Primus Omnifuel Review
10-19-10, 11:20 AM
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Primus Omnifuel Review
Just wanted to let everyone know that we've published an extensive review of the Primus Omnifuel stove -- a really great stove for expedition touring or serious chefs, if a bit on the pricey side.
We also did a video of it, compared to the MSR Whisperlite:
We also did a video of it, compared to the MSR Whisperlite:
10-19-10, 11:37 AM
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Nice review! Funny, I just bought one of these myself. So far I am finding I prefer it to my existing MSR Dragonfly:
1. Metal pump seems stronger than the plastic one on the MSR stoves
2. Body seems a bit more hefty too
3. Compacts down a bit smaller: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum...=190960#191050
4. Takes canister gas out of the box, if you need that - a very clever design, giving the pump the same thread as the canisters.
5. I like the serrated edges of the legs, seem to grip the pot better
6. I like the flipping of the bottle to turn the stove off - as you say, it purges the line and keeps down carbon buildup. Also less messy fuel spilled on your hands when disassembling.
The Dragonfly is a good stove, but my pump did break once (this was the earlier design, back in 2003 - they have redesigned that now, apparently). I think a metal pump will be more reliable. Also, on my last tour I had problems with the Dragonfly going out for no apparent reason while cooking. It was clean and I was using white gas, so I have no idea what was going on there. Hopefully the Omnifuel will be a bit more reliable for me. It's only a bit heavier than the Dragonfly (see the weights on the forum thread I linked to above).
Here's another recent review of the Omnifuel:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/revie...read_id=191311
As you can see from the replies on that thread, there are a few people out there who have had bad experiences with their Omnifuel, so I guess nothing's perfect. In general, though, people seem to think it is quality gear.
When I was looking this time around it was a bit of a toss-up between the Omnifuel and the Optimus Nova, but when I saw the current recall for the Optimus multifuel stoves, that tipped it for me:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum...read_id=190516
Neil
1. Metal pump seems stronger than the plastic one on the MSR stoves
2. Body seems a bit more hefty too
3. Compacts down a bit smaller: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum...=190960#191050
4. Takes canister gas out of the box, if you need that - a very clever design, giving the pump the same thread as the canisters.
5. I like the serrated edges of the legs, seem to grip the pot better
6. I like the flipping of the bottle to turn the stove off - as you say, it purges the line and keeps down carbon buildup. Also less messy fuel spilled on your hands when disassembling.
The Dragonfly is a good stove, but my pump did break once (this was the earlier design, back in 2003 - they have redesigned that now, apparently). I think a metal pump will be more reliable. Also, on my last tour I had problems with the Dragonfly going out for no apparent reason while cooking. It was clean and I was using white gas, so I have no idea what was going on there. Hopefully the Omnifuel will be a bit more reliable for me. It's only a bit heavier than the Dragonfly (see the weights on the forum thread I linked to above).
Here's another recent review of the Omnifuel:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/revie...read_id=191311
As you can see from the replies on that thread, there are a few people out there who have had bad experiences with their Omnifuel, so I guess nothing's perfect. In general, though, people seem to think it is quality gear.
When I was looking this time around it was a bit of a toss-up between the Omnifuel and the Optimus Nova, but when I saw the current recall for the Optimus multifuel stoves, that tipped it for me:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum...read_id=190516
Neil
10-19-10, 08:46 PM
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That video reminded why I love my Trangia. So many hoses, valves, flips, twists, pumps, and things to remember to do. Just turning the thing off took several steps. I'll stick with my $20 Trangia that will never break or need cleaning, has no moving parts, and wont incinerate me if I make a mistake.
Thanks for the video guys! I love watching video reviews. I could see something like this being worth the hassle if you road in group larger than 4 and wanted to cook for everyone with a single stove. For 1-4 people though it seems like over kill. Especially after looking at the price!
Thanks for the video guys! I love watching video reviews. I could see something like this being worth the hassle if you road in group larger than 4 and wanted to cook for everyone with a single stove. For 1-4 people though it seems like over kill. Especially after looking at the price!
