Thank you so very much. Like I said before, I'm a new guy, to all of this information and I'm very happy to see you spend, so much of your valuable time explaining things in plain English. I'm so happy to have found you. God bless you, your daughter & dogs! Thanks again! Joe
Excellent comparison, very thorough in the number of attributes compared, no other comparison like it on the Internet, this really helped me make my decision. Thank you very much.
Thanks for this great review, Juijitsu2000! I purchased the Omni after watching your video and just returned from 5 days in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. We used the stove with Coleman fuel for frying fish using a 10" cast iron frying pan as well as a variety of other pasta/rice dishes using a nice MSR stainless cookpot set. I have a couple additional considerations for anyone exploring stove options: 1. (+) The Omni seemed very well built, was a stable platform and easy to light. I could throttle it down to a very low heat level for simmering. I expect this stove could last me 30 years like my Peak One did. 2. (-)The Omni created a very narrow and incredibly hot center point of heat. Even with the heavy cast iron, our fish fry required a slow heating of the oil. At one point, the oil in the center of the pan would rapidly boil the moisture from a piece of fish while the oil in the outer perimeter of the pan was still too cool to even create any bubbles. We needed to heat the oil very slowly so the heat would spread throughout the pan and then only cook fish in the out ring of oil to prevent pieces from burning in the center. When we attempted making pancakes we could only cook a single pancake in the middle of the pan. The center would burn while the outer edges were barely done (with the stove set quite low). I was really bummed. I'm used to the wide ring of flame from an old Coleman Peak One that seemed to mate perfectly with a 10" pan providing even heat across the entire surface. 3. (+) It boiled pasta/rice/water in all sizes of pans very quickly. I'd happily select this stove for a trip where all meals only involved boiling water. 4. (-) The jet clogged on me 4 times. I removed the jet using the tool provided and ended up needing to find a very sharp pine needle to clear the opening. Blowing or tapping didn't work. I couldn't tell what blocked it but expect it might be debris from manufacturing. It almost looked like soot clogged it, but I couldn't tell for sure. It made me curious about the usefulness of the MSR shaker jet you described. My takeaway from this is that I'm going to buy the MSR and compare heat distribution on a frying pan and then return the one that is least effective. From your video, it looks like the MSR would give at least 50% wider flame distribution. For water based cooking, the Primus was an excellent choice (except for clogging). For other types of cooking, the Omni is too much of a torch and not enough of a stove--very frustrating as I really had high hopes for this being my primary stove.
The Bright yellow flare up on the Primus indicates inadequate preheating. The fuel valve should have been opened for a little longer before lighting allowing more fuel to soak the felt pad. A longer pre-heat would result in a cleaner start up. I have a Primus Omnilite TI and the same applies.
About the only comment I can add is that I've had my Primus Omnifuel for 20 years, and it's still running on it's original parts without fault. I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for camping in the mountains now, so rather than throw it away, I'm donating it, along with a few more treasures, to the local Scout group, where I'm confident it'll give many more years service. It'll be like parting from a dear friend with all the memories behind it 😭
thanks for the very informative review on each stove, I have the primus omli lite titanium stove and like it, if you put fire paste, on the generator before lighting up the stove, works on either stove, there is no flare up at the start, fire paste is like tooth paste, but its a gel fuel, great for any back country use
Hi, just now come across your review, very impressive. I very much favour all things primus and found your review very enlightening. I very much like the free swivel with the Primus fuel pump, as you flipped the fuel cell to turn the fuel feed off. The MSR fuel pump did seem a little less user friendly, a little more fiddly, and possibly less robust, though the whisper feature was impressive with less if any white noise. Smashing review, thank you.
Great video. Getting back into backpacking and unfortunately I have the old Coleman powermax, which I thought was great until coleman dropped the canisters. They have an adapter, but added weight and some people report leaks, I figured time for a new one and couldn't quite decide. Really loved the detail and comparisons you made, I will have to weigh it out, but might go with Primus. Thanks you for a very informative video.
You do a great job of presenting in these videos, the content is there and the personality is there. I'd like to see you do more videos on stoves, especially liquid fuel stoves. For me they have become a hobby for me. I have the Soto Muka, Dragonfly, XGK and the Optimus Nova. I love all of these stoves. If I had to recommend one it would be the Nova as it is just so well built and trouble free. I watched this video again as I have ordered the Whisperlite Universal. I couldn't help myself. If I had my time over again I would maybe get the Optimus Polaris but the Nova was my first stove and I have learnt a lot since then. I use these stoves for cooking...daily...just because. The Nova is the one that wins out when I go camping. I'd like to see a video on the XGK. I use kerosene most of the time in my stoves but I prime with alcohol which keeps the stoves clean. I use Shellite as well, and when I use Shellite, I just prime using fuel from the stove. Alcohol priming works so well though and it keeps the stove pristine clean even when using heavy fuels.
But I forgot to say it was a very good and nice review and you showed us many important answers and how it works and so on. Primus is perhaps the first company to make stoves that run on fuel. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen used this in the Arctic for almost 100 years ago. Also you point out that there are some similars between the stoves and you are right. I think that primus was first and they make it so it last and you don’t need to buy more parts like the other stove you showed. Also the easy fuel line connector for the fuel tank or on gas was also a nice important feature. Think that primus is perhaps some more expensive but then you get something well proven and also works all the time and for all kind of people. So very nice long review jiujiusu2000🤗🤗🤗🤗
Thanks a lot for these vids JIUJITSU 2000, no details left unturned! I'm in the market for a multifuel stove and I've been doing my research and your videos have great wealth of informations. looking into the Optimus Polaris, (Swedish company) but even tough it's made to Swedish specifications it's still made in China! The Primus Omni fuel (Finnish company IIRC) is made in Estonia so I guess it's in between. And the MSR stoves that are made in the US, to me it's a big plus (might not be for other people but I guess being a unionized worker I appreciate companies who keep their jobs local) and the tipping point is that, here in Canada I can get all of the MSR replacement parts at my local Mountain Equipment Coop ( Canadian equivalent of REI). They do carry a few spare parts for Optimus and Primus but not as much as MSR. MSR have all of the spare parts you'll ever need to service your stoves, either be it trough the annual service kit to your stove specific expedition kits or any other parts, lines, pumps, jet fuel nozzles and needles. I'm pretty sure you can get most of the essential parts for your Optimus or Primus, it just seems like they would be harder to track down! The fact that MSR has all the parts readily and easily available shows that it's a company who stand 100% behind their products and that is definitely something to think about down the line. On some models they even make retro-specific parts, wich is not necessarily the case with their pumps but you showed that a little tinkering can get the job done. (wisperlite VS wisperlite universal video) So again, thanks for taking the time to make these.
I am a big MSR fan. I have the Universal. It seems to me that maybe MSR has placed more emphasis on weight reduction with the plastics in the pump, smaller hose, and thinner guage metal. I do really like the extra valve on the Primus though. Thanks for the review. Honestly, I would love to collect all of these stoves. I'm a big fan of all the engineering.
MSR went with plastic for weight, cost of maintenance, and safety. Plastic pumps melt or leaks when they fail. Metal pumps explode when they fail. Plastic is less durable but cheaper to replace parts.
Thanks! This helped me decide to buy the MSR. Also, I subscribed to your channel, nice videos :) The only thing I miss about the MSR is that you can't use it with Diesel. Not that that's a very pleasant thing to do, but sometimes it's better than nothing.
try simmering with the second valve on the primus. thats what its for. full throttle on the pump valve and control the flame with the other. much better control compared to msr. i like the msr though, will be my next buy! like your videos! greetings from sweden and merry christmas!
Absolutely awesome review. I have the Primus OmniLite Ti and please that I bought it it's quite old now but still works fine. Thanks for sharing. Colin
Just a hint, if you have fire paste, you can squeeze a bit onto the generator tube, then light the fire paste, then when almost out either stove will fire up, no large flame
Fun video. Boil tests are always fun to watch, but when choosing a stove there are more important considerations such as customer support- how easy is it to get replacement parts? Weight another factor. I agree they are BOTH great stoves. I have several MSR and Primus stoves and you can’t go wrong with either. I’ve gotten replacement parts from both companies without hassle. I do find the MSR stoves (whisperlite, dragonfly, XGK) are a little bit more reliable and require a little less maintenance for liquid fuels.
This is the most detailed and best coverage review of the two stoves I have found. Really nice job, Juijit. I love my MSR WLU but I think I'd swap it for a Primus after watching this video. The only advantage I see is the shaker jet. Otherwise, the Primus has metal fittings where the MSR has plastic, less parts to fiddle with, and is quieter.
I kinda like the idea of having one in case electric goes out r'sumthin. &the MSR's fuel control helps tremendously beyond just simmering. *PRIMUS is the solid logical choice*, but I'm going MSR anyway for my travel overlanding/car camping stove. 👍 extensive review.
Great review! The pot stand issue is not an issue in my opinion. I can place a small 4" x 4" grill on top of the MSR if I want to use pots that are too small and the problem is no longer an issue. I still like the MSR stove better simply because of the flame control. The only questions I would have for you are: 1. What is the total weight of each stove itself? 2. Do you know anything about MSR's Artic Fuel pump? Only thing I gather from it is that it is it is better for extreme below freezing temperatures. 3. In your opinion, which form of liquid fuel is the best to use (i.e. Kerosene, white gas, or gasoline)? Thanks again for the great review.
I think that if I were at high altitude, and in cold weather. Might go with the primus. They both would work very very well, but the primus seems a bit lower in the middle factor.
When measuring things that are circular in nature, please use diameter or radius. That's why you measured 2 3/4" min. pot size on the MSR but in reality it's more than that. Same on the bases. On 4 legs you can do that, not on 3. Measure from the center to the tip of whatever you want to measure, that yields the radius, then multiply by 2. Still a great video though and I appreciate the more real-world oriented tests.
I am looking to get something like this compatable with a tragiasystem. I would say the pots are unsfable with what you have. They need to be a bit wider or have a connection. Hosex should not matter to much would guess they are myflex braded pipes some are stiffer some are softer. I also served in the Navy, not yours Royal Navy. Youve done a lot of work on this well done.
I've had four different gas stoves, over the years. Two Coleman,s, a Svea 123, and a Whisperlite. I have Never had Carbon deposits. I used either Coleman white fuel, or local naphtha gas.
The choice here is pretty easy. First, who cares about loud? All stoves will boil water rather quickly. The real test is how well they simmer. The pot (container) balance is better on the Omni in the smaller size pot and equal on the larger sizes. None of which will be very large for a backpacker anyway. The Omni has two valves for fuel regulation: at the burner and at the canister. Whisper Lite has only the canister valve. The Omni is instant off at the burner in both gas and fuel bottle. The Whisper Lite continues to burn longer on both accounts because of residual fuel burn in the hose. The flame propagation is better on the Omni Fuel on both the canister and fuel bottle. Blue flame (hottest) vs. yellow flame on the Whisper Lite. Size of the burner bell is irrelevant on the Whisper. The heat comes from the flame. The fuel pump on the Omni Fuel is all metal vs. plastic on the Whisper. I'll take that for reliability any day, especially in cold weather where plastic could crack. Then you have no stove. Easy change jet on the Omni. The Whisper requires a jet and a valve change. The flexible and longer hose on the Omni allows better bottle positioning than the Whisper. The braided part is only a sheath on the rubber hose inside anyway. The stiffer hose on the Whisper means nothing. The gas does not go through the braided hose. It goes through a rubber hose inside. Shaker jet cleaning is "hit or miss". With the Omni manual cleaner you know for sure you're getting it clean. Look at your windshield the next time you go through an automatic car wash and see the film left where your wipers don't clean. It wasn't demonstrated but the Omni fuel burns propane, white gas, and kerosene, any of which can be found in most places. It also folds much more compactly than the Whisper. Both seem to be very nice stoves and will do the job for most campers. But for the money, the Omni looks to be the better buy.
I find it funny how people complain about fuel stoves being loud. Some of the current high end jetboil style are just as loud and my Omnifuel when people have them going flatout.
I'm the opposite way. I'm not going to use these stoves on small pots. I use small pots in the summer, but in winter I need larger pots for snow melting and hot water. Small pots go with canister stoves, while these heavier stoves go with larger pots. And I like listening in on nature, so to me the noise issue is important.
Great review! Thanks. I like the simple design of the MSR, but not the plastic pump. I think I'll go with the Omni. Edit: I'm second guessing. That noise difference is huge! I see you are a fellow reloader :-)
Hey man do you expect to compare the whisperlite universal to the Primus Omnilite Ti? I have almost made my final decision (getting one stove for our camps but also my main shtf bugout stove as well, can only get one), but your reviews and comparisons seem the best and most thought out in terms of all the most important aspects, and you seem to have lots of experience with MSR. I need to see one good comparison of whisperlite universal vs. omnilite ti, then I pull the trigger. FYI, omnlilite ti apparently burns diesel where whisperlight universal does not. Also, would love to hear your thoughts on the "generator" coil design of the omnilite ti vs whisperlight universal. I notice the ti does not have loop above burner. DOes this make field maintenance easier? Harder? Is it a more rugged design (less prone to mishap)? Thanks for what you do for the community and for your service. PS: Any way we can use those 1 Lb propane tanks (just propane, like the coleman propane tanks) on any of these multifuel stoves, like with some kind of adapter/regulator?
I'd rather have the MSR Whisperlite. (Which I do.) One thing is, it's definitely made for larger pots. It's not just the pot support, but the cup and its flame is wide enough to go halfways on the outside of this small pot and you lose a lot of heat that way. (It should explain the slower boil times here.) If you bring a small pot that's not a good thing for sure. But for pans and food you don't want to burn it's good. You don't just have a lot of heat in the middle. And I don't *want* to use such a stove for smaller pots. I use them in winter, when I need to melt snow and to have lots of hot water. I'll bring a large pot anyway. My biggest trouble with the Whisperlite is the flame control. You'll often want to bring water to a boil, which needs good pressure, then bring it to a simmer. What do you do, turn the bottle over to let out most of the air, then turn it back again just in time? It could work, but a second option is to just bring another small stove. I like those twig burning stoves, but then again, conditions are often wet and they can be troublesome at times. Twice the carry but less need for fuel.
Thanks for the video. Trying to decide on a multifuel stove for winter use and this help me bit. I used a friends Prims a few times and like it but want to look at the options before I decide so really thanks for the long video. I assume the primus was quite new when you did this video, do you have any new comments after using it a bit more? And as a last node. Thank you for not focusing too much on boiling times, I see too many using this as a metric of something great. For me those extra seconds are quite irrelevant when you think about the setup, priming and also cooking.
Thanks for the comparison, I have a Whisperlite International, the test at the end would probably be improved by using broader pots as with the narrower pots the Primus has an unfair advantage due to the narrower flame.
I would suggest that it depends what you were using the stove for in the real world. It may be that the Whisperlite would perform better with a wider pot than the Omnifuel. With the Omnifuel there will be a larger concentration of heat at the centre of the pot whereas with the Whisperlite the heat is more evenly spread, so a smaller pot means that more heat will be lost up the sides of the pot and this will especially be the case with the Whisperlite. With a broader pot the heat from the Whisperlite will be distributed along the bottom more evenly. I have found that when you use a small pot on a Whisperlite the upper sides of the pot get very hot indicating that much heat is lost along the sides. The main flaw I find with the Whisperlite international is a lack of the self purging system that you find on Primus and Optimus stoves but other than that and the resulting fuel wastage it runs really well and has lots of character, so depends what you mean by better! I am not really biased as I like Primus stoves too, they are very well made.
The MSR has a plastic pump. I know of ones that broke in the field and could not be repaired. The Primus pump is much sturdier. I would go for the Primus.
Best is of course primus and it’s Swedish and they make quality quality and good user interface/ friendliness... can’t understand why you pump up a pressure before connecting the fuel lines...
MSR seems to have way too many moving parts when I seen switch to another fuel at around 44th minute. Especially that needle thing in burner jet. It'll get lost swiftly, so better stay with one fuel type for whole trip. That needle "cleaning" thing might seem as great, but for dirty fuel you still have cleanable filter on pump side. So I'm glad Primus did not put any extra parts into stove and kept it simple stupid. Also there is no need to change anything on bottle side vent on Primus when changing between gas and gasoline/liquid-fuels. No need to mention that hose connection to the gasoline bottle&pump is just and o'ring and clip on MSR, while it's threaded on Primus (seems better to me). 44:55 That's why it might be better and I guess it's recommended in manual, to connect hose before pressurizing bottle. MSR seems to have better control. Primus looks more heavy duty, expedition type, like full-power or nothing, just to boil your coffee/tee, or melt a ton of snow, in an instant. 59:38 how about to use scale and weight the bottles for fuel filling and consumption comparison?
Personally the primus seems to be built better and the whisper is more plastic made which can be really bad in the cold. I would get the primus. But if you added the optimus polaris I'd have a hard time choosing.
Will you see if you can figure out how to make the red tank that comes with the old colman stoves that you add liquid fuel to and pump up so I can use it with either one of the burners your showing ?
My thanks. This is a nice informative comparison. One thing I wonder about the MSR-Whisperlite: It does have a generator and in my old Coleman-Stove this part sometimes gets blocked and cannot be cleaned but must be exchanged. Is that also an issue with the MSR-Stove?
Martin Hühn These stoves are great. If you use dirty fuel you'll clog up the generator, but on these stoves it's very easy to fix. To clean it. I'll be doing a video on how to do this in the near future.
Are the primer pumps interchangeable with each other? Can you use the metal primer from the Omni fuel on the MSR? Like you mention, I'm not fond of the plastic on metal as it's more likely to break. The plastic is the main drawback on the MSR for me. The metal on the Omni seems a lot more reliable & desirable. MSR with the Omni primer would be my choice, MSR needs an upgrade IMHO.
1. Omnifuel can also be used in liquid feed mode. 2. You pressurize the bottle AFTER connecting the hose. 3. You didn't prime it enough. You should have blue flame straight away after relighting the stove. Squirt more fuel in to it and let it burn for circa 30 sec.
Will these stoves heat a skillet evenly? If not can you recommend a stove that will heat a 7 inch skillet evenly without just heating the middle 3 inches?
I have the MSR version but i'm happy Primus made the Omni fuel because it pushed MSR to innovate instead of just incremental improvements. I don't think MSR would have even bothered with the Universal if not for the fact nearly every major stove manufacture had a version that could do both liquid and Iso fuels.
The 'secret' is that you don't need so much the ''MSR shaker-jet'' on the Omnifuel. I guess only with very dirty fuel perhaps, and on full power it cleans itself. So I am not so much in favor for the MSR. Greetings again. :-)
Was not happy with MSR customer support and will certainly be considering the Primus. If i was going with MSR would prefer the Windpro II and Simmerlite set I have to the Whisperlite. I sold my Whisperlite (original) a few years ago and replaced with the Simmerlite and NOW I love the Windpro II. Definitely can use smaller pots with it. I got two stoves for essentially less than the price of the Whisperlite Universal and much cheaper than the awesome Primus.
If you learn how to use them, both are awesome stoves. If you are betting your life on these stoves, you must certainly plan for failure of wear parts and breakables and thus carry spares. I like a metal pump personally but I've had Coleman Apex for decades that's working just fine and there are tons of MSR stoves out there that are decades old too. You KNOW it's a plastic pump and you treat it accordingly. These are tools. You take care of your tools, and they return the favor. I have a LOT of different stoves. My first gen Optimus Nova is probably my, "if I could only have one" stove. I base that on multi fuel capability and durability. I have a lot of Colemans that I love dearly, but they are limited on fuel capability. Good assessment overall. I will say that you didn't preheat the Primus enough. You should never have the yellow flaring you had here. I preheat with alcohol to keep the soot to a minimum. Shaker jets cleaners are great. I don't think you waited long enough for the fuel lines to purge. If the bottles are filled to the line, there is ample air space for them to purge. Both fuel pickups were sufficiently positioned to pull headspace air to purge. I can't speak for these two, but my Nova takes nearly a full minute to purge on full blast. The magnetic cleaning needle on the Nova allows jet cleaning while the pot is on as well as working as a shaker. Arguments against them are simply ridiculous. A guy below compare them to an automatic car wash vs hand washing.. HAHA! This isn't bugs on a windshield, it's a gas jet. They are flat out better, full stop. You can't bend them break them or lose them in the snow. Manual prickers are fine, but in this day and age? C'mon. They are antiquated vestiges of a bygone era. Don't get me wrong, they work, but they are NOT better. I don't light my home with oil lamps or cook on.... well actually I DO like to cook on my camp stoves at home, haha! But I do it because I like using them, not because they are better than my gas range. And if my power and gas went out, I'm ready for that too. All that said, no one is stupid or even wrong for liking or disliking anything. Go with what works for you. I have over a hundred stoves of different types, brands, and models. I LOVE something about every one of them. There is no "perfect" stove. Some are really close, though. Learn yours, use it and enjoy it.
No need at all to touch the control valve on the canister or fuel bottle until you finish cooking, the control on the stove is all you need to use. I've been using an Omnifuel since they first launched.
It depends on which MSR stove you are referring to. If you're referencing the MSR whisperlite Universal yes you can use the Primus pump and it works great. If it's the older Whisperlite, Whisperlite International, Dragonfly, Firefly , Simmerlite or the XGK - no you can't
Primus is the best. You can buy a cover for the primus to run more silent or it spread out the heat better. The msr have more parts to lose or more work to do when using different types of fuel
hello new subscriber here, your review videos are intuitive, can you recommend which one to get primus polaris or primus nova or other brands? i do a lot of hiking's and usually I use the solo stove which burn solid wood as fuel , but recently i found it difficult to perform well under the cold winter condition and at high altitude mountains beyond 2000 meters so im planning to upgrade and buy a new multi fuel stove, thanks in advance
@@jiujitsu2000many thanks for your suggestion, i think I am going with with the primus polaris, it looks better built and more robust, since i do technical hikings beyond 2500 meters in the Europe alps and i need very good built stove for this winter season.
And the primus has the best solution for the pump , how to fix it if it don’t make pressure or what it’s made off and nothing to replace or screw when using different fuel and easy to change fuel nozzles
the test would be better if there were a bigger pot. On the MSR, the burner is a little wider and therefore you lose a lot of heat out of the sides of the container. So the MSR gave a lot of heat out of the sides because your are using a cup essentially to boil. Also, if the MSR is slightly making the cup nest lower, the flame may not be contacting the metal at the hottest part of the flame.
JIUJITSU2000 I hope my post didn't sound too critical. I assumed that you already we're aware of that but was commenting for anyone else who might not have thought of it. By the way I subscribed a couple weeks ago and enjoy the analysis that you do on these kinds of products. I've been trying to stock up on emergency preparedness equipment. Also I wish that MSR made their pump out of metal. I really like that.
Seems to be a detailed review (only watched the first 15 min). However, the Primus stove you are using is not the current Omnifuel and not even the one before it...so there has been at least 2 updates to the Omnifuel. In my opinion, the metal pump and the double fuel valve adjustments make an Omnifuel stove much more reliable than the MSR. What MSR excel at is the Pocket Rocket.
@@wanderingcalamity360 unless you are going on an extreme cold weather expedition or want an ultralight stove I would personally choose the Primus Gravity 3 as it has a wide flame and a very stable base for big pans...it's like cooking on a home gas hob. If you need it as a multifuel stove you can buy that kit separately for it. If you mostly just need to boil water on your stove I would consider the Primus Lite+ as it includes pot with heat exchanger, stove and mug/lid which is very efficient energy wise...I find this great for trekking.
In the year 2022 - with the exception of these 3 states ie: the U.S. / MYANMAR and Liberia (Afrique)...while the rest of the world uses the METRIC SYSTEM!
@@jiujitsu2000 WOW thanks for the quick reply! Dont worry about it. You gave me the info I needed to look them up. Im working on a little trangia kit inside a Snow Peak No1 kettle. On a side note now that i know you read your comments. I wanted to personally thank you for making videos. You in part got me back into reloading 38 special. My currrent favorite load is a simple 158gr LSWCHP over 4.6gr of unique. Just wanted to let you know that there are people out there that really love your videos that might not comment. Please keep up the great work/content and never forget your roots as you become more and more popular on youtube. Please dont fall into the "mostly reviews of stuff that has been sent to me, croud" Your channel is something special and you are too humble for that
@@masongates246 excellent thoughts! I'm in the process of remodeling a house and when we're finished we'll be moving to that one. Once settled in I'll be planning for some more reloading videos again! Thank you for the support and very kind words!!
What is the most quiet with the most simmering capabilities of the bottle multi fuel stove you guys know? Im on the market for a bottle type omni/multi fuel stove. Jiujitsu, your video is easily one of the best I watched so far. Very informative and straight to the point (for more than an hour) (!!) The problem I have is that these stoves sounds like MIG 21s. I not using canister stove since 5 or 6 years now for that reason. Alcohol and wood only (silence, jeeez its great) but I do need to melt snow and for a 4 or 5 people group I need a MSR/Primus/Trangia/Optimus liquid fuel bottle stove. Its fuel effective, its fast and efficient. But omg its so f-fing loud.
If you only want liquid fuel i would recommend the optimus nova or msr firefly with a silent burner from www.shapeways.com/shops/berniedawgshop . And if you also want to use canisters i would go for the optimus polaris with a cap from the previous link or a primus omnifuel with the original primus silencer which they sell themselves. A good rule of thumb is that all stoves with a valve on the stove and not the bottle have pretty good simmer control.
Well that is a question for MSR, but a simple answer would be that there probably isn't enough demand for it. I think that the majority of people that buy a multifuel stove intend to use it in a below freezing environment (or international travel where canisters are scarce), and don't really care if it makes to much noise when they are melting snow or boiling water. Another point is that the silent type burners also are more sensitive to wind, again if you are going to use the stove in harsher environments no es bueno. But hell, it might just be a question of production cost.
I use primus omnifuel with omnidawg upgrade and I don't believe stove can get better than that. Simmering capability and noise is even better than most propane stoves.
Thank you so very much. Like I said before, I'm a new guy, to all of this information and I'm very happy to see you spend, so much of your valuable time explaining things in plain English. I'm so happy to have found you. God bless you, your daughter & dogs! Thanks again! Joe
Excellent comparison, very thorough in the number of attributes compared, no other comparison like it on the Internet, this really helped me make my decision. Thank you very much.
Thanks for this great review, Juijitsu2000!
I purchased the Omni after watching your video and just returned from 5 days in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. We used the stove with Coleman fuel for frying fish using a 10" cast iron frying pan as well as a variety of other pasta/rice dishes using a nice MSR stainless cookpot set. I have a couple additional considerations for anyone exploring stove options:
1. (+) The Omni seemed very well built, was a stable platform and easy to light. I could throttle it down to a very low heat level for simmering. I expect this stove could last me 30 years like my Peak One did.
2. (-)The Omni created a very narrow and incredibly hot center point of heat. Even with the heavy cast iron, our fish fry required a slow heating of the oil. At one point, the oil in the center of the pan would rapidly boil the moisture from a piece of fish while the oil in the outer perimeter of the pan was still too cool to even create any bubbles. We needed to heat the oil very slowly so the heat would spread throughout the pan and then only cook fish in the out ring of oil to prevent pieces from burning in the center. When we attempted making pancakes we could only cook a single pancake in the middle of the pan. The center would burn while the outer edges were barely done (with the stove set quite low). I was really bummed. I'm used to the wide ring of flame from an old Coleman Peak One that seemed to mate perfectly with a 10" pan providing even heat across the entire surface.
3. (+) It boiled pasta/rice/water in all sizes of pans very quickly. I'd happily select this stove for a trip where all meals only involved boiling water.
4. (-) The jet clogged on me 4 times. I removed the jet using the tool provided and ended up needing to find a very sharp pine needle to clear the opening. Blowing or tapping didn't work. I couldn't tell what blocked it but expect it might be debris from manufacturing. It almost looked like soot clogged it, but I couldn't tell for sure. It made me curious about the usefulness of the MSR shaker jet you described.
My takeaway from this is that I'm going to buy the MSR and compare heat distribution on a frying pan and then return the one that is least effective. From your video, it looks like the MSR would give at least 50% wider flame distribution. For water based cooking, the Primus was an excellent choice (except for clogging). For other types of cooking, the Omni is too much of a torch and not enough of a stove--very frustrating as I really had high hopes for this being my primary stove.
Jason Albrecht so how did you decide? Msr or omni?
Also interested in the result
Which generation omni did you go with?
The Bright yellow flare up on the Primus indicates inadequate preheating. The fuel valve should have been opened for a little longer before lighting allowing more fuel to soak the felt pad. A longer pre-heat would result in a cleaner start up. I have a Primus Omnilite TI and the same applies.
Thank you for the video, very interesting to be able to see the both how it works.
Great review ! thanks a lot !!!
I currently have MSR one, and will defiantly going to get Primus one too.
One of the best demo's I've seen yet. Thanks. Primus has my vote.
+flpirate45 thank you! I'm getting ready to do another one,,, Whisperlite universal vs the Optimus Polaris
Quality in-depth review, many thanks
Excellent review. I have the Soto Muka which I love but I appreciate the workmanship and design of these stoves too.
Very comprehensive comparison, Thank you for this~
About the only comment I can add is that I've had my Primus Omnifuel for 20 years, and it's still running on it's original parts without fault. I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for camping in the mountains now, so rather than throw it away, I'm donating it, along with a few more treasures, to the local Scout group, where I'm confident it'll give many more years service. It'll be like parting from a dear friend with all the memories behind it 😭
That's awesome my friend! I love things like this!!
Alan Smith which new one will you use?
@Darian Francis You some sort of pervy control freak?
Alan Smith nobody cares. Fuc* off
@@Broxine Ooh err - someone's a bit salty. Cheer up, summer's on its way 😂😂😂🇬🇧
thanks for the very informative review on each stove, I have the primus omli lite titanium stove and like it, if you put fire paste, on the generator before lighting up the stove, works on either stove, there is no flare up at the start, fire paste is like tooth paste, but its a gel fuel, great for any back country use
Great review, thanks for doing this.
Excellent review on these stoves.
Hi, just now come across your review, very impressive. I very much favour all things primus and found your review very enlightening. I very much like the free swivel with the Primus fuel pump, as you flipped the fuel cell to turn the fuel feed off. The MSR fuel pump did seem a little less user friendly, a little more fiddly, and possibly less robust, though the whisper feature was impressive with less if any white noise. Smashing review, thank you.
Great video. Getting back into backpacking and unfortunately I have the old Coleman powermax, which I thought was great until coleman dropped the canisters. They have an adapter, but added weight and some people report leaks, I figured time for a new one and couldn't quite decide. Really loved the detail and comparisons you made, I will have to weigh it out, but might go with Primus. Thanks you for a very informative video.
Hi. Great video! I always flip the bottle to shut down my Whisperlite Universal, works great :)
Got one of those Primus stoves... they are a beast.
You do a great job of presenting in these videos, the content is there and the personality is there. I'd like to see you do more videos on stoves, especially liquid fuel stoves. For me they have become a hobby for me. I have the Soto Muka, Dragonfly, XGK and the Optimus Nova. I love all of these stoves. If I had to recommend one it would be the Nova as it is just so well built and trouble free. I watched this video again as I have ordered the Whisperlite Universal. I couldn't help myself. If I had my time over again I would maybe get the Optimus Polaris but the Nova was my first stove and I have learnt a lot since then. I use these stoves for cooking...daily...just because. The Nova is the one that wins out when I go camping. I'd like to see a video on the XGK. I use kerosene most of the time in my stoves but I prime with alcohol which keeps the stoves clean. I use Shellite as well, and when I use Shellite, I just prime using fuel from the stove. Alcohol priming works so well though and it keeps the stove pristine clean even when using heavy fuels.
Great vids, very informative thank you
But I forgot to say it was a very good and nice review and you showed us many important answers and how it works and so on. Primus is perhaps the first company to make stoves that run on fuel. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen used this in the Arctic for almost 100 years ago. Also you point out that there are some similars between the stoves and you are right. I think that primus was first and they make it so it last and you don’t need to buy more parts like the other stove you showed. Also the easy fuel line connector for the fuel tank or on gas was also a nice important feature. Think that primus is perhaps some more expensive but then you get something well proven and also works all the time and for all kind of people. So very nice long review jiujiusu2000🤗🤗🤗🤗
I was just considering buying an MSR but you have just changed my mind. Thanks for the information :)
Look at my other video with the Optimus Polaris!
th-cam.com/video/wkHgULoh0_s/w-d-xo.html
Thanks a lot for these vids JIUJITSU 2000, no details left unturned!
I'm in the market for a multifuel stove and I've been doing my research and your videos have great wealth of informations.
looking into the Optimus Polaris, (Swedish company) but even tough it's made to Swedish specifications it's still made in China!
The Primus Omni fuel (Finnish company IIRC) is made in Estonia so I guess it's in between.
And the MSR stoves that are made in the US, to me it's a big plus (might not be for other people but I guess being a unionized worker I appreciate companies who keep their jobs local) and the tipping point is that, here in Canada I can get all of the MSR replacement parts at my local Mountain Equipment Coop ( Canadian equivalent of REI).
They do carry a few spare parts for Optimus and Primus but not as much as MSR. MSR have all of the spare parts you'll ever need to service your stoves, either be it trough the annual service kit to your stove specific expedition kits or any other parts, lines, pumps, jet fuel nozzles and needles.
I'm pretty sure you can get most of the essential parts for your Optimus or Primus, it just seems like they would be harder to track down!
The fact that MSR has all the parts readily and easily available shows that it's a company who stand 100% behind their products and that is definitely something to think about down the line.
On some models they even make retro-specific parts, wich is not necessarily the case with their pumps but you showed that a little tinkering can get the job done. (wisperlite VS wisperlite universal video)
So again, thanks for taking the time to make these.
Excellent review, thanks
非常に役に立ちました◎thank you😊
Picked up the older Primus Himalaya with the all metal fuel pump because of this video. Just fired it up with Iso. Sweet stove.
+wbaisjeff it's a good one!
I am a big MSR fan. I have the Universal. It seems to me that maybe MSR has placed more emphasis on weight reduction with the plastics in the pump, smaller hose, and thinner guage metal. I do really like the extra valve on the Primus though. Thanks for the review. Honestly, I would love to collect all of these stoves. I'm a big fan of all the engineering.
Right, pluses and minuses. Weight vs more "user friendly"
MSR went with plastic for weight, cost of maintenance, and safety. Plastic pumps melt or leaks when they fail. Metal pumps explode when they fail. Plastic is less durable but cheaper to replace parts.
D
Fantastic review 10/10 dude
Thanks! This helped me decide to buy the MSR. Also, I subscribed to your channel, nice videos :)
The only thing I miss about the MSR is that you can't use it with Diesel. Not that that's a very pleasant thing to do, but sometimes it's better than nothing.
+repat 123 Thank you! I appreciate you stopping by and showing your support. Have a beautiful evening!
New subscriber to your channel. Really like your review and presentation. Very helpful. Thanks for posting.
+Alex Morgan Thank you!
Primus for me.
Good video, thanks.
+Zeus Canine they're excellent
try simmering with the second valve on the primus. thats what its for. full throttle on the pump valve and control the flame with the other. much better control compared to msr. i like the msr though, will be my next buy! like your videos! greetings from sweden and merry christmas!
solid review
Great review!
Absolutely awesome review.
I have the Primus OmniLite Ti
and please that I bought it it's quite old now but still works fine. Thanks for sharing. Colin
That's an amazing stove too! Thank you for the kind words and support that you can my channel hope you have a beautiful day
Just a hint, if you have fire paste, you can squeeze a bit onto the generator tube, then light the fire paste, then when almost out either stove will fire up, no large flame
Great rew, thanks
I like thim both,thanks for the vid u done great
Thank you!
Fun video. Boil tests are always fun to watch, but when choosing a stove there are more important considerations such as customer support- how easy is it to get replacement parts? Weight another factor. I agree they are BOTH great stoves. I have several MSR and Primus stoves and you can’t go wrong with either. I’ve gotten replacement parts from both companies without hassle. I do find the MSR stoves (whisperlite, dragonfly, XGK) are a little bit more reliable and require a little less maintenance for liquid fuels.
Great video!
Thank you!
Primus - the OG :)
Thank you! Primus Omni Fuel is the buy bc it takes smaller pots. M
This is the most detailed and best coverage review of the two stoves I have found. Really nice job, Juijit. I love my MSR WLU but I think I'd swap it for a Primus after watching this video. The only advantage I see is the shaker jet. Otherwise, the Primus has metal fittings where the MSR has plastic, less parts to fiddle with, and is quieter.
thank you for your interresting video
frederic Jacquart thank you for stopping by!
Well Done Comparison!
lonestarrider thank you brotha!
Nice usefull review you dont have to put pro and cons on a row faster boiling saves a lot that noise i take for granted
I kinda like the idea of having one in case electric goes out r'sumthin. &the MSR's fuel control helps tremendously beyond just simmering. *PRIMUS is the solid logical choice*, but I'm going MSR anyway for my travel overlanding/car camping stove. 👍 extensive review.
Gr8 vid. Tnx
Great review! The pot stand issue is not an issue in my opinion. I can place a small 4" x 4" grill on top of the MSR if I want to use pots that are too small and the problem is no longer an issue. I still like the MSR stove better simply because of the flame control.
The only questions I would have for you are:
1. What is the total weight of each stove itself?
2. Do you know anything about MSR's Artic Fuel pump? Only thing I gather from it is that it is it is better for extreme below freezing temperatures.
3. In your opinion, which form of liquid fuel is the best to use (i.e. Kerosene, white gas, or gasoline)?
Thanks again for the great review.
I think that if I were at high altitude, and in cold weather. Might go with the primus. They both would work very very well, but the primus seems a bit lower in the middle factor.
When measuring things that are circular in nature, please use diameter or radius. That's why you measured 2 3/4" min. pot size on the MSR but in reality it's more than that. Same on the bases. On 4 legs you can do that, not on 3. Measure from the center to the tip of whatever you want to measure, that yields the radius, then multiply by 2. Still a great video though and I appreciate the more real-world oriented tests.
I am looking to get something like this compatable with a tragiasystem. I would say the pots are unsfable with what you have. They need to be a bit wider or have a connection. Hosex should not matter to much would guess they are myflex braded pipes some are stiffer some are softer.
I also served in the Navy, not yours Royal Navy.
Youve done a lot of work on this well done.
I've had four different gas stoves, over the years.
Two Coleman,s, a Svea 123, and a Whisperlite.
I have Never had Carbon deposits. I used either Coleman white fuel, or local naphtha gas.
The choice here is pretty easy. First, who cares about loud? All stoves will boil water rather quickly. The real test is how well they simmer. The pot (container) balance is better on the Omni in the smaller size pot and equal on the larger sizes. None of which will be very large for a backpacker anyway. The Omni has two valves for fuel regulation: at the burner and at the canister. Whisper Lite has only the canister valve. The Omni is instant off at the burner in both gas and fuel bottle. The Whisper Lite continues to burn longer on both accounts because of residual fuel burn in the hose. The flame propagation is better on the Omni Fuel on both the canister and fuel bottle. Blue flame (hottest) vs. yellow flame on the Whisper Lite. Size of the burner bell is irrelevant on the Whisper. The heat comes from the flame. The fuel pump on the Omni Fuel is all metal vs. plastic on the Whisper. I'll take that for reliability any day, especially in cold weather where plastic could crack. Then you have no stove. Easy change jet on the Omni. The Whisper requires a jet and a valve change. The flexible and longer hose on the Omni allows better bottle positioning than the Whisper. The braided part is only a sheath on the rubber hose inside anyway. The stiffer hose on the Whisper means nothing. The gas does not go through the braided hose. It goes through a rubber hose inside. Shaker jet cleaning is "hit or miss". With the Omni manual cleaner you know for sure you're getting it clean. Look at your windshield the next time you go through an automatic car wash and see the film left where your wipers don't clean. It wasn't demonstrated but the Omni fuel burns propane, white gas, and kerosene, any of which can be found in most places. It also folds much more compactly than the Whisper. Both seem to be very nice stoves and will do the job for most campers. But for the money, the Omni looks to be the better buy.
I find it funny how people complain about fuel stoves being loud. Some of the current high end jetboil style are just as loud and my Omnifuel when people have them going flatout.
Right, pluses and minuses. Weight vs more "user friendly"
You can't stop the omnifuel with the valve at the burner, if it's not temporary, because it will let some fuel on the flexible, loop, etc
I'm the opposite way. I'm not going to use these stoves on small pots. I use small pots in the summer, but in winter I need larger pots for snow melting and hot water. Small pots go with canister stoves, while these heavier stoves go with larger pots.
And I like listening in on nature, so to me the noise issue is important.
Great review! Thanks.
I like the simple design of the MSR, but not the plastic pump. I think I'll go with the Omni.
Edit: I'm second guessing. That noise difference is huge!
I see you are a fellow reloader :-)
Hey man do you expect to compare the whisperlite universal to the Primus Omnilite Ti? I have almost made my final decision (getting one stove for our camps but also my main shtf bugout stove as well, can only get one), but your reviews and comparisons seem the best and most thought out in terms of all the most important aspects, and you seem to have lots of experience with MSR. I need to see one good comparison of whisperlite universal vs. omnilite ti, then I pull the trigger. FYI, omnlilite ti apparently burns diesel where whisperlight universal does not. Also, would love to hear your thoughts on the "generator" coil design of the omnilite ti vs whisperlight universal. I notice the ti does not have loop above burner. DOes this make field maintenance easier? Harder? Is it a more rugged design (less prone to mishap)?
Thanks for what you do for the community and for your service.
PS: Any way we can use those 1 Lb propane tanks (just propane, like the coleman propane tanks) on any of these multifuel stoves, like with some kind of adapter/regulator?
I'd rather have the MSR Whisperlite. (Which I do.)
One thing is, it's definitely made for larger pots. It's not just the pot support, but the cup and its flame is wide enough to go halfways on the outside of this small pot and you lose a lot of heat that way. (It should explain the slower boil times here.) If you bring a small pot that's not a good thing for sure. But for pans and food you don't want to burn it's good. You don't just have a lot of heat in the middle.
And I don't *want* to use such a stove for smaller pots. I use them in winter, when I need to melt snow and to have lots of hot water. I'll bring a large pot anyway.
My biggest trouble with the Whisperlite is the flame control. You'll often want to bring water to a boil, which needs good pressure, then bring it to a simmer. What do you do, turn the bottle over to let out most of the air, then turn it back again just in time? It could work, but a second option is to just bring another small stove. I like those twig burning stoves, but then again, conditions are often wet and they can be troublesome at times. Twice the carry but less need for fuel.
Primus stove made in Estonia and the MSR stove made in Seattle. You make the choice.
Еstonia
Thanks for the video. Trying to decide on a multifuel stove for winter use and this help me bit. I used a friends Prims a few times and like it but want to look at the options before I decide so really thanks for the long video.
I assume the primus was quite new when you did this video, do you have any new comments after using it a bit more?
And as a last node. Thank you for not focusing too much on boiling times, I see too many using this as a metric of something great. For me those extra seconds are quite irrelevant when you think about the setup, priming and also cooking.
MSR Whisperlite universal, Optimus Polaris... These are my top 2
Thanks for the comparison, I have a Whisperlite International, the test at the end would probably be improved by using broader pots as with the narrower pots the Primus has an unfair advantage due to the narrower flame.
+truthseeker104 Thank you!
What's unfair about a better design?
I would suggest that it depends what you were using the stove for in the real world. It may be that the Whisperlite would perform better with a wider pot than the Omnifuel. With the Omnifuel there will be a larger concentration of heat at the centre of the pot whereas with the Whisperlite the heat is more evenly spread, so a smaller pot means that more heat will be lost up the sides of the pot and this will especially be the case with the Whisperlite. With a broader pot the heat from the Whisperlite will be distributed along the bottom more evenly. I have found that when you use a small pot on a Whisperlite the upper sides of the pot get very hot indicating that much heat is lost along the sides. The main flaw I find with the Whisperlite international is a lack of the self purging system that you find on Primus and Optimus stoves but other than that and the resulting fuel wastage it runs really well and has lots of character, so depends what you mean by better! I am not really biased as I like Primus stoves too, they are very well made.
The MSR has a plastic pump. I know of ones that broke in the field and could not be repaired. The Primus pump is much sturdier. I would go for the Primus.
Best is of course primus and it’s Swedish and they make quality quality and good user interface/ friendliness... can’t understand why you pump up a pressure before connecting the fuel lines...
Thank you
+DaVe xD thank you!
MSR seems to have way too many moving parts when I seen switch to another fuel at around 44th minute. Especially that needle thing in burner jet. It'll get lost swiftly, so better stay with one fuel type for whole trip. That needle "cleaning" thing might seem as great, but for dirty fuel you still have cleanable filter on pump side. So I'm glad Primus did not put any extra parts into stove and kept it simple stupid. Also there is no need to change anything on bottle side vent on Primus when changing between gas and gasoline/liquid-fuels. No need to mention that hose connection to the gasoline bottle&pump is just and o'ring and clip on MSR, while it's threaded on Primus (seems better to me).
44:55 That's why it might be better and I guess it's recommended in manual, to connect hose before pressurizing bottle.
MSR seems to have better control. Primus looks more heavy duty, expedition type, like full-power or nothing, just to boil your coffee/tee, or melt a ton of snow, in an instant.
59:38 how about to use scale and weight the bottles for fuel filling and consumption comparison?
Personally the primus seems to be built better and the whisper is more plastic made which can be really bad in the cold. I would get the primus. But if you added the optimus polaris I'd have a hard time choosing.
Will you see if you can figure out how to make the red tank that comes with the old colman stoves that you add liquid fuel to and pump up so I can use it with either one of the burners your showing ?
My thanks. This is a nice informative comparison. One thing I wonder about the MSR-Whisperlite: It does have a generator and in my old Coleman-Stove this part sometimes gets blocked and cannot be cleaned but must be exchanged. Is that also an issue with the MSR-Stove?
Martin Hühn These stoves are great. If you use dirty fuel you'll clog up the generator, but on these stoves it's very easy to fix. To clean it. I'll be doing a video on how to do this in the near future.
Thanks, that is good to know.
Are the primer pumps interchangeable with each other? Can you use the metal primer from the Omni fuel on the MSR? Like you mention, I'm not fond of the plastic on metal as it's more likely to break. The plastic is the main drawback on the MSR for me. The metal on the Omni seems a lot more reliable & desirable. MSR with the Omni primer would be my choice, MSR needs an upgrade IMHO.
1. Omnifuel can also be used in liquid feed mode.
2. You pressurize the bottle AFTER connecting the hose.
3. You didn't prime it enough. You should have blue flame straight away after relighting the stove. Squirt more fuel in to it and let it burn for circa 30 sec.
+Matt bigmonster all correct! Thank you
Will these stoves heat a skillet evenly? If not can you recommend a stove that will heat a 7 inch skillet evenly without just heating the middle 3 inches?
I have the MSR version but i'm happy Primus made the Omni fuel because it pushed MSR to innovate instead of just incremental improvements. I don't think MSR would have even bothered with the Universal if not for the fact nearly every major stove manufacture had a version that could do both liquid and Iso fuels.
How does the flame control compare with the Optimus Nova?
The 'secret' is that you don't need so much the ''MSR shaker-jet'' on the Omnifuel. I guess only with very dirty fuel perhaps, and on full power it cleans itself. So I am not so much in favor for the MSR. Greetings again. :-)
Was not happy with MSR customer support and will certainly be considering the Primus. If i was going with MSR would prefer the Windpro II and Simmerlite set I have to the Whisperlite. I sold my Whisperlite (original) a few years ago and replaced with the Simmerlite and NOW I love the Windpro II. Definitely can use smaller pots with it. I got two stoves for essentially less than the price of the Whisperlite Universal and much cheaper than the awesome Primus.
If you learn how to use them, both are awesome stoves. If you are betting your life on these stoves, you must certainly plan for failure of wear parts and breakables and thus carry spares. I like a metal pump personally but I've had Coleman Apex for decades that's working just fine and there are tons of MSR stoves out there that are decades old too. You KNOW it's a plastic pump and you treat it accordingly. These are tools. You take care of your tools, and they return the favor. I have a LOT of different stoves. My first gen Optimus Nova is probably my, "if I could only have one" stove. I base that on multi fuel capability and durability. I have a lot of Colemans that I love dearly, but they are limited on fuel capability.
Good assessment overall. I will say that you didn't preheat the Primus enough. You should never have the yellow flaring you had here. I preheat with alcohol to keep the soot to a minimum. Shaker jets cleaners are great. I don't think you waited long enough for the fuel lines to purge. If the bottles are filled to the line, there is ample air space for them to purge. Both fuel pickups were sufficiently positioned to pull headspace air to purge. I can't speak for these two, but my Nova takes nearly a full minute to purge on full blast. The magnetic cleaning needle on the Nova allows jet cleaning while the pot is on as well as working as a shaker. Arguments against them are simply ridiculous. A guy below compare them to an automatic car wash vs hand washing.. HAHA! This isn't bugs on a windshield, it's a gas jet. They are flat out better, full stop. You can't bend them break them or lose them in the snow. Manual prickers are fine, but in this day and age? C'mon. They are antiquated vestiges of a bygone era. Don't get me wrong, they work, but they are NOT better. I don't light my home with oil lamps or cook on.... well actually I DO like to cook on my camp stoves at home, haha! But I do it because I like using them, not because they are better than my gas range. And if my power and gas went out, I'm ready for that too. All that said, no one is stupid or even wrong for liking or disliking anything. Go with what works for you.
I have over a hundred stoves of different types, brands, and models. I LOVE something about every one of them. There is no "perfect" stove. Some are really close, though. Learn yours, use it and enjoy it.
No need at all to touch the control valve on the canister or fuel bottle until you finish cooking, the control on the stove is all you need to use. I've been using an Omnifuel since they first launched.
Thimble sized pots ...?
Other than that? Great review. :-)
this was a great review. are those lead bars for reloading, behind your bench?
Thank you. They're lead bars for casting bullets. Feel free to check out my video's on it.
Now the whole system comes from the device Primus made in 1892. But many improvements have been made since.
Primus has my vote. To many parts to fail on the msr. Msr looks like a pain to change out the orifice "jet" 4 times the amount of time.
+Jc Polston their solid stoves brotha!
I love my Omnifuel! might upgrade to the Ti version soon though as I need more camera gear in my bags :D.
Usually you are not going to need to change fuel on any given trip. Maybe in an emergency.
Any idea if you could use the primus pump on an msr stove?
It depends on which MSR stove you are referring to. If you're referencing the MSR whisperlite Universal yes you can use the Primus pump and it works great. If it's the older Whisperlite, Whisperlite International, Dragonfly, Firefly , Simmerlite or the XGK - no you can't
Can someone plz let me know how long will the flame last on high and on low on the primus, on both fuels. Please I relay need this information
Can you compare the optimus polaris optifuel vs primus omnifuel?
I love you vids you are so crativ
+Isac Flores Thank you!
Primus is the best. You can buy a cover for the primus to run more silent or it spread out the heat better. The msr have more parts to lose or more work to do when using different types of fuel
faster actually 17 seconds as primus was behind by 5 seconds at light
From these two I would pick the whisperlite Universal stove with canister gas connection and the primus pump.
hello new subscriber here, your review videos are intuitive, can you recommend which one to get primus polaris or primus nova or other brands? i do a lot of hiking's and usually I use the solo stove which burn solid wood as fuel , but recently i found it difficult to perform well under the cold winter condition and at high altitude mountains beyond 2000 meters so im planning to upgrade and buy a new multi fuel stove, thanks in advance
Either the Optimus Polaris or the MSR whisperlite Universal they are both excellent stoves my top two by far
@@jiujitsu2000many thanks for your suggestion, i think I am going with with the primus polaris, it looks better built and more robust, since i do technical hikings beyond 2500 meters in the Europe alps and i need very good built stove for this winter season.
And the primus has the best solution for the pump , how to fix it if it don’t make pressure or what it’s made off and nothing to replace or screw when using different fuel and easy to change fuel nozzles
True! It's definitely an awesome stove
the test would be better if there were a bigger pot. On the MSR, the burner is a little wider and therefore you lose a lot of heat out of the sides of the container. So the MSR gave a lot of heat out of the sides because your are using a cup essentially to boil. Also, if the MSR is slightly making the cup nest lower, the flame may not be contacting the metal at the hottest part of the flame.
+riingram your 100% right! Thank you for stopping by! Have a beautiful day!
JIUJITSU2000 I hope my post didn't sound too critical. I assumed that you already we're aware of that but was commenting for anyone else who might not have thought of it. By the way I subscribed a couple weeks ago and enjoy the analysis that you do on these kinds of products. I've been trying to stock up on emergency preparedness equipment. Also I wish that MSR made their pump out of metal. I really like that.
Good video I'm Polish Ps. my dad intresting bushcraft so ,I'd like to make him gift for birthday. What you prefer Msr or Primus ?
Seems to be a detailed review (only watched the first 15 min). However, the Primus stove you are using is not the current Omnifuel and not even the one before it...so there has been at least 2 updates to the Omnifuel. In my opinion, the metal pump and the double fuel valve adjustments make an Omnifuel stove much more reliable than the MSR. What MSR excel at is the Pocket Rocket.
What's the one you'd recommend?
@@wanderingcalamity360 unless you are going on an extreme cold weather expedition or want an ultralight stove I would personally choose the Primus Gravity 3 as it has a wide flame and a very stable base for big pans...it's like cooking on a home gas hob. If you need it as a multifuel stove you can buy that kit separately for it. If you mostly just need to boil water on your stove I would consider the Primus Lite+ as it includes pot with heat exchanger, stove and mug/lid which is very efficient energy wise...I find this great for trekking.
@@marcomiceli1
Thanks for the reply.
@@wanderingcalamity360 Welcome
Is the msr whisperlite louter than the primus omnilite if the omnilite is using a silencer?
I'm not sure about that. I'm thinking they're most likely about the same.
In the year 2022 - with the exception of these 3 states ie: the U.S. / MYANMAR and Liberia (Afrique)...while the rest of the world uses the METRIC SYSTEM!
Great review! Where did you get those Stainless bowls? what are the dimensions of them ?
Thank you! I'm not sure what the dimensions are, but they're the MSR alpine stainless steel bowls. I'd measure them but they're at the other house
@@jiujitsu2000 WOW thanks for the quick reply! Dont worry about it. You gave me the info I needed to look them up. Im working on a little trangia kit inside a Snow Peak No1 kettle. On a side note now that i know you read your comments. I wanted to personally thank you for making videos. You in part got me back into reloading 38 special. My currrent favorite load is a simple 158gr LSWCHP over 4.6gr of unique. Just wanted to let you know that there are people out there that really love your videos that might not comment. Please keep up the great work/content and never forget your roots as you become more and more popular on youtube. Please dont fall into the "mostly reviews of stuff that has been sent to me, croud" Your channel is something special and you are too humble for that
@@masongates246 excellent thoughts! I'm in the process of remodeling a house and when we're finished we'll be moving to that one. Once settled in I'll be planning for some more reloading videos again! Thank you for the support and very kind words!!
What is the most quiet with the most simmering capabilities of the bottle multi fuel stove you guys know? Im on the market for a bottle type omni/multi fuel stove. Jiujitsu, your video is easily one of the best I watched so far. Very informative and straight to the point (for more than an hour) (!!)
The problem I have is that these stoves sounds like MIG 21s. I not using canister stove since 5 or 6 years now for that reason. Alcohol and wood only (silence, jeeez its great) but I do need to melt snow and for a 4 or 5 people group I need a MSR/Primus/Trangia/Optimus liquid fuel bottle stove. Its fuel effective, its fast and efficient. But omg its so f-fing loud.
If you only want liquid fuel i would recommend the optimus nova or msr firefly with a silent burner from www.shapeways.com/shops/berniedawgshop . And if you also want to use canisters i would go for the optimus polaris with a cap from the previous link or a primus omnifuel with the original primus silencer which they sell themselves. A good rule of thumb is that all stoves with a valve on the stove and not the bottle have pretty good simmer control.
Why not building the Dragon Fly with this silencer stock in the first place? The difference is dramatic.
Well that is a question for MSR, but a simple answer would be that there probably isn't enough demand for it. I think that the majority of people that buy a multifuel stove intend to use it in a below freezing environment (or international travel where canisters are scarce), and don't really care if it makes to much noise when they are melting snow or boiling water. Another point is that the silent type burners also are more sensitive to wind, again if you are going to use the stove in harsher environments no es bueno. But hell, it might just be a question of production cost.
I use primus omnifuel with omnidawg upgrade and I don't believe stove can get better than that. Simmering capability and noise is even better than most propane stoves.
How about the simmer performance ?
I think Primus omnifuel is better flame control for cooking.
Omnifuel has better flame control in this comparison, but I like the MSR stoves much better as a whole. :-)
that's the answer soot was what I was seeing
Great vid , but I will recommend not doing it in the gunpowder room!
Seems that the Primus stove doesn't seem to collect as much soot as the whisperlite when using dirtier fuels.