In the past few weeks, I have been on a role, restoring/cleaning up three old Coleman stoves (413F, 413G, 413H) and a M1950 I've had in a pile of old camping stuff for the last 25 years. Oh yeah, I have a Brunton/Optimus Omni stove that I acquired along the way (I also have a JetBoil, but that's just for boiling water...and a few home made Pepsi-Can alcohol stoves because they'e fun). So...lo and behold, earlier this week I picked up a Coleman 435E at a resale shop for 20 dollars. I cleaned it up, and it works great. Also, there's a 314E at the same resale shop (and a number of lanterns) calling my name. What's a man to do? Before/after photos of the 435E (new Coleman decal on the way). I'm having way too much fun.
To answer the question posed by your post title, What difference does it make, as long as you're enjoying the ride? ....Arch
Thanks, Arch. I appreciate the encouragement. I guess the next step is to get the stoves into the hands of folks who will take them camping and making some memories. Some of my best memories as a kid is waking up early in the morning in the truck camper (road trip out west) while Mom and Dad are making coffee and breakfast with the old Coleman on the tail gate. The hiss of the stove, mixed with the smell of coffee and bacon, brings a flood of wonderful memories.
Why not make some of those memories yourself? You don't have to camp to do so; a picnic table at a roadside rest or in the back yard can be the scene of a memorable outdoor cookout. ....Arch
Beware of the single burners, they tend to populate also. And lanterns, they have been known to breed. My two favourite lanterns, 1981 Coleman 200A & 1957 Tilley.
Nice work cleaning those up. As Arch says, start cooking! And you'll need a lantern for some doing it properly light
I see what you mean by lanterns reproducing. The photo above is my dad's old 220K that I enherited and restored. I also have a 288 I bought new in 1992 (cleaned up and working agian), along with a generic propane lantern from the early 1970s (I have no idea what kind...I'll have to do some further research on it) and I just bought a 1940s vintage 242C single-mantle with a chrome fount.
@mlkimmel92 "When does a collection become an addiction?" When somebody says to you, "But you've got four stoves, already!!" . . . and you can't see what point they're trying to make . . .