I've been turned by the dark side. I was at a garage sale and saw one of those ubuquitous Korean butane stoves that is about a foot square by 4" high. For $5 it came with a generous coating of sticky grease and four fuel canisters approximately the size of spray paint cans. At that price I couldn't not buy it. Fifteen minutes of effort with Formula 409 and hot water cleaned it up nicely. This isn't a bad stove at all. Sort of a bastard Coleman / Picnic stove compromise and it works quite nicely. No clue yet at fuel consumption rates, but it lights very well by means of a piezo system and the flame control is to die for. I've cooked several meals on it, boiled quite a lot of water for tea and brewed about five pots of coffee and I'm still on canister #1. It lights by simply rotating the control knob anticlockwise until it clicks, at which time it comes on full. rotating the knob clockwise turns the flame down evenly until it goes out. What could be simpler? This one with some fuel canisters is going into the seat locker in the camper for auxiliary service. Gerry
The relevant authorities have been informed of this deviant behaviour, know where you live and will visit you soon! Enjoy the Flame ... even a gasser
God help your soul! There is no slvation for those who have gone astray in the way of the gassers. By the way, the quad pack can be had for $3 from those Korean groceries. Bwahahahaha!
Rumor has it that the authortities, should they arrive, may be bought off with large quantities of beer.
There is a special place in hell for such as yourself. It's right next to the furnace fed coal and wood. Your chore, should you choose to accept the assignment, will be to feed raw rudabeges into the furnace for roasting. Until then you may now sit in the corner for five minutes and contimplate your navel. It is not allowed you use a mirror to view the heathen thing however. lance ps: i have a couple of them (not the Korean ones but Coleman and an oddball from a company in Wisconsion. lp
Hey, Thuggy, I have seen those Korean jobbies for years, and never bought one. But, now I may have to experiment and see what they're about..... You may remember that I took a left turn, and got into the Micro Gassies a while back (It was DAN'S fault!!!). I'm getting ready to obtain another Optimus Crux, as REI has them at 50% off, and I think very highly of them, and would like to add a second one to my stable of MG stoves!!! Don't worry, my Son, it's OK to play with gassies, as long as your heart remains with Coleman fuel and kerosene!!! 8) 8) Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Bless me Father, for oi 'ave sinned. Oi 'ave. For more than twenty years oi diligently carted moi Optimus 88 everywhere, down the Franklin River in 1983, over the Overland Track in 1986, both in Tasmania, Kanangra Walls to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, in the mid 1980's, many a backcountry cross country skiing trip in the Australian Snowy Mountains in the 1980's campin' on snow, battlin' many a blizzard (yeah verily), and even the hut rats, then 'umpin' it with my 'uge swag on a cross country ski crossing of the Snowy Mountains in 2002, assaulting the very 'eavens on the 'ighest of Australian peaks, oi swear, and always faithful oi woz to my old Optimus 88, blessed may she be ... But then was I mightily tempted, back in 2000, having purchased a lowly domicile, oi took the government's shilling, $7,000 smackeroos of government porkbarrelling for first home buyers, did oi greedily run away with. Heh heh! And wot did oi do wiv me guvvie shilling, you may ask? Well, 'avin' been living roff all me bushwalkin' loif in toiny bushwalkin' tents, oi wanted ta liv loik a desert sheik, oi did, an' 'ave a palatial tent, ta go wiv' me car campin' kit. So not only did oi get meself a whakin' great Taj Mahal of a two room tent, WIV a wrap around velcroed insect screen on the awning, oi .... got meself some gas gear! Ha ha ha! A nois liddle two burner Proimus gas stove, WIV griller underneath (toast, grillin' meats, etc), AND a gas light on a pole, an' ... wait for it ... a gas fridge! Mwahahaha! Looxury! Cost only two grand, all up, tent an' gas gear. Away wiv the grim loif of a bushwalker, 'ere oi am, livin' the loif of a desert sheik, oi am! But ... when oi wanna go bushwalkin' again, oi fink again of me old Optimus 88, moulderin' away in the garage. Gotta get it ready for anuvva big Overland Track walk in January. Er ... um ... anyone know of 'ow ta get a repair kit for fo' an old Optimus 88 / Svea 123 in the Land of Oz? So... forgiv' me Father, for oi 'ave sinned ... paulo
Hey, Paulo, GREAT OZ accent in your post! Got a huge laugh out of me! You can order rebuild kits for SVEA's, from A&H, who have a link on this site, or from the UK, at Basecamp, who are one of the sponsors of this site. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Paulo, Check out the links on this site. Associated Kero Products are at Braidwood, cannot be far from you by Oz standards. TW Sands a bit further in Melbourne. Laurence
Why would anyone want freeze dried "food" and instant "coffee' in the first place when the genuine articles are so easily gotten and prepared? Gerry
Yup, I'm guilty of having used one of those dealies, they are freely available here for about 19.95 EnZeds, 3 or 4 pack gas cans are .99 to 3 or 4 EZ's. I've even seen one endorsed by Jamie Oliver yet. They're all the same thing with different paint. I got one for free someplace, discovered it could empty a can in about 40-50 mins of full speed, lost interest and loaned/gave it to my nephew for one of his car trips. Ignoring the fact heavy usage will make a pile of cans and a need to find new supplies, it's a good functional tool. I've given some thought to modifying one to accept a remote Primus can, but who could be bothered? A 111 weighs the same and is easily as hot..... still, for the unenlightened they are a good option. And speaking of St Jamie, how could we petition him to offer to rethink the classic 25/27 pots? Better split level cooking stacking and a fry pan that is safely reversible. Actually, there is such a beast, it's called a 77A/99Tor
IIRC they were promoted as a table top cooker for use in the home and have since migrated to an essential piece of outdoor gear. Every other (car) camper in the UK seems to have one, but as they are so available at such a low price why buy anything else. You could get 2 or 3 of these and it would still be cheaper for an occasional camper than having to fork out for a twin burner and associated bottle. As you point out Gerry they are also neat and easily cleaned, bit like yourself I suspect. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3407497.htm
