Field repairing an XGK vs Whisperlite?

[hikingfish]

Hi All,
My girlfriend accidently left my whisperlite at our camping site during our last kayak / camping trip. Bad news: I was just starting to know everything about the stove and could break it apart and fix fairly any problems I could come across with it. Good news: me gets to buy new goodies ;-)

I'm thinking of purchasing an XGK from MSR (decision is already 99.99% made), however I was wondering if you could field repair it as easily as the whisperlite? I've read it's supposed to be quite easy to field repair it, however I wanted to know if anyone had some hands on experience with it?

Cheers!

Fish

 

[DougPaul]

I've read it's supposed to be quite easy to field repair it, however I wanted to know if anyone had some hands on experience with it?

I have a model G (the beginner of the line which eventually became the XGK), bought in the mid-70s. I've never had to field repair it...

Doug

 

[TomD]

I have taken my old XGK apart at home, but never in the field. Other than the jet clogging, which might not be a problem with the newer ones, and a problem I never had since I never ran kerosene in it, other than changing the jet for different fuels, there isn't much to do to them.

MSR sells a little kit with washers in it, but I'd do that at home if it needed it.

 

[Pamola]

I have an 80's model xgk and it never has broken. but then again, neither has my whisperlite, which I've had since 7th grade. I don't know how the newfangled xgk's measure up. They certainly have been changed more over the years than the whisperlites.

Bottom line: Either way, your pump is going to break before the stove, and those can be tough to fix in the field.

 

[hikingfish]

Very interesting guys. Hmm, I was wondering if there's a lot of black residue that are left on the stove after priming? I had a lot of it on my whisperlite and was wondering if this also happened on the XGK.

Cheers,

Fish

 

[DougPaul]

Very interesting guys. Hmm, I was wondering if there's a lot of black residue that are left on the stove after priming? I had a lot of it on my whisperlite and was wondering if this also happened on the XGK.

The black residue on the outside is carbon, which can generally be wiped off. I've never known it to be a problem.

Using only Coleman fuel or equivalent is a big help--many (most?) other fuels are much more likely to deposit gum etc inside the stove.

Doug

 

[TomD]

The one thing that did break on my XGK was the sparker. I replaced it with a nut and bolt that MSR sent me-it sparker also holds the stove to the shell. BTW, when I called them about getting replacement parts for my old stove, they sent them for free. That may not happen every time, but the fact that they care about people who own their old gear and will help you fix it puts them far above a lot of companies.

 

[hikingfish]

The one thing that did break on my XGK was the sparker. I replaced it with a nut and bolt that MSR sent me-it sparker also holds the stove to the shell. BTW, when I called them about getting replacement parts for my old stove, they sent them for free. That may not happen every time, but the fact that they care about people who own their old gear and will help you fix it puts them far above a lot of companies.

Ya, I really like MSR for that. Which is one of the reason why I'm really leaning towards the XGK. I had some problems with my Lightnings and they replaced them for free. I'm more than willing to pay 10-20$ more on my stove to get that level of customer service in the future.

Thanks all for the posts!

Fish

 

[hikingfish]

Hi All,
I wanted to drop by and officially blame everyone that replied to this thread for my debauchery at my local Mountain Equipment Coop store I'll let you all know how my XGK handles after some real field tests, but for now, I can say my hot choco made on my balcony tastes perty sweet! Oh, I love the way the tampon material works compared to my old whisperlite. What a difference! No more wondering if the lighter's flame is close enough to the fuel...put enough fuel to prime, wait 2-3 seconds for the tampon material to absorb some of the fuel and then put your lighter next to the tampon. Voila! It lights up...I did get a fairly decent flare up on start up, but I'm guessing it's a combination of: Too much fuel for priming (lack of knowledge of how the stove works...it IS the first time I light this one) and there might be some odd chemicals on the stove that are still present from the manufacturing process.

Oh, and that review on the net that says there are 2 settings: Off or, and I quote, "nuclear meltdown" is dead on!

Cheers

Fish

 

[DougPaul]

Oh, and that review on the net that says there are 2 settings: Off or, and I quote, "nuclear meltdown" is dead on!

A common misconception--I have always been able to simmer on my Model G and have heard that the same technique works on the XGK.

Use a low bottle pressure and a delicate hand on the valve. May be hard to do in the wind--the stove may blow out.

Doug

 

[hikingfish]

DougPaul,
I think I already found something I'm not that fond of on my XGK. The shake jet needle that's in the bottom part of the stove seems to not be long enough to clean the fuel hole, hence why they package a special tool with 2 wire sticking out of it. But that tool seems very fragile, no? How you do carry it around in the field without damaging it?

Fish

 

[DougPaul]

DougPaul,
I think I already found something I'm not that fond of on my XGK. The shake jet needle that's in the bottom part of the stove seems to not be long enough to clean the fuel hole, hence why they package a special tool with 2 wire sticking out of it. But that tool seems very fragile, no? How you do carry it around in the field without damaging it?

My model G is pre-shaker needle. It came with a sheet metal wand with one or two wires sticking out from one end. It also came with a metal cup which I use as a cover for the burner assembly when not using the stove. I taped the wand inside the cup--had to bend the handle to make it fit. You could tape the wand to some rigid object--perhaps the outside of a fuel bottle.

The wand has always been adequate to clear the jet.

Doug

 

[hikingfish]

My model G is pre-shaker needle. It came with a sheet metal wand with one or two wires sticking out from one end. It also came with a metal cup which I use as a cover for the burner assembly when not using the stove. I taped the wand inside the cup--had to bend the handle to make it fit. You could tape the wand to some rigid object--perhaps the outside of a fuel bottle.

The wand has always been adequate to clear the jet.

Doug

Great advice!

I'll try to see if I could put it on something rigid...

Fish