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33 of 34 found the following review helpful:
 Super Stove May 06, 2010
By M. Ross
"Bacchuskitty"
I got this stove to replace another MSR stove, the Whisperlite, which burned in house fire years ago and it has turned out to be an excellent stove. Here is a run down on my experience and impressions of the stove:
Performance - As with most other decent stoves, this one can boil water quickly, so that's not news. What it does do, however, that many do not is take the flame down to the lowest simmer. This is a great feature if you are doing some serious cooking that requires precise flame control. I've found the flame spread on this stove to be relatively narrow, so it's a good thing you can dial the flame down so as not to completely scorch what you are heating. The stove is extremely stable, with pot supports that can handle larger size pots and pans. It has a self-cleaning jet that has worked flawlessly when using standard white gas, and has been very reliable.
Size - It folds up pretty small and it is light enough, but it's still larger in these dimensions than the smallest stoves out there if only by a little. I don't store mine in my cook kit as it won't fit; that's OK by me, though, as there's always something in my pack that I can fit in there to save space.
Flexibility - As with the international version of the Whisperlite, this stove can burn different fuels, some with the same jet that uses white gas, and others with the included jet for heavier fuels like kerosene or diesel. This is an nice feature, I think, and makes it valuable component of your disaster preparedness kit in addition to regular camping and backpacking duty.
Noise - You've heard it before, and it's a fact with this stove: this puppy is noisy as all get out. Embarrassingly so, sometimes. I've had campers at adjacent sites look over to see what was going on when I cranked my stove up to full blast, and it makes me feel self-conscious sometimes when I'm cooking in the near-dead silence of a remote campsite. Don't use this stove if you want to be able to hear someone or something sneaking up on you, or if the hiss of a gas lantern (mild by comparison) bothers you.
Value - This one gives me a bit of pause. I think this is an excellent stove and despite some quirks (namely noise) I really love it. When the excellent Whisperlite can be had for so much less (even the international version) it is hard to justify unless you really, truly need that fine flame control or the security of having something a little more stable than most micro stoves.
Other thoughts - If you are only using your stove to boil water for purification or to rehydrate food, then I would go with a less expensive option where you don't need a fine flame control. Generally, I really prefer this kind of stove, with its fuel flexibility, over those that use a propane or propane/butane canister. I like the thought of being able to use gasoline or diesel in an emergency situation if I needed to. And, while I have had very good luck with canisters using my Gaz 470 (that I absolutely LOVE and still use on a regular basis) I wouldn't want that to be my only camp stove.
Be sure to use the heat shield and windscreen that come with this stove to protect the pump and fuel bottle; their use should not be considered an option. The stove is easy to prime using priming paste or a squirt of fuel let through the valve once you have pressurized the bottle. The stove comes complete with pump and basic tools to clean and/or change the jet, heat shield and wind screen, as well as a usable stuff sack.
27 of 29 found the following review helpful:
 Great Stove Aug 14, 2005
By N. Moloney
I used this stove this past week for the first time and it was great. I went backpacking for a whole week, and another group with us had the whisperlite, and the dragonfly was obviously so much easier to use than the whisperlite. It's heat is so much more adjustable, and therefore uses much less gas than most other stoves. Also, the stand is much easier to use, causing far less spills and more stability than the whisperlite. It heats water much faster and is more user-friendly. I definately recommend it!
19 of 20 found the following review helpful:
loud but verssatile Aug 30, 2008
By C. Boylan
As mentioned, this stove is loud, extremely loud, at any setting. It has a very wide range - you can simmer without scorching thick stews or boil 4L of water in no time flat. Be aware however, that it can melt a hole in the wind screen or heat defuser just as easily. Or scorch the bottom of your pots about as fast - I've two to clean up at the moment.
Find the absolute lowest simmer setting right out of the box - you'll want to use it most of the time. When it's time to boil water crank it up loud.
It's a fuel miser compared to the WhisperLite.
The flexible hose is still short, stiff and stupid like other MSR stoves.
Stuff sack is too small for what we travel with.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Moto-Camping Must Have Aug 14, 2008
By Christopher Coakley
I've used this stove backpacking. It's great, light, etc. But, the fact that it can burn gasoline is a huge plus for motorcycle camping. Now I don't have to carry two kinds of extra fuel (one for extra range and one for cooking). The stove comes with different jet heads (for different types of fuel). Fortunately, the one for gasoline is the same for white gas, so I don't have any modifications to make when I switch from backpacking to motorcycle camping. Important: Use a foil heat/wind shield and you won't have the problem of the other reviewer (melting the plastic pump).
11 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Great Stove Sep 24, 2007
By J. Lehmberg
This MSR stove packs a mighty punch into a light and relatively small package. It outperforms the competition in its ability to run on almost any fuel, even if the fuel has a little water in it, while maintaining a constant and adjustable flame. It is stable enough to hold a 2L pot of water, and functional enough to bring that pot of water to a boil in about ten minutes. If you want a very light stove that can still cook a real meal then this is the one for you.
See all 26 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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