Awesome. If this stove lasts as long as it looks like it will, it will be worth every single cent. It's stable, primes fast and easy, doesn't spill fuel, cleans easy (with a magnetic tool included), comes apart with ease, has a killer adjustment lever and boils fast. The only downside I have found is that the fuel bottle seems to be made out of a very soft alum. and scars/dents easy.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Coleman, MSR

I purchased this stove just over a year ago based upon some excellent reviews that I read. I was a little taken back by the price, but this is supposedly a stove that is built to last. Herein lies the problem. I tested the stove several times before leaving for my week long AT trip in the Smokey Mountains. However, when I got to the first shelter the stove would not fire up. No fuel was making its way to the burner. Luckily my hiking partner packed his stove just in case my new stove didn't work properly. When I got back and contacted customer service they acted as if I didn't know how to work the stove. I finally sent the stove in for them to look at (at my expense) and it turns out that the coupler on the pump was broken (that could have something to do with fuel being sprayed). They admitted that the coupler on my pump was faulty and they replaced it. Brand new, top-of-the-line stove with a faulty part and all I got was free repairs? To make matters worse, it took them several weeks to return the stove to me. To the company's credit, they did offer to overnight a new stove since I was leaving for another trip. But I couldn't keep that one.....they sent my "new" stove back, complete with the dented in fuel bottle that I used to relieve my frustrations when the stove wouldn't work. Bottom line; Very sturdy stove with reasonable, not great, customer service. The stove has worked flawlessly since the initial problem, but I am still concerned about how dependable it will be over the long run.

Customer Service

See Above

Similar Products Used:

Coleman Multi-Fuel Stove

I first started using white gas stoves back in the 70's when I happened to buy a MSR 9a, the predecesser of the current MSR XGK. I loved that stove. It was sturdily built, impossible to break, and ran forever. In more recent years, REI bought out MSR and the MSR manufactured stoves began to get cheaper and cheaper construction. Now, they have plastic pumps that either fall apart (literally) or break. The metal stoves themselves are poorly made (e.g. the welds on the MSR Dragonfly). As a result of MSR's continuing decline in manufacturing quality and reliability, I set out on a search for a replacement. I've finally found it in the Optimus Nova. The craftsmanship on this stove is subperb, possibly topping the original MSR's before they began to degrade under REI ownership. Both stove and pump are made entirely of metal (machined brass and aluminum) with the exception of necessary orings and the pump leather. The stove is mechanically so reliable that most retailers don't even sell the repair kit for the stove (a repair kit is available and contains everything necessary to completely rebuild both the pump and the stove - all orings, gaskets, flame spreader, fuel filter, everything - and the stove is field maintainable) which is available for about $11. The stove lights easily with less preheating than any MSR stove. Any compustable fuel can be burned in the stove, without changing jets or making any burner adjustments, with the usual warnings about care in burning fuels that contain poisons, such as auto fuel. The flame is adjustable from blow torch level to a slow simmer with a simple twist of the burner control on the stove. I've used the stove in Death Valley summer and Yellowstone winter temperatures with equal ease. To make a long story short, this stove is built like the original MSR stoves are. If you buy one, plan on its running trouble free for the next twenty years. It's built that well and is so easy to use in camp that you will not want to trade it in for the next pretty face that comes along. The only (minor) drawback to the stove is that it doesn't come with a windscreen. I suggest a MSR folding aluminum windscreen for that function. P.S. It's very fuel efficient also. For solo use, I plan on 2 ounces of white gas per day in summer. If I have to melt ice for water in winter, I plan on 4-5 ounces of fuel per day.

Customer Service

Not required.

Similar Products Used:

MSR XGK, Dragonfly, Whisperlite, 9a, Svea 123, Optimus 99 and a dozen or so various butane/isobutane/propane stoves.

Reliable and extremly priceworthy.

I''m sorry, but any negative review of this stove is done by an incompetent person. Those who have fuel spew aren''t using it as directed by putting the bottle on its other side to shut off. If done properly, there is NO left over pressure in the line and the quick release works well. This is definately a quantum leap up from the MSR style stoves that latch into a cheap plastic pump. The priming is quick and clean, shut-off is sure and clean. Simmer is excellent, stability is excellent and yet its compact. I don''t know how anyone could complain about the price or function of this stove unless they aren''t noticing that it came with a fuel bottle and needs no extra stability. Add these extras up and the best MSR costs the same but is a lesser stove! Don''t waste your time - buy Optimus stoves if you want liquid fuel. ALL Optimus stoves simmer and have internal cleaning needles that push suit out of the jet.

Customer Service

A&H Enterprises is the US warranty house for these stoves. Excellent people who have all the parts.

Similar Products Used:

SVEA123 MSR XGK Expedition

I''m sorry, but any negative review of this stove is done by an incompetent person. Those who have fuel spew aren''t using it as directed by putting the bottle on its other side to shut off. If done properly, there is NO left over pressure in the line and the quick release works well. This is definately a quantum leap up from the MSR style stoves that latch into a cheap plastic pump. The priming is quick and clean, shut-off is sure and clean. Simmer is excellent, stability is excellent and yet its compact. I don''t know how anyone could complain about the price or function of this stove unless they aren''t noticing that it came with a fuel bottle and needs no extra stability. Add these extras up and the best MSR costs the same but is a lesser stove! Don''t waste your time - buy Optimus stoves if you want liquid fuel. ALL Optimus stoves simmer and have internal cleaning needles that push suit out of the jet.

Customer Service

A&H Enterprises is the US warranty house for these stoves. Excellent people who have all the parts.

Similar Products Used:

SVEA123 MSR XGK Expedition

A great stove! I have had mine for a year now and used it all summer and winter (about 90 times). I have switched to a snow peak now because of the weight but make no mistake the nova is a great stove and will be the stove I will carry on my AT hike this year. True it does have a flaw in the fuel coupling but is easily remeded just keep your eyes on it when you uncouple the fuel line and make sure that the coupling is held back and locked in place if the coupling goes flush it will leak.. It simmers well uses very little fuel has a cleaning tool built in to the burner . It has an all aluminum pump (no cheap plastic) and is easy to prime.

Customer Service

no experience

Similar Products Used:

MSR, Coleman, Primas,

The Nova primes fast and can be adjusted from simmer to flamethrower. Yes, it does boil water very fast. It required less than 3 minutes to boil 2 cups of 70 degree water indoors. You can cook rice without charring it. If you use Coleman fuel the flame is blue at any adjustment but there are yellow flames at simmer if you use K-1kerosene or Clear-Lite. There was no measureable carbon monoxide when I tested this thing indoors regardless of the fuel or setting but I would trust the warnings about using this thing without ventilation. It feels incredibly safe in a tent vestibule for a liquid stove; it has fewer flare up problems because it primes so fast so well. In regard to fuel, Coleman is to white gas as Clear-Lite is to K-1 but I had a bit of trouble with an initial flare up with Clear-Lite. After a few seconds there was no problem. Since Clear-Lite seems to have fewer combustion odors I''ve settled on that fuel. It''s not too noisey for a stove with a roarer burner but I wish Optimus still made the Explorer #11, ( I think that was the name; I missed my chance to get one). The folks at A&H swear the Nova is better, but I would add a quality point or two to a quiet stove even if it took longer to prime. However, I noticed that I could use lower pressure than was recommended by Optimus for a little less noise. Also, pariffin is quieter. Design questions. I think the following means the jury is out until this thing has proven itself in the field over some time. 1) Why don''t they have a more elegant solution to the pressure release problem?!!! On the oldest designs there was a small screw you turned to release pressure. You didn''t have to dicker with flipping a bottle and risk spilling the beans. That''s better in my opinion. However, it worked well and the previous reviewers comment about fuel spraying everywhere probably mean we agree about the design but someone refuses to follow directions. OTOH I think it''s safer than the 8R; if the pressure release valve goes it becomes the only flamethrower it could be. 2) I have some concerns about the tiny (it''s a bit smaller than a pellet gun pellet) fuel filter. They send an extra one but if that thing needs to be replaced in miserable conditions, it would be done with some risk. Can it run without the filter? Could a wick be a filter as in the 8R? 3) Don''t trust t

Similar Products Used:

Optimus 8R, old faithful for low altitude, warm weather, use pump otherwise. Gasirel, car-camping. Blissfully quiet. That alcohol stove. Not for cold adventures.

Wanted a stove to take overseas backpacking that used all kinds of fule. Tried it out in Mexico, traveling aroud, and had no problem finding fule. It also didn''t give me any problems, even cooking beans for hours on end. We used an oversized pot to cook in, (which the manufacture does not recomend), and had no problem with the stove tipping or spilling. Works for me.

Customer Service

No need so far.

Similar Products Used:

Primus

The Nova is definitely my favorite stove that I have used -- and I''ve been backpacking for more than ten years. First the strengths: This stove is hot, it heats water very quickly, at least as fast as my Coleman Xtreme. It can simmer. No other stove that I''ve owned can simmer as well as this stove. The Coleman Xtreme was good, but the Nova wins, no contest. It packs light. Not as light as the Xtreme, but this stove is also a lot more rugged. I love the snap out pot supports. Much sturdier than what I''m used to. Overall, the construction is excellent. I can''t imagine wanting for a better stove. My last white gas stove, a Whisperlite, had too many flaws and too few strengths to consider as a year round stove. The Nova is at least as effecient with gas as the Whisperlite. My wife and I recently went on a three-day two-night trip and used only about four ounces of white gas. We cooked every meal. Awesome! =) Priming is definitely easier than with the Whisperlite. Not as fast as the Xtgreme light it and go, but priming takes maybe twenty seconds. Not a lot of soot either. Just handling the stove doesn''t get my hands dirty the way the Whisperlite did. Very nice. The Nove is more compact than the Xtreme and about as compact as the Whisperlite. Flaws: The flip-bottle turn-off device is ok. Tough to use when you''re cooking on a small rock, you have to reposition everything to flip the bottle. But, the fact that flipping the bottle cleans the jet out is worth the compromise I think. The magnetic "wand" tool is a little heavy, but you can always leave the tool at home and shake the stove to clean the jet. All in all, I''m very pleased with my purchase. I can''t imagine a better stove for my needs. The Nova is pricey, but in the end, you get what you pay for.

Similar Products Used:

MSR Whisperlite, Coleman Xtreme, alcohol stoves, camp fire, Zip Stove.