You're right Jeff. This recall has sure tainted my opinion of the latest Optimus stoves and even my opinion of ones that are a little bit older on the bay. I'm sure there are some good ones, but which ones are they? I'm liking my 111s and 8Rs even more now. sam
Hi Sam, The nova's made in Sweden are good. The Brunton ones too. I blame China but is more of a lack of quality control. The piss off I have is mine came with a tested sticker on the bottom of the stove. It didn't run well out of the box and had brass shavings under the cleaning needle. I think that is when I should have returned it. Of course I fixed it and it works well now. Jeff
Estonia has an excellent reputation in the E.U. for quality workmanship and a workforce that is hardworking,excellent language skills and very reliable. Hilleberg, probably the finest tent manufacturers on the planet have their tents made in Estonia.
There are at least 5 major versions plus some variations in several details, mainly housing, burner bell and legs. - Nova 1st version, 5mm brass bolt+steel nut Not really reliable, due to temperature effects the 5mm bolt would easily break off. - Nova 2nd version, 6mm brass bolt+bell shaped brass nut. -Nova+ 1st version with CEJN coupling So far all with the old outer housing, upper rim bended inside for increased stability and reliable CEJN coupling. Nova and Nova+ latest versions with bayonet coupling. Either with new housing without bended rim or with the old housing. Lock nut for the regulator spindle either outside 10mm brass or inside 8mm steel. 10mm lock nut version comes along with the old regulator spindle, 3 "fuel channels" along the threading. 8 mm lock nut version with 2 "fuel channels". Variations in color for handle and fuel bottle, later versions with diferent colors of the pump valve knob. Different leg size and shape. Several versions of the burner bell in diameter+shape. Latest versions have a different pump housing, besides the bayonet coupling instead of the CEJN coupling. In short, IMO the most reliable is a Nova 2nd version with the old housing and CEJN coupling. juergen
I have modified several Nova for KAP Arctic projects and currently have 3 Nova. One is an early 2nd version (replacement for my broken 1st versions) and two are of the latest versions, one with outside lock nut and one with inside lock nut. But both are rebuild to verson 2, with old hoses and CEJN coupling plus old pumps. Described in this thread some days ago: Post#177513 Despite some effort for rebuilding they are still more reliable than Primus Omnifuels in very cold environments, Omnifuels often fail around -30 and lower. juergen
Yesterday I received a new pump from Optimus. Connection was smooth and I did not found any wear in the male seal after repeated connections. Difference to the recalled connector was evident, and IMO Optimus has solved that problem correctly. Also worked fine with my Ultima Naltio stove.
Keron, Dab a little kerosene(paraffin) on the seal and let it sit for a few days. Let us know if it is still OK. Mine came back w/ o-ring that couldn't tolerate the fuel and swelled up like bratwurst. Now they tell my not to use it(again). AR
I have been keeping an eye on this whole thread and find the whole Optimus Nova debacle quite alarming. I bought a little-used Brunton branded Nova last year because I specifically wanted the old style pump with CEJN snap-coupler and no black or green paint! Even before this latest round of problems cropped up, the new style couplers Optimus started using looked less convenient and less field proven than the (presumably expensive but superb) CEJN. I actually got the Nova just for the pump and fuel hose for one of Keron's KAP style conversion kits, but I ended up liking the Nova by itself. I really find it devastating that the Optimus name, a company that had very few QC problems with it's products, has been so tarnished. What's more, I would have expected more from Katadyn, a Swiss company that is also has been well-respected for decades. Darn-it Optimus!! Get your act together, bring back solid brass tanks, quality workmanship throughout, excellent customer service, and the Optimus 00 while you are at it! Sorry, but it angers me to see the old phrase "they don't make them like they used to" become more and more true. Best wishes to all those who are very upset and frustrated with Optimus right now. Regards Doug E.
Optimus, as we all knew it, is history. It started with the former take over by ThinkOut AB, proven IT Experts....a perfect knowledge base for designing stoves. The same is true for Primus which belong to Fjaellraeven and in turn, like many others, to Fenix AB. http://www.corporateinformation.com/Company-Snapshot.aspx?cusip=C75249950 As soon as profit margins/shareholder value is becoming the major goal you will see a decline in quality. That's modern business life The best you can do is to get proven old-style quality products. juergen
I simply cannot believe that Optimus make any seal in their stoves that do not tolerate common fuels like kerosene. I just tested again ( fourth time I believe) my updated Nova pump and it worked very fine. The "wrong" quick coupling connector was very hard to use because it required a lot of physical force to be connected, and because of that the O ring of the fuel hose become in bad condition very soon. I cannot find that problem in the updated connector. Moreover, some here state that the original CEJN connector may be the best ever made. Well, it works fine if you remember keep it well oiled with high quality gun oil like Brunox Turbo oil. Without regular treatment it sucks. Optimus made just right decision to improve the connector. Unfortunately the quality control was not high enough in their production line and that caused the recall of certain series of the pumps. Personally I do not provide any opinions on this forum without my personal experience on the stoves or it parts I'm talking about.
Hello Keron, Can you post some pictures of the 'updated connector' I am curious to see what they did. Jeff
I am still waiting for an email or a reply. 2 weeks and counting. I just want a refund now. My Brunton Nova works great. Jeff
I got a phone call they sent a FedEx pickup slip i sent it back. they have it now a fella named brad said they have a fix now we will see
Hi, new to this forum, but longtime reader. And also quite new to this 'lifestyle'. After reading alot about all the different stoves out there, I bit the bullet this spring and bought my first stove, a Nova+, despite all the negative reviews. But I couldn't been happier with my choice, it's easy to fieldstrip, maintain, easy in use, bombproof and burns all kind of crap I put in it. I have had 2 of the normal problems; 1. the clogged fuel filter, but most of the debris I found was coming from the threads on the new bottles and the easy fix was to cut a thin slice of it and put it back in, 2. the O-ring on the coupling shreaded, I couldn't find a reason for it, but I got my suspicions confirmed by the recall, bad tooling in the production. Couple of days ago I got the new pump and a spare parts kit in the mail, and it works as usual just perfect. Although I've only had for under 6 months, I've already put over 20 liters of different fuel through it, and never let me down. Even though I'm new to this hobby and forum, it makes me sad that corporates and $$$ can make a cheap product out of a good name just for some extra cash. But I have to say a lot of the problems and bad reviews I've read is down to user fault. This is by no mean an idiotproof light and forget product. If you give it some love and maintenance it will run forever. Just my experince so long, now I'm going out to make some waffels on my Nova. Hopefully Optimus name will live through this.
I received an email from Optimus saying they are sending a pre-paid label. It's about time. I almost forgot. Jeff
I sent my stove in Oct 13 after filling out the online form Oct 1st. Had the same stove back Nov 8th. I assumed they replaced the hose and they sent me two repair kits. I had a trip to Mt Washington Nov 12th and I let the customer service person know this in Oct. I was happy with the response and service they provided I got the stove back and tested it before the trip. It lite and ran. Prior to sending it in I never had any issues with the some what new to me stove. Bought it Last Feb 2010 from Optimus's web site. I brought my 123 as a backup and spare stove to Mt Washington. I was with a group of 5 and I was the only one with liquid fuel stoves. Well the Nova+ ran terribly and at one point no fuel would come out of the bottle. Once home I tossed it aside and started working on the 123 and making a pot stand. See my other thread. I found this site in my travels on the interweb and read how the white cotton filter plugs easily. Removed it and now the Nova+ is running great. Ordered some brass screen and will wrap the tip of the pickup with it when it arrives. This site is great. I love playing with stoves.
