Optimus Nova Stove

all metal construction makes it very durable (hate the plastic msr pumps). Flame adjustment is the best around. Magnetic cleaning needle is actually very handy. I have burned only white gas and kerosene in this stove and both performed perfectly although kerosene was harder to get lit. I only use this as my snow melter or when cooking for three or more, overkill for solo use.

As in "FIRE"! This one won't quit. I take it everywhere. On a winter trip with temps hovering around the -2 degree mark, I was melting snow in about 2 minutes while my friends were still priming their stoves. On a trek last summer, in an area that resembled a scene from the movie Deliverance, I stopped in at a Maw and Paw shop looking to replenish my fuel supply. No Coleman fuel, no kero, and no siphon tube for Paw's ol' pickup truck. They did have Tiki Torch fuel, and it worked! I am sold. You'll be also.

At first I was having trouble lighting the stove. Turns out I wasn't using the magnetic thing to clean it before each use. To anyone that buys this stove, you MUST clean the jet before each use. Once I figured that out I was lighting it effortlessly, even in the rain. The stove is powerful wait a fairly good flame control. Boils water fast and cooked for 2 people no problem. The versatility in what fuels you can burn is a huge plus even though I've only burned coleman fuel so far. The leather in the pump was dry when I got mine so I had to put some of the included silicon lube on it so the pump would build pressure. Their are lighter options on the market but I would take the optimus nova over all of them.

Great stove. Simmers good. Solid construction. Dependable design. Makes some noise while running, but that's good...you know its still running when using it in daylight. slightly awkward to pack down. Solid stove to use for hardcore backpacking/winter camping. Solid, stable base. You really don't get better than this with a white gas stove.

I recommend the nova over the nova +. The design of the Nova + is only different in that the whole fuel line rotates to control flow. In my opinion, you can't properly control the fuel valve with the fuel line flopping around, and can't get enough torque when you shut off the stove with the fuel valve from the previous run.

This is simply the finest stove I have ever seen or used. This stove is built like a rock! It also has lit on the first try for me every single time using white gas. I am interested to see if that holds true with other fuels. Water boils quite rapidly, and you really can achieve a true simmer. The granularity of control over the amount of heat output far surpased what I expected! The stuff sack is excellent and the stove packs down small. The self purging of the fuel line along with the fact that the fuel pump is solid aluminum, not plastic justifies the cost in my opinion. I would not hesitate to recommend this stove to anyone and consider it more than worth the price.

I loved the design and, in theory, function of this stove and was excited to get it for use on my winter and mountaineering treks. The first one I got was defective such that fuel could not enter the burner - there was metal debris blocking the jet that was confirmed by the service rep when I sent it back. I was concerned, but gave it another chance and had them send me another.

Mistake.

I have used this stove over a dozen times including x-c ski trips, snowshoe overnights, and a few climbs in the Cascades. I wanted a highly reliable and powerful stove that would melt snow and get me hot water in rough conditions. between a recall and several difficult field fixes, I have to call this stove completely unreliable. When it works, it has the power of any stove I know with wonderful flame control. Problem is that there is always a ripped seal, leaking pump, misfit part, clogged part or some other issue. I have seen every part to this stove because I have had to dismantle both the pump and burner to varying degrees multiple times. I cannot take it into the field without the expectation of it working properly for more than a single use, if that.

I have used white gas primarily, although also tried kerosene. I prime the stove with denatured alcohol, keep it clean, oil the pump, and yet still it fails me. I will be contacting Optimus to see if they will refund or do something about it. I will not accept another one of these stoves however. My next one will be a Primus or MSR multifuel type.

I know there was a recall of this stove for ones made between certain dates, but that did not fix many of the problems for me. I do a lot of stove tinkering and have Coleman 442 and 400 stoves, Svea 123 and 123r stoves, and would use any of those in a heartbeat over this because I know they will work. The only thing impressive about this stove is the list of things that have managed to go wrong on a stove that inherently seemed so well designed. I hear that the QC issues started after production was moved to China, but all I know is this stove stunk for me, and I would not try to sell it because I would feel lousy for the new owner.

First, I have way too many stoves. Several SVEAs, a couple TRANGIAs, and Primus as well as several gas canisters. I do a lot of baking when camping using an Outback 10" and always take my coffee press and plan my meals more than my route. I purchased this stove wondering if it could replace any of my others since we go with a large group of Scouts and we need stoves that are trustworthy and reliable. This one is my most favorite which says a lot.

I can simmer, bake and the fuel last a very long time compared to the others. I have not had any fuel issues but only use Coleman fuel and never anything that could clog the ports. I have used it snow camping and on high it melts snow fast and has created lots of meals. I give this one a real five stars. I have camped with people using a whisperlite and those things are tempermental. This one is not. Period!

This is the best stove I have ever owned. I have gone through the whole generational thing since the 1970's and at one time thought MSR had finally figured it all out, but this stove is it. Years of backpacking, traveling, and guiding, and this is the stove I bring every time. Buy it!

I've used the whisperlite on numerous occasions and it will always be a good white gas stove for its price, but I've had too many experiences where it just crapped out on me. If you are willing to spend a little extra money I'd say get this one. What won me over was that you can practically use any type of fuel with this stove, which is important to me since I travel abroad often. This is my second summer using it and I've never had a problem with this stove. Its really easy to put together and prime, very user friends. All my friends who are used to the whisperlite are always suprised and impressed with the nova. I really like the on/off feature where you just lie the bottle from one side to the other, allowing or blocking fuel from entering the hose. My stove has never broke on me yet and in the the summer I use it every weekend.

This is a good stove. Well built, and easy to use. If you get good enough at it, you can flip the fuel bottle over and it will bleed itself and go out when you are done. No bleeding of the fuel line... One of my buddies was trying to figure out how to rig up his MSR to do this. It is nice compact and easy to use. You can't go wrong with this optimus

I hate to give a bad review on something, but I was very disappointed with this stove.

Pros: It will cook your food, and it simmers well.

Cons: Very Leaky. It leaked BAD from the control valve on the pump, and the o-rings on the quick connect kept getting torn somehow, and therefore it leaked there as well. Also, it is hard to get the fuel out of the fuel line, so when you disconnect it, an unwanted amount of fuel comes out of the hose. I do not know if I just got a bad one or something, but this is my experience. I only had it 1 week.

I've had this stove now for about 3 years. Its worked in all kinds of Alaskan and Yukon conditions including lots of below zero deg F camping trips.
On a -15 deg F morning the thing could only pump out a lukewarm cup of coffee and a half liter of water. So when it warmed up I took the thing apart and removed a "wax" plug. I used the magnetic cleaning tool. The thing works like a champ now. If you are going to break you otta be easy to fix. And this stove is just that.
Great stove.

I've never owned a more versatile stove in my life. I love that you can use basically any type of fuel with this stove. It is good for other things than just boiling water. It will boil water fairly quickly, but you can also actually cook food and not scorch it. Optimus got it right with this guy.