The Captain Bro 202 is a collapsible 3-legged kerosene stove with some interesting features. I do not know the date of manufacture, but I have seen the packaging of some other Captain brand stoves and the style sure looks like the 1980s. This stove is easily broken down with the wrench provided, and could be packed away in a normal rectangular tin. But the lack of reserve cap and the shape of the case suggest that the burner and priming cup should remain assembled on the fount. Captain engraving When I received this stove there was a slow leak from the pump tube connection. I am a soldering novice, but I thought it might be worth trying to fill the leak with solder while it was still attached, rather than remove the pump tube and then be faced with the daunting task of completely re-sealing it. Beginner's luck I suppose. It's a sloppy job, but it doesn't leak anymore. The first time I removed the pump shaft from this stove, I didn't know what I was looking at and assumed this O-ring pump head was bent and damaged. But upon closer inspection, the bends are clearly intentional and serve to shrink the diameter of the O-ring during the back stroke, allowing air into the pump tube. Really a brilliant design in my opinion. It works very well and replacing the O-ring wouldn’t require any tools at all. It has a fuel gauge that I find difficult to read and not very useful The most unusual feature of this stove is the electric ingition butane preheating lighter that works in concert with the priming cup. The small brass reservoir can be refilled with a standard lighter butane bottle. The wheel on the back is turned to release butane through the jet on the opposite side. When the jet is placed in the receiving tube on the priming cup, the butane flows through the holes surrounding the base of the burner and are ignited by the electric arc. The valve open a little And all the way I find this feature to be highly impractical. The butane reservoir empties very fast, and carrying a butane bottle to refill it would be quite cumbersome. A small bottle of methyl hydrate and a regular lighter or matchbook would take up less space and last longer. I wonder if this was developed as an alternative to the rapid pre-heater found on several other Korean made stoves. Maybe methylated spirits weren't readily available to stove users in Korea at the time? On the other hand, the notches in the legs that line up with tabs on the pot stands to keep them lined up is extremely practical and simple. I wonder why it isn't more common. Assembled with flame spreader Wind screen attached. The priming cup spins freely so you can orient the receiving tube and lighter however you like. The curb chain on the regulator knob is pretty stylish. Burning And with the silent cap included with the stove. I could not get a consistent blue flame with the silent burner. Lighting instructions on the case, no other instructions came with it. I saw recently the seller I bought it from had another one listed and in a couple of the pictures there was something that looked like an instruction manual. I asked him if he could please take pictures of them and send them to me so I could print my own copy. He said he would, but a month later I haven’t heard back. There are many things to love about this unusual stove, but for some reason it just isn't my favourite to cook with. Perhaps it can fulfill its purpose as an oddity, with value derived from its mere existence more than any practical utility. Anders
Thank you @Ed Winskill There are many others I would love to own, but they're usually quite expensive too. Update: I reminded the seller of my request and he sent me pictures of the instructions, posted in the SRL here
Nice! Ik have the exact same stove! I even have the heater attachment for it. My intention was to upload pictures to the srg... But to be completely honest, I don't use it that often. It's a bit fiddly to use, especially with the silent cap. Then it's very prone to under burn. Is that also your experience with this stove? The stove was unused when I got it, so I'm not inclined to think the jet is worn.
The design of this stove is interesting. Indeed, some improvements seem a little overcomplicated (gas lighter). But this trivial solution with a deformed pump piston is actually excellent. @GibsonsRavinePark2 .A very good post that takes into account the important details of this interesting stove.
I see these Korean stoves from time to time, and they're fun to look at because of their unique structure. I thought the flame came out from the side of the preheater, but it actually comes out from the bottom up. I learned something new.
Thanks @Knee ! @ajvuik Cool! I would love to see the heater in action, I didn't know there was one. I agree, its a bit finicky to use. Hard to get a good burn and not much range in the flame control. Probably not the jet if it's new, plus the cleaning needle makes it easy to keep clear. Speaking of which, I forgot to mention in the post that it has a built in cleaning needle, a feature that only further accentuates the impracticality of the butane pre-heater, which requires its own manual pricker. I took it to Hopkins Landing today for some coffee and action shots. The Queen of Coquitlam in the background sailing the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale route.
@GibsonsRavinePark2 An excellent pictured documented post of your Captain bro 202, i am a great fan of these South Korean stoves , they are well made and have some very interesting and useful attachments to them. A very good and useful addition to your collection
