A GREAT little stove!
Written: Apr 14 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small and easy to use.
Cons: A little pricey but worth it.
The Bottom Line: Multi-fuel capable, ease of use and simple maintenance.
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| tarf's Full Review: Nova Optimus Multi Fuel Expedition Stove |
I bought the Brunton Nova a few months ago to replace an older propane stove that I used to use. I am not a backpacker or a trekker but have used enough camp stoves to know what I like and do not like. Weekend camping trips are my style.
One of the many features I enjoyed right off the bat was the fact that this stove folds up into a small and tidy package. When folded the stove about same diameter as a soda can and about an inch shorter. It also helps that it comes with a "stuff sack" that will hold the stove, some small spare parts and the multi tool. The term stuff sack is a little misleading as it is a small well thought out triangular shaped case with two loops to slip a belt through it with a Velcro type closure. The fuel bottle can be tucked away elsewhere and the one supplied will hold .6 L or about 20 ounces or fuel. There is an optional 1 liter fuel tank available. It weighs in a little over a pound without fuel and that figure is for the stove, tank and pump.
The fuel bottle also has the pump, quick detachable fuel coupling and a cover for the connector to help protect it from debris and damage. This coupling is well thought out and requires very little effort to connect it or disconnect it. It does, however, hold together and does not come part while in use, even when bumped or jostled.
Fuel. The manual states that Diesel, kerosene, white gasoline (Coleman fuel), jet fuel, colza (rape seed fuel) and auto fuel. Auto fuel, as the manual cautions, has many additives that can cause health problems and may cause the stove's fuel jet to become plugged. Auto fuel can be used if you have to but try to steer away (no pun intended) from this fuel for the stove. Diesel can also plug the jet and requires more cleaning as it tends to soot. I have used kerosene many times and it works very well. The only problem, if it can be considered a problem, is that you must wait a little longer to pre-heat the stove before using.
I'm using white gas (Coleman fuel) in this stove and as you might know, this type of fuel burns very cleanly. It also has the advantage of not needing much pre-heat time and any spilled fuel evaporates very quickly.
The jet needle can be cleaned while you are using the stove. You take the multi tool and slide it under the stove. The magnet on the multi tool causes the needle to move up and down cleaning the jet so you waste no time turning the stove off and waiting for it to cool. This feature works VERY well!
Using the stove is easy. Unfold the legs of the stove fully and make sure it is on solid ground. Pump using about 30 to 40 full strokes and lay the bottle with the side that says: "ON" facing up. Make sure the control handle on the stove is off and THEN connect the fuel line from the stove to the fuel bottle. The other end is attached to the stove and you do not remove that end unless replacing the line.
Before using the stove must be primed. To do this you turn the control handle about one-half turn counter clockwise for about two seconds. This will put a small amount of fuel onto the burned jet and wick. Light the wick and the fuel will prime (or preheat) the burner. As the primer flame dies down, after about 20 seconds, to a small blue flame, slowly turn the control handle counter clockwise about one-fourth of a turn. If you get a big yellow flame the burner is NOT hot enough. Turn the valve down so you get a small blue flame and wait a few more seconds and try again.
I found that if it is windy (or if you are using kerosene) you'll need to let it prime (or heat) longer. After the stove is at operating temperature can set the stove to whatever heat amount you need. I have never been under severe conditions, those with hurricane force winds or temperatures down below zero so I can not comment on how long it would take to start the stove. But seeing how this stove is designed I can see that using a volatile fuel such as white gas you would be able to start the stove under very cold conditions. Kerosene, colza or Diesel would gel if it got that cold.
If this sound complicated, it really is not. I found it very easy to use and simple to keep running. If the flame starts to surge after running the stove for an extended period of time you are probably low on pressure. Give the pump more strokes and you'll be in business again.
The factory says that this stove will has a 9,700 Btu (2850 watts) of output and I would agree with this figure. I have boiled much water with this stove and it does this about as fast as the natural gas stove at in my house. The water in my tea kettle (I'll guess it holds about a quart or about 1 liter of water) boils in about 3 or 4 minutes.
Using it for cooking with a frying pan is much like a gas stove at your house. Just make sure that you have the Brunton Nova stove on firm ground. Varying the stove output from a roaring flame to a simmer is easy and stable. A nice feature is the long fold out control valve handle that extends out for easier flame adjustment. A camping favorite of mine is a noodle dish and it requires about 15 minutes of simmering; the Brunton can do it easily. The big cast iron skillet we use also is held and is heated fairly evenly, again much like your house stove.
One thing I should point out and that's when you are using kerosene. Coleman fuel puts out a smallish type flame, but with plenty of heat. With kerosene the flame must be at least twice the size of Coleman fuel and when you out a pot or a frying pan on it the flame will completely cover the bottom. I think this stove was made with kerosene in mind. It seems to run better on kerosene but I still like my Coleman type fuel.
Fuel usage is about that of any other stove in this heat range. The manual says you should plan to have ".. 4 oz. of fuel per person per day for cooking and 8 oz. for melting snow and cooking in winter." That sounds about right. Can not comment about the deep arctic expeditions as I have never done one, but for the weekend camping trip I found having the bottle filled and a small fuel bottle with a capacity of about 1 liter was more than enough for cooking two meals per day.
A few tips are in order. First of all, make sure that the fuel you are using is CLEAN! The screened funnels that you normally find are ok as they will keep the big chucks out but it should be filtered. I use a coffee filter inside the fuel funnel and this filters very well. Turning the stove to the OFF position, which is simply turning the fuel bottle/pump to the side that says: "OFF" will both bleed the bottle pressure off and empty the line.
Brunton does not sell nor do they offer a windscreen for the stove. During several camping trips the wind was rather high and I managed to light this stove with little difficulty. One trip we had very high winds and using several of us as a wind shield we got the stove to light. We later found out there were winds gusts in our area of 60 miles per hour (about 100 km per hour)! And... That little Brunton stove kept on running. Pretty amazing I thought.
Maintenance is simple as Brunton supplies the multi tool with every stove. This tool can be used to assemble or disassemble the stove. Keeping a set of o-rings and a new fuel filter is very handy and might bail you out while in the field. Giving the pump a few drops (from time to time) of mineral oil will help insure easy pumping.
Would I buy another Brunton Optimize Nova? Yes. It does cost more than other stoves but it is very rugged, reliable, easy to use, simple to maintain and fuel is almost a non-issue.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tarf
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Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 1 member
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