Customer Reviews

Optimus Svea Climber Outdoor Stove

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this stove in about 1975 from REI. It has served me very well for hundreds of meals. REI serviced it about 15 years ago for fun, but it has never been any trouble. What's so cool about it is that it is simple. Simply designed and kind of simple to use, once you're used to it. But two short stories will highlight my reasons to go with something else.
My teenage daughter needed a stove. I taught her how to light it, without actually doing it, so as not to build up pressure (you create pressure by external heat). She put a small amount of white gas around the neck of the burner and tried to light it with a match. After 4 nervous attempts she got a match close enough to ignite the gas. She opened the valve and waited. As the heat of the applied gas heated the contents of the gas tank, a small stream of liquid gas began to come out and also catch fire. I told her to close the valve but now she was too afraid to touch the stove which was flaming up. I calmly closed the valve and waited till most of the rest of the stove had quit burning then opened the valve and had a great, normal flame develop. I told her, "see how easy it is?". She did not. And the more I thought about it the more I could see her burning down the forest. We instead bought her a simple propane Coleman single burner stove. This stove is not for kids...actually none really are, but especially not this one.
Second story. Two months ago my friend and I set out to cook our meals on a backpacking - fishing trip. He pulled out his new JetBoil and I pulled out my Svea (I call it "Turbo"). He flipped some switch and had boiling water in about 2 minutes, and it was whisper quiet. I barely had mine lit and ready to go by then. After two days he had barely used any isobutane, I had used the white gas in my stove and 8 additional ounces I had brought. "But", I thought, "I could fry with any pan with "Turbo" and he could only use his special pot (which looks like a cup) that came with his". But it didn't matter because we only had freeze dried stuff so I vowed I would eventually change over to the newer technology for backpacking trips. I think I'll still like "turbo" for frying bacon back at base camp though. ...And I wonder if the JetBoil will be going strong in 33 years.

I've owned this stove since 1980. It is absolutely reliable and can be used even in a downpour (I've done it). It's a great lightweight backpacking stove, but because it is so reliable and heats water so fast I always take it along even on family car camping trips when I bring the 2-burner Coleman. This stove is also incredibly sturdy and packable. As a result of a freak accident on a wilderness camping trip, the burner head broke off (not likely to happen with normal use) yet I was still able to use the stove with the head resting loosely in position! Novices may find the flaming start a bit off-putting, but it quickly becomes routine. The fuel is white gas, readily available in camping and hardware stores, or in a pinch the stove will work fine with unleaded gas. To reduce carry weight while backpacking, get a small fuel canister. It's not necessary to carry much fuel because the stove is fuel-efficient; traveling solo, 500 ml lasts me for a week.

I'm very satisfied with the purchase of the OPTIMUS SVEA 123R stove. Forget about buying this on E--y, when you can buy it brand new at Amazon. The stove is made in Sweden and very compact, consider that the tank and burner is all in one unit. It may look like antique, but it's so easy to used. The instruction stated to fill the tank with 2/3 full of white gas, but maybe I have filled it a little more than 2/3 full (be sure there is air space between the gas and the top of the tank). I then put a few drop of white gas on the spirit cup on top of the tank to prime. Get a lighter and light the gas on the spirit cup to heat up the tank. When the fire die out, just get the gas key nob and turn on the stove slightly, then light it up with a lighter under the burner. From priming the tank to having the burner all light up take me about one minute. No hand pumping the tank to built pressure like other stoves. Getting the SVEA stove started is so easy that anybody can do it (just be careful about safe handling of gas and fire). The instruction stated that this stove can run up to 50 minutes on full throttle, just on 4 oz of fuel. The fire is adjustable, so I'm sure the fuel will go much longer if you are cooking with lower heat. I watch on youtube on how to used this stove, and some people put way too much fuel (creating a big fire ball and wasting fuel) just to prime the tank. All you need is just a few drop of fuel on the spirit cup to prime the tank. Now I know why many people love this old school stove and used it half of their lifetime. Otimus SVEA 123 stove history is over a hundred years old. Hopefully the company continue making this stove with the highest quality. Optimus is doing a good job!!!

I bought my first Svea in the late sixties, and after forty years of camping in every climate imaginable, I have never owned any other camping stove. I'm on my third one. I'm looking for the complimentary Sigg cook set. They're hard to find. All in all, best portable camp stove ever made.'Recommend using Coleman fuel only. White gas is extremely dangerous.

UPDATE: the Optimus HE Weekend Cookset is the perfect addition to your 123R! less than 26 shimoles, too!

This is the sole survivor. The last of the classic camping/backpacking stoves. It isn't aluminum, doesn't have titanium components, doesn't use butane or propane, and isn't made in China. This is a classic, bombproof, maintenance-free, utilitarian stove that burns white gas and won't let you down - ever! It is made in Sweden of brass and comes with a self-cleaning jet, built-in key with maintenance tool, and unlike any other stove on the market, a cooking pot with pot lifter. This design has withstood the test of time and has bested every other stove on the market. In the late 60s this stove was an expensive US$12 but is an even better bargain at its current price. And if you don't climb mountains you can always use this stove as shelf eye-candy as it is very pretty out of the box with its shiny brass - one of the last, if not the very last classic brass camping stoves commercially available today.

Update: To the person who returned the additional SVEA 123R that I subsequently purchased via Amazon's Warehouse program: Thank you! The stove was unfired, all components were in good shape, and the original box was untouched. The only problem was that the vaporizing shaft and burner was crooked - easily fixed with a little push and straightening.

Interestingly, this 123R's jet has a MUCH BETTER flame pattern than my previous purchase. I will enjoy using this stove in the years to come, and will take a small bit of comfort in the fact that I was able to purchase it at a nice discount thanks to you!

As most of you may know, the 123R has a self-cleaning jet; simply crank the burner control counter-clockwise before lighting to raise the internal needle to clear the jet, then fully close clockwise before priming (preferable with denatured alcohol; I wrapped a bit of fiberglass wadding around the base of the burner and enclosed it with stainless mesh - this absorbs the meths for a contained prime when priming the stove).

So thank you, where ever you are. You'll also be glad to know that I'll be using the stove with a custom-made 'silent burner' cap (similar to old-style Primus and Optimus burner heads) that transforms the 123R into an ultra-quiet stove for use in the great outdoors!

I really like my [somewhat]new 123R and will use both hundreds of times every year!

I have used this stove for years and absolutely love it. I ordered another one for a gift. It is harder to light and slower to heat than the new models with pumps but it will never let you down. This stove is as simple as it gets. The fuel in the tank gets vaporized by heat only and gets sent out through the jet at the top of the vaporizer tube. There is only one moving part and that is the adjusting valve and needle. I have been on many trips with people that have the latest greatest modern stoves and my little Svea has always saved the day. From broken pump valves to damaged o-rings, the other stoves have failed on a regular basis. For winter camping, this is one of the top rated cold weather, high altitude stoves. It will always work, even if it takes a while to light and heats slower. If you are looking for a stove that will light instantly and boil water in the flash of an eye in warmer weather conditions, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a stove that will never let you down regardless of weather or altitude, this is the one for you. On the bad side, the first one I ordered had a bent vaporizer tube and the second one was missing the fuel cup and cap. I ended up ordering one from a different company that was willing to inspect it before they shipped it to me.

I have had one of these since about 1973. It has never had any maintenance aside from routine cleaning, and it still works as well as it did when it was brand new. I have used it for all kinds of things, from back country trips to casual family camping. I suppose a bigger stove would be nice for some uses, but why bother? This stove has worked in all kinds of weather, in all kinds of conditions, and for a whole lot of years. You really can't ask for much more from a piece of equipment. I can't imagine how it could be improved, and from the looks of things, neither can Optimus.

This stove is not as light as some of latest offerings on the market but the technology goes WAY back and it's so confounding simple. The heat is carried down into the tank and it self-pressurizes. The pot stand is a bit on the small side but if you are only cooking for 2 or 3 it should not be a problem. Just make sure the stove is stable before you light it off. Also, be SURE and remove the flame adjusting key each time you need to adjust the stove. It get's HOT...(ask me how I know!). Do not, I repeat, DO NOT let this stove run completly out of fuel. There is a wick inside the tank that carries the fuel up close to the adjustment valve. If the stove runs out this wick will be burned and will most likely need replacement. For a backup/survival kit this is IDEAL. For backpacking I'll stick with with my alcohol stove unless it's below about 20 deg F or high altitude.

The Svea 123 climber stove is extremely compact, robust, and best of all... reliable. I've owned several backpacking stoves and this one is my favorite. No pump and very few parts make this a very simple stove that you can count on when you need it. Plus, it burns a variety of fuels including white gas so you won't have trouble getting it started when it is cold out. Compared to other stoves it may weigh a few more ounces but the reliability is definately worth it. Great little stove.

My wife purchased this for me and I have had so much fun so far. Put my old camp coffee maker on it and it was perking away in no time. My first test drive was on a cold day on a snow covered, cold concrete drive way in the wind and I was impressed with how easy and fast it worked. A real joy and a nostalgic experience all in one.