Good Evening, All, Since I bought both of my 199's, "back in the day", I got them for prices that would be considered inexpensive in today's Stove World! IF I had known that these little powerhouse stoves would have turned out to be to popular, I'd have bought one more, just to have all three setup for three different fuels! Be that as it may, tonight I got the urge to fire up one of my 199's, and chose the one in which I burn kerosene. IMHO, the little 199 and kerosene were made for each other! Though I have to admit, that, properly setup, this little guy can burn Meths (as my second 199 is setup to do) or, Coleman Fuel, too, making it a true Multifuel Stove! I used the fuel ithat was already in this stove, and it's been in there for 10-15 years!! The gaskets looked to be in great shape, for I "went for it"!! Here is my Optimus 199 stove adventure for the day! As a proviso for these photos, they were taken on a nice white fir stump that's on our property, and offers a lot of room for stove testing. BUT.... it's most definitely not level! So, no need to adjust your monitors, Folks, the "lean" is honest and proper for the stump on which these photos were taken! I've always thought this little stove was a fantastic performer, and loved using it, even though it's a tad heavy. It might amaze you to learn that, back when this stove was released, it was pretty much panned by the backpacking Press in the USA!! Well, for those of us who appreciated a great stove design, the Optimus 199 was amazing! More photos.... Priming with Meths. No muss, no fuss, just a nice, blue flame, without a single problem, and with, as mentioned above, the old fuel that has been in the tank for 10-15 years! How could you NOT love this little Powerhouse of a stove?!?!! I did not time it, but the little 199 boiled water, for the "kerophile tea test" relatively quickly, with with lots of power! Note the steam up by our shed! And, yes, I can hear you asking: Does it simmer? Yup! Back up on the deck, here are my two 199's, together. So, there you have it, Fellow Stovies and Stovettes! I think very highly of the 199, even though it's fuel capacity is a bit on the light side. Cooking style, and prior planning can help take care of that, with very little effort. Thanks for checking out my little Brute, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
That is one very nice looking stove, I have never seen one before. I am intrigued by the windshield design, is that removable? does it just sit over the lip of the burner? I am thinking it may be a useful modification to some other stoves with silent burners.
@Geoff Chirnside I’ve bought similar windshields from Korea (via the Bay of Evil): Korean Windshield for Optimus 111 (silent) Cheers Tony
Morning, Guys, Thanks for your kind comments on my 199. It's a great little stove, and well worth seeking out, and using! @Geoff Chirnside , said, in part: "I am intrigued by the windshield design, is that removable? does it just sit over the lip of the burner?I am thinking it may be a useful modification to some other stoves with silent burners." Geoff, this windscreen is proprietary to the 199, in the way it's made and the way it fits the burner. Since it's such a small set, the windscreen had to be modified by Optimus to actually fit inside the case, when the stove was packed up. Here are a few more photos, which will show you better details on the windscreen. Note, the cutaway portion of the windscreen, which allows it to sit down further on the burner, and not cause a problem with the fuel tank heat shield. Also, note that the top edge has been formed to fit snugly, and positively on the burner ring. I hope that shows you how this little windscreen works with the 199. When I took the photos of my other 199 in action, yesterday, I did not use an outboard windscreen, and with the light breeze that was present, it wasn't needed. But, if it was really blowing a gale out there, it would behoove a user of this stove to have some sort of outboard windscreen to shelter the little burner and help it to do what it does best. I think that an MSR heavy aluminum windscreen would work with it, and it can be folded up small enough to not be a bother in packing. FYI. By the way, the stove and windscreen shown in today's photos is my second 199. It's setup to burn Meths, and with a wonderful restrictor from a SVEA M1915 burner, it burns Meths a treat! No "lift-off" of the flame, and just a nice, strong (for a Meths stove) blue flame. Thanks, again, for your nice comments, Fellow Stovies, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
@Tony Press Thanks for the link to your post, those Korean windsahields look good. I will do a search as I need some other parts that are available in Korea. I have heard somewhere that they are not selling any parts overseas at the moment though. @Doc Mark Thankyou for your reply and the extensive photos of your stove and the windscreen description. My mind is now working around ways of making one myself, I might have something in stainless steel lying around that could provide the starting point.
@Geoff Chirnside Here are some homemade windshields: Windshield for a British Military No.12 Cooker. Homemade Windshield for Heinze Geniol Tony
Hi @Doc Mark great post! i have just noticed the the great similarity between the fuel warning notice on your Op. No 199 and that on a British Army No.7 stove tank. So obviously an Optimus -made label rather than an Army one. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Isn't the 199 a triple fuel stove?. It's what makes it so desireable. I had one with all the fuel option parts.
@Blueflame , In a word, I'd say it's there for "liability" protection! We have to look at the "lowest common denominator", sad to say. All it takes is a few minutes perusing the stove videos on YouTube, and that conclusion is unavoidable. Doc
@Doc Mark you are sure not kidding about the lowest common denominator. I have seen some of those youtube videos. I remember one where a person was showing how to light some Indian made stoves with diesel. Hillarious. Others have been down right dangerous.
