Greetings from NZ, Just received this beauty today, apart from the case stamped with Optimus made in Sweden there is no indication of the model. I know it is an 8; but could anyone put a date on the cooker. I guess is was during a period of change over, cheers Tony
Nice example! Your stove does appear to be a model 8 (not an 8R) with it's fuel line centered on the tank. The case with it's rounded edges was eventually used for the 8R. The 8R appears for the first time in the Optimus catalogs in 1959 (the early 8Rs were cased in versions like yours stamped "8" not 8R) so yours is sometime prior to that but not by much. If I were a betting man, I'd say 1958. Really neat example of how these companies evolved their stoves a "half step" at a time. They refused to waste parts even if it produced inconsistencies in their models. Jerry
Thanks for that Jerry, another question is why did Sweden have so many companies producing cookers and distributing them around the planet .
Hi @Albatross If I may try to answer your question: Right product At the right time Access to multiple markets High Quality Good price Patent protection. And the rest is history. Primus No:100 - Fifty years of continuous development? Best Regards, Kerophile.
@Albatross I agree with kerophile and would add great distribution on select models. The Primus 71 for example must have been a great seller here in the 50's and 60's because the are fairly common in the US. Here in the states and prior to the 1960's there were no US stove manufacturers that produced something as light and compact as the Swedes. I've seen photos from Mountaineering Clubs out of Seattle, WA (Mid 40's) using a Coleman 530 and tab stoves left over from WW2 were popular but Swedish stoves were revered like Swiss chocolate.
