they are a lovely little set . unfortunately mine has a few corrosion holes in the lid but at the price , it is ok . kerry
Very nice. I picked one of these sets up at a garage sale a couple months ago for $5 US. Its main flaw is that its large pot appears to have been destroyed by allowing it to boil dry and melting. Now I am on the hunt for a new pot for the set which led me here. Any help appreciated.
bump OLD THREAD FWIW the 88 and 88N, maybe too small for some (that would be me) BUT i can add some detail. Re above "Even though it is incomplete ..." above is missing pan/lid, pot gripper and *1 of the 2 pots. Pan / lid is the only stamped piece. There is soda can below for size/scale, also FYI: complete 88N fits inside a complete SIGG Tourist. The 88 pan / lid surface is not smooth, it is textured/geometric? Optimus switched to that pan surface (not sure why). The later version of the Loke, which is larger, uses the same surface (those Loke pans are swappable / used with other cook sets as well) *not sure which pot Tony is missing. I find (filled to brim): 0.60L pan / lid 150 x 38mm 0.85L pot 137 x 60mm 1.00L pot 145 x 67mm Sticker on Tony's box says "NEW now with two sauce pans". Meanwhile there was a model change from early version 88 (1 pot), to later version 88N. I speculated 88N, N may be for NEW version (now with 2 pots). I vaguely recall a design flaw: the upper windscreen is a weak point but can be bent back. To stiffen/double-wall it (before or after it might get bent) could be simple fix. 1450 views
@OMC I have been meaning to photograph this for a couple of weeks. I assembled it with the missing parts recently. I now have the missing pieces: the pot and lid came from an Aussie member here, and the pot holder from the estate of @kerry460. The pot that is missing in my original find is the smallest of the two. Cheers Tony
