No good sending out new seals without letting you know about the rough edge that's damaging them - with a cure or replacement fuel line.
And some folks wonder why i do not embrase the new fandangled fuel-line stoves. KISS applies here. lance
Filled out the form too. Makes the Primus omnifuel look even better. Good for Optimus for finally coming out with a recall. Jeff
Lance, there is more than a little evidence to backup your lack of embrace for these. It's a matter of attention to detail and finishing. What I've found on more items than I care to mention, is that an otherwise "exact copy" of an original can be made useless by failure to do a simple thing like soften the edge on a machined part. As with all things, the devil is in the details. Be it the fine print on a legal document, or that tiny sharp edge that shreds o-rings, or the haste to use a cheaper material without testing it in a field environment. The bottom line is the same....Failure. Just like a fancy car, the more features you have, the more points of failure you inherently build into it. Too many moving parts. Any time you have a temporary connection(like a hose or pump), eventually it will wear and fail. That's why the 123 is a cult favorite. I think the Taykits, and the like tayk the cake for simplicity though. The only moving part being the fuel cap. The "new and improved" stoves do require regular inspection and common sense like any other piece of equipment. I treat all my stoves with respect and care that they need to remain reliable. I don't baby them, but I do take common sense care not to kink the hoses or roll them too tight, keep the connections lubed and clean, filter my fuel etc. By golly, I'll even go so far as to read the directions. And even follow them most of the time. What I'm trying to say is simple. I realize that a stove with more stuff to go wrong will require proportionally more care and preventive maintenance. It's the cost I willingly pay for fast priming, to use multiple fuels, to light every time in all weather conditions, to burn like a rocket, to simmer like a candle, to support a heavy pot and remain stable, to cool down quickly, and to pack away in a small package. So when something like an o-ring fails, I don't freak out and call 911. I plan ahead and have spares. Would you go on a cross country trip without a spare tire? I check to see what made it fail. Oh, file down that sharp edge..problem solved. As Chico Esqualla once so eloquently put it, "Rubber breaks." That said, I don't love my big Speedmasters or tiny Optimus 80 any less. They all have a place in my world. And I love every one of them for there quirks and features. They're ALL kinda like family. Mike
Link to Optimus repair form http://www.optimusstoves.com/en/service/nova-recall You can probably substitute the /en/ for your language of choice. AR
Mike when i buy something which costs as much as these stoves did and now do, reletive to income, i expect them to function without flaw. Each and every time i use it. Years ago i bought a Rugar pistol NIB. It came with burrs on the screws. I sent it back to Rugar 4 times before i got it with no burrs on the screws. You are absolutly correct, it is the attention to details which makes or breaks a company. How long will Optimus or any other company remain in business if they do not pay attention to the details. I should think one good lawsuit, read expensive, against them for a failure of this sort may well put them in the red ink. Certainly it affects their reputation. lance
Lance, I agree with you wholeheartedly. On reading my last post, I didn't do a very good job of expressing that in the context of this thread. There is never an excuse for ANY stove, much less a high end model like this to fall short on quality. Their reputation is already tarnished. Due to this shortcoming, many will never buy an Optimus product again. Unfortunately, I doubt that our small community of stove junkies' rejection of their products will have much affect on their bottom line. That potential lawsuit, however, may have HUGE implications. My references to reading the instructions goes to numerous posts I've read on these and similar stove spewing fuel when disconnected. If the proper procedures are followed, there is no fuel in that part of the system TO spew out. This happens from incorrectly shutting the stove off at the valve, and not flipping the bottle and purging the fuel path. I was thinking it, just didn't type it. Poor posting on my part. Hopefully, they get their s%&t together after this, and produce the fine stoves they are known for. I don't know if a major housecleaning in their QA department has or will happen, but it certainly needs to in order keep similar occurrences from happening in the future. In fairness to Optimus/Katadyn, they are, if late in the game, doing the right thing recalling them. Sadly, recalls are painful and expensive for everyone. Expensive on their end in dollars, expensive on ours in time and inconvenience. Who knows how long the process will take. These were a pretty hot ticket item and there are a LOT of them out there to fix. They'll probably find it cheaper to just replace them a-la the old Coleman 501 debacle. I have always stood by the adage that you get what you pay for. Hopefully, they will realize that this applies to their production workers too. You can get em made cheap or you can get em made right, but you can't get both. Time will tell. Mike
I'm glad I decided on the Primus Omnifuel instead of the Optimus- of course that was an easy choice when I learned that the Multifuels were made in China whereas the Omnifuels are made in Estonia. So many products have been ruined after the manufacturer has moved to China. They always say that it is necessary to go to China to ensure lower prices- not lower prices for us but lower labor "prices" for the manufacturer. After they move production the price remains the same for us- it is the manufacturers whose profit margin increases. And of course the quality is no where near as good as the original. It is terrible that important items would ever be manufactured there at all- I mean a faulty stove could mean death for an outdoorsman/climber etc! Perhaps though if western nations would reduce regulations and taxes we would see more products manufactured here again.
Hi Andy i can remember when people thought i was just a whinging git for bitching about the Nova's, though i must admit my only problem with them was the poxy mouse tampons blocking the classics just seem to get better and better in my eyes, i never thought i'd take a 96 on a trip but it was faultless, though i did take a triad just in case, well 1oz for a back up stove you can't grumble at carrying that
SDF234, If you want reduced regulations and taxes, may I suggest moving to the mountains of Afghanistan. I've been there and it's beautiful this time of year. Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind that tree. Nobody likes paying taxes, but nobody likes shitty roads either. Can't have your cake and eat it too. Reducing taxes won't even make a dent in making us competitive with countries that pay 1/10th what we pay for labor. 20 Years ago, Korea was known for cheap low quality, crap. Hand soldered circuit boards, and sloppy workmanship. Remember Goldstar? Now they are Lucky Goldstar(LG). Samsung was the same deal. Now known for excellent stuff. Before you know it, China with be doing the same. And I bet it won't take em 20 years to figure out either. Mike
Yellowdog, I wasn't referring to any particular malfunction and don't really know without going back through the threads what your Nova problem was/is. That was simply an example of my attitude toward things. I'd rather do a 5 minute fix than be without a stove for who knows how long. I hope that everyone who is having problems will get satisfaction from the recall. At this point, what more can they do? The design on the new connectors is completely different from my old model. Obviously newer isn't always better. Mike
1) SVEA 123 (the unsung king of stoves) 2) Radius 20 w/ CT custom riser or MD silent 3) 8R w/ BD silent 4) 111 or 111T 5) Coleman 425 see a "classic" pattern BTW, hope that enders comes through. AR
Here's the reply I received from Katadyne: So, it looks like they are going to do something about it. We shall see... sam
Hi Mike I get ya now. Funnily enough my problem was with the stove you have not the current one. The bolt snapped from under the burner. I think some of these where also recalled or at least replaced for free on request, when it happened to mine it was outside the 5 year warranty but optimus saw me right. Optimus did make me up a replacement from spare parts. On mine there is a rough spot in the burner where the o-rings sit. I had not noticed it until now. As my stove has no warranty I will sand it myself as you suggested. Sand paper around a stick should do it. I do not think the problem I have described is the issue in the recall. Dan
Yellowdog, can you describe exactly where the rough spot is again? Mine only has 2 o-rings on the spindle. Is the rough spot in tube that the spindle goes in? If it is there and you sand it. Make sure you finish with the finest grit you can find(1000 or better). I also recommend using a bore brush chucked into a low speed drill to get the best finish. Wrap the wet/dry sandpaper around the brush, wet it and give it a spin. Rinse THOROUGHLY! If the hole is too small, roll the wet/dry into the right diameter and chuck the roll into the drill. That way you get an even, consistent surface. Let me know if this makes sense or not. Mike
Hi Mike Makes perfect sense thanks for the tips. Before I do anything I will just keep using it and keep an eye on the o-rings, they are fine so far, It may come to nothing. I would not have even noticed had this thread not got me looking closely. Dan
