Hey, Bill, The Fire Fly is an outstanding stove for Coleman fuel usage. Doesn't work with any other fuel, though I'm sure panel wipe should work a treat in it. Mine are the loudest stoves I own, without doubt!! But, if you like "the roar", you will love the Fire Fly!! The have a proprietary aluminum windscreen, with a hole and slots on the bottom, to fit the pot stands. Now, I've found that pots with a truncated shape, like those found in the Trapper 81 stove kit, work perfectly with this wonderful Fire Fly windscreen. Hey, other pots work well, too, BUT, you cannot nest the set unless you have a truncated pot. So, a word to the wise. Lastly, if you get a FF, please contact me, and I'll tell you about replacing the fuel line on your stove with a more modern MSR fuel line. The old ones were just rubber, covered with a woven fabric, and crimped onto the ends. They most certainly will not last, with regular usage. Back in the day, MSR used to replace that line for $30, including shipping, and they would solder it on, which works perfectly! Unfortunately, they no longer offer that option, as they rather have you buy a worthless POS, er.... I mean, a Whisperlite Internationale 600, than keep using your Fire Fly, even though the FF is a MUCH better white gas stove than the WLI ever even dreamed of being, AND, it simmers delightfully, too!! As I've mentioned, too, the WLI IS just a Coleman fuel stove, without doubt!! So, the Fire Fly smokes it in every single way, except size, the FF is more than manageable. Wind? NO problem with the Fire Fly!!! That special windscreen is simpy outstanding. Bends easily, though, but if you have truncated pots, even this is not a problem. In any case, I do think you will like owning and using a FF. Just give thought to the points I've mentioned, and thereby get best use, and long life, out of your FF!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
hi Doc i've been after a ff for a while now and it's all your fault i read ages ago that you reckoned it was the loudest stove you had ever used and that as well as loud you thought it was a cracking bit of kit one came up on ebay.com a while back but the seller wouldn't ship to the uk which was a gutter as it had a load of spares with it and irc it came with a hanging kit if it's as loud as you say and i know you have a df to compare it to i must get one so that when i camp on a site were some noisey insomniac ar5e keeps me awake all night i can return the compliment by repeatedly brewing up at 5am i heard (i think it was) henry's whistling kettle at Newark and have managed to track one down that's almost as loud and shrill as his i just need the stove to match and i'm all set to be mr popular when i do get one and i will somehow i'll give you a shout about the fuel line thanks
Doc Im confused. Your post suggests the firefly is obsolete and needs a fuel hose mod for reliability. In NZ the firefly is still available new for only slightly more than the whisperlite and that and the second hand firefly I own have the new type metal braided hose and pump. Also Ive never tried mine on kero but it comes with a different jet for kero so I dont know why it wont run on the stuff
Are you sure? Or are you thinking of the simmer lite or dragonfly? If you can get them in NZ I have never seen one. Mind you I don't live in a city. Where have you seen them? Dan
Really? Now, that sounds like a very good idea. I had been thinking of a Sigg Fire Jet pump since Sigg threads typically work with MSR threads, but Primus or Optimus would be just as good. Do you have any links, photos, or anything like that? HJ
Hi, Doc, do you have any FF photos that you can post? I've seen the FF on eBay before, but a) the pics weren't very good and b) I assumed that the stoves were obsolete and that subsequent stoves were better. Very interesting to hear that the FF and it's old yellow pump is a better piece of kit than the more modern stoves. One tip on MSR pumps (maybe the very latest are different): don't do the "annual" maintenance. First, it isn't necessary unless you're a guide or sommething and running the stove an awful lot and second the pump tabs frequently break during maintenance. "If it ain't broke; don't fix it" really applies with MSR pumps. HJ
Hey, Guys, Just got in from the Regimental Dinner with the British 33rd Regiment of Foot. It's almost 1AM, very foggy and rainy outside, and snow is just around the corner. A perfect time to fire up one of my three Fire Fly stoves, and brew up something nice and warm to drink!! ALAS, I'm too darned tired to do it!! 8-[ So, here are two photos (the legal limit, now, ya' know....) of my original Fire Fly, with the fuel hose having been replaced by the MSR Master Service Tech, many years ago. I these photos, I'd been experimenting with the silent burner cap from a nice old Perfktus 100 that Brother Ian so kindly sent my way, a few years back. Worked a treat on that Fire Fly! Now, I'll have to try Dan's BD Midi cap, which came to me by a round about route, and will soon be heading back Down Under!! Ok, two quick photos , and then I'm off to bed, Chaps! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Oops! One photo wouldn't not resize in order to work here. No matter what I did, it remained over 100K. So, here's ONE photo....
Very nice, Doc. Thanks for the post. I wonder why MSR dropped the Firefly from its line-up? Was the FF particularly heavy? I know the FF had a reputation for being loud. Perhaps the far quieter Whisperlite was seen as more marketable? lol, Doc. Every time I see another one of your stoves, I add it to my wish list* for CASG#3, and this stove is no exception. HJ *Stoves Jim would like to see: Rando 360 Borde "bomb" Optimus 81 Trapper MSR Firefly Sigg Fire Jet Optimus 00 Primus 96
Ah, indeed. As for me, I'll be bringing some interesting things, like all three stoves of the Coleman "X" series, the third type I acquired today off of eBay for a steal -- $26.00. Did you pick up that Dragonfly? They're good stoves. A bit of overkill for one person, but great for a group. I love how well they simmer, unlike most of my other white gas stoves.
Evening, HJ, I've been up and down the mountain several times today, running errands, and buying stuff we needed for home projects. Not all of it would fit in the truck at one time, however, thus, multiple trips were required. Just got back home again, and beat the rain and snow, which is good!! The Fire Fly is the best boiling, best simmering liquid fuel stove that MSR ever made, period! There is NO question about that, and I can prove it to any doubters, should there be any. BUT, it was super loud, which proved to be the kiss of death for it. And, though it's light, and folds up, MSR decided to develop the Whisperlite stove (note the name "Whisper", which was done on purpose to call attention to the fact that the WL was replacing the FF!!!), to counteract all the bitching and moaning that was done about the noise level of the Fire Fly. One other problem, though not worthy of much consideration, as far as I'm concerned, was that the neat proprietary windscreen of the FF, is light aluminum, and can dent easily. Big deal, sez I!!! If you seek out and use truncated pots, as suggested, then you won't have much of a problem with denting. So, IF performance is what you are seeking, the FF has it all over the WL series, hands down!!! IF you want a slightly smaller stove, which still burns Coleman fuel, and is much quieter, then hey, by all means, waste.... er, I mean spend your money on the Whisperlite!!! But the FF will actually outperform the X-GK when it comes to boiling water quickly, and it also simmers wonderfully! The only other thing that really needed to be addressed, was the leaking fuel lines, which even the WL stoves had, too. MSR addressed that problem by adding the new braided brass-covered fuel lines and soldering them on, rather than crimping them onto their stoves. AS mentioned, for a time, MSR would convert your old FF to the new fuel line for around $30, and I had my original one so converted. That's how I met and become casual acquaintences with the Master Stove Tech at MSR, many, many years ago. He loved the fact that I had so many stoves, and I would call and ask for him, anytime I had serious questions about MSR products. He always gave me the straight skinny, and wasn't shy about offering his opinions and experiences, even it if went against the "company line" which I truly appreciated. He's been gone for a very long time, unfortunately, which is a real shame, as he really knew his stuff!! In any case, please remind me of your "want to see" list, before our next Gathering, and I'll make sure to bring all of the stoves you'd enjoy seeing!! Hey, even though I own them, I'll enjoy seeing them, too!! 8) 8) Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Heya Doc Is that a cap via New Zealand I spy? If so, how does that affect the noise level on the MSR stove? Having no MSR stoves of my own, I'm dying to know if it's working out for noise levels and burn performance. It's really tough to tune caps to stoves you don't have! Best wishes, Gary
Morning, BernieDawg, I will be sending you a regular email this morning, as I spent much of the day, yesterday, going up and down the mountain, running errands and making several trips to bring up home project supplies that all wouldn't fit in my truck at the same time. Too tired to answer your regular email, last night. But, in a nutshell, no, that is not a BD silent cap, but rather one for a Perfektus 100 that Ian sent me a few years ago. I've used it on the Omnifuel, and also the Fire Fly, with wonderful success. I will try to take some photos of the cap, itself, and send them to you. Also, after reading your comments about MSR stoves, I've aleady set out one X-GK (yeah, I do have a "few" of them! 8) ), and one Fire Fly, on which I'll try your cap, along with my Omnifuel. Afterwards, this nice cap will be winging it's way back to NZ, along with another part, to theyellowdog, with thanks for his letting me try out his BD cap, and in hopes that he can use the other part that I'm sending along. After I've tested the stoves, I'll send you a report, either here, or in an email, whichever you prefer. Right now, it's snowing quite hard outside, and as has been usual, I've a ton of work, both for our business, and for some home repair plumbing projects and bathroom refurbishing, and so I may not get to stove testing today. But, I do hope to do it soon, and will certainly send you the results. I'll also put my DB meter on the Fire Fly, X-GK, and Omnifuel, comparing the relative differences in sound pressure levels, so we can know how much your find BD silent caps quiet down the loud-mouths of the stove kingdom!! 8) 8) Talk to you soon, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Morning, Ron, Unfortunately, the gutter cleaning did not get done, before the snow began to fall. Too much to do, and too little time to do it, it seems. With the snow falling steadily, it's far too dangerous to try to get up on the roof to clean the gutters now. Since I did not get them cleaned out, they will clog when the snow melts, and flooding down stairs can, and has, resulted. That means, when the snow melts, I will have to get out with a shovel and mattock, and ditch around the back of the house, to keep the basement from flooding. All part of mountain living, but one thing I had hoped to avoid, by cleaning out the gutters yesterday. No time, however..... Ah, well.... what will be, will be, eh?! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
A shame they discontinued it, particularly if the old yellow pump was so solid. I suspected as much. I've seen photos of the windscreen. It looks like a good one -- probably better than the foil ones MSR uses now. Let me make it easy for you: Just bring your petrol, kero, alcohol, and LPG stoves and leave the rest behind. I wouldn't want to burden you unnecessarily.
Ever considered making a cap that would fit an MSR Dragonfly? (maybe your caps are such that they can already be used with a D'fly?) I'd be very interested in a cap for my Dragonfly since it is so freaking loud. Perhaps someone will bring a BD cap to CA SG #3 and my D'fly could give it a try? HJ
