MSR Quality

[BISCUT]

I've been going through my gear separating some items for donation and others for sale. I came across my MSR Dragonfly stove in it's OR soft case. I took out and was alarmed as I had stored it for a decade (yes a full 10 years maybe even more) with a tank full of white gas in an MSR fuel bottle. I figured the leather cup, seals, and the black ball that regulates the fuel level would have shrunk or cracked. The adventurous side had to give it a spin and see what we got. I did check the fuel bottle O ring. I was concerned if things went wrong flames could come back to the bottle.

There was no drama, primed like a champ, burned as if it was new. Guess that shaker jet really does clean out gunk! Pump held pressure just fine. No leaks, functioned flawlessly. Big kudos to MSR for build quality. Thought I would share.

Side Note: I was amazed at how airtight the MSR fuel bottle seal was. The fuel (white gas) was still in excellent condition.

 

[Gremlin]

I bought the Whisperlite when it came out (1987?). Believe it or not it came with a round sticker with the instructions that was to be stuck to the bottom of a Sigg fuel bottle (!). When the shaker jet came out I retrofitted one. Still going strong and still with the Sigg (I do have an MSR fuel bottle, but still haven't used it).

 

[DougPaul]

I bought the Whisperlite when it came out (1987?). Believe it or not it came with a round sticker with the instructions that was to be stuck to the bottom of a Sigg fuel bottle (!). When the shaker jet came out I retrofitted one. Still going strong and still with the Sigg (I do have an MSR fuel bottle, but still haven't used it).

A number of Sigg bottles failed (broke, cracked, or leaked) under the pressure (from the pump)*. The MSR bottles are safer.

* A knowledgeable (and older ) salesman told me that the failure was due to a potentially weak weld in the Sigg bottles.

Related more recent evidence: http://www.nifc.gov/safetyAlerts/Warnings/SW_20050711_Failure_of_Sigg_Type_Bottles.pdf

The gasket seats are also different which may also make a difference. (BTW, you can get new bottle gaskets at your local hardware store.)

Doug

 

[peakbagger]

The whisperlights and dragonflys were bullet proof. About the only items that needed attention was the leather pump cup and the greasing the o- ring on the fuel tube. I once bought 2 whisperlights for a scout troop and they were defective out od the box due to a manufacturing defect on the primer cup, they replaced them quickly and those stove got years of boy scout grade abuse with no issues.

They dropped the ball with the dragonfly stove when they changed materials on the fuel pump. I was quite unhappy after a few years where my pump failed and they wouldn't replace it and wanted me to buy one. I ended up finding the same style pump in an shelter on the AT and have used the dragonfly on and off since when I need to cook for a group and folks are tolerant of the roar.

I have a collection of MSR bottles with fuel in them that are easily 15 to 20 years old. I missed out on getting one of the very rare titanium versions.

 

[Gremlin]

Doug, I suspect the MSR bottle is made by Sigg, but that's just me - bitter, cynical and twisted. PB, XGK and Dragonfly are called what stoves, when someone speaks everyone shouts, 'What?' LOL. We were at the Donaldson Range campnig behind the Ward Brook lean-to when the guys in the lean-to fired one up. We thought a jetliner was landing.

 

[DougPaul]

Doug, I suspect the MSR bottle is made by Sigg, but that's just me - bitter, cynical and twisted.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIGG Sigg no longer markets fuel bottles but does make fuel bottles for MSR and Primus. Presumably the MSR-branded bottles are made to MSR specs and are therefore different from the Sigg-branded bottles. (My MSR bottles are certainly visibly different from my Sigg bottles.)

PB, XGK and Dragonfly are called what stoves, when someone speaks everyone shouts, 'What?' LOL. We were at the Donaldson Range campnig behind the Ward Brook lean-to when the guys in the lean-to fired one up. We thought a jetliner was landing.

They aren't called "roarer burners" for nothing... (I'm a long-time user of the model G which is the first of the line leading to the XGK. I bought it in the 1970s and it still works.)

Doug

 

[alexmtn]

...They aren't called "roarer burners" for nothing...

And even the quieter Whisperlite long ago earned the moniker "WhisperLoud". So much sound and fury, so little heat [Reactor fan here].

 

[sierra]

Best stove I ever owned was the Optimus 8R. I had the optional primer pump and that stove never failed me. Unfortunately, one night, I drove from San Fransisco, all the way to the gate on White Mountain peak in the Sierra's. This gate being at about 11,500ft. Normally, I excell at altitude, but during the night, I got really sick and had to bail. I broke camp and somehow left my old stove behind.

 

[Gremlin]

I remember the Optimus.

 

[DougPaul]

Best stove I ever owned was the Optimus 8R. I had the optional primer pump and that stove never failed me. Unfortunately, one night, I drove from San Fransisco, all the way to the gate on White Mountain peak in the Sierra's. This gate being at about 11,500ft. Normally, I excell at altitude, but during the night, I got really sick and had to bail. I broke camp and somehow left my old stove behind.

Mine (with pump) still works... (At least it did last time I fired it up and I expect that it will be fine next time too.)

Doug

 

[Peakbagr]

My XGK is definitely a 'what?' stove. Like being at a funny car race. Speaking about old stoves, hiked with someone a month ago that brought his Svea to the summit to brew tea. Said he saw one of the originals advertised on Ebay for $500. Maybe I should part with mine. LOL

 

[Tom_Murphy]

MSR quality - their snowshoes haven't had the best history here in New England and I am not, definitely NOT, a fan of their plastic fuel pumps

roar burners - I have aftermarket caps for my SVEA 123R and my PRIMUS OMNIFUEL, the caps significantly reduce the combustion noise and don't appear to have affected the stoves' fuel efficiency.

 

[summitseeker]

MSR quality - their snowshoes haven't had the best history here in New England and I am not a definitely NOT a fan of their plastic fuel pumps

roar burners - I have aftermarket caps for my SVEA 123R and my PRIMUS OMNIFUEL, the caps significantly reduce the combustion noise and don't appear to have affected the stoves' fuel efficiency.

Hi Tom,

Did you yourself have a mechanical failure with an MSR snowshoe? I love my Denalis and Evo Ascents (as I have stated at nausea, sorry everybody). That being said, I have talked with a lot of people who had their Lightnings fail them. The most common issue with the Lightning line was/is fracturing of the frame. This has been discussed in previous threads, but I was curious if you were another person who had the same issue.

Thanks,

Z

 

[sardog1]

My XGK is definitely a 'what?' stove. Like being at a funny car race. Speaking about old stoves, hiked with someone a month ago that brought his Svea to the summit to brew tea. Said he saw one of the originals advertised on Ebay for $500. Maybe I should part with mine. LOL

I'm still using one I received back when the moon was unspoiled wilderness with no trace of humans having ever been there. I would replace it with another, but it won't be necessary until I have long since shuffled off this mortal coil …

BTW, that $500 price is for a rare parabolic stove/heater, not the SVEA 123 stove. Many good examples of the latter have been available for under $100.

 

[Tom_Murphy]

Did you yourself have a mechanical failure with an MSR snowshoe?

Thankfully, no. I witnessed a textbook "catastrophic failure" of L/A. In fairness to MSR, the snow depth in New England isn't the same as the Pacific Northwest, the Rockies, or Upper Mid-West regions. So, as a group, NY and NE hikers probably subject them to the most abuse.

I went straight from a set of Yukon Charlies from Olympia Sport [a great value for snowshoeing the hills of Central MA] to bomber Tubbs Mountaineers.