Hello everyone, I just purchased a new Svea 123R from a local outdoor outfitter last week. I read so much about this stove over the years about how it's most likely the most field tested stove in the world. How reliable it is in all altitudes and weather. Well I have to be honest with you all... I like the stove but I'm not impressed with it. Let me explain. When the stove reaches operating temperature after a few minutes, the flame has yellow tips and it doesn't simmer very well at all. No blue flame just a yellow sooty mess and when I shut it down there's a candle flame. I have a vintage (Primus label) 8R and it burns beautifully and simmers very nicely. I burn only Coleman fuel in these stoves. Has anyone experienced the same thing?
You know, these newer ones may have poorer quality since they are not made in Sweden anymore. They are actually made on a periodic basis in China, in very large batches, by order from Optimus. Not sure how good the quality control is. I like the older, non-R version much better. Or even the older R version would be better. There are numerous, high-quality 123s on ebay available everyday of the year. They are worth it. Parts and maintenance kits are available for these as well. sam
Maybe you might be interested in this topic. I had (and are still having) the same probs that you are describing with my brand new Optimus 123. My conclusion after a lot of research and fettling (where, by the way, nothing needed a fettle ) I came to the conclusion that the disappointing burning behaviour of today's Optimus 123 R 's is connected to the burner bell - flame plate assembly. You say that you own a Optimus 8 R, too. Swap the burners and check how each stove burns. I did the same and found out that the Optimus 123R burns fine with the burner of the 8 R and the 8 R burns bad with the burner of the 123R. By the way: I also own a Optimus 96 from the 80s. It's burner resembles more the burner of the current 123R than the burner of my 8R. And guess how it burns - right, with yellow tips . With regard to power, a mini pump is the key. With this little gem the stoves lights much easier and with full power right from the start. My advice is not to care too much about the colour of the flames as long as the stove puts out enough heat. Put a pot on top and you don't see the yellow flame tips any longer. Regards, Philipp
Thanks for posting that link Philipp. I started reading that old thread again. I read it all, including the threads linked to it. So I have just spent about 45 minutes reading and enjoying it all again. It was so interesting. But now of course, I have no more time left at the moment to do what I was supposed to be doing, which was being a moderator!
I'm going to take your advice Philip and not worry about the yellow flames. When I put a pot on top I don't see it anyhow. I had to adjust the cleaning needle, the stove wouldn't shut off properly.
Alni, welcome to the forum. With your new 123R don't give up. When you place a pot on the stove to use it, there may be a beneficial catalytic effect on the burner as some of the heat from the pot reflects back onto the burner riser. Just want to offer some hope. In my part of the country these 123Rs are almost as common as XGKs. If you do pull the trigger for a used one, you will likely enjoy that one too.
When i first got my 123r i used Coleman fuel in it,but wasn't too impressed,so i changed to aspen fuel and it goes like a rocket!
No significant change with my Optimus 123 R of current production, be it White Gas or Aspen 4T. Regards, Philipp
The output of the stove is great. Seems to build pressure faster than my 8R. The burner seems a bit thicker than stove too and glows bright cherry red even without a pot on it within a minute. I've seen some videos on YouTube about these stoves and the flames on some of them are identical to mine. I never realized that these stoves were now made in China. I've been out of the "stovie" loop for awhile.
I've had a dozen or more 123s and 123Rs over the years, I still have my original 123 non-R from 1969 and two other non-Rs. I much prefer them to most any other stove. My original stove lives in a Stainless Sigg Tourist kit, the others are loaners. I also have three 8Rs that I loan out infrequently. I don't like them much at all. Inconvenient pot rests and tend to overheat when used for more than a few minutes at a time. Others do like them however as signified by continued sales. The later Primus 71s and Optimus 80s are good performers as well if used outside of the silly tins they come in. I've made several brass adaptors for them that make 'em look like little bitty 96s. I found out after I "invented" the adaptor that Primus used to sell 'em for stoves that had outlived the tin box. Oh, and I've never run any fuel in any of 'em except Coleman, Blazo, Chevron camp fuel and Wally World's Ozark Trail camp fuel. All the same stuff, naptha. Alnl1996, if you can find one, get a Sigg Tourist Cooker, it makes the 123 a giant among stoves. Gerry
Don't give up hope. Thats the charm of these stoves, you have to love them a bit like a woman. Figure out their special needs and how their moods change with the weather and at that time of the month. But that's half the fun and challenge of them. If you stick with them you will soon realize how reliable and hardy they can be. You may need to fettle that jet needle a bit so you don't get the glowing candle effect when you turn your stove off. Also run a few tanks of fuel through it and it will soon settle into a normal flame burn pattern.
Thanks Gerry, I heard that the 123 with a Sigg is a great setup. I'll have to look for one. I can honestly say that this little Svea is growing on me the more I use it. Must be that classic design and unmatched reliability.
If you decide to test the inter-changeability of the flame spreader plate (123 to 8R) and it works in reverse then the fix is to remold the 123 flame spreader plate either up or down until you get the same flame as you get with the 8R. This is not rocket science so just stick with the project until it works properly. lance
Just a tiny bit of adjustment each time so you don't "over run" the sweet spot. Also too much red hot flame spreader plate could indicate a form of underburn. I spent a whole afternoon working on 3 non-R 123s and was amazed at how hot I could get the flame without having the flame spreader plate glow bright cherry red.. I also made some thinner copper flame spreader plates myself and it's very important not to get underburn with them, as the thinner metal doesn't like the extra heat one bit. Stan
That's part of it. The plate is also slighty too aggressively dished so when the stream of atomised fuel hits the bottom of the plate, is spreads out in an even pattern. That shape is quite critical in making an even blue flame appear around the edges of the burner ring. You can adjust the dish shape by placing the plate on the top of a large socket (wrench) and tapping it very gently with a ball-pein hammer. But the most important adjustment is the height of the bottom of the burner plate from the top of the nozzle. This can vary where the burn takes place. It shouldn't start burning below the burner plate (you can see if you look at it in a darkened room from the side). That is what makes the burner plate glow that striking bright cherry red. Ideally, most of the burn should take place just outside the edge of the burner plate. You can tell two ways if this is happening. The plate doesn't turn red, and the blue flame has tiny little raggedy edges on the tips when it's tuned just right. Tuning consists of adjusting the tabs very slightly because raising or lowering that plate by fractions of a millimeter can have a very significant effect. It's a fascinating way to spend an afternoon, experimenting with constructing the perfect flame. Stan
In my experience, the concave shape of the flame plate is only important in directing the flame upwards, rather than sideways. The blue flame is a result of sufficient amount of air mixing with the fuel vapor (not atomized) in the burner bell prior to burning. I can get a perfect blue flame by just holding a flat brass coin above the burner bell instead of a proper flame plate, as can be seen in my avatar. Yonadav
Thanks guys. I've learned quite a bit about these little stoves. I unscrewed the valve from the tank to get a look at the wick to see if everything is OK. The wick seemed to be pushed into the valve only a few millimeters. I tucked it in more and put everything back together. I fired it up and I noticed the output was stronger. Could just be me. Later I decided to make some grill cheese sandwiches for the kids and I. Who says that these stoves can't simmer? Nonsense. After I cooked, I boiled some water for tea. WHOA! when I cranked it full, this thing was a little blast furnace. A beast. I'm sure it was because the stove was hot but I was still impressed. That water boiled in no time. The flames were still a bit yellow on the tips when I removed the pot but I'm not really concerned. This thing's a rocket.
Yonadev....I apologize for the blurry photo, but I'm not at home where I can get at my tripod and this had to be a handheld photo in the dark. This is what I mean by a full flame on a 123 non-R without underburn. By that I mean most of the flame is being generated from the edges of the flame plate upward, and the chief indication that is happening is the flame plate is not glowing. All the heat is being generated and directed upward where it will do the most good, not heating the flame plate. This little 123 has been burning for about 5 minutes. Again I hope you forgive the blurry photo, it is not meant to be pretty, just to explain what I haven't been able to adequately describe in words. Stan
Thank, magicbus! I will find time to do more experiments based on your advice. I generally enjoy a red glowing flame plate (typical pyromaniac), and have not given much thought to where the heat is going. Yonadav
