Svea 123
 

If I am just taking my Svea along for cooking I use just unleaded fuel and we also use gasahol in my state. Both work fine. If I am taking my lanturn along for light at night then I usuall take coleman fuel and use that. When I am done using it I just turn it off and it goes out and it will hold pressure for several months. I have never talked to anyone that had one that did not love it. If it was not this late I would go find it and do the water boil test as I know will keep up with the best of them. It burns with a blue flame and roars like a jet engine. It generates it own pressure and I have used it to make coffee in the morning for 8 or 9 guys. It keeps up pretty good even making that much. Just a happy user. I really like something that works forever and does what it is supposed to.

I have had mine since 1974 and have always used whatever fuel us in my tank, so in the early days, it was leaded:innocent:
Once it's cooled, I release any remaining pressure using the filler cap, wind the needle up and put the whole lot in a plastic bag. Never had a fuel leak.

I'm sure you could find a "tupperware" type box that is a snug fit for it if you were concerned about it.

John

thanks for the information... always better to talk to an owner or two.

All these SVEA fans saying how good a roaring flame it produces, can I ask how controllable it is for lower temps? Simmering etc? Some stoves do b####y hot very well but can't simmer a stew for an hour :)

The Svea does indeed look very interesting. What's the noise emission? I found some fuel stoves that look great but sound like a jet engine.

747 :eek3: but great for waking up other campers with the early coffee brew.

John

Quick update: we purchased a stove today. We took a look at the Primus FuelEx, too, but in the end decided to go with an MSR Whisperlite. It was the smallest and lightest of all stoves available (remember, we had a 190€ coupon for that store so our choice was a bit limited) and its 120€ price tag also seemed very convincing. I read a few good and a few bad things about it, and it seemed to be the lesser evil.

In addition I'll build a basic and compact hobo stove myself and give it a try on our next trip. The ones I found on- and offline seemed way too expensive - four steel plates and a few hinges should NOT cost 70 bucks.

Had one before the omnifuel.

You are limited to liquid fuels, but is still a nice, dependable stove: We liked it and it served us well across S. America

Svea stove
 

I had compared it to a noise of a jet engine but even though it sounds like that kind of noise it is not all that loud. It does turn down to a simer if you are cooking something that you want to simmer for several hours. This stove does come with caution. Do not and I repeat do not attempt its use inside like a tent. Also you should practice with it so you know how to light it and put it out. You should also practice at home with it in taking it apart and putting it back together so you are very familiar with its use. Like any fine tool you have to use it right. You first light it by poring gas on the outside of it. That in itself needs to be done with caution and then you never attempt to light it with a open can of fuel near. I have seen people put to much on which is not a big problem if you do not get up and kick over the open can of fuel that you left right by your foot. I said it is simple to use but unfortunatly it is not idiot proof. Enough said.............

I found this thread very interesting! I bought a Svea 123 in 1969 and have used it as cold as minus 30, it is a little hard to pressurize at that temp so if you have a camp fire going you just set the stove on the edge of the coals to preheat the unit and then it fires right up!! It is the model with the pin jet cleaner.
I look at others when I am in the gear stores and can't see why I would want to retire the 123!!

We thought about that, long and hard. And in the end we figured that it's fine, since we're not going to carry around a gas cartridge and a bottle of fuel. We ride two-up with full camping gear, so space is very limited. And in case we ever decide that a gas stove would be the smarter choice, like for a short two- or three-day trip, we still have our old Camping Gaz stove.

On the bike, I take a Coleman 533 because I don't want to carry an extra bottle of fuel when I have a tank full. It's a bit fierce & needs careful shielding from the wind if you want to simmer. But generally a very good stove.Note: Although they're not really designed to run on leaded petrol, they will, but take a spare generator.

Backpacking - Trangia. Very controllable. Almost windproof. Also if you spill Meths (denatured alcohol) your kit won't stink for all eternity.

Hexamine stove - ideal for emergency kits but you can't really 'cook' on it, just heat things up.

Primus multi fuel never again.
 

Primus multi fuel never again.:thumbdown:

I initially was very excited about the Primus multi fuel. As it is lightweight and burns most oil based fuels. However shortly after I bought the stove it started leaking at the coupling. So I contacted Primus and they informed that this was common problem with the older pumps and they posted me anew repalcement one. The new pump started leaking within a few hours of use. I personally never want to use one of these high tech looking multi fuel stoves again. They are prone to leaking and have many flimsy parts that cause problems when you least expect it. I would stick with an old school sturdy stove like the SVEA123, a gas cooker or for small trips maybe even haximine tablets or just make a wood fire. I found out that with stoves and outdoor cooking in general simpler is better.

This is an old thread, since its start I bought a primus omnifuel. I dislike it intensely and now leave it ar home and prefer my £10 Gaz stove. It wont simmer, and takes too long to setup and disassemble plus t he preheat time. much quicker and cleaner with the gaz. of course if I was to spend months in deepest wild places my opinion might change. On my Trip to poland via Italy it was such a nuisance to deploy I reverted to only cold drinks instead of my usual brew ups aside the the road.

If anyone wants to buy the omni fuel used about a dozen times only, drop me a line. I shall be sticking to Gaz for the foreseeable future.

OldBMW- if it won't simmer, it needs servicing - as something isn't right- mine does beautifully-
If it's this one you have, (same as mine) you simply change the jet for the gas-
Jet number 45 is for gas, 37 gasoline/whitegas and 28 for diesel/kerosene.
It is a very good stove and should you run out of gas but have your bike, you won't be stuck for a brew-up