Brunton Optimus NOVA Multi-Fuel Stove Owner Review

Reviewed June 14, 2005

Name:	Mark Wood
Age:	25
Gender:	Male
Height:	5' 11" (1.8 m)
Weight:	240 lb (109 kg)
Email Address:	woodmark0 at yahoo dot com
Location:	Chenango County, NY U.S.A.

Backpacking Background

I grew up camping with my parents and have taken a few short backpacking trips as well as two 10-day trips. My wife and I have really gotten into hiking this year and our goal is to try to take one weekend overnight trip every month through fall. We mainly hike on rather rocky, hilly terrain.

We try to purchase gear that performs well, while lowering our total carried weight.  As an engineer, I enjoy researching different gear options in order to make an informed decision. My general base pack weight is currently around 25 lbs.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Brunton
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL of Manufacturer: http://www.optimus.se
MSRP: $149.00 U.S. Dollars (Brunton web site)
Listed Weight: 15.1 oz (429 g) for stove and pump
Weight as Delivered: 15.4 oz (437 g) for stove and pump
Listed Folded Dimensions (HxLxW): 3.6 in x 4.3 in x 2.4 in (9.1 cm x 10.9 cm x 6.1 cm)
Measured Folded Dimensions (HxLxW): 3.6 in x 4.5 in x 2.4 in (9.1 cm x 11.4 cm x 6.1 cm)
Usable Fuels: White gas, kerosene, diesel #1, auto fuel, jet fuel, and others
Rating: 2850 watts / 9700 btu
Burn Time: Up to 2.5 hours at high output on one filling (15.5 fl. oz / 0.45 L)
Listed Boil Time (1 quart / 1 L of water): Down to 3.5 minutes

Item Description

The Brunton Optimus NOVA Multi-Fuel stove was originally designed and built by Optimus and is distributed in the United States by Brunton (http://www.brunton.com). The stove is constructed from sturdy stainless steel and brass and comes with an aluminum pump, a 20 fl. oz (0.6 L) fuel bottle, a durable Cordura carrying case, a multi-tool for all field repairs and a small kit with extra O-rings and fuel filter.

Some of the key features which really stand out to me are the ability to burn multiple fuels with the same fuel jet, the ability for this stove to simmer, and the flipstop aluminum pump. I know of numerous other stoves which burn many fuels, but there is always the constant struggle with changing the jet over depending on the fuel. Not only is this somewhat time consuming, but trying to change the tiny jet in the woods seem to me like it would present a whole slew of problems (with the worst being losing either the jet or one of the small nuts needed to re-assemble the stove). 

As far as simmering goes, I'm not in any way a gourmet cook. However, I don't always like to simply boil water. To me, the ability to simmer was a key feature of the stove. It seems like a total waste of fuel to always run your stove on high and have to remove the pan and its contents in order to control the heat. I would prefer to leave my food on the burner and simply turn the burner down with minimal fuss. 

Finally, the idea of getting fuel all over the place when trying to remove the stove from the fuel pump after use really didn't appeal to me. To this end, the NOVA came up with the brilliant idea of allowing the user to flip the fuel bottle and pump assembly over and have the stove purge itself of fuel in the line. This feature is due to the pivoting connection where the fuel line connects to the pump assembly.

Reason For Purchase

When my wife and I decided to take a week long hike along the AT in Shenandoah National Park, we realized that my old Colman stove was simply too big for backpacking use. I wanted something reliable and durable. However, since I was always going to be cooking for two, and my wife and I like to eat well, I decided that I needed a stove which could heat meals for two and simmer reasonably well. This eliminated alcohol stoves for the most part due to the lack of simmering they offer. I also wanted a stove which would be easy to find fuel for in any situation.  The more I looked, the more appealing a multi-fuel stove appeared.  There are many lighter alternatives to multi-fuel stoves, but the weight will be shared among two people and I figured it was one item where I didn't want to skimp. After much reading and research, I learned that the NOVA was among the premier multi-fuel stoves and its attractive list of features really made it look appealing.

Initial Impressions

The stove came securely packaged in a cardboard sleeve.  Inside the packaging there was the stove itself, the pump unit which came attached to the included fuel bottle, the Cordura carrying case, the multi-tool, a package with spare O-rings and spare fuel filter, a screw-in lid for the fuel bottle (for when the pump is not attached) and a nice fold-out instruction manual. 

Everything appeared in perfect shape. The first thing which impressed me regarding the stove was how sturdy the stove and pump really were! The stove easily holds a heavy 10 quart (10 L) kitchen pot full of water. Furthermore, the legs, which wrap around the main part of the stove when not in use, snap out to the unfolded position with a firm click.  There is no wory about them collapsing while in use. The aluminum pump is also very sturdy. I've tried plastic pumps for other stoves and always felt that they were somewhat weak.  Not so with the NOVA pump. I fully expect that this pump will be capable of holding up to some serious use. 

I also spent a few minutes looking at the multi-tool.  It is different from anything else I've ever seen as it has a large magnet attached to it.  Reading a little more about the operation of the stove, I found that this is to operate the cleaning needle.  One simply has to place this magnet under the stove body and an internal needle will poke upward through the jet.  This works when the stove is lit as well.

After familiarizing myself with the stove, I decided it was time to light it.  I filled the included fuel bottle to the fill line stamped on the bottle with white gas (Coleman Fuel). I screwed in the fuel pump and immediately checked to make sure there were no leaks.  The pump seemed to seal quite well as I could shake the bottle upside down and no fuel appeared anywhere around the threads or the pump handle itself. I then unfolded the stove and straightened the fuel line.  The fuel line attaches to the pump via a collared snap fitting.  One simply presses the end of the fuel line into the pump fitting and the collar snaps into place, locking the stove to the pump.  The fitting felt crisp and made an audible snap when connected.  I followed the recommendation of pumping the fuel bottle 25 times and noticed that the pump seemed not to be working correctly. Disassembly of the pump unit is simple and requires no tools.  A simple thumb screw removes the pump handle and the associated leather cup which is used to force air into the bottle.  Close inspection of this leather cup revealed that it was torn when the pump was assembled.  I e-mailed the technical support and within 5 days, a new leather cup was waiting in my mailbox.  VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!

Continuing with my testing, I installed the new leather cup after lubricating it with some oil and resumed where I left off 5 days earlier.  This time I could feel and hear the pump pressurizing the fuel bottle.  The action of the pump was smooth and very easy to use. There was no binding or flexing of the pump handle. After the recommended 25 strokes, I opened the valve for the recommended 2 - 3 seconds.  It was possible to see the fuel shooting through the jet and soaking the wick material below the fuel line.  Lighting this wick provided a steady orange flame that was about twice as tall as the stove.  This flame continued for close to 25 seconds at which time it began to fade slowly.  Opening the valve at this time gave me a nice hiss and a pretty blue flame.  Wow!  That was easy! Giving the pump a few more strokes made a very steady flame.

I played a little with the burner settings and noticed that I could go from a very nice low simmer to a very high blowtorch-type flame.  Satisfied that the flame control was smooth and working properly, I flipped the fuel bottle over.  This raises the fuel intake line out of the fuel and into the air bubble in the fuel bottle.  On high, the amount of fuel left in the fuel line was reported to last around 1 minute.  I didn't have a stopwatch handy, but I would estimate that the 1 minute is very close to the truth.  Just as the fuel runs out in the line, a hissing noise begins as the pressurized air purges itself from the bottle and line.  In this way, most of the pressure is released from the bottle and you can un-clip the fuel bottle from the stove without spilling so much as a drop of fuel.

I have never timed how long it takes to boil water, but would guess around 5 minutes of time to boil 1 quart (1 liter) of water.  This is assuming a medium flame and a windscreen. I found that by turning the stove to full power, most of the flame (and therefore the heat) tended to curl around my pot and travel up the sides.  Turning the heat down a little resulted in more of the flame contacting the bottom of my pot. This situation saves fuel and reduces the amount of wasted energy heating the air around the pot. I've heard that other fuels provide faster boil times, though I've never actually tested these claims.

Field Use

This stove has been tested on a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills of New York at 1000 - 3000 feet (300 - 900 m) and on a 10 day backpacking trip in Shenandoah National Park at 1000 - 3700 feet (300 - 1100 m) above sea level. During those two trips, the temperature varied from 35 F (2 C) to 70 F (21 C). On both trips, rain was experienced.

On both trips, the stove performed flawlessly. I never had a problem lighting the stove and with a simple aluminum foil windscreen, the stove never was extinguished by the wind. Having not tested fuel consumption before leaving for the weekend trip, I filled the included fuel bottle to the fill line.  After cooking 4 meals as I would on a kitchen range (simmering for 10 minutes, etc...) I found that the fuel bottle was still 3/4 full.  Not too bad as I estimate the stove was probably used for 2 full hours at simmer levels.  I also noticed on this trip that it takes considerably longer to purge the fuel line after flipping the bottle and pump assembly when you have the flame set to simmer (around 2 minutes or so).  I started realizing that I could simply flip the fuel bottle 2 minutes before the meal was done and proceeded to do this for all meals but the first. I even cooked in heavy rains and found that the stove seemed not to be affected at all so long as I didn't let the priming wick get wet before the stove was primed.

On the longer trip, I still wasn't sure how much fuel to carry.  So I decided to take a 1 quart (1 L) MSR bottle full of fuel along with the included Brunton bottle full of fuel.  The pump assembly attached easily to either bottle making it effortless to switch when one became empty.  It wasn't until the sixth day, having cooked two or sometimes even three meals every day that the included bottle became empty. In my mind, fuel consumption is very good. Doing the math, we averaged a little more than 2.5 oz (75 ml) per day.

As well as the stove performed, a few concerns surfaced through field testing.  The first concern is with regards to the pump.  The directions recommend leaving the pump attached to the bottle for transportation and this seems reasonable since it is de-pressurized at the completion of cooking.  However, I found that if I didn't allow the bottle to completely de-pressurize, the pump handle would rise on its own accord through the day in my wife's pack.  While we never experienced any fuel leakage, the handle is rather exposed in its raised position and could become bent easily. This problem can easily be overcome by simply letting the fuel bottle fully de-pressurize. 

The second minor problem I noticed was that the stove cools very quickly.  While this is good in many cases, I noticed that if I turned the stove off using the regulation valve and not by flipping the bottle over, I only had a minute or two before the stove cooled sufficiently to require re-priming.  This led me to leave the stove on a very low flame instead of shutting it off should the occasion arise.

The final two issues are really more nit picks than anything else.  I would really like this stove to be a bit quieter (it is much quieter than many but still makes a considerable amount of noise).  Also, I would really think that for the MSRP, the manufacturer should include a wind screen.  Granted one can easily construct a sufficient screen from foil, but any serious user will want a wind screen and therefore, it should be included.

Fuel Consumption

Realizing that my method for determining how much fuel to take on a trip was a bit more guesswork that is really desirable, I decided to do a few boil tests just for comparison sake. I used both 87 octane unleaded fuel and Coleman fuel (white gas) since these were what I had on hand. I wanted to also try either kerosene or diesel, but could come by neither in small quantities.  

All tests boiled two cups of water in a 2 L (2 quart) pot with no lid and no windscreen. I was in a well ventilated area with little wind (my barn with open doors).  The consumption numbers include priming, lighting and boiling the water. The initial temperature of the water was about 63 F (17 C).  The ambient temperature was 70 F (21 C) for both tests.

	Coleman Fuel	Unleaded Gasoline
Time to 212 F (100 C)	3:25 min	3:37 min
Weight of fuel used	0.5 oz (14 g)	0.6 oz (17 g)

From these tests, it appears that the numbers listed in my Field Use section are about correct. Considering these numbers would be better with a lid (I couldn't use one since I had to have access to measure the temperature), I feel that my initial impression of the stove being fuel efficient are correct.

Interestingly enough, I did note that the stove burned either fuel quite well.  The unleaded gasoline was a little harder to prime the stove with and seemed to produce a more yellow flame. Neither of the fuels left any noticeable residue on my pot.

Conclusion

For my uses, the NOVA is an ideal stove.  It cooks as well as any kitchen range I've ever used and is very fuel friendly. Plus, it's so stable that I never have to worry about loosing my gourmet creation!  There are lighter alternatives, but for a  sturdy multi-fuel stove that can simmer, the weight is really not that bad.

Pros:
- Easy to use!
- Very stable and durable
- Excellent flame control
- No messy fuel connections

Cons:
- Expensive and should include a windscreen
- A little loud
- Pump handle tends to rise during transport if the fuel bottle is not fully de-pressurized