The Whitegas Whisperer

By js236254 Ranked #357 - Liquid Fuel Stoves December 17, 2009

I have a love/hate relationship with this stove, It'll do beautiful things for you if you watch it like a hawk and treat it right, but lose your concentration and it can bite you badly. The stove itself is light and easily operable, but certainly has a learning curve, this is no easy bake oven and I would strongly encourage anyone buying it to get a "masters class" from an experienced "Whisperer". In my opinion the weak link in the design is the pump. The pump failures I've seen range from cracked handles to an O-ring that failed and fired pressurized white gas disconcertingly close to the flame. If the pump is diligently maintained and serviced it shouldn't pose a problem
The stove itself has some nasty surprises as well. When whisperlites age the legs become loose to the point where, when trying to move it while on, the legs have a nasty habit of swinging into the "packed" position. As many have previously mentioned, simmering on the whisperlite is an acquired skill set.
On the positive side, this stove is the mechanical embodiment of the KISS principle, I almost enjoy taking it apart and putting it back together.

In short, this stove can be finicky and difficult to master, but I would not go into the woods without it.

-JS

View Details: MSR WhisperLite International Multi-Fuel Stove

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