The msr whisperlite shaker jet stove does exactly what it advertises to do.
Burns white fuel, burns hot, and is simple to use?
I have read the threads and wonder about the preheating issues and fuel flare-ups?
Hmmm.. anyone ever light an Army emmersion heater at 4:00am in the morning in a freezing cold forest or combat arena? Well they have a fuel cup which is filled and lighted and put into the flue and then after warmed, get this while still burning you rotate the bruning preheater cup out of the flue and under the fuel canister (which is mounted on the heater/garbage can) and you slowly.. SLOWLY open the fuel canister to form a steady drip into the flaming fuel cup so the flaming fuel drips down the side of the fuel cup into the bottom of the emmersion heater and WHOALA! (then you rotate the fuel cup back into the flue) You'll have a garbage can of hot water in no time? Oooops forgot to mention? What if the fuel canister leaked drips all night into the emmersion well? "BOOM"..BIG BOOM! Big booms like a freakin hand grenade going off! That'll get everyone up in the wee hours! What if you're dumb enough to look down into the emmersion well while trying to get the dripping fuel into it? you'll look like a racoon most of the time? hehehe (why is it soo human and curios for us to want to look into a black well hoping to see the fuel burn ??)
And.. The Army m2 range outfits? A huge tank, pressurized by pumping with a standard type air pump used for bicycles.. Then you allow soo much fuel out of the preheater knob, light it ALWAYS FLARES UP AND EVERYWHERE! Then when its warm you turn the preheater on which is like a mini burner. Then after its preheated you turn the range knob on and a that baby hisses and spits and rumbles and emmits white smoke and with God's help it lights! Most of the time? If not you back up and try again? Crazy people hold a lighter over it? AGGGHH BIG FLAMES andBOOMS! Tearing these things apart requires an engineering degree to this day I can do it in my head????? Oh yeah they get soo hot there are gauges on them to warn you? HELP! When they hit red you gotta shutem down or they can explode?
We had one get onfire in the stove in the mess tent? There were four stoves going in there with 600 lbs of chicken cooking? Mogas, chicken grease, agghhh My buddy almost dove right through the tent screen! We luckily (per military regs) had a fire extinguisher in the tent? everyone ate MRE's for that evening meal and they HATED the cooks for a day? The flames burned up through the exhaust tent flues and could be seen a mile away in the woods! Big scare! Noone hurt, everyone laughed weeks after it happened?
Now compared to the above is a 50.00 shakerjet stove that bad to operate? Geeze guys we didn't buy a limousine here? We bought a 50.00 white fuel stove that requires a little effort not a lot a little? After being well practiced two plus years with mine I LOVE IT! If I ever go international hiking or have greater needs I'll then get another stove (MSR of course) but I'll never get one to just replace it?
I do agree lighting in a vestibule requires some tact! Becareful and do not overfill the primer cup! But I have found even if it does not light or the flame goes out a simple twist of the fuel control and a quick lighter flick and poof!
What is the big deal with this stove? Nothing! It works just fine!
I had a girlfriend I invested thousands of dollars into and she never worked right? And always flared up! hehehe
Try it its designed for a specific prupose and it serves well!
P.S. the army stories are true!

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Coleman...SUCKed!

Sorry to disagree with everyone but I don't like my new stove. Nifty looking red tank to be sure and it boils water to beat the band. However, it is extremely limited because of the impossibility of simmering anything. If you actually want to cook a meal on a heat other than high this stove isn't for you.

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This is a great stove, all you have to do is spend some time learning to prime and use it , after that know problems. The only thing that bugs me with all stoves is that they have to be on completly level ground to hav ethe pot stay on, somone should invent a stove that would keep the pot on even on a slight decline.

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This is an excelent stove that boils and cooks food and water very fast. It is extremely easy to maintain in the field also. I give this stove a go to any backpacker or hiker to use. the maintenence is really easy too. This is an overall great stove.

Customer Service

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I have owned the precursor to the WhisperLite Shaker Jet for 12 years and have submitted the little stove to -50 winter camping in the Alaska Range, raging rainstorms on the Big Island's Hamakua coast, backpack abuse on Alaska, Aloha, Hawaiian and Delta airlines; I have fed it dirty white gas, pure white gas, unknown white gas, white gas found hiding behind a tree on the Situk River; the stove has been stepped on, ground into countless sandbars, tossed, tumbled and yes, ransacked by inquisitive animals - and never, ever, has this little bugger ever failed to work!

yes, i've had to clean the jets once or twice - but the tool kit costs, what? five bucks? - and i've had to replace the fuel-tank pump gasket - but i still have the original crushable aluminum windscreens, the original and somewhat dented fuel tank, and my beloved little stove, blackened with soot, and bearing countless little scars from set-ups and takedowns.

the stove works, and works, and works, and i'll be forever grateful to the manufacturer for that time in february, 1990, when on a cross-country ski trip in Alaska, I awoke half frozen and beyond shivering when my sleeping pad collapsed. It was two in the morning, the full moon was out, and the nearby spruce trees huddled silently in the -50 temperatures, watching this moron with clumsy hands trying to warm up. fortunately, i got the stove out, pumped it five times, got a burning match to fall into the right place on just the second try, and three minutes later i was sipping hot instant soup! as shivering returned, and my body gradually warmed, i realized then that stove was a lifesaver - no kidding.

Customer Service

I have never needed to use customer service.

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I have used no other stoves. What would be the point of wasting money??

My old Savae finally gave up so I tried MSR's Whisperlite. It's a lot lighter and more compact. I miss the stability of the old Savae but the performance is great. The heat output is far greater and more realiable in cold weather. I guess I'll have to admit that this new technology is better. Who know's, I might just upgrade my old external frame Kelty. Nah!!

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Savae 123

I have read all of the complaints about the stove not simering. I do not really care. It always lights. It boils very quickly and I do not have to worry that it will break down on the trail. The construction is somewhat compact. It would be nice if the design allowed you to detach the fuel line at the base of the stove to make it more compact. Perhaps adding wire flaps to the "feet" of the stove would allow more stability and add only ounces. I do not feel that the aluminum stove stands are worth packing because they take up to much room.

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After countless meals heated over my Whisperlite, I have no complaints. It lights fast, burns hot, and collapses into my MSR cookset. I have never had to do any maint. on it. My buddy also has one. It clogged one time and in a matter of minutes we had it burning good again.

The complaint that they don't simmer hasn't bothered me yet. My cooking skills are so poor that I haven't needed to simmer. Just add boiling water......

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Lightweight, small, efficient, heats up fast. This stove is easy to repair in the field with the Shaker Jet repair kit. Doesn't use a lot of fuel. Can fit into your pot-saves space. I haven't had any problem with mine and have had it for 2 years. The wind screens really keep out the wind and help retain the heat. Butane/Propane stoves create waste, don't heat up as fast, and the Butane/Propane costs more than white gas. Good purchase for the money($52).

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I've used the Whisperlite (non shaker) for over 6 years with not a single problem. It is easy to set up, easy to light (when cool, see below), and very efficient with fuel. A 22oz bottle of fuel will last me almost a week, in summer. I buy a gallon of white fuel every couple of years. I've cleaned it 3 or 4 times, and replaced the seals and leather plunger once. It's just a work horse. However, don't ever try to light one when it is hot, if white gas is vaporized and not burned it can be down righ explosive. Although I must admit I should have tried relighting it just after I'd turned it off... I don't even have long term plans to replace this stove.

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Gaz and peak one