MSR Simmerlite

[buggeriamold]

Hi all,

I am a bit of a liquid fuel tragic.

Now that we have that out of the way... does any one own a Simmer light & if so, does it simmer in any way shape or form.

I am thinking of geting one to add to my collection of stoves that wont simmer.

Mark

[etrangere]

It doesnt simmer very well at all, the only way to get it to vaguely simmer at all is to keep the pressure in the fuel bottle at a very low level, ie only a few pumps. With only low fuel bottle pressure you are then unable to have max heat to get something boiling and then turn it down if you want it to just simmer at all.

Liquid fuel stoves that I have and know can simmer are MSR Dragonfly, Optimus Nova and Trangia Multifuel

[corvus]

Do not own one however one of my BW mates who does recons" wont simmer,not lite and it flares up and stinks" he uses Gas now !! The only Liquid/Multifuel stove I have used recently is the Optimus Explorer 11 and it does simmer (noisy heavy and stinks) but does simmer .
I collect and use Gas Burners now
corvus

[buggeriamold]

Sounds verry much like my XGK.

Looks like I might have to look at the other ones mentioned.

[Nuts]

Theyre ok, if you turn off then Just on again they will simmer. Its either a very low simmer or flat out though, needs a light touch between the two. Same with priming. A quick turn on then off, repeated until fuel is visable, light, let it go out then light and away you go.. may need a couple of goes in really cold weather.

[rucksack]

I would forget about the MSR Simmerlite stove, if you want reliable simmering. There are three currently available liquid fuel stoves in Australia which will simmer without resorting to arcane 'stove rituals': the Primus OmniFuel, Optimus Nova/Nova+ and the MSR Dragonfly. All have 2 control valves, one at the fuel bottle/pump and the other at the stove. Dual control valves are a prerequisite for reliable, predictable and, dare I say, successful simmering with a liquid fuel stove. The Simmerlite is a single control valve stove. It can simmer, but not simply or easily. I have used the Primus OmniFuel, Optimus Nova and the MSR Dragonfly and all have simmered relatively easily and consistently and can be used for cooking as compared to simply 'nuking' water or melting snow. The attraction of the MSR Simmerlite is its relative weight, (as compared with the MSR Dragonfly), but if simmering ability is what you are after, and you want an MSR, it's the Dragonfly. I use an OmniFuel, because it can also handle LPG canisters, but we all know where the empty, non-refillable LPG canisters end up - as landfill. And yes, it does bother me. If you want a stove that reliably simmers, well, any LPG canister stove will do that. If you want a liquid fuel stove that can simmer, the choices are limited. Personally, I wouldn't count the Simmerlite as being amongst those limited choices. To seriously misquote Orwell: two valves good, one valve bad.

rucksack

[Nuts]

It can be done, its not that difficult, as i say there is a very fine line between a bare simmer and flat out but finding it is as easy as any other stove with practice. I agree though, I would also choose another stove if needed mainly for simmering attributes, wouldn't be the dragonfly though.

[buggeriamold]

Having read the replies, including PM's, it looks like I will give the simmerlite a miss.

I think I will get an Optimus Nova, probably not the plus version.

Having not bought on line o/s before, will moontrail send one of these to Aust without too much pain?

Mark

[Nuts]

PM's Probably a good move... i could post a vid of a simmerlite simmering ?

[rucksack]

Mark, whether you end up getting an Optimus Nova, or one of the other two multifuel simmering capable stoves that I mentioned earlier, they each have their fans (and their detractors). I've used all three and I think that it comes down to personal preference, availability & price obviously, and how you are going to use the stove. As a base camp stove, the MSR Dragonfly takes some beating, as it has very wide pot supports, and if you are cooking for more than one or two people, that is very 'helpful' when balancing larger pots. It's loud though and some people also don't much like the MSR's plastic pumps, although MSR parts and maintenance kits are easy enough to find. The Nova has been one of the 'go to' multifuel stoves for quite some time and Optimus has a long history of making decent stoves. The Nova+ hasn't received the same adulation as the Nova and Optimus did have a problem last year with leaking fuel lines (which involved a recall of both the Nova and Nova+), but that all seems to be behind them now and the newly redesigned fuel lines on the Nova seem good to go. As I also said earlier, I chose a Primus OmniFuel because it can also burn LPG using the same jet as that used for Shellite (aka white gas), although some don't like the fact that you have to swap out the jet if you want to burn kerosene or diesel when in more remote parts. I also have a couple of other Primus stoves (liquid fuel & LPG) and I like their build quality, so that swayed me too, although my all time sentimental favourite is an Optimus - the 123R and that very definitely does not simmer without a lot of 'help'. In comparison to the Primus, the Optimus Nova has been designed to run all fuels on the same jet, something that is very 'helpful'. As I say, it comes down to a personal preference. All three (Nova, OmniFuel & Dragonfly) can simmer and yet turn into Krakatoa when needed. You might have trouble getting the stoves mailed these days, but you could be lucky.

rucksack

[corvus]

A bit of reminiscence eh rucksack my favourite Liquid fuel stove is the precursor to the 123R the SEVA 123 and it most certainly does nor simmer and roars like a jet engine but what a classic.
Must take it out on a Stroll one weekend as a rapid snow melter to give the team a blast from the past
corvus

[rucksack]

Indeed Corvus, indeed. Lucky you with an original SVEA 123. My 123R is only 1985 vintage, but it is a Swedish build. It has just undergone it's first ever 'refurbishment', which basically meant replacing the wick and the gasket in the fuel cap - the spindle didn't need touching. And yes, that roar .. I was in the WoJ one winter with a party of 9 on a cross country ski jaunt that lasted a week and a half. It was a very cold trip and snowed heavily every single day (enough to bury the tents every night, leaving only the tips of everyone's skis showing in the morning to indicate where the 'bodies' were). We had taken two MSR XGK's and I had thrown my SVEA 123R in my pack as a back-up. On the first night, the pump on one of the XGK's froze and snapped clean off. On the second night, the second XGK promptly repeated this party trick. My 123R was our only stove for eight nights and it just kept going and going, cooking for 9 people three times a day. After that trip, half the party promptly acquired their own 123R's. They only have one moving part (your wrist .. ) and are unstoppable, having no pump to complicate matters. It's a 1955 design, of course, updated in the early 1970's by Optimus when they added a regulated (hence the 'R') cleaning needle. (Optimus took over SVEA in the early 1970s, I think). What vintage is yours Corvus?

rucksack

[corvus]

G'day rucksack,
Not certain of the vintage got mine 2nd hand around 35+ years ago had it refurbished around 15 years ago at a cost of around the price of a new one
Last used it as a" heater" under the table at Oakleigh View Hut (new new Pelion) not long after its opening and b4 the heater was installed also used the Optimus Explorer 11 on that trip so our long weekend Shellite use was high! weight was easier to carry back then
corvus

[etrangere]

A man after my own heart mr corvus! I too have an optimus explorer 11 and svea 123r. Both stoves rank right up there among my favourites.

[buggeriamold]

Well, I recieved my 2nd hand nova from ebay today (one of the older Swedish made ones) & damm it does a pretty reasonable impression of simmering!

Thanks for all the advice.

[corvus]

buggeriamold,
Glad to read that you are happy with your Nova purchase ,hope it gets lots of use.
c