Goodaye all, A fellow in my area is selling a 533 new in box for 80 Cad. is this a good deal? Anything I should know about the stove about different years of production anyone can discern from the packaging. I more than anything want to get this to use as my field stove as I am still with the forces. I don’t like the idea of beating up my 8R and 123R. Pictures attached, any advice appreciated.
I don't know what retail is right now. I bought my 533 for US $39 about 8 or 9 years ago. It was on sale at WalMart. First time I'd gone to one.... I doesn't sound like a bargain price, exactly.
Around here it would be a good price. I just sold mine for just a bit more than that. I didn’t use it much. They are well over 100AUD around here. I only bought it because a few years ago an old school camping shop had one on the shelf they couldn’t move so dropped it to 59 or so from memory. At that price I thought I would give it a go but it wasn’t for me.
New price in AUD is about $125, apx $115 in CAD. But I would expect cheaper given your proximity to USA. Still, $80CAD doesn't seem OTT. I own an older one, I don't believe there are any differences in manufacturing. Coleman tend to change the model number if there are. And it is hard to see what they could simplify. For carrying, they are heavy. For running on any petrol you should carry a spare generator. It isn't a multifuel stove and you can't siphon some JP8 for it (though I'm sure someone has). The generator cannot be cleaned. Using clean (Coleman fuel style) petrol/gasoline it should be years between generators. They are variable in simmering. Mine has never liked it but some apparently are happy. The full blast really is hot. It is easier to light than an 8r or 123r, no priming required (or rather, primes on fumes). And with the pump, will outperform your other stoves. The pot stand/wind vanes are a little fragile so a Coleman plastic case, or DIY something, will be necessary for travel.
nib is always a premium but make sure that it is new in box v just still in box. Mine is a dual fuel and I got cheap because the seller commented on the auction that it had caught fire but I was the only one to gamble that it had been over fueled. Great stove. A little heavy but heats like a mini sun. Pity that mine will no simmer but see scramblers post on that
I got mine cheap $20, it doesn't want to simmer so is really only good for boiling the "billy". I keep it in the boot (trunk) of my car along with a Kovea that screws onto a gas canister. It is definately worth having for that purpose but unless you are lucky enough to get one that does as it should mmmm....
I think simmering has a lot to do with fount pressure, on some models more than others. Only safe way to lower fount pressure while burning is with the cold start lever if it has one.
How Coleman get the 533 to start, I don't know. The start instructions are "turn full on", and that works at starting and after it is running. So losing pressure isn't as easy with this one as with some.
@Scrambler , Yes, that's right. It uses the same automatic backpressure-controlled plastic fuel/air tube system as the newer lanterns like the 288, 295 etc. No way to ease pressure while it is running. Not safely, anyway.
I think of the 533 as the great utility one-burner. Not really for carrying. As Geoff says, the perfect stove to keep as the 'permanent' stove in the trunk of the car. Most of our actual use of the stove is as a 'third burner' to a 425 or 413 in camp.