Optimus Polaris Optifuel Stove

During more than three decades I have owned and used camping stoves from almost all manufacturers. As a kid I was the proud owner of the Esbit solid fuel folding stove and a French Camping Gaz stove. In the following years I had one or several models frome Coleman, MSR, Soto, Borde, Enders and others. Always trying to have the "Best" and most reliable model on the market. Naturally all my stoves had to prove their worth on weeklong hiking and canoe trips as well as on motorbike tours on four continents.
Then I received the Optimus Polaris Optifuel Stove from Canadian Outdoor Equipment and my whole camping stove world changed.
Even though I love my MSR Dragonfly, I will probably always select the Optimus in the future. A long weekend canoe trip convinced me that the Optifuel is the best best of all camping stoves these days.
The design, especially the pump is superior to the MSR Dragonfly which in my opinion is the only real competitor in this segment. I had one bottle with white gas and one bottle with Jet-A aviation fuel on my trip. I REALLY liked the fact that I was able to grab whichever bottle and light up without having to change any parts or settings. I did not have a LPG gas canister on my trip but even though I think it is a great bonus to having the option to connect the stove to gas canisters without having to

The Optimus Polaris Optifuel at 475 gm's isn't the lightest multi-fuel stove on the market, but the build quality of this stove is excellent. The pump unit is solidly engineered and is one of the best multi fuel stoves I have used. Delivery was quick and customer service was outstanding as usual!

. I did not have a LPG gas canister on my trip but even though I think it is a great bonus to have the option of connecting the stove to gas canisters without having to use extra parts or adapters.
To my surprise the Optimus burned the Jet-A fuel very clean without any soot residues. But this is summer with 20 Celsius. I am sure this changes at below freezing temperatures. I also had the impression that Jet-A produced more heat than white gas. However this is my subjective opinion without actually timing the boiling times.
My conclusion: At this time the Optimus Polaris is the best stove on the market. Well designed, well built. Except for the seals, gaskets and the fuel line I have not found any plastic/rubber parts. The pump is made of metal and definitely beats the flimsy MSR pump. A single jet deals with all fuels. The jet can be easily cleaned with the magnet in the multitool even when the stove is in use. This stove came with everything-bottle included. If you consider the extra cost for a bottle with a MSR purchase the Polaris stove costs about 25 Can$ more than the Dragonfly - and in my opinion it is worth every cent!