I bought my MSR Internationale along with my MSR Rapidfire to cover all the bases when it comes to flammable fuels. I haven't used it all that much, favoring my Rapidfire for its ease of use, but the times I have used it I've been very impressed. It takes a little practice to get it right, but once it's on, you can boil a covered liter of water from 50° F in about four minutes. It doesn't hold a simmer very well, but that's not what this stove is about. It's about high adventure use - melting snow and boiling water.

It does get dirty, and requires maintenance, especially if not used frequently. I've had to give a good going over after each use, paying careful attention to the fuel line. It comes with different jets to accommodate different fuel types.

Now it stays with my zombie bag, particularly because of its flexibility. I mean, there aren't many stoves out there that can run on just about anything but earwax.

Customer Service

Never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

MSR Rapidfire

I bought mine about 10 years ago. Originally, I used it for canoeing, in Ontario. It was light, it was reliable, and I was not at the mercy of some local outfitter who wanted to retire on 'white gas' sales. I was always skeptical about the jet fuel claim, until a friend 'acquired' a sample from the local airport. Only thing I noticed was it burned dirty and had to clean the soot off it. I left some on for bragging rights. After all, who else can say their stove can run on jet fuel, while out in the back country.

First time lighting it, I didn't prime it properly and had a flaming picnic table. Good thing I was practicing lighting it before going out into the field. Next thing I found, it was so hot, and it buckled the bottom of my brand new copper clad, stainless steel pot. After learning to adjust the settings with both the valve and pressure, I loved it. A small pot of water could be boiled in 2 minutes. Cleaning is simple and possible in the field, but, disassembly is rarely needed. I have seen newer ultra light models on the market now, but I will keep this one. Still works great after 10 years.

Customer Service

I never had any requirement to contact Customer Service. That should speak for itself.

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Coleman Pocket II

I bought mine 9 or 10 years ago. I originally bought it for my backpacking trip to Mt. Whitney in CA. No problem at all even at 10,000 ft. Mine is attached to 32 oz fuel bottle and it gors well over 4 hours on high with white gas. It hadn't been used last 5 years or so and I had tested it last night because there was some gas left in the bottle. Wow, it lit up like it's been used everyday. I'm going to replace some O-rings for safety reasons but man this is a solid stove. I like it more now than when I bought it.

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SVEA 123R is my other stove. The most beautiful bakpacking stove ever made. Love the noise it makes.

USed to do more real backcamping, but even as a car camper who doesn't test it to the limits, the stove has been very reliable. Only bummer is that adjusting the flame other than by pressure is difficult. Excellent for bring liquid and soups to boiling temps. In fact last week we had no heat in the house and relied on the MSR to boil up hot water to shower with.

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Primus

I have had this stove for about 7-8 years and it has never let me down. I have serviced it in the field, mainly on cold weather trips, but it has always worked one way or the other. I have friends that use the dragonfly and other stoves and they are always jealous of how quickly the International boils water and how it never breaks down. It truly is a superior stove when it comes to reliability and sheer performance. With a little practice and a lot of deliberation, you can simmer and even make pancakes on a whisperlite. I have never needed to use anything but white gas in the stove but have heard from several people that it works like a charm.

Customer Service

Never needed it, but MSR is top notch

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MSR dragonfly, ancient whisperlite, peak 1, optimus, XGK

I have owned this stove for over 8 years, and have had great luck with it. Yea it has only 2 settings off and temp of the sun, but it has always works. It is fuel efficient, mine burns clean on white gas. I really can't figure out all the trouble others seem to have, It is easy to prime, I have never set everything on fire with it. The fuel cans are bullit proof, they have never leaked, even with the pump left on. The stove is very stable, I have never had a stability problem even in 30+mph wind. None of the plastic parts have ever broken. I just don't understand the others problem. If you want a good tough stove get this one. After a while you can even figure out how to simmer with it, I have I think...

Customer Service

Never needed.

Similar Products Used:

Coleman stoves, and others

Rock solid reliability. Make sure you know how to prime this stove before using. One review refers to pouring gas on it (not the correct method). Also I've known people to light it w/ out priming, resulting in liquid fuel spills. I agree this is a very hot stove w/ limited simmer capability, but works great for backpacking.

The WhisperLite Int'l is one amazing piece of mountaineering equipment that closer resembles a blow torch. I say this because while learning to simmer with this stove takes time, effort, and luck, this beast will burn anything from "Bacardi 151" to aviation fuel, and it will burn hot enough to boil a liter of water in under 4 minutes, doing so to 14+ liters on an 11oz tank. It comes with a basic metal heat shield and defelctor, that while ratty do their job. Wind can pose an issue to priming the line, fears aside, with a little shelter you should have no trouble. No teeth on the pot arms does mean that if things get roudy your pot is sure to take a dive, unless you're planning on throwing down with your buddy though this shouldn't be a big concern. The wide variety of usable fuel as outlined above (Though not recomended as fuel by MSR, I have lit 151 for no other purpose than to say it was done) makes this stove ideal for international travel, since filled fuel tank and iso-cells are illegal on aircraft, and you never know what you may be relegated to ussing. I've never been anywhere too hot for the stove to work, that's not saying too much realy, and I've only frozen the pump once amidst many cold nights, move the pump in close to your body if you think it;s cold enough. As explained to me by the rep recently, they moved away from the old metal pump in favor of a plastic one for two reasons, to reduce the weight, and to ensure that the pump would melt before creating any volatile situation where pressurized fuel was exposed to emmense heat. The plastic pump is still plenty strong.

Customer Service

Never dealt with them for replacement

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Pocket Rocket Coleman Exponent System DragonFly Simmerlite

Wow what can I say about this thing that has not been said. I have had it for about 6 years and have used in soem very adverse conditions as well as hundreds of times. Just soem simple cleaning of the pump and the stove itself and it keeps on going. Like others I have put almost any thing you can imiagine in it that burns and it still boiled water very fast. As well it does only have really two settings, off and high, but with a little practice you can get it at any temp you want, just keep an eye on it. I really love this thing and would not imagine goign camping/backpacking without it. I have even cooked trout with it.

Customer Service

None

This is a good stove. Although you'd be hard pressed to find it for the price I paid (a matter of timing), if you're in search of something flexible, rugged and dependable, you should go for this one. I've had no problems with this stove --it packs light and small (not the lightest nor the smallest). And is almost bomb-proof. The "shaker jet" is a nice touch, but I don't see it as a serious must-have feature especially for those who only want to put cleaner fuels through it. If you don't mind smelling like a gas station, you can choose to go with even cheaper fuels. A note on safety: This stove, like any other --in my opinion, should be used outside the tent. The priming of it can be impressive, treat your first uses with respect and you will keep your eyebrows. As stated by others, there are indeed only two speeds: High, and off. To work through this, given the extremely fast cook times, I lift the pan away to catch up on stirring near the end of the cooking. This is not a back burner operation --you need to give your current dish your full attention. Someone who once took this to the himalayas told me that he burned yak fat through his MSR WI. They must've been bored.

Customer Service

No reasons to talk to them yet. I've had this stove for 3 years.

Similar Products Used:

Some coleman products, other white gas/auto fuel cookers.