Friday, 02 May 2014 21:12

Optimus Stella + Reviewed

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Overall View
A good 3 season performer with the advantages of the Crux burner in a remote canister stove. One of the best temperature adjusters around but no pre-heat means the stove lacks real cold weather performance. Both heavy and expensive for a 3 season stove when compared to canister mounted options and slightly overpriced compared to today's latest stoves
Real World Test
The Stella+ comes with a windshield and stove bag, the windshield being very effective whether the wind's blowing or not. Where the Stella+ really excels inits stability and compact size when folded away. The piezo ignition is remote mounted, with a wire running along the inside of the flexible fuel hose and still works efficiently after almost 2 years of regular use. In average conditions the stove works well, though not quite up to the "perfect conditions" figures quoted. For the purposes of the test we used a litre of water at 18C, and achieved a rolling boil in 3:42.

The Stella+ base takes everything from an MSR Titan through to a 1.5l pan and having a wide spread with the legs open is extremely stable. Part of the stability can probably be attributed to the weight as the stove uses steel legs and burner as opposed to a lightweight option. Unlike many gas stoves these days the Optimus Stella comes with the advice that it can be used with pretty much any 70/30 mix canister using the standard fitting rather than the manufacturer's own gas.

 

Price: £70.00

Weight: 259g

Colour: Silver

Features:

  • Built-in piezo igniter at a safe distance from the burner provides easy lightning.
  • Precision flame control offers safe adjustment from simmer to boil.
  • Easy to use stuff bag allows convenient and compact storage of stove, windshield and instructions.
  • Extremely space efficient, folds down to 35 mm.

Rating: 3000 W

  • Burn time: Up to 60 minutes at high maximum output (220 g canister)
  • Boil time (1 L of water): Down to 3 minutes depending on climate, altitude etc.
  • Fuel: LP-gas 70/30 butane/propane

 

Pros: Strong, reliable burner with good simmer control and a wide flame spread

Cons: No pre-heater for winter use, heavy and expensive



Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.

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