Optimus Svea 123 Review

"I agree with everyone else on this site, the 123 ROCKS!!
Once one has the priming down(no matter what method), the stove is flawless. Simple and very stingy on fuel. I have a butane/propane mix canister for air travel, but the 123 is the best and used most of the time."

"My first exposure to the Svea 123 was in 1977. My girlfriend bought one for our cross country camping adventure. The stove worked like a champ. In all weather, in all temperatures and at all altitudes it just keeps on going. The Svea is built like a tank, runs like a jet, and looks like a work of art. The only tricky part is the initial priming to start it. I solved than by using a short length of soda straw to dip in the fuel tank and drop a small amount of fuel in the well. It works great and is easy to story in the stove when not in use.

My old girlfriend is now just a distant memory, but I recently bought a Svea for myself on eBay; just hearing the distinctive roar of the burner when it started up brought back some great memories. With a little loving care I expect to get many more years of use out of this veteran.
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"I bought a used Svea 123 this year, and it is my second Optimus stove, after the excellent Omni Fuel. Once you learn how to prime it, the stove has a rock-solid reliability. Some use the pump to prime it, but I never felt it needed one. Others use hands to warm the air inside the tank, but my hands are always clammy, so forget that. A dropper and a match will take care of the priming.

In my opinion, I feel it is more reliable than 8R, another good stove from Optimus.

This is one stove that you will be satisfied with, but actually it is one stove that would make you want to own more than one--maybe three, four, or even five."

"I have several Optimus stoves and like the product. Of course, you can't carry on a conversation around one, but who does when you're watching the space shuttle launch from the pad anyway! However; I've a safety consideration on the SVEA123...If your stove is old and is equipped with the pump compatible fuel cap and it leaks pressure, I'd strongly advise you to get an entirely new cap. Sure, you can get new gaskets from A&H, but you may be risking the possibility of the pressure relief mechanism being equally old and unreliable. If you haven't seen a balooned out 123 yet from being over-pressured, just stop by the repair facility in Tustin, CA. It will make a believer out of you."

"I bought a used Svea 123R at a garage sale for my son to use on his scouting jamborees. The stove was a complete mess, caked on-baked on crud. I cleaned up the stove, washed out the fuel tank with some coleman fuel. The cap needed a new rubber washer, so I went to my local sporting goods store and purchased a new washer for .60. With the new washer in place, I filled it up, primed it and opened the valve. True to it's nature, it started up and worked like a champ. I have no idea how old it is, but it cleaned up nicely and works without any problems. It is a noisy little bugger, but it gets the job done and does not fail. At the jamboree I noticed that many scouts had propane bottle stoves, and the latest MSR stoves. There were a number of failures with the stoves (clogged jets, leaky propane gaskets). The Svea 123R worked like it was intended to, a small, light weight stove for one camper. Strangely enough, my son's Svea was the only stove of it's type at the jamboree. A number of the scoutmasters came over and looked at the stove, it seems that they used to use Svea's also when they were boys. One Scoutmaster was pushing 72 years and still remembers using one whith his troop when he was 13. It seems that the Svea is one of those timeless designs that works the way it was intended to. No designed in obselesence with this neat little stove."

"Used this stove in the Marines. Not very tacticaL during start up but plenty of heat. It sat idle for 7 years I started it today with some heat paste made by MAUTZ. Sure wish I had this stove and a gallon can of Coleman fuel in Tromso, Norway in 1988 and '84. Well worth the cash. Try to always use the heat paste. Some dumbassed Lt. laughed when we couldn't get it started. We made him some HOT cocoa moments later, if you ever meet a former Marine named Vetter ask him if he can taste food yet with his seared tongue, NEVER make fun of the 123. My stove is 17 years old."

"I got my Svea from my father who got it from my uncle who got it from his dad somewhere in Europe in the 1950s. It came with the Sigg Tourister pot set (an invaluable accessory to any Svea 123), and I bought another off Ebay awhile back, not because the 50 year old one was broken, but because it also had the Sigg cook kit (Sigg don't seem to make them anymore). They work the first time, everytime. I just carry an eye dropper to prime with, it doesn't take much, and away it goes. No pumping, no pressurized gas canisters, no insainly expessive repairs or spare parts. The fact that the design hasn't changed for one hundred years should tell you something about how amazing they are."

"I've owned them for over 30 years. the 123R is nice in that it has a jet cleaning needle that pokes the jet whenever the stove is shut off. However, the older (and just as reliable) 123 needs a seperate cleening needle.

After trying some of the weirder MSR types, and the horrible when cold GAZ types, this old, brass, loud, and faithfull stove has never, ever, let me down.

The newer stoves can crank-out a bit more heat, and may be a touch quieter, but I always carry a 123 as a back-up to a friends more moder stove. No hot food is not the way to camp!"

"Stumbled across this site and SVEA 123 reviews. I must agree with all who tout the reliability and lasting quality of this little workhorse of a stove. I bought mine about 1986 and used it infrequenly hiking since I liked my surplus M-1950. I also used the cartridge propane stoves. I liked the ease of just installing a cart. and lighting the stove. In the 2004 hurricane season in FL the 1950 left me sit and my old propane clogged; the SVEA pulled though. Put fuel in the tank and gave it a few pumps, yes, I have and use the optional pump, the stove fired right up and kept working. After about 4 weeks of use cooking for 2 on a one-person stove I actually missed cooking on it. I liked the convienience of the cartridge stoves and was a bit shy at using the SVEA before I bought the pump. Call it being impatient. Without the pump the stove takes a few minutes to get warm enough to porduce a good pressurized flame. Overall this stove turned out to be better than the others I used. I plan on getting another just so I can cook more things at one time. I made and used alcohol stoves too, but I'll take the SVEA over any of them any day."

"I have had my 123 for about 10 years and it works like the day it was new. Last weekend my reserve Coleman fuel bottle top was not on tight and I lost all of my fuel, so I tried some of the unleaded gas from my 5 gallon Jerry Can. It seemed to burn hotter and nothing blew up. Actually, the manual says unleaded fuel is fine.

The only problem is getting a low simmer out of these stoves. You can sort of regulate the flame (more like a jet engine!) by using the adjuster, but after a few minutes the flame tends to die due to lack of heat on the burner plate. So you just have to either raise your pot or keep your eye on the flame and let it burn hot a little bit, then try to go back to a “simmer”.

There is no 22 oz fuel bottle to hook up to it like a lot of the newer stoves have. (MSR, etc.) So you have to keep it your eye on the fuel. You do not want to burn it dry as it has an adverse effect on the cotton wick inside the tank. All I do as a routine, is just after every meal, fill it back up. That way it always ready. If you use a big pot or wind screen you have a good chance of blowing the safety valve. It does not sound like a fun experience! Once in a while I feel the tank and see if it feels too hot. “To hot” is hard to describe, but if it feels real hot, just back off your pot and you really should not use a wind screen too close the stove. It should breath, like a fine wine.

I do like my Coleman stove with the fuel bottle. It does not weigh much and it simmers all day. For short day hikes I like to carry a small propane stove, the kind that lets you screw a small stove on a small propane fuel canister. They are small and fire right up for a quick cup of tea or soup.

The good, fires up every time with reliability. The bad, tough to make simmer. (My opinion of course.)

I have to admit I feel a little macho when I prime the stove with a shot of fuel in the burner cup and toss in a match! And after it starts to really get going, I feel a little proud of the “He Man” sound that it puts out! Whoa! I may need counseling!"

"I've used a SVEA 123 since I started backpacking in the 60's. Never had a problem other than when someone else tried to use it--they couldn't get the hang of the flaming process of priming it. I love the sound when it's heating my water for coffee in the morning, such a powerful force underway to wake me up. My only worry is whether I'd be able to buy a replacement if something happens to mine. I've taken vows never to haul around propane bottles!"

"I have had the same 123 since 1978, it has never let me down once in over 4000 backpacking miles , not to mention over-night boat trips and so forth. I tried the MSR's but they just don't have the charm of the Svea 123. Buy one while you still can."

"Bought mine in 1977, for a hitch hiking trip across our great nation. It served me well on that trip as well as hunderds of backpacking trips later. Unnumbered trips to the adirondac high peaks, Rocky Mountain National Park, all across New Mexico, and three day Search & Rescue call outs in California's Sierras.
Down side...it needs priming, and it's loud (I call it "The great and powerful Oz", because it may flare up if I try to cook with it before it's happy.)
So many times, I've had water heated, while friends continue to tinker, replace parts, cuss etc, at their more modern incarnations.
Now in my late 40's I carry an esbit stove in the nice weather, but I carry the 123R when the mercury dips.
THIS STOVE HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN!"

"The Svea 123 is that seldom realized minimalist phenomenon of form and function seamlessly integrated into a purpose-driven whole. No more; no less.

Bought mine in '73 and have used it ever since, although I used big two and three burner Colemans (liquid and propane) over the years for family car camping trips. I have just retired, Oct. 31, 2005, and bought a Honda Element. I'm now outfitting it. Went to my local retailer, and he was getting $90 for a new one. My old, tarnished Svea 123 is now the vehicle stove.

PROS: Small reliable operational footprint. Simple mechanics coupled to a simple fuel system using readily available fuel (Coleman fuel or unleaded fuel, i.e.,white gas)EQUALS No down time AND Ease of use. In short, it's bulletproof and functional.

CONS: It is expensive to purchase unless you can get one at a flea market or yard sale. Make sure you get a Svea jet cleaning needle..anything else will almost certainly be too large in diameter run the jet.

MY OPERATING DRILL. (It takes longer to read this than to do it. I usually have a happy blue flame and a pot on the burner in about 2 minutes.)

USE COLEMAN FUEL or UNLEADED(WHITE) GAS. I use both.

USE THE SVEA JET NEEDLE WIRE TO CLEAN THE JET ORIFICE. I do that before every trip.

FUELING UP

1. Remove the fuel tank cap by twisting LEFT. (A small pliers is sometimes handy.)

2. Use a small steel funnel to fill the tank, BUT DO NOT FILL THE TANK ALL THE WAY TO THE TIPPY TOP: leave a visible airspace in the tank...

2A: FIRST TIME USERS--AVOID THE VISIBLE AIRSPACE METHOD AND SIMPLY FILL THE TANK JUST A LITTLE OVER HALF WAY THE FIRST TIME YOU USE THE STOVE. THAT WAY,YOU KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO GET A GOOD, EFFICIENT OPERATIONAL FLAME, AND THEN YOU CAN EXPERIMENT WITH PUTTING IN MORE FUEL.

3. Put the fuel tank cap on VERY SECURELY.

PRESSURIZING THE TANK: GETTING THE STOVE READY TO LIGHT

4. Close the fuel valve by inserting the square opening on the end of the fuel valve key over the little square valve stem, and then shut it by turning it to the right SECURELY.

4. PRESSURIZE THE TANK: THIS IS WHERE MOST FOLKS GET IT WRONG THE THEIR FIRST TIME. They either overfill the tank or open the jet too wide.

PRESSURIZING THE TANK

DO AS I DO METHOD: heat the bottom by putting a candle, kitchen match, or lighter under the bottom of the stove for 30-45 seconds until thoroughly warm, i.e., almost too warm to the touch. This is the method I have always used. However, I have seen others:

A. SPLASH AND BURN METHOD Splash a little fuel around the jet nozzle and light it, and just before it goes out, turn on the fuel valve. It's an OK method, but I have never found it to pressurize the tank as quickly as using a match or lighter or candle.

B. TURN IT OVER AND LIGHT THE BOTTOM
Making sure the fuel cap is on securely and the fuel valve is closed, turn the stove upside down, and pour a little fuel in the concave portion of the bottom, swishing it around GENTLY so you don't get any on your hands and clothing; make sure the WHOLE bottom is wet but with no puddled liquid, and then light THE BOTTOM and TURN THE STOVE UPRIGHT and set it on a rock so it gets air to the bottom, and let it burn until it goes out--but for no more than 30-45 seconds. I personally have never used this method, but I camped one night near a group on a biology field trip, who showed me how to do that, and it seemed to work OK for them.

5. LIGHTING THE STOVE:
A. Finish Step 4, put the stove down on a flat surface;
B. Open the fuel valve by turning it to the left A WEE BIT, JUST ENOUGH TO LET A LITTLE FUEL AND/OR VAPOR COME OUT.
C. LIGHT A KITCHEN MATCH, AND LET IT BURN FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN PLACE IT OVER THE TOP OF THE JET NOZZLE and the stove should light, i.e., there will be a VERY BRIEF yellow, sooty flame at the outset, WHICH TURNS BLUE shortly if you have pressurized the tank properly and have the jet opened right.

6. BRINGING THE STOVE UP TO OPERATING TEMPERATURE.
Keep a close eye on the flame and adjust the fuel valve in small increments--the flame will usually start out yellow and sooty and not noisy at all, and then in a minute or so it will start to make a low roaring noise and will turn bluish. Adjust the flame GENTLY and when you get the right air-fuel mixture you will know it: YOU WILL HAVE A BLUE FLAME AND THE GENTLE CHARACTERISTIC ROAR OF A SVEA 123 IN A FUEL EFFICIENT OPERATIONAL MODE.

The 123 I bought came with a nested aluminium windscreen system the bottom half of which the stove fits into, and whose top half screen functions as a stove top base on which a pot--which is actually the case for the whole contraption--sits, with the lid to the pot functioning as a little frying pan when you turn it upside down."

"I have used my SVEA in all conditions for over 50 years, from Punta Arenas to Canada and west to Idaho. No complaints whatsoever. Very cheery sound as it heats the tea water on a cold mountainside.

My technique for priming and pressurizing is less complex than other methods I have seen described. Simply cup the fuel tank in your hands to warm it, open the valve, and allow a bit of fuel to dribble into the well at the base of the generator. Light this and when it is nearly consumed open the valve. No need to use cotton wool, pastes, etc."

"I've had this little beauty for more than 2 years now. I like it since it's compact, easy to handle and very sturdy. I've never used it with anything but white gas. I've modified the priming by wrapping a 20cm of glass gasket around the base of the burner, just above the priming pad. This functions as wick and gives a more controlled preheat using much less ethanol for preheat.
I've also purchased the optional midipump which I find very usefull when it's very cold or windy. My reason for not giving this little thing the full five, is that it's kind of sensitive to wind before it really gets going. I'm using a folding windscreen . The windscreen both reduces preheat time, boil-time and time before the stove is hot and ready."

"I purchased my Svea 123 from the "Climb Shop" in Yosemite Valley during the late Fall of 1969. The Svea has proven to be a remakable stove. In all of the time I have owned this stove I have never once had to repair or replace any part of the stove. I find the Svea to be fail proof regardless of altitude or temperature, especially when I am using it where other fuel types freeze and refuse to light. Every product has a down side, the only one I can find is the noise produced by the blow torch style flame the Svea creates. This noise, however is famous, you can tell there is a Svea in camp as soon as it is ignited. I LOVE this stove."

"I have optimus stove and primus very old one from my grandpa.

Work fine only thing is the smell of benzene always in my backpack because I carry it all the time with me."

"The one thing i love about this stove is the flame and it's beautiful noise that can hypnotize you in the cold winter southern utah nat.parks.Were you need a cold weather stove in the morning and late night.When you turn it way down to a trikle and no jet it's like a little camp fire[little red helps] as in all utah nat. prks no camp fires[thankfully]So fun to use! You need to know the little tricks as some guy above talked about "lighting techniques".And people who have never seen a svea in action are blown away.Wierd thought!It will out live you and your childrens children!"

"I bought mine in about 1976. I have never cleaned it or rebuilt it except, I always run the cleaning pin through the jet with the on / off valve before starting. I always used Colman fuel. I did get a pump and cap shortly after it was new. My boy just used it on a backpacking trip and the cap started to leak through the pump hole. I made him get me a new cap. They sent the wrong one and we are sending it back for the one that works with the pump. Although you don't really need a pump it starts faster with it and I have always used one. Don't use it in a tent in case the valve gasses off from over pressure. But,I have cooked just outside the tent while I was still inside and in a sleeping bag."

"I was unsure which model of which brand to purchase when I got my Svea 123R around 1985. Best backpacking investment I made. This small power house of a stove never fails. Whether it was hurricane season here in FL in 2005 or the many times on the A-T, Blue Ridge Parkway, or Montana this stove works flawlessly.

So it is not as quiet as one of the small alcohol burners. It is a bit heavy. It is reliable and fast.

I never used the gel to start mine, just a litte fuel on the top of the burner to preheat it or the pump and a small spray of fuel on the preheater and it lights everytime in all kinds of weather at any altitude. (OK I never climbed Everest or anyting over about 15k)

I never had to repair the stove or do anything special to maintain it. I always use Coleman fuel or white gas.

I own several different stoves and I find the Svea 123R gets use the most and is my favorite."

"Reliable and fun. It's a bit of a hassle with the preheating until you have found a method that works for you. I fill alcohol in a bottle cap and place it inside the upside down Svea lid. Then I put the handle in the slot on the side of the lid so that it points inwards. I light the alcohol and place the Svea on top of the lid, partially balancing on the handle. You are sure to get good preheating every time. And it's also efficient, doesn't take nearly as much fuel as with unsheltered preheating. A bottle cap weighs nothing and costs nothing so try it."

"The first time I saw this stove was in 1972 on a winter camping trip in upstate New York with my Air Force roommate. He had been previously stationed in Alaska and got this little brass thing out of his pack to make some coffee for us. As it was about 8 degrees above I had my doubts about it starting at all but after about 90 seconds it was running and heating water. I bought one the next week from the EMS store in Lake Placid along with the Sigg cookware set for $41 combined price and it has run flawlessly even since that day with the only repairs ever needed being a new cap gasket and flame spreader in 1992. It is the only stove I have ever used or wanted.I have also used it( after an outside warm-up run) as a keep alive tent heater during a trip gone bad near the top of Mt Washington when the temp plunged to well below zero and left me stranded in the dark. This little guy ran most of the night with one additional filling and kept me warm enough to keep the snow melted off of the tent until first light and my escape back to the flatlands."

"Svea 123r, only if a woman was reliable and robust and never answered back and cook a perfect meal, you would be very happy bloke, for for near ten years I have used this stove , once for entire year while living out of my car its seen me through some hard times and many more great times, and has never failed, even recently climbing Mt kilimanjaro it worked perfectly at that hight, I was very supprissed, this stove is unioun made in heaven, never shall we part, it may well continue working may years after I pass, know wounder with piece of perfect craftmanship."

"I used the Svea 123 for many years backpacking,hitchhiking, and generally bumming around in the 60's. It fit perfectly in the side pocklet of my Kelty pack and still gives me warm fuzzy feelings when I think about those days. After many years of storage I pulled it out of retirement when I was asked to accompany an "Engineers w/o Borders" effort in the Peruvian Andes. As it turned out cooking equipment was overlooked and my 123 cooked a lot of food and heated alot of water for 10 people; the locals were very impressed too!This stove is the pinnacle of realised form and function-do not sully it's perfection with a pump-an eye dropper and orifice cleaning tool will be all you need. This little stove is my friend and has never let me down."

"Svea 123--utterly reliable and maintenance-free, beautiful, fun to light (heh-heh), fun to listen to, runs on almost anything.
MSR, etc.--need expensive maintenance, take too long to set up, look weird and industrial.
If you want to congratulate yourself on how cool you are, buy a Dragonfly or whatever to go with your titanium spork and $600 sleeping bag. However, if you want hot food while the "technical" crowd are still assembling their stoves, find a Svea 123, the stove built by people who knew things should be beautiful. I doubt they'd ever heard the word technical. Consider the difference--the Svea has delicate engraving on the fuel reservoir, while MSR will sell you a painfully bright fuel bottle with their brand printed in giant ugly block letters."

"I have just recently purchased the Svea 123. It's awesome so far, even though I have only used it a few times. I own or have owned a MSR Whisperlite International,an Old Style Peak 1(still own after 20 years),a Peak 1 EX. MultiFuel, a sterno stove, a Triangia alcohol stove (still own), a MSR XGK (still own), Markill Hotshot(still own), Scout Propane,and a Hank Robert's Butane Mini-stove(brings back memories of my Boy Scout days 30 years ago). For me, the XGK lights the best under any, I mean any conditions be it extreme wind, cold, altitude, etc., but it doesn't simmer well, if at all. Oh, I almost forgot about the MSR Simmerlite I still own--well even though it is the hottest stove I own- I get 2.5 minute boil times, it doesn't simmer well either(go figure), and it is not the easiest stove to light in extreme wind with it's exposed priming cup. As one can see, I am looking for the stove that does it all and isn't missing one important function. Well, as I get older I realize that perfection is a state of mind that is better left there. What is one willing to live with instead? On that note, I believe that the Svea 123 has what I need. It steadily burns from a candle like flame to a full blast. I have gotten just under 5 minute boil times without a pump with 1 liter of water in a Hard Anondized Extreme pot(great heat transfer) at 6,0000ft.

It takes a little care to light, but if one has owned a MSR gas stove, I am sure that one can figure it out after a few goes. I would caution people that the stove gets hot-tank and all, for that is how it stays pressurized, and it seems that it could tip easily--I recommend having a pair of leather gloves handy. It takes a little while to get to know it--not too long though. I think the priming method in the instructions work fine if you have a pour spout on your fuel bottle. Just put a small amount in the priming cup, and light it. It puffs big, yellow flames a couple times when the fuel is turned on, but it doesn't take nearly the time that the Peak I or the XGK take to heat their generator tubes. The Svea seems to prime and work well in wind- I haven't been in extreme wind with it yet. I will see this winter. Also,I have just read somewhere that one should never let the tank burn to empty because of possibly scorching the wick. Moreover, the control key gets hot---remove while in use or see glove comment above.

So what makes it so awesome then? It's simple(for me),and it's a great mix of dependability(so far) and aesthetic design. A design that is a 100 years old and exudes an artistic expression of when style and function were both considered when something was made. It is Utilitarian without going to the extreme of sacrificing a good Romantic feeling tone for a Rationalist monstrosity that needs all its gaskets replaced every year. It has the qualities of a campfire without the soot or smoke. I recommend getting one while you still can. Optimus doesn't manufacture them anymore."