I had been after a Monitor stove for a while after seeing the aluminium case design, and decided I wanted one. Knowing I would need to change all the seals, once I received the kit from Fettlebox, the stove was up and running as expected. The only thing is, (I may be alone here) is anyone disappointed with the aluminium case? I found the case to be very simplistic, in an era when the UK was building TSR2, Concorde, etc, the case looks like it was designed and built during a metal workers lunch break! Especially so when you consider the build quality and design of Optimus 111 and 8. I also found it awkward to pump the stove once in the case and the 3 feet made it unstable too. All that said, I still love it and actually find its simplicity attractive and I soon worked out how to get around the problems. The following pictures were of my morning coffee in NE Scotland, the flame is almost invisible but definitely there.
Very nice, these are very useful little stoves, the windshielding of, say, a Primus No.71 but the economy and slightly increased power of paraffin! As regards the case, these stoves seem to have been introduced in 1938 or 1939, the first appearance is in this 1939 catalogue. At this date, aluminium was in general use but still had an edge of the exotic as a material for outdoor equipment. It really picked up post-WW2 when the material price plummeted due to the scrap market being flooded with now useless aircraft and it became a cheap material. For its time it would have been quite an advanced stove- Monitor certainly had a history of innovation, some genuinely useful and some less so. Given that it was targeted at cycle campers as well as picnicers, simplicity and lightness would have been important- it was already more bulky than a 1/2-pint stove packed in a tin (or the tank attached to the crossbar with a clip, and the burner and other parts slipped into the pocket of a saddlebag). The combined windshield/case/pot stand would therefore have needed to be as light and basic as possible to win favour. Post war austerity meant keeping cost down was probably considered important, and import restrictions would have limited foreign competition too. They certainly seem to have sold well, given the fairly constant trickle which come up for sale.
Rather better than that I’d say. Eye of the beholder and all that, but in my opinion it’s a good, well-made design with subtly-formed rounded edges and corners and those distinctive recessed panels front and back, with the embossed Monitor logo on the door. Regarding the ‘lunch break’ suggestion, I’m sure it took @Twoberth longer than that to scratch-build his example HERE and HERE.
Howdy, @Colin McCarthy , I think you have a very nice little stove there! I also agree with @presscall , that the case looks just fine. I have always enjoy the Monitor stoves, and have a couple of them, of which I think highly. Congrats on getting a very nice little stove. Don't see those that often, so I think you had good fortune when you got it! Thanks for sharing, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
They're actually quite common in the UK, but a bit under-represented in the reference gallery on this site. Nine have sold on ebay UK in the last two months, another is for auction at the moment. There is often a choice of two, or three, at any one time. Everyone should have one!
Howdy, @Blackdog , Many thanks for the head's up, Good Sir! I don't tend to peruse eBay UK, or any other Countries eBay. But, I should pay more attention to our own eBay, to see if I can snag one of these. Looks like a good bit of kit, to me! Thanks, for the suggestion, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
They're just really handy little stoves @Doc Mark, all the charm of a No.96 but minimal setup and good windshielding. I used one on my bedside table for a while, window open for ventilation, light up and brew up, all without getting out of bed. Best of luck in finding one!
@Colin McCarthy nice find Colin a good quality well built British Stove, Monitor brand is probably my favourite brand of stove good quality items and with plenty of different variants, if not mistaken they probably had the most variants of British manufactures of stoves and blowlamps
Haha, I thought I'd be in a minority here! The stove itself is grand, just not overly a fan of the box. I wasnt aware the design was from the 1930s though, I thought it was a 1950s product. The home made box by twoberth is highly impressive work. Anybody wanting one of these stoves, there is one identical to mine on Ebay.uk just now.
@Blackdog , Thanks, again, for the tip. I gave the UK site a peek, and see a couple of those stoves already. I'll keep my eyes peeled until the right one comes along! Well done, Good Sir! Every Good Wish, Doc
You're welcome, I'm sure you'll find one which fits the bill soon. There's certainly a good supply of them over here.
@Blackdog , May I ask, please, what is the average price of these little stoves, in the UK? I know that shipping will be nasty, but it would be good to know what the price range is in the UK, for a nice one of these. Thanks, again, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Doc, I varies, but typically I have seen them go for a few tens of pounds. I got one a couple of months ago for just under £30 delivered. I am looking forward to firing it up once circumstances permit. I think the hardest part may be finding a seller that will ship overseas. -R
Spot on, about £30-40 seems to be the going rate. The flame spreader and travelling cap sometimes go missing, just something to check.
