New Shellite Stove

[Solohike74]

3df47204f7542c5638c609de718fd9b8.jpg (52.62 KiB) Viewed 4486 times

I've found this new shellite stove on the net. Having used Chinese canister stoves ok, this seems a logical value choice. Does anyone have experience with Chinese shellite stoves?

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com.au/viewi ... 0243&sbk=1

[Strider]

The difference here is that, while they do not have direct approval in Australia, the Chinese canister stoves are sold here under other brands. There is absolutely no way of knowing what you're getting with this one unless you can find an approved "equivalent" and know without any doubt they are the same article.

[rucksack]

Buyer beware, I think. Unless I am mistaken, this stove is made by Bulin, a Chinese manufacturer located in Zhejiang Province. The design is largely a knock-off of the quite decent Korean Kovea Booster+ stove, which can burn Shellite and gas. Contrary to the claim by the seller, I think that you would find that this Bulin stove will very likely also only burn Shellite, or Shellite and gas and there have been question marks over the quality of Bulin stoves. If you wanted a Chinese liquid fuel stove, I would be looking at the Shellite-burning Fire Maple FMS-F3, but before I did that, I would have a look at a Primus (their OmniFuel, MultiFuel EX or OmniLite Ti all burn a variety of liquid fuels as well as gas), or an Optimus Nova/Nova+, or perhaps an MSR Whisperlite Universal. Or failing these, a 'real' Kovea Booster+ or a Japanese-made Snow Peak GS-010R would be a better proposition. There are a lot of liquid fuel stoves about; the Bulin would be at the very bottom of my list. Just saying, of course. Yes, it's cheap by comparison with the other stoves that I have mentioned, but, well ... caveat emptor.

rucksack

[hikin_jim]

Bulin? Yipes! Should be all right as long as you don't put fuel in it.

Seriously though, the EU has banned several of their stoves.

Here's a Bulin pump. It looks a bit like an MSR pump at first glance, but look closely, and you'll see that it is not. Note the crack in the valve. If Shellite comes out of that crack...


HJ

[Solohike74]

Thanks HJ for the heads up & photo of crack in the pump. That'd bring ones expedition to an end quickly.

[Solohike74]

Here is the Fire Maple FMS-F3. The fuel tube where it connects to the bushel seems much more well made. This ones priced at around $70 including 500ml bottle, service kit with spares like the MSR maintenance kit, and weight under 400g-Looks like aluminium used a bit on the stove itself.

[hikin_jim]

That's a pretty good price for a Shellite stove. Fire Maple has been making some pretty good upright canister gas stoves. I don't know what their reputation is concerning Shellite type stoves, but their general reputation is good.

HJ

[Orion]

Here's a Bulin pump. It looks a bit like an MSR pump at first glance, but look closely, and you'll see that it is not. Note the crack in the valve. If Shellite comes out of that crack...

I don't mean this as a defense of Bulin, but MSR stove pumps can also crack. I've personally had it happen twice.

[Alex KLE500]

Hi

I picked one up from a similar source about the same time as a backup
for the Coleman stove.

My first attempts were with kerosene, and after a couple of practice firings
it works like a dream albeit with a roaring/pulsating flame. It comes down to a simmer
quite easily and would be the preferred fuel for me.

Have not tried it out on shellite yet.

Used an adapter to run one of the cheap $1 butane cans and again it
works perfectly and very much quieter.

Very happy with the purchase

Alex