Brunton Optimus Nova Review

"used this stove 1,900 miles of a.t. backpacking trip in 2006.
i also have msr dragonfly i sent back home 2nd week into trip.
mostly because of the plastic pump i seen fail with other msr users. with 1 catching fire.
the other factor was the stove was just too loud.
if you are early to rise from bed and fire this thing up. somone will say somthing every time. and trust me it gets old.
it also does not pack very well.
but burns very hot and about anything flamable.
more places for stove to fail.
pump, 2 shut off valves (more o rings)
and if metal hose fails . what do you do ?
the nova however burns just as hot, has metal pump, folds away nicley,primes super fast, half as loud at full simmer and almost silent at low simmer ( with pot on stove)
and maintenance kit small and simple.
if hose goes bad on this one you can replace it.
simmers well. but not as good as dragonfly.
and the one thing i noticed on the 6 month trip on the a.t.
replacement parts for msr everywhere. esp. the pumps.
in all shops i went into and i seen alot.
but... not once did i see parts for the nova.
only the whole stove for sale.
now correct me if i am wrong.
but if you had a outfitters. would you sell somthing that your customers would never come back for parts !
in the real world its all about the dollar.
but in the backcountry the dollar has no value.
and your life could be on the line from the elements.
if you want a stove that works and is reliable this one is for you.
and one last thing . the flip stop on the stove is meant to bleed all fuel from line and pressure from bottle before disconnecting.
this is a great feature if you are using dirty smelly fuels like kerosene or diesel. it keeps it off the ground, your hands, and later your food.
the one thing i hate is the stove is a little heavy.
i wish they would offer this stove in titanium."

"This is my first liquid gas stove i purchased and it was surprisingly easy to use. One complaint I did have however was that the priming wick was sometimes difficult to light given its location. I use this stove regularly at home when I long for the trail. When done right, it boils water pretty fast and it goes from simmer to boil faster than you can say "go from simmer to boil". I also had a hard time locating the maintenance kit in stores, which could mean one of two things: a. you might not ever need it considering you could drive a tank over it. or b. maintenance kits are just hard to find. Regardless, I found this stove to be easy to use and the flip-stop feature was convenient allowing the stove to depressurize and cool down while you eat.It packs away relatively small and comes with a tool if/when field disassembly is needed. The ability to burn a variety of fuels is a nice feature as well."

"Product works well in all conditions. Very sturdy construction and impressive features (esp. polarized bottle for safe bleed of fuel pressure). Heavy for lightweight backpacking, but great if the weight is worth the reliability and features."

"This is a great stove. I have been using mine for 7 years. Very nice flame control and lots of heat. About 3 years ago after burning citrinella candle fuel because i ran out of gas the burner had to be cleaned. To take it apart and clean the burner only took a few minutes and its been back to normal ever since. The pump leather on mine needs to be replaced but that is normal wear and very easy to replace. Its an expensive stove but it really is a great product"