Liquid Fuel - Optimus Nova+

Advantages

• Four season
• Fuel efficient
• Fine grain flame control
• Non-Plastic pump (durable)
• Fuel line purge
• Fuel bottle pressure purge

Disadvantages

• Weight
• Non-Plastic pump (weight)
• Noise level

Notes

• Multi-Fuel: Optimus Arctic Fuel, white gas, kerosene, diesel, jet fuel
• Pack weight: 18.9 oz. (535g)

My first impression of this stove was "wow". It is well built. It has a wide set of legs and pot supports. After using this stove several times, my opinion has not changed. I am impressed. The weight is a little high, but to have a stove this solid, I can understand the little extra weight. However, the stuff bag is really odd. It has pockets for the stove, pump, and probably the windscreen. However, the factory folded windscreen does not fit in to any pocket. In fact, the pump really does not fit well, it keeps falling out of the pocket. The whole stuff sack unzips down the side to lay flat. Bottom line, the stove really does not fit very well in the stuff sack. With everything in the stuff sack, I am unable to completely close the opening with the drawstring. No matter how I arrange the stove, pump, tool, and windscreen, it just does not fit! To have a stove that impresses with it's engineering only to have a less than useful stuff sack is just dumb!

The Nova more closely compares to the DragonFly stove because the second jet adjustment is at the stove. The Nova+ modifies the Nova slightly by using the fuel line as the second jet adjustment. While I was initially hesitant about the design, I have really come to appreciate it. Since the fuel line just turns the threaded flame adjustment jet in and out, I see no more of a point-of-failure than either the Nova or the DragonFly. The advantage is that the windscreen does not need to be arranged around the second jet adjustment level. I like the design.

When I first started writing about remote liquid fuel stoves, I mentioned a couple of issues that plague most remote liquid fuel stoves. The Nova+ not only addresses the simmer issue, but also the issue of fuel left in the fuel line after use. Optimus has designed this stove and pump, so that after you are finished using the stove, you flip the fuel bottle over. The fuel line to pump connection is designed to let the fuel bottle swivel. The inverted bottle raises the fuel intake out of the fuel and allows you to burn off the fuel left in the fuel line, and evacuate the pressure from the bottle. Very nice useful feature. You do not have to worry about the fuel spraying in your face when you remove the pump, or the fuel leakage into your pack from the fuel line.

My use and testing show that the stove boils 2 cups (~500 ml) of water using a MSR Titan Kettle in 5 minutes using 2/5 oz. (by weight) of white gas.