I bought this stove to travel when I was overseas. I was very disappointed. I was constantly cleaning it and fixing it. I like the capability to use any type of fuel but the headaches are not worth it.

I have had the Whisperlite for 13 years now and all I have ever done to it is replace the o-rings at around year six. It has countless miles yes it still rocks. I even used it in the desert when I was in the Army. I made many a soldier espresso on it with my mini espresso maker and/or heated up meals with it. Simple design and easy set up. Pot stability is fair, and you can "simmer" with it if you don't put as much pressure in the bottle. Like 1-3 pumps for a 22oz MSR bottle. My 11 year old son has since inherited my stove as I have upgraded to a Dragonfly. But he has had no problems setting it up and using it. The way I see it if a stove can withstand 13 years if hard use on a regular basis and still fire off and cook like it just came out of the box than it has to be good.

Its mellow exterior aside, this stove rages with the inferno of many stoves! Simmering is indeed difficult, but not impossible (I baked cinnamon buns a few times on this puppy.) I used this on NOLS for 28 days, and didn't dread having to work with it ever. Its SO easy to use, lightweight, and easy to clean. Though I now have a Jetboil, the whisperlite will continue to be a classic way to prepare any number of dishes for a larger group.

I've only used this stove a few times since I got it, and I had used a friend's before on a limited basis. After using it a little more, I honestly wish I had gotten the SimmerLite instead. Because this stove only has one setting (high), it's easy to burn your food if you're not VERY attentive to it and constantly stirring, and even then I've burned a couple of things. So most of your food ends up a bit runny. But other than that it's an awesome stove. Very easy to light. It fits perfectly inside my convenient MSR pots. And it boils water pretty quickly when you have the foil wind insulators around it.

I have had my WhisperLight for six years now and have had great success with it. Lights quick, good output, small and light, fits in Sigg pot. The simmering is a pain sometimes, I find using lower pressure in the fuel bottle helps on the simmer. I also have a mark on the control valve that sets up a low flame. I still have to watch and pop up the flame and then reset it to the mark. My 11 year old son can cook on it and also light it so this shows the ease of use. God bless the Boy Scouts.

'nuff said!

Had the opportunity to use the stove over the Labor Day weekend. I am a motorcycle camper so light weight and compact (as well as function) are extremely important. I found the stove to fit well within the space I had to pack.
The stove takes some practice to light and cook with however I must admit I used the stove first then read the instructions. Bottom line is this stove exceeded my expectations for quality and function. I perked three pots of coffee and cooked a meal of red beans and rice without incident.

Bombproof. Reliable. The best for melting snow. The Trillium stand helps stability if you don't mind the extra weight. One gripe is you have to stay on it in order to simmer. Tip, get the maintenance kit, and keep an eye on the fuel bottle O rings. They should be changed about every other year. Great stove.

I purchased and tested the Whisperlite in my backyard, worked well. Took it on a Sierra backpack trip and setup at camp, fuel sprayed out from the bottle and ignited on some rocks, melted the pump handle. Returned for refund. Have gone back to my old reliable Svea 123 (although it's heavy as rocks).

I bought several for guide usage after using at NOLS. I soon found out that these stoves don't match the hype given them. They don't simmer well (you have to rotate pot and stir constantly), and burn easily. The plastic pumps work well in warm/moderate temps, but break/fail easily in cold temps or in the hands of a novice. Now have Primus MFS stoves and Optimus Novas have no problems.

I've used the MSR Whisperlite stove for years. It's an outstanding stove for extended backpacking trips. The stove weighs approx. 14 ounces (w/o fuel and canister weight) and doesn't take up much room in your pack. Since the stove is a liquid type stove it needs to be primed prior to use. Priming the stove causes a carbon buildup that needs to be cleaned before storage. The stove's pump is also made out of plastic which cracked after 5-6 years use. A replacement pump is available from MSR.

I had this stove handed down to me from My father inlaw. It is at least 10 years old. It is a great reliable unit. The only thing I have needed to do on it is use the maintainence kit and replace all of the o rings. It still am using the original pump. I use another more high-tech stove for my warm weather trips but this little blow torch is great when the temps drop. It will melt snow very efficiently. I think I will replace the pump just so the stove can continue it's record of never letting me down. The operation of this stove is pretty easy. There is a bit of a learning curve involved in being able to get it to simmer. It can be done.