Optimus

Latest Reviews

Svea

Older technology but dependable. My first Svea 123 I purchased in the 1970s when I started backpacking. The old girl never let me down and provided enough heat to cook any trail food that was on the menu. This is so durable that if one would go on eBay you could find many antique 123's that work as good as they did when new. I say my first because the original suffered a broken stem valve back in the '90s and due to no internet I had no idea where to get a new one.  I recently purchased a new version… Full review

Polaris Optifuel

Lightweight, well built stove. Excellent flame control, even better than my Whisperlite. Good boiling times. It is loud, so I'd recommend buying a a silencer cap. Have enjoyed using it with the cap. Hike and camp in the Colorado Rockies. Bought this after reading and researching a lot of stoves. Was not happy with my WhisperLite Universal, which although better than my old Coleman in some ways, was not as good in others. Was tired of needing to change "jets" when changing fuels. This solved my issues… Full review

Svea

A fun stove. Svea 123r is a self pressurizing white gas (Coleman Lantern Fuel, Naphtha, Shellite) backpacking stove. The stove's base serves as an integrated fuel tank which can not be refilled on the fly. It holds about 40-60 minutes burn time of fuel. The stove produces excellent heat, but due to narrow size would not recommend putting large group pot on top. The stove like many liquid fuel stoves has two speeds, full blast and off. You can lower the flame, but the burner is small so all the heat… Full review

Titanium Folding Spork

An overpriced trinket that is too small for practical use and prone to collapse or fall apart with little provocation. I’m not really a gear head. (Cue quiet snickering.) In fact, I like to think I’ve never bought a piece of gear I didn’t need. (Barely contained laughter.) OK so maybe I have bought an item or two on impulse. And regretted it. Case in point: The Optimus Titanium Folding Spork (OTFS). My wife and I were in NYC, of all places, and wandered into a gear store to see what was up—trips… Full review

8R

Brilliant in the sort of way that makes people affectionate for the item, in the manner of Tellus vacuum cleaners and the Volvo cars of the time—well engineered, made to last, with sturdy design ethics. I include the instructions that came with the unit, for anyone out there that may find them useful. To prime the unit, I use the shell of an old de-needled syringe that I dip in the tank, place my finger over the hole in the top of the syringe hole to extract the Fuelite, place this in the priming… Full review