Got this stove as a gift while I was a young teen. This stove is indestructible and wonderful. My only regret is that it is not really suitable for taking on a plane, using (and smelling) like petrol even when empty. Pump is mandatory unless you plan to have a LONG appetiser.

Customer Service

Not required.

Similar Products Used:

Campingaz 270, MSR Superfly

I'm 19 and for a living i am a packer and while on a pack job its not to uncommon for a customer to not want something and give it to us or throw it away. The other day i was working and the customer was bringing down some old items that he no longer wanted. Most of them were pictures and stereo equipment but then he brought this down and asked if i would like it and i jumped all over it. He didnt tell me anything about it and this thing is old. From what i can deduce and from some research it seams to be an early 60's model. It has more rust than anything esle so i have decided to sand and repaint it with satin black bbq paint but leave the brightwork alone. He did say that he hadnt used it in more than 20 years and i brought it home and the next day light it up with the same fuel that has been in it all these years. It wasnt a problem it came to life without a hitch. Man these things are cool and from what I've read they last forever. This wont be something that just sits in a cupboard or atic, i plan on useing it extensively, as i spend a lot of time in Colorado and Montana at more then 4,000m Hunting and Camping most of the year. I cant wait to really put it to the test. I have no reason to think that i would perform less then amazing.

Customer Service

NONE. No kit no manual no calling them. I am going to try and get a manual for it but this thing is so simple i dont really need one. I would like to get a pump for it so if anyone knows where i can get one please let me know it would be much appreciated.

Found my 8R several years ago in an old cupboard whilst doing a vacation job at my local university. I was told to take it otherwise it would be trash. It did look a bit worse for wear and went unused for about a year but dug it out when my MSR died. Fired it up in my shed - worked straight away. I cleaned it up and replaced a graphite packing ring. Have since used on many climbing trips in Scotland, Spain, France and New Zealand. Keep meaning to get a modern lightweight stove but am too attached to this slightly heavy but reliable friend.

Customer Service

"Base Camp" - LITTLEHAMPTON, E SUSSEX UK

I got mine used. It looked quite old. I had to sand it and repaint it with heat-resistant paint, so I did not have to lose my appetite looking at it, while trying to cook. Unlike Svea 123 type, 8R requires a pump. Without a pump, you tend to watch the dandelion grow near your camp site, while you are trying to boil water. Don't leave home without a pump, if you are going to use 8R for your camping. Otherwise, it is a very reliable one to use, once you get the knack of priming the burner. With a pump, priming becomes so easy. You pump 3-4 times, open up the valve, let it trickle and fill the cup half way, shut it off, ignite, wait a while, then fully open. Roar! That simple. Without a pump, you may need to try priming 2-3 times, if the weather is cold or windy. Not a good thing, if you want something hot soon. 8R's fuel tank is rather small, and with a pump, expect it to last only 40 minutes at full throttle. 8R is definitely for single individual camping, and it serves that purpose very well.

Customer Service

Never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Svea 123

If you are a stove nut this is a cool one to add to your collection. It is small,compact and is built to last. Unfortunatly its boil times are a joke, any slight breeze affects the flame, and without the pump or some other priming tool getting fuel in the priming cup with gloves on in very cold weather is impossible. I have had mine for 15 yrs and like it because it is reliable and different, but with the quicker, lighter stoves out there, there is no reason to have this as your primary backpacking stove. It makes a great back-up.

This is a blowtorch of a stove, I love it. The design is wonderfully self contained. I bought mine on Ebay used, and it works great. I was given the pump kit as a birthday gift, and it works quite nicely for getting the stove primed and ready to go faster. I prime my stove by giving it two pumps of air, then I squirt a little denatured alchohol into the priming cup (it burns safer, longer and cleaner than the gas/petrol based fuel burned in the stove)and light it off. In just a couple minutes (long enough for me to fill a pot with water) the stove is ready to light. These stoves might look a little antiquated by todays standards, and I while think that may be part of their charm, they are also solid, dependable performers. I don't use anything else these days. The 8R is stable, and will support a vessel as small as my titanium camp cup. While the clam-shell hinged cover does provide the flame some shelter from the wind, an extra wind shield can also be useful. The 8R also has a decent range of flame adjustment, not as good as the Peak 1 I have, but useable. Good for simmering as long as I keep a wary eye on my dinner. Look away, and it might get burned. The 8R does weigh a little more than the new crop of skeletal backpacking stoves, but short of falling off a cliff it shouldn't fail on me. Hmmm... maybe Optimus should introduce an ultralight Ti model. Just make the clamshell and heat shield out of titanium... it would be expensive.

Customer Service

Its so tough I havn't needed it yet, but Optimuis has a website with part numbers and exploded diagrams of their stoves.

Similar Products Used:

Coleman Peak 1, MSR Firefly

My father got the 8r in 1964 for a backpacking trip across Europe. I stole it from him in 1984 and have used it most every weekend since. As a kid we used every thing from white gas to diesel fuel in it and never had any sort of problem(some fuels burn hotter and others give off some soot). This is a great little stove. I have never had to repair anything on it, just a good cleaning and paint tuchup now and again.

None

None

Bought my Optimus 8R back in 1975 in Victoria and it has seen a lot of use and abuse ever since. I have never had to repair anything on it and since fonding a pump at a yard sale for $0.25 its just perfect. It gets some side glances from other folks but will their stove still be simmering along in 26 years? Ok, so its a little heavier than the newer stoves but it simmers, lights quickly (especially with the pump) and like someone said - will be used by cockroaches after the end of the word :)

Similar Products Used:

None

Great stove. I love simplicity. This stove has it. Works like a trojan and built to last. This stove was used. Worth every cent. Great flame control. All brass burner and tank. Stows in the metal box you carry with you. It's small. Perfect for motorcycle camping, small car camping or any time you need to cook. I can't say enough. This one is idiot proof no pumps to screw up nothing much to go wrong.

Customer Service

A&H. Good people.

Similar Products Used:

Optimus: Nova, Explorer, Hiker, Seva & Ranger.
Petromax.
MSR: DragonFly, Whisperlite.
A&H R1 (Hunter copy)Russian.
Primus: VariFuel.
Coleman: Feather400, 533 Dual Fuel, Suitcase types.

I bought this model in 1997, with the full expectation that it would live up to it's Optimus reputation... it failed. May be I got the stove that was made on a friday afternoon! It lacked any power and took well over 10minutes to warm a pint of water! In the field this type of performance is just not acceptable and so I returned the little stove to the shop and instead I purchased a Sigg Firejet. Sorry to say it but the Hunter just didn't cut the mustard! If you are just looking for a stove to warm water in your back yard then buy it, but if you are a serious packer steer clear. May be it would work better with the pressure pump... worth a go I guess.

Similar Products Used:

Sigg Firejet, MSR Dragonfly, Optimus 118.