I've had my current Coleman 'Peak-1' stove for 30 years and it still fires up like new with no need for any maintenance other than a drop of oil on the pump plunger every few years. Mine is white gas only so I have no experience with using kerosene. Cooking on it is pretty easy. Takes less than a minute for the generator to heat up and let the flame settle down and after that it's about the same as using a gas stove at home. It is unfortunate that the fuel is often only available in gallon containers. I carry a quart bottle plus the tank on the stove, and can go quite awhile between needing to buy fuel. It's frequently possible to spot car campers using Coleman white gas stoves or lanterns and arrange to either buy a quart from them or give them a good deal on the unused portion of a gallon that I've bought.