SwampDonkey,

Not to disagree with the group here, but I was glad (20 years ago) to dump my Svea 123. Without the mini pump, it is a pain to use at altitude or in the cold, even with the pump it could be better. It is not particularly fast, but for some that is not important. I never used auto gas (the stove was clearly marked not to use it), but even then it required cleaning. The prick (before shaker cleaning) was easy to break or loose. The one piece design is too tall and hard to stabilize in rough terrain or on an ensolite pad in the snow (I finally made a plywood base). If you like this type of stove, I think the Optimus 8R was a much better design (again, get the pump), but I shifted to an MSR XGK and never looked back.

The two piece design works very well, keeps the center of gravity low and, with the original ridgid fuel tube, made a very broad base. The newer ones use a flex tube, but include feet for stability. I have not had a problem with the plastic parts even though I am a klutz :-( and carry lots of hard stuff in my bag. They are also the easiest stove I have seen to repair in the field. The designer actually used them in the field! Parts are available in most of the world (try finding Coleman parts in Katmandu).

I recently replaced my original with the new EX model and it is even better. I have not used auto gas in either one, but the old one ran mostly on aviation gasoline. In both cases, in the old days, the biggest safety hazard was the lead in the gas. Clogging is not hard to deal with. If you want to simmer with this type of stove, get the Dragonfly or Simmerlite (I think the Dragonfly has a larger range of fuels). It is a bit of a problem with the XGK, but it is the best water boiler of the bunch.

Respectfully,

Jerry