I'm evaluating the new MSR Whisperlite Universal, which is set for public release in 2012.  The Whisperlite Universal will do anything the old Whisperlite Classic or Whisperlite Internationale will do AND the Universal will burn canister gas.  I've only run a few tests as of now, but I like what I see so far.  I haven't finished my review, but I do have some videos of the new stove posted on my blog:   Whisperlite Universal -- First Videos, Detailed Photos

Here is a photo of the W'Lite Universal running on canister gas:
  

HJ

Adventures In Stoving

Edited by hikin_jim on 01/26/2012 15:22:20 MST.

I took the MSR Whisperlite Universal out to the East Fork of the San Gabriel River today for some field trials. The more I use it, the more I like it.



HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Edited by hikin_jim on 01/26/2012 15:21:12 MST.

Does the stove operate with the gas canister inverted? It has a pre-heat tube so I'm assuming that it can. Does MSR have an official position on inverted canister operation with this stove?

If it does then this stove would replace all my other liquid fuel and remote canister stoves, reducing the clutter in the gear closet, which is a good thing.

How much does it weigh?

I would say that it does.



Weight is listed as 10.9oz.

Barry:

Yes, the stove's coupler rotates freely which makes inverted canister operation a snap. See the second video on my blog post.

MSR provides a stand for inverted canister operation. In other words, MSR is promoting the MSR Whisperlite Universal as an inverted canister stove.

HJ

Jerry,

The MSR Whisperlite Universal weighs 258g (9oz) on my scale, only 2g more than the old Whisperlite Classic. That's the weight without the pump but with the liquid fuel adapter (see photo below for what I was weighing).



HJ

I really like how they allow you to rotate the whitegas canister to push out the rest of the fuel in the line like the optimus stoves.

Thanks for posting.

Edited by crgowo on 09/06/2011 09:36:47 MDT.

Yeah, the flip stop is a really nice feature when running on liquid fuel. It's an undocumented feature (MSR never mentions it), but it works great. It not only purges the fuel line but also depressurizes the fuel bottle so you don't get gas all over your hands when you open the bottle.

I'm not sure why MSR doesn't mention this feature in their documentation. Other manufacturers like Primus and Optimus not only mention it in their documentation but they also stamp the right-side-up side of their pumps with the word "ON" and the upside-down side of their pumps with the word "OFF."

HJ

I'll probably get this stove to replace my Whisperlite Internationale, but it's be that much more appealing if it was also made to burn alcohol. While I wouldn't want to carry this stove very far, it could be a great stove to put in an emergency kit and would surely make it a huge hit among survivalists.

I liked how flexible the fuel line is on these compared to my Rapidfire. We got to have a presentation by two MSR reps at a recent gathering in OR for a few Stovies.
Duane

Eugene:

I don't think this stove will even begin to compete in the lightweight category -- you'd be better off with an upright canister stove (or alcohol or hexamine). However, for winter camping or international travel, this might be a good choice.

With regard to alcohol, I have talked to an awful lot of guys who have successfully run their MSR stoves on alcohol. I personally would be a little worried since MSR stoves aren't designed for alcohol, but I keep talking to guys who are doing it successfully.

HJ

Duane,

Actually, the fuel line on the new Whisperlite Universal is not flexible. It's the same level of flexibility as a Rapidfire or a Whisperlite. MSR has backed off from the flexible fuel lines of the type used on the Simmerlite or the Windpro.

I'm not 100% sure why MSR has gone back to a thicker, less flexible fuel line, but I suspect it may be due to product liability fears. With a really flexible fuel line as on the Windpro, one could put the canister inside the windscreen, which could lead to an explosion if one were not careful. With an inflexible line as on the Whisperlite Universal, one would be hard pressed to operate the stove in any other fashion than having the canister at the end of a straight fuel line, which keeps the canister always at maximum distance from the stove (and thus keeps the lawyers happy).

HJ

"With regard to alcohol, I have talked to an awful lot of guys who have successfully run their MSR stoves on alcohol. I personally would be a little worried since MSR stoves aren't designed for alcohol, but I keep talking to guys who are doing it successfully."

Alcohol is bad for gaskets that are not designed for it and causes corrosion on aluminium parts. Add pressurized fuel and fire into the mix, and it starts to sound like a bad idea to me.

Alcohol is bad for gaskets that are not designed for it and causes corrosion on aluminium parts. Add pressurized fuel and fire into the mix, and it starts to sound like a bad idea to me.

HJ - does that weight (9 oz) include the stand for inverting a canister? Doesn't look like it, but I thought I'd ask.

I have the Coleman Fyrestorm Ti stove and it weighs 7.8 oz.without its stand and 11.2 oz. with the stand. Just as a point of reference.

Thanks.

Edit: You know, now that I think about it I don't think that's a fair comparison. The Fyrestorm requires the stand to function so, there's really only one weight: 11.2 oz.

Edited by Ramapo on 09/06/2011 13:46:44 MDT.

HJ says in his video that he wasn't provided with the canister stand.

Dave,

The relevant weights are as follows:
Whisperlite Universal, 258g (with the liquid fuel adapter and UG/UK jet)
UC Jet = 5g
UG/UK Jet = 3g
Canister addpter = 30g
Liquid Fuel adapter = 22g

If you swap out the liquid fuel components and swap in the canister gas components, then (if I'm doing my math correctly), you'd have 268g (9.45oz) for the basic stove (without the canister stand) when configured to run on canister gas.

I wish I could tell you more about the canister stand, but, as has been pointed out, MSR neglected to send me one for review. However, as has been mentioned, you don't need the canister stand for either conventional or inverted running. A lot of us have been running remote canister stoves in inverted fashion long before the Fyrestorm or the Whisperlite Universal. I typically just lean the canister against a rock or something when I want to run in inverted mode.

HJ

Ah, I see. I didn't watch the video before posting.

Thanks for the info. Looks like a neat little stove, but, tempting as it is, I'm too cheap to buy a new stove just to save a couple ounces. Actually, that's not true all the time, but I don't do enough winter camping to warrant replacing the Fyrestorm yet.

Thanks again.

Dave,

(hijacking my own thread here) Have you run your Fyrestorm on white gasoline much? I've heard that it's difficult to prime. Any comments?

HJ