About the author

Tim Moss

Tim Moss has supported over 100 expeditions across all seven continents. He has climbed new mountains, crossed a desert on foot and recently cycled 13,000 miles around the world. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society London and a Guinness World Record Holder. He aims to encourage more people to live adventurously. Read more...

31 Comments

  1. 1

    bazaro

    Thank’s for this good review.
    I’m quite happy with my Optimus Nova (with CEJN) and will wait a lighter Optimus Polaris TI version…

    Reply
    1. 1.1

      Tim Moss

      Thanks Bazaro. A titanium Optimus Polaris… do you know something I don’t??

      Reply
      1. 1.1.1

        bazaro

        I just hope something lighter…

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  4. 2

    Stanley Law

    oh nice, it’s got all the same features as my brunton vapor af.

    Reply
    1. 2.1

      Tim Moss

      Yes, as I understand it, Optimus took over manufacture of the old Brunton stoves.

      I don’t think the Brunton Vapor AF is available any more but it did indeed burn all fuels through a single nozzle (albeit with a twist of the burner).

      Reply
  5. 3

    Gustav Henriksson

    How would you compare the Polaris with your hitherto favorite Omnilite Ti when it comes to ease of use, reliability, and efficiency? What about noise?

    Reply
    1. 3.1

      Tim Moss

      Hi Gustav, they’re pretty similar in operation so equal marks for ease of use, although the Polaris wins if you’re ever switching fuel. I’ve used dozens of Omnifuels over the years and found them pretty reliable, albeit requiring cleaning when using petrol. I’ve not really used the Polaris long enough to comment on reliability other than Optimus having a good reputation.

      As for noise, that wasn’t something I thought to compare although now wish that I had. Have you seen the quietening caps like the Polar Dawg 2? http://amzn.to/1MvT7gm

      Reply
      1. 3.1.1

        Gustav Henriksson

        Hi Tim,

        Thanks for the quick feedback! Yeah, I saw the Dawgs, and Primus offer one for the Ti. There also seem to be some Korean made mufflers through Amazon and eBay.

        The Polaris is attractive also because it wraps so neatly into a tiny bun. Less risk for legs being bent in the hold-all. Would you say they stand equally stably with a pot on?

        Regards from Stockholm,

        Gus

      2. Tim Moss

        Hello in Stockholm!

        I thought the Polaris felt very sturdy all-round and the legs certainly felt stable, yes, even with a pot on.

        I know it can be really hard to decide but from my perspective, they’re both excellent stoves and, at the end of the day, they’re very similar so whichever one you choose, I’m sure they’ll give you many years of good use.

  6. 4

    Andy

    Hi Tim,

    I just wanted to leave a big thank you! I was looking for a new stove for quite a while and I realy appreciated your summery and all the commends. Im looking forward for my new Polaris :)

    Keep on going and have a good one mate.
    Cheers,
    Andy

    Reply
    1. 4.1

      Tim Moss

      Thanks Andy. That’s really good to hear. I hope the Polaris serves you well!

      Reply
  7. 5

    robert dowling

    great stuff,been wondering as to how i would manage a solo 3 month walk around the Bolivian salt flat desert ref cooking.i feel this is my best choice,
    many thanks Tim..
    rob Ireland

    Reply
    1. 5.1

      Tim Moss

      Thanks Robert and good luck with the walk. They sold butane/propane gas canisters in La Paz when I was there 10 years ago so you might get away with just those.

      Reply
      1. 5.1.1

        robert dowling

        great to know.many thanks

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  9. 6

    irduif

    Hello, thanks for the review.
    Do you carry around all of the weight all of the time, even if on one trip you only use gaz canisters? or can you leave parts at home ?
    (if so, what weight will it be for a gaz only setup?)
    thanks

    Reply
    1. 6.1

      Tim Moss

      Hi Irduif, if you are just using gas canisters then you can leave behind the fuel pump and fuel bottle. I’ve not weighed it myself but from reported values, I think the stove unit without pump should weigh around 370g, saving you about 100g. Hope that helps.

      Reply
  10. 7

    Lory Mecx Allei

    Tim Moss, So after time, what is your personal choice between “Optimus Polaris” and “Primus Omnifuel 2”?

    Reply
    1. 7.1

      Tim Moss

      If you’re likely to be using more than one type of fuel then Polaris definitely wins for functionality.

      I’ve used Omnifuels/OmniLites for years though and know them to be reliable. There’s no reason to doubt the Polaris – it seemed really good when I tested it – but I only had a brief trial for this review, no long term testing.

      Reply
  11. 8

    Lory Mecx Allei

    Thanks for the quick reply.

    Reply
  12. 9

    adventurist

    Great review! Tim, do u know is it possible install Polaris burner on Trangia? There is adapter for Nova and Nova+ but I haven’t seen any for Polaris. Thank you.

    Reply
    1. 9.1

      Tim Moss

      Good question. Just emailed Lyon Equipment (UK distributors for Optimus) to check.

      Reply
    2. 9.2

      Tim Moss

      Hello again. I contacted Lyon Equipment and they’ve said that the Trangia converter is not compatible with the Polaris and there isn’t an alternative adaptor I’m afraid.

      Reply
  13. 10

    Geoff Cattrall

    Hi Tim… Thanks for the reviews. My intended use is for vol-bivouac paragliding (haven’t seen it mentioned on your website yet!) So weight of course is important but also pack size (limited space in a paragliding harness.) How would you compare the Polaris Optifuel vs Primus Omni Lite TI when it comes to size? Also… Many bad experiences with unleaded fuel and my MSR Whisperlite and ridiculously frequent cleaning requirement. Plus horking that wire in and out of the fuel line in cold temps on the MSR with that silly tool gives me many bad memories. How do the Primus and Polaris compare in this regard?

    Reply
    1. 10.1

      Tim Moss

      Hey Geoff,

      I just had to Google ‘vol-bivouacing’ (which, for anyone else reading, means going paragliding with enough kit to camp out overnight). Sounds ace.

      Polaris vs OmniLite Ti: on size, the OmniLite wins. Although there’s not a massive range in the size of the mainstream multi-fuel stoves, the Primus OmniLite is one of the smallest whilst the Optimus Polaris is one of the largest.

      Cleaning: I think all of the stoves are going to get clogged up with unclean fuel so, wherever possible, I’d use clean white fuel. The Omnifuel and OmniLite are no different and I’ve spent many hours cleaning them over the years. In their defense, they are very easy to take apart, diagnose and sort out.

      I haven’t tested the Polaris Optifuel for long enough to comment though. Given that it uses only one nozzle for all fuel sizes though, I could imagine it being slightly more prone to blockages. But that’s just speculation, not based on experience.

      I don’t know anything about vol-bivouacing so this might be in appropriate but have you considered the all-in-one Jetboil-style stoves? They’re small and pack away neatly for easy stowing: http://thenextchallenge.org/camping-gas-canister-stoves/#allinone

      Reply
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  16. 11

    Iming Muslimin

    I’ve proven that Primus Omnilite can also burn all fuels, even the alcohol ones. Just drill the jet/nozzle hole to 0.8~1 mm, and all set.

    I think the only advantage of Optifuel than Omnifuel/Omnilite, is only the magnetic shaker needle for cleaning the jet/nozzle. Not a very critical feature, but a very convenient one.

    Because Optifuel uses only 1 jet/nozzle for all types of fuel, it is less fuel consumption efficient than Omnilite/Omnifuel.

    My rank for the best multi-fuel stoves is still:

    (1) MSR Dragonfly, because of its capability to control the flame very precisely, able to burn alcohol with some jet/nozzle modification. Has an integrated shaker needle for jet cleaning. To allow it burn gas canister, modify it with LPG hose + Lindal-to-LPG adapter + 2 hose clamp rings to secure the hose in each connector’s end.. With this mod, it also can use the Optifuel/Primus pump. An additional feature, it requires an adapter to fit in Trangia 25/27 Windshield securely. Sturdy stove body. No lacquered inside the fuel bottle.

    (2) Omnifuel, because it can fit in Trangia 25/27 windshield without an adapter. It can also burn alcohol with a modified jet/nozzle hole to 0.8~1 mm size. It can also burn all liquid fuel without changing the jet/nozzle with note of less fuel consumption efficiency. No integrated jet/nozzle cleaner. Has lacquered inside the fuel bottle.

    (3) All the same way with the Omnifuel. With an exception, it requires an adapter to fit in Trangia 25/27 Windshield.

    (4) With only 1 jet/nozzle option, it is not less favorable to modify the jet/nozzle hole to 0.8~1 mm size, but still possible. It has an integrated magnetic jet/nozzle cleaner needle, but not too important for me. Requires an adapter to fit in Trangia 25/27 Windshield. Less efficient of fuel consumption, because it burns all fuel through the same jet/nozzle size. No lacquered inside the fuel bottle.

    Reply
    1. 11.1

      Tim Moss

      Hi Iming,

      Thanks for the comment. You are clearly in a league above me when it comes to stoves – very impressed!

      I’m not sure I’m quite up to drilling my own nozzle holes but no doubt others will be.

      That’s really interesting that the stoves that use a single nozzle for all fuel types are less efficient as a result. I had always wondered.

      Thanks again for sharing all of that.

      Tim.

      Reply

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