Coleman Stove bargain

[Paddler Ed]

I'm going to gloat here... I think.... I'm pretty sure I got a good deal...

Went looking for a dining room table table today at one of the random second hand shops that seems to have a bit of everything... didn't get a dining room table, but instead got an unused (or if used, hardly used) Coleman 425F Compact Camp Stove and another 2x 20 litre fuel cans for the princely sum of $50 Australian... or £25ish... Saw it as we walked in and had a look at it, put it back and then before we left Delz told me to go and buy it, and then she spotted the fuel cans ($10 each) so a cheaper shop than buying a dining table...

Now I need to find some Coleman Fuel (or Shellite) to try it out... any other suggestions for alternatives?

The plan is to replace the condemned portable gas stoves that we have been using - I'll also be off to the saddlery to get a bag made to store it in to stop it rattling as much and avoid damaging it.

It'll come in handy as we're (Delz) is doing a charity bash on the XT later this year, and I'm in the support vehicle. With a bit of luck the stove should be big enough to cater for 6+ people in terms of heating everything up, so it'll be good to have.

 

[grantw]

Absolute bargain.

Panel wipe & Brake cleaner are some alternatives I've heard about. I've used brake cleaner in the past and it definitely has less fumes compared to unleaded.

 

[Chris]

Fantastic. I think the old 425F is the original made in the USA version. Just put unleaded in it. You don't need fancy fuel. I have two of these and unless I pour petrol down my trousers, it's never smelled at all. There are a couple of threads going back on these and the fuel.

For a bag, Flatdog do a Wolfbox liner that the stove fits in perfectly. Sure someone there would do the same. The Flatdog one is a little bit shorter than some of the others which makes it perfect.

http://www.landcruiserclub.net/foru...uble-stove-Don-t-look-otherwise-Youll-hate-it

 

[Towpack]

You've practically stolen that mate! A twin burner Coleman is well over £100 over here. I use super unleaded which seems to burn a bit cleaner than normal UL. The Coleman fuel probably does burn cleaner than anything but, after using the small can I got free with the stove, I could never bring myself to pay £7/litre for it.

 

[Paddler Ed]

Works nicely on Shellite ($8/Litre, $28ish for 4L, or £4 and £14):

Got it lit first time, and I didn't go Woof (my instructions were not to blow myself up)

With it being a red tank, it's supposed to be Coleman fuel only, but as even Coleman over here label the bottle as Shellite, I thought I was on a winner there with fuel choice.

 

[Chas]

That's a fantastic bargain Ed, I paid £70 second hand for a good one and I thought that was a bargain.

With the Colman would there be any problem putting Colman Fluid in the tank that has had unleaded in it? personally I think not but I'd like to be sure before doing it.

This site says panel wipe is a good substitute for Coleman Fluid.

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?20614-Cheap-alternative-to-coleman-fuel

 

[Paddler Ed]

That's a fantastic bargain Ed, I paid £70 second hand for a good one and I thought that was a bargain.

With the Colman would there be any problem putting Colman Fluid in the tank that has had unleaded in it? personally I think not but I'd like to be sure before doing it.

This site says panel wipe is a good substitute for Coleman Fluid.

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?20614-Cheap-alternative-to-coleman-fuel

SotP is one of the sites I used to post on a lot - hence my user name outside of the paddling websites - and I trust them.... however, panel wipe is not called panel wipe here, so I was loath to try it; in contrast Coleman on their website when you look at the specs list it as Coleman Fuel (Shellite) so I went with that option.

Coleman fuel, Aspen 4T, Shellite or panel wipe in a tank that has had unleaded in it isn't a problem, so any of those is a valid option - in fact a dose of any of those may clean out a bit of the gunk, and some guys suggest using some injector cleaner every so often. Most importnatly, has UK unleaded gone to a bio fuel blend yet? If it has, then I'd be inclined to go to any of the compatible fuels instead of petrol...

 

[Towpack]

Most importnatly, has UK unleaded gone to a bio fuel blend yet? If it has, then I'd be inclined to go to any of the compatible fuels instead of petrol...

If you mean Ethanol/Petroleum blend then 5% Ethanol is currently allowed in regular unleaded. I think the intention is to increase this to 10%, as is already available in some other European countries.

'Panel Wipe' varies massively in price over here so I'm guessing there are different types.

 

[Paddler Ed]

It's off on a holiday at the moment, having a transport bag made for it by the local saddlery I like for all my canvas work; no idea on how much it'll cost - I told them to make it... give that 3 bags cost me about $150, this shouldn't be expensive. It'll have a sleeve for a Trangia fuel bottle (one of the push top ones) as well, so it's harder to forget the fuel...