SVEA stove

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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
I visited the climbers shop in ambleside at the weekend and noticed one of these at this shop. All brass and old school.

Does anyone have one and use it? Are the current new ones exactly the same as the earlier versions? What are they like to use?

Described as high altitude / cold weather stove. Are they prone to flaring and a bit more tricky to use than gas and meths stoves?
 

bopdude

Full Member
Feb 19, 2013
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Stockton on Tees
If it's the Svea 123 /r then they are still going strong, I've been looking at getting one ( again ) loads of youtube videos of them in use.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
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Trangia? I guess you could attach 3 chains to the lower part/holder of the alco burner, and have spreader ring further up....


(To be frank, I do not see the point of hanging the cooking system up. )
 

bopdude

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Feb 19, 2013
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https://www.optimusstoves.com/us/us/200-8016279-optimus-svea

This one but it's not on the store website for some reason.

I'm not sure what the chain from the control into the windshield part is for.

Does this stoves have a hanging kit available? I think I saw a similar stove came with one. Perhaps a primus version.

The chain is to attach the key as stated, some people re position it so it is on the outside though
 

Janne

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AIUI the hanging of stoves is a big wall climbing thing among other uses.
My wife does that to me sometimes, driving me up a wall, I just chew on an extra Nicorette....
:)

BTW, I do not think Primus ever did a Svea homage.
(Optimus, on the other hand, did make a 'Trangia" kit. I think that Trangia could not meet demand ( Armed forces contracts) and commissioned Optimus to manufacture some.
I have one.)
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
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Cumbria
Primus do a trangia type stove I see from their website. Still like the svea but can't justify price since we're a trangia with gas conversion most of our camping use.
 

Janne

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Which one is like the Trangia?

The gas canister one? Trangia do make one that fits instead of the alcohol burner yes.
Not the most popular choice according to Swedish bushcraft sites.
I assume it is made in China, just like the Primus ( and the hundreds other brands)
The Svea is made in Sweden, and will last for a few centuries.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Are Trangia stoves made in China too? Does it matter? Personally some clones seem better made than the original. Certainly my mini clone is better made than the Trangia version.

I've found that with trangia you need to open the box and check the quality before buying. Typical poor quality I've seen that is a real issue IMHO is the way the pan lip isn't always curled over enough. I've handled a few Trangia pans where the lip presents as a sharp, exposed edge. I've had the cut finger tips from one bad example I've handled.

Primus I think went a bit mass market and cheap quality but still increased their prices a good few years ago. I've still got an older model micron with the gauze centre on the burner. It simply works well for a canister top stove and three pz ignition still works first time, every time even in heavy rain. They're supposed to be unreliable but not my experience with that stove. Possibly 20 years old now.

The SVEA fills a purpose and looks very good quality. Optimus are a good make.

One last point. The trangia gas conversion is better than the other conversion kits such as go gas systems in the UK. IME the cheaper one, half the price, needs tightening to stop the control knob from loosening in use. Basically if you don't tighten it the low simmer becomes mid to high burn. So far three trangia branded one hasn't had this issue but early days. Btw I'd buy b the cheaper one except the trangia worked out half price so why not.
 

Janne

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Feb 10, 2016
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I must correct myself. The newer Sveas are made in Far East, they moved the production there since I left Sweden.
Apparently the finish is not as good as on the old classic ones.

Father taught me that insufficient heatup of the gasifying loop, overfilling or moving the kerosene stove can cause flareups.

I bought the Optimus Polaris. To be frank I prefer my 50+ old Trangia. I used the Optimus three times, then put it away.
Trangia: Simpler ( no parts that can be lost or that can fail) , system more stabile. Easier to light.

Interesting you mention that you cut yourself on a modern Trangia. All edges are rolled on mine, except the cutouts on the wind protector/stand. Maybe they got a new worker that is not fully trained yet?
:)

They are still made in the same village as always. Which is amazing considering today’s trend.
I do not know where their gas burner is made though. If you have one, please check the packaging and let us know what is says!
 
Last edited:

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
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Said nothing on the packaging that i could see.

The rolled edges aren't universally well rolled. Ever since I cut my fingers (plural because the poorly rolled edges had sharp metal all around the pots) I've had an obsession about checking them in shops. I can say with certainty that of the stores I've seen them on display over the last 7 years since I cut my fingers about half were not fully rolled over. Out of them not all would result in cuts without care being taken. Some would have cut me during handling if I had not been aware of this issue.

Seriously Trangia imho have a quality issue these days. I know it's not always been the case because my old university hiking society had a load of trangia stoves to lend out over 20 years ago and I don't recall them having sharp edges.

As for the mini trangia, well they're useless because you need a windshield to use them in anything but still weather. Also the clones are better quality than the official versions.
 

Janne

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Feb 10, 2016
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Never tried the Mini. I suspect it may be meant to be used inside a tent or shelter? But then it looks to e very unstable too.....

The hunt for less weight can produce substandard design like this?

The Trangia systems were (are) called 'Storm cookers' in Sweden, in Swedish. Developed to function even during heavy winds. then they designed the Mini.

Sad if the quality or QC has gode down. You do not want or need a cut finger when in the bush.

I checked mine this morning, both the Trangia and the Optimus and they have well rolled in edges.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Our trangia has well rolled edges. We bought one, took it back because of this issue. We replaced it by checking their stock before we left with it as the replacement. Not all are like that. I kind of mention it because imho better to inform people of the issue so they can check before walking out of the shop with a dodgy one.
 
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Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
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You could also send an email to the company. They should know about this problem. I guess the machine that does this bending/rolling is either worn out or badly adjusted.
Or the QC person needs a kick up the backside.

i had issues with a tool I use, a special Swedish tool to remove teeth. A 150 UKP tool. Edge snapped on several i bought, one after another. Send one back to Sweden. Tempering oven faulty. They send me new ones.
 

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
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Gloucestershire
I have a SVEA and absolutely love it. There are no pumps to go wrong and, once primed and lit, it produces a lot of heat. I would strongly recommend them, not just as a stove, but as a wonderful, if quirky piece of kit.
 
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SGL70

Full Member
Dec 1, 2014
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Luleå, Sweden
I have got the 123R and the older 123.

Great stoves. Real work horses. They do require pre-heating and they dont produce the same ammount of heat as a Optimus Polaris/Nova, for instance. That said, my 123 sees more action than my Nova.

Couldn't be happier with it!
 
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Nohoval_Turrets

Full Member
Sep 28, 2004
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Ireland
SGL70 said:
They do require pre-heating and they dont produce the same ammount of heat as a Optimus Polaris/Nova, for instance.

At 4780 BTU they're not the most powerful - more than a Trangia meths burner (3,500) but less than a domestic hob (7000) and less than the typical gas canister stove (6000 - 8000). Most white gas/kerosene stoves seem to be in the 10,000 region. So not the blowtorch that some other stoves of this type are, but so long as that's not what you need, they're great.
 

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