Hi I've wanted a No12 stove for a while now so when my wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year I said that is what I want, so she is now on the hunt for one. Before spending money and buying one I thought it might not be a bad idea to ask here what are the good and the bad things about this stove, what to look for, things to avoid etc. is it even a good idea to buy one for everyday, (well most every weekend), reliable rugged use? Thanks Neil
I’ve a No.12 and it’s not a favourite. The burner’s crude compared to a Swedish regulating burner. On the plus side, the wind shielding is excellent, but so is that of a Coleman ‘suitcase’ stove with the benefit of two burners. An Optimus 111 (paraffin fuelled) would be my first choice for a frequent-use stove. Ideally, one with a silent burner. John
Thanks very much for the reply John. I don't really want to use Coleman fuel so white gas stoves are out for me although I'd love a Coleman two burner and I have seen people on you tube run them on paraffin it sounds like an uphill struggle to me. I don't fancy much having to be always cleaning the regulator/ generator, (again), while people are waiting for their bacon and egg butties. There isn't a lot of useful videos about the No12 on you tube for some reason. I do have an Optimus 111 Hiker which is patiently waiting for me to stamp out an NRV sealing washer and replace the O-Ring pump shaft with a leather cup so I don't really need a No12 as such, I just thought it would be nice to have one. I am open to other options though, I wouldn't mind a Hiker+ if I saw one at a nice price. Thanks again Neil
I love using my No.12, it's my go-to stove. The only down-side I can see are its weight, definitely one for vehicle or garden camping. The fuel tank is large, it primes really quite quickly, parts are easily found via Fettlebox, and the burner parts are compatible with Optimus 111 for spares/breakages. The only drama I had with it was trying to see if it will burn lamp oil - it didn't! I would also avoid diesel even though it was designed for it, decent paraffin works great and is cheaper than meths or Aspen 4 for petrol stoves. They case is really robust, being made from Stainless Steel and is nicely designed as a 3-sided windbreak if needed. There's one just sold for a tad over £100 on Ebay the other day too, so not exactly bank breakers.
Mine is my go to stove these days, largely because I rarely walk more than a few hundred yards from the vehicle when I camp now, more frequently I sleep in it's shadow. I run the 12 on home heating oil, because it's cheap and I don't mind doing a bit of cleaning. No problems from that whatsoever. My other frequent user is a Schmel 4 that I bought on this forum. Also a vehicle only option, I run it on unleaded because I can't find naptha panel wipe locally and nobody will post it to NI!
Thanks for all the replies and responses everyone, all noted and very much appreciated. Apologies for not responding sooner, I have been having problems with my 3D printer this past week, I've been focusing on getting that back running properly. Neil
As an update, last night I managed to win on ebay what I think is a nice stove at a fairly reasonable price. I'm excited, I'll post more when it arrives. Many thanks again everyone. Neil
