Optimus Crux

[DarenN]

http://www.optimus.se/index.php?option= ... &Itemid=65

i got one of these recently and bench tested it.

2cups water at 70*F.........
all normal testing parameters were observed

boil in 2m 30s on 11 grams of fuel.

boil in 12m 50s on 6 grams of fuel.

it's tiny. folded, it fits in the hollow of the canister bottom, in it's cute little bag.

stability poor. the valve is 1/8 turn high to low.

conclusion:
i'm horribly dissapointed in this burner. the ideas behind it are sound, but their execution are second rate, at best. when the burner head is (harrumph) 'locked' in the upright position, the pot will rock back and forth like it's on a thrill ride. the culprit is the connection between the lower end of the burner collar and the top end of the locking collar. just plain too much clearence. the valve is so poorly made that on a low setting you can wiggle the handle, without turning it, and the flame will pulse higher/lower. to get a low setting is nearly impossible.

the MSR Pocket Rocket, at almost half the price, is three times the burner, even if it does have some pot stability problems that aren't as bad as the Crux.

this is just one mans opinion but don't waste your money.

DarenN..........

[zelph]

conclusion:
i'm horribly dissapointed in this burner. the ideas behind it are sound, but their execution are second rate, at best. when the burner head is (harrumph) 'locked' in the upright position, the pot will rock back and forth like it's on a thrill ride. the culprit is the connection between the lower end of the burner collar and the top end of the locking collar. just plain too much clearence. the valve is so poorly made that on a low setting you can wiggle the handle, without turning it, and the flame will pulse higher/lower. to get a low setting is nearly impossible.

Wow!!! I always thought Optimus was quality from the word go. What you describe is not my idea of top quality, far from it.

Thanks for your testing results. It's a cannabalising candidate, soon to become a Decon Daren SuperFly or something like that

[DarenN]

It's a cannabalising candidate, soon to become a Deacon Daren SuperFly or something like that

one thing i tried when i was messing around with the Crux was to put it on the base of the Brunton stand (what's left of it ). i left the Crux valve wide open and used the Brunton valve only. the control was much much better, perfectly fine. i have it in mind to make a new base for the burner that will eliminate the valve and just use another brunton valve and hose. then i would eliminate the potstand arms and use a seperate potstand. then again, i might not bother. i can make better burners lighter.

Daren.........

[zelph]

It's a cannabalising candidate, soon to become a Deacon Daren SuperFly or something like that

one thing i tried when i was messing around with the Crux was to put it on the base of the Brunton stand (what's left of it ). i left the Crux valve wide open and used the Brunton valve only. the control was much much better, perfectly fine. i have it in mind to make a new base for the burner that will eliminate the valve and just use another brunton valve and hose. then i would eliminate the potstand arms and use a seperate potstand. then again, i might not bother. i can make better burners lighter.

Daren.........

Nice to have lots of parts left over. Lots of options, I like that

Do you have a REI Superfly? If so, how does it fasten to a canister?

[DarenN]

Do you have a REI Superfly? If so, how does it fasten to a canister?

do you mean the MSR Superfly?

http://www.msrgear.com/stoves/superfly.asp

no i don't have one. 4.6 ounces. don't want one

http://www.msrgear.com/support/pdfs/superfly.pdf

the PDF of the owners manual pretty much covers the mounting procedure. looks kinda mickey mouse to me.

Daren.......

[zelph]

Do you have a REI Superfly? If so, how does it fasten to a canister?

do you mean the MSR Superfly?

http://www.msrgear.com/stoves/superfly.asp

no i don't have one. 4.6 ounces. don't want one

http://www.msrgear.com/support/pdfs/superfly.pdf

the PDF of the owners manual pretty much covers the mounting procedure. looks kinda mickey mouse to me.

Daren.......

Thanks for the correction and the link to the pdf file.

The mounting mechanism is suppose to work on canisters manufactured under the name "Gaz". I remember that canister has no threads. I am interested in how it grabs/seals to that specific canister. When it comes time to make a valve for my stove I want to have a broad knoweldge base of the techniques in play.

I don't have the funds to purchase new stoves so I have to search the net. Thanks for the eye opener to Owner Manuals. I'll search for more info there.

[DarenN]

i have a freind that has a "gaz" stove. i haven't had the oppertunity to play around with it more than a little but it seems to me that the difficult availability of the "gaz" canisters would make any stove using the system undesireable. IIRC; once the stove is mounted to the can you can't dismount it till the can is empty. no valve in the can.

Daren..........

[zelph]

i have a freind that has a "gaz" stove. i haven't had the oppertunity to play around with it more than a little but it seems to me that the difficult availability of the "gaz" canisters would make any stove using the system undesireable. IIRC; once the stove is mounted to the can you can't dismount it till the can is empty. no valve in the can.

Daren..........

Do you think the valve creates threads on the Gaz canisters mount?

[DarenN]

i have a freind that has a "gaz" stove. i haven't had the oppertunity to play around with it more than a little but it seems to me that the difficult availability of the "gaz" canisters would make any stove using the system undesireable. IIRC; once the stove is mounted to the can you can't dismount it till the can is empty. no valve in the can.

Daren..........

Do you think the valve creates threads on the Gaz canisters mount?

absolutely not. it's a straight press-in puncture. the seal is made by a washer on the flat(ish) top of the can. i'll try and get the stove over for a photo shoot in the next couple days..

Daren.......

[zelph]

i have a freind that has a "gaz" stove. i haven't had the oppertunity to play around with it more than a little but it seems to me that the difficult availability of the "gaz" canisters would make any stove using the system undesireable. IIRC; once the stove is mounted to the can you can't dismount it till the can is empty. no valve in the can.

Daren..........

Do you think the valve creates threads on the Gaz canisters mount?

absolutely not. it's a straight press-in puncture. the seal is made by a washer on the flat(ish) top of the can. i'll try and get the stove over for a photo shoot in the next couple days..

Daren.......

Very good description. The part that pierces the canister must be the same part that goes into the regular canisters and gets sealed by the rubber "O" ring. Right? if so no need for a photo shoot.