This week's stove is the iconic Borde Stove.




HJ

Let The Good Times Roll!!

the hand-held,dripping fuel method of pre-heating a Borde should be done over a non flammable surface.

A fun and informative view! Thanks!

I've heard of this stove, but never seen one before. That's one cool/scary stove.

I may need to find one!

Of course, my wife thinks my 1970's era Optimus is scary when I prime it. . .

Yes, definitely. lol.

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but most of my stove tests are done down in a gravelly creek bed on a rock. The rock won't burn, and there's a creek full of water right there in case something goes south. And of course I inspect my stoves before I light them.

HJ

They're a tad expensive. There are still new ones out there, but expect to pay around $200.

I bought mine used for $130 total, which is pretty much fair market value. That's a lot of money for such a little stove, but they are cool little buggers. And they put out a fair amount of heat. This is a good small winter stove. The Borde will work in temperatures that are way too low for many other compact, light stoves.

Whatcha got? 8R? 80? 99? 123? 199?

HJ

and these little stoves are just not a blow torch for boiling water to make pots of mush while mountain climbing.
i cook just about anything and everything with mine.
here i'm working on a bannock.

you can adjust the heat from simmer to boil with the adjusting wire,you can see the red tape on the end so i don't loose it.with just one moving part the Borde is fool proof.

Mmmm. Looking good.

I've been able to get a pretty low flame on mine although I haven't tried any real simmering with it.


HJ

Thanks for sharing, I've not seen that stove before.

Yeah, it's kind of an oddball isn't it? I first saw it on zenstoves.net which has all kinds of interesting stuff. I've got lots more oddball stuff. lol. Stick around.

HJ

It may be an oddball, but it is an effective oddball. Some years ago, I used one in an unplanned winter bivouac in deep snow. It was a night of a short period of sleep, wake up, fire up the Borde and drink something hot, doze off again. I went through this cycle about five times, arising at dawn with renewed energy and all twenty digits non frostbitten. Pretty good for a stove that only cost $8.00 then - definitely some years ago.

Even the lowest quoted current price is ridiculous. There are plenty of capable, less pricey alternatives.

But the Borde is a good stove. The filler cap blew out on me and I tossed it - not a good move. I still have its replacement, a Primus 71. I am sure that HJ will review the Primus 71 soon - right, Jim?

Yes, the Borde is in high demand. Like I say, it has kind of a cult following. I do think it's a better than average stove, but I am in a bit of a quandary just why it is so sought after. I actually did pretty well to get one for $130.

Yes, I will review the Primus 71. The Primus 71 I have was given to me by my late uncle before he died in 2002. It was his workhorse stove for many years. It was my quest to restore his old Primus 71 to full working order that got me into stoves, and you bet I will review it. It's a long popular stove and for good reason. It is still popular to this day even though the last true Primus 71 was made in 1962 before Optimus bought the Primus name and started selling the similar but different Optimus 80 with a "Primus 71" sticker pasted to it.

I'm not quite sure just when I will review the Primus 71 since I'm still reviewing winter capable stoves. I've reviewed my lightweight picks (Xtreme, Simmerlite, Windpro, and Borde). I'm now going to go with some heavy hitters over the next two weeks: The MSR XGK II and the MSR Reactor. Thereafter I going to post some (relatively) inexpensive snow melters: The MSR Whisperlite and MSR Rapidfire. Then I will go high end and feature the Primus Omnifuel (another favorite) and the Optimus Nova (assuming that I can get mine up and running). That pretty much takes us through March. I haven't decided what to feature thereafter, but I've got to get my all time favorite stove in there, the Svea 123. Since the Primus 71 is in the same class as the Svea 123, it might be appropriate to feature it at that time.

Sheesh, so many stoves, so little time. lol.

HJ

Very Cool Indeed! I've Never seen one either,Until Now!It is Almost as Odd as,The original Swiss Volcano Stove,of which I have seen in action,& Also in the working's of In-Action,lol! Good Stuff Jim,Thanx!

Actually, Rich,

The Swiss Ranger Volcano Stove is one of the options for a Borde. I don't own a Swiss Volcano, but I've seen pics here on this forum of the Borde being used with the Swiss Volcano. Looks like a pretty cool set up.

HJ

Jim:

I have read on other outdoors websites that the current generation of Optimus Nova stoves are having some quality control problems. Have you experienced this or is your stove an older model?

I have heard about the Optimus Nova problems and the subsequent recall of the Nova and Nova+. Apparently, the take over by Katadyn wasn't completely smooth. To save money, Katadyn has moved all business and production units out of Sweden. Optimus is effectively no longer a Swedish company although there may still be a few sales personnel in Sweden.

I bought my Nova used; I'm not quite sure how old it is. I haven't had any serious problems with it, but since I haven't used it for a while, I will be doing my usual "pre-flight inspection" before firing her up.

HJ

Teslin_, I came across this link earlier today, including a recall notice: http://www.optimusstoves.com/seen/

EDIT: H_J beat me to it. The link I found is a bit different, giving separate links for US, Canadian, and international owners.

Regarding the OP:

Very cool, _Jim. Every real man wants one of those B-Bombs, just because they're so hardcore minimalist and freaking dangerous. Kinda like a stripped-down hand-built Harley, no suspension, no fenders, no wussy heat shield on the exhaust ... just pure angry torque.

Anyway, I'm enjoying all your reviews. Keep it up.

But I guess I'm old school -- if it ain't liquid fuel, it ain't a real stove. My old, much loved Svea is long dead, but you've got me pulling out my other long-neglected stoves just for fun. Last night it was a single burner, multifuel Coleman that hasn't run in 15 years. Added oil for the pump, Coleman fuel labelled 2001 (!), tightened a couple of fuel connections, and she lit up on the first match. Wow. Melted snow and made tea. Talk about memory lane.

Man, that is one dangerous looking stove. I like it! Pulling one of those out on a camping trip would earn instant respect. Kind of like shaving with a straight razor.

lol.

HJ

lol. Now there's a visual. Yeah, the Borde is the simplest white gasoline stove that I know of. Everything is right there where you can see it. No hidden parts that are hard to get to or anything like that.

It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings... If you've still got your old Svea it might be possible to restore it. If the tank is cracked or something like that, probably not, but a lot of the time you just need a new jet, new valve packing, and a new wick.

I've heard of Coleman fuel being used that was 30 years old without problem. I've used 20 year old fuel without problem. Coleman fuel lasts a good long time if it's kept well sealed.

Your multi fuel sounds pretty cool. What model is it? 550? Got pix?

HJ

Thanks a lot, that was fun reading

I think the popularity of this stove is due to the small size and convenient form factor AND the genuine fascination for a design that is really awesome cool, dangerous and minimalistic while at the same time being practical. If you can live with the limitations, that is.

Thanks for the review. I'm enjoying your stove writeups.

I have this stand which I've used with a Trangia. Supposedly fits the Borde
Stand

If I post interesting stoves, that's good. If I post stoves and write in a way that allows people to find stoves interesting, that's better.

Yep, all that, particularly the fascination. This is a raw, downright uncivilized stove. I think many find that uncivilized aspect refreshing in this day and age.

HJ

I haven't tried one of those. How's the build quality? Any problems with stability or how it fits together? Does it fit a Trangia burner well?

HJ

for those of you who have an interest in the subtle differences in these stoves here are a couple types.note the filler cap ends and the pot holders/wind screens..



the one on the right is my user--the one on the left is in a safe deposit box to pay for any future hip replacements---OK..kidding--

The 3 pieces slipped together quite snugly. The Trangia burner is quite loose in it but I don't think it'll suddenly fall out. I've only used it on a pretty flat surface so I can't say much about stability on uneven ground.

HJ,

I am loving your stove of the week, but my wife may not!!! I think I could get interested in some new stoves.

Thanks,

Jerry

Interesting! Are both of those windscreens Borde products? I've seen repros of the Borde products, so I'm curious if those are both actual Borde products. How much do those windscreens weigh?

Mine didn't come with a windscreen, although I guess I'm not too disappointed about that; they look heavy and a little unstable.

Not by much...

HJ

Careful! Never get more than one stove. They breed you know.

HJ

HJ,

Now I AM in trouble, I have 3 and the 4th is on its way ---
TROUBLE (or fun)

Thanks again,

Jerry

Photos always appreciated.

HJ

Jim..i put the stoves on a kitchen scale,the stoves are 10oz and the windscreen/pot holders are 6oz!..i know over at CCS someone has plans for making a lightweight one.i got small hinges but no aluminum for one i want to make.by the way the stove on the left of my photo is a "real" Borde made by the Swiss in Zurich and the right made in Kilchberg Switzerland by Norbert Bader.except for the filler end they are the same

Okay, HJ and CD, now you've gone and got me hooked. I thought I was over my stove addiction, but I just spent half an hour at spiritburner.com / CCS. What a treasure trove for stove nuts!

Doug..glad you found CCS!..join in and post some action photos.we can always use some guys who really fire up their stoves out in the field to balance off the collectors.

It's really interesting to me that there's so much variability in the weight of the stoves. My stove, without the control hook, weighs 8.5 oz (241g). Very interesting that yours weigh 1.5 oz each more.

6 oz for the pot stand?! Yeah, that's a bit nuts, isn't it? For my stove, 6 oz represents a seventy percent weight gain. The Trangia Westwind stand is about half that. It's still a bit heavy at 3 oz, but I haven't thought of anything better yet.

Interestingly, at the last shop where I actually saw a Borde displayed, they displayed it with a Westwind stand. They didn't even offer the Borde stands. Kind of silly to have a stand that weighs almost as much as the stove. As innovative as the stove is, you'd think they could have come up with a better stand.

Since my Borde didn't come with paperwork, I'm not sure where it was made. The filler cap/plug extends outward slightly so perhaps it was made in Kilchberg instead of Zurich.

HJ

You're doomed... doomed I say... er, I mean, aren't stoves great? Bad lisp I've got there. lol

HJ

P.S. Whatever you do, don't look at the 96's. You've been warned.

I just saw a Borde Stove sell for over $300.00 on eBay. People really like these stoves.

The stove that sold for over $300.00 was the rare version with a top-mounted burner and still had the tags on it. Mine was less than half that price and is the more common end mounted burner version.

HJ

$300? I don't think I have spent that much on backpacking and camping stoves in my entire life. I only have about nine....

Yeah, pretty crazy. Even the titanium version of the top-of-the-line Primus Omnifuel doesn't cost that much. Like I say, people really like Borde stoves.

HJ

some stoves get that "collectors stamp" and the price go's out of sight.i got both of mine for under $100,one was $80 but the guy wanted Euros in cash sent to him in the Netherlands.which i did,the only hassle was driving to the airport in Minneapolis to get his money to mail over.i was young and foolish then,but thats my user Borde now.

Wow, sounds like a pretty cool "stove adventure."

HJ