What!! No Firefly?  It had the best features of the whisperlite and the XKG (XKG was the successor to the Model G).  The firefly used the same WG pump set up, could  any cooking requirements, ranging from a candle flame,  to a roaring jet engine, and had an excellent pot stand.  It had a dorky windscreen that I substituted with a home made foil screen.  Its only real problem was the 1st generation flexible fuel line featured a coupling that was prone to leaking; I hypothesize its relatively short production life span was due to a law suit arising from that leaky coupling. 

Ed  

I still have and use my whisperlite.  Works great besides the the fuel hole exit thingy getting clogged.  Still have my original unclogging tool that I use to open it back up to that familiar roar!

I love that 1972 model.  It would be great to see an earlier model too.

I spent the last two weeks camping in Great Smoky Mtns. N.P., my Whisperlite fed me every day. It's twenty-five years old !

I don't have an MSR, but I'm hoping my my new Brunton Vapor AF can provide decades of service. Seems durable enough from a material and build standpoint. House test proved impressive in most respects, but can't wait to use it in the field for a year and review soon thereafter! 

The Duel Fuel looks like what we called the XGK, way back when.

It looks like they've got the Dual Fuel and the Model 9 reversed.  The Model 9 had the scalloped burner bell.  I'm pretty sure the Dual Fuel had a straight edged burner bell.

HJ

The Dual Fuel is not an XGK, it is a much earlier model. I have an XGK from around 1986 with the yellow plastic pump. The striker broke on mine, so I replaced it with a nut and washer MSR sent me along with replacement "O" rings (at no cost I might add).

Mine still works, although I did manage to set the pump on fire when it leaked on me while starting it up in my kitchen. Got the fire out right away, so just a little cosmetic damage. A highly reliable stove.

Don't tell anyone, but it will burn alcohol, or as they call it in NZ, methylated spirits (the purple stuff you can get at a petrol station).  MSR says don't do it, but it does work.

A friend had an XGK that we used in the late '70's that he had bought at Swallows Nest. It had the same vaporizer tube as the Dual Fuel, so Larry and company were experimenting along the lines. Gold anodized base as I recall. It worked well, though the rigid fuel pipe was an issue, and the pump was a bit finicky. It was nice that it would burn practically anything.

These photos are messing with my mind.  The Model 9 shown appears to have a straight edged burner.  Every photo of a Model 9 I've seen heretofore has had a scalloped edged burner.  And then the Dual Fuel shown after the Model 9 has a scalloped edged burner.  *head explodes*

I wonder if the Model 9 shown was a modified version.  I've never seen a jar lid used as a base before.

Neat old photos.  I wish that I had been there or that MSR had a bit more info on them.  Even MSR seems to be a little vague on their own history.  Some of their stoves are listed simply as "1990's," hardly a precise date.

HJ

I worked at an outdoor store in North NJ back in the early 90's in the camping dept.At first it was just a job but got really into it and bought a lot of equipment including a whisperlite international.I still have that and a Dragonfly.Both great stoves however with all things they must be maintained as they sat for several years and all the o-rings needed to be replaced.Even though i use a Coleman duel fuel stove i always carry both of those stoves.

I had a Whisperlight stove. I left it at a buddys house in the early 80s in Santa Rosa California. I lost his address shortly after while swimming and have never heard back from him or been able to track him down. I used it in Yosemite in 1980.

With Hurricane Irene and the loss of power i took the stove (whisperlight international) to my Moms house and boiled water for coffee as she has had no power for 3 days now.This year i bought the new improved pump for it and it performed flawless as ever.

A stove can be a really nice thing in an emergency.  When they issue an "emergency boil" order, just how are you going to boil water if the utilities are out?  The number one most effective water treatment is boiling.   Boiling kills bacteria, viruses, protozoa, you name it.  Boiling is more effective than UV light, chemicals, or filtration.  Boiling however cannot to my knowledge remove things like industrial pollutants, pesticides, and the like.

HJ

Hey, Jim ~~

As you are now our "default stoves guy", I have a question:

I just ran across a stove I had been scouring my "stash" for.   Found it !

It is a new, unused (still in original  packaging) Brunton Optimus "CRUX" foldable butane canister stove.   Packaging says, "Made in Sweden", but on the stove itself, is engraved / stamped, "Made in Japan".

I reckon I've had it for maybe 10 years.

What have I got here?

                                                   ~r2~

...I have the Model 9A and used it recently on a climb. Bought it from a guy for 10 bucks because all it would do is boil water...on a glacier climb that is precisely the objective that Larry Pemberthy had when he started MSR and they designed this stove.

MSR has tried to get me to donate my 9A to their museum. Also, a  few years ago I sent a lot of the old info I had on these stoves to the Classic Stove site for it to be posted there. It's there if you go looking for it.

Also have the Whisperlite series (900 and an International)  plus a stash of spare parts thanks to Apeman.

All of these are good stoves but like anything need to be maintained to work their best.

Best,

Mazama

...forgot to add that I think Jim is correct about the scalloped edge on the Model 9...my 9A has that scalloped edge.

Best,

Mazama

Robert Rowe said:

Hey, Jim ~~

As you are now our "default stoves guy", I have a question:

I just ran across a stove I had been scouring my "stash" for.   Found it !

It is a new, unused (still in original  packaging) Brunton Optimus "CRUX" foldable butane canister stove.   Packaging says, "Made in Sweden", but on the stove itself, is engraved / stamped, "Made in Japan".

I reckon I've had it for maybe 10 years.

What have I got here?

                                                   ~r2~

 Hey, buddy, that's Mr. Default to you.  ;)  lol.

Dunno what you've got.  Can you post some photos over in the Camp Kitchen section?

HJ

P.S.  Bill and some of the other veterans on the site know a lot about stoves too.  Hopefully their information and mine combines to form a more complete overall picture.

Mazama said:

...I have the Model 9A and used it recently on a climb. Bought it from a guy for 10 bucks because all it would do is boil water...on a glacier climb that is precisely the objective that Larry Pemberthy had when he started MSR and they designed this stove.

MSR has tried to get me to donate my 9A to their museum. Also, a  few years ago I sent a lot of the old info I had on these stoves to the Classic Stove site for it to be posted there. It's there if you go looking for it.

Also have the Whisperlite series (900 and an International)  plus a stash of spare parts thanks to Apeman.

All of these are good stoves but like anything need to be maintained to work their best.

Best,

Mazama

A 900?  Do you mean a 600?  I've not heard of a 900 before.

Mazama said:

...forgot to add that I think Jim is correct about the scalloped edge on the Model 9...my 9A has that scalloped edge.

Best,

Mazama

Does your 9A have a yellow pump or a white pump?  Love to see some photos some time.

HJ