The Optimus Nova is in many ways typical of liquid and multi-fuel stoves, which is not surprising given that this model has been in service for years and despite later versions and strong competition is still going strong. The secret of getting the most out of the Nova is taking the time to learn how it works and practicing the technique of pre-heating the fuel. As with all liquid fuel stoves the hardest part is getting them lit with an optimum flame, a technique that involves pressurising the fuel in its container and pre-heating the burner so it's ready for use once you open the fuel line. In practice the Nova is a fairly average stove to get the hang of and after two or three trial runs we were ready to take it out into the real world.

We used White Gas for our first few runs, opting to use a product called Aspen 4t which is as clean a gas as you can get and although not the easiest product to source in the UK it's considerably cheaper than buying white gas in 1/2 litre bottles from your local outdoors shop. You can't expect the same ease of use from a multi-fuel stove as you do with gas but using Aspen 4t the Nova soon sprang into life with a remarkably clear flame once we'd got the fuel flow right and once going only required a short pump to maintain pressure while cooking a full dinner and brew.
The Nova folds out into a very stable unit with a really low centre of gravity and while this makes the stove extremely stable you really do need to take some precautions if you're cooking on grass as the heat from the underside of the stove can and does set fire to the grass. The lightweight but strong windshield fits neatly around the stove when needed and once in place we were able to bring our test litre of water to the boil in a touch over 4 minutes, which while not the fastest is more than acceptable in real life.

Transferring to Diesel as a fuel required a quick clean of the jets, and this is where the Optimus Nova really shines for those new to multi-fuel stoves - a simple wiggle of the magnetic tool you get with the stove and the jet was reset and ready to go. While the change from white gas to diesel was noticeable with a slightly less "clean" flame and a boil time of 4:32 it was remarkable simple to change from one fuel to another - Note White Gas and Diesel were stored in totally separate fuel bottles! It's important not to mix fuels and always store fuel in the correct type of bottle with all Stoves.

£120 is a lot to spend on a stove, particularly one that to the uninitiated is fiddly to use when you can get a good gas stove for £40 or less, but a multi-fuel stove offers far more flexibility than a canister stove. Apart from expeditions where a wide choice of fuels is an obvious attraction the Nova is also ideal for UK winters where the liquid fuel and remote fuel bottle is less susceptible to performance drop in cold weather.

Price: £120.00

Weight: 435g

Colour: Black

Features:

• Works with a wide range of fuel types
• Precision flame control
• Magnetic cleaning needle
• Self purging flipstop pump clears burner of fuel and depressurizes the fuel bottle
• Wind shield for increased performance
• Stuff bag included
• Stable serated pot supports

Pros: single self-cleaning jet, choice of fuels, pre-heating mechanism, everything in one pack

Cons: More recent models have improved on the Nova but at a price

Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.