Pete, yes you can completely control the output.
Basically you do it like this:- obviously fill the tank up to the bottom of the inlet hole, close the lid.
You then have a few options here, firstly you can carry a small tube of starter paste, sort of like a small toothpaste tube. You place it in the cup or ring around the main burner, or, you can just slosh a bit of whatever fuel you're using and then strike a match. The idea is to heat up the burner section so that as fuel is drawn from the tank it vapourises as it comes out and thens burns cleanly.
There is a third starting method, this is the one I use 90% of the time. Turn the stove on, then hold an ungloved hand on the tank, in about 1½ minutes you'll have enough fuel seep out from the main jet and fill the small bowl. Close the stove, strike a light and ignite the said fuel, as the flames are starting to die you open the main jet and it should alight and burn at a lowish flame level. The expansion of the air and fuel due to the heat generated by your hand forces the fuel out, primitive but extremely effective.
The flame will be at a lowish level, no matter what you do. To correct this, place a container of something to heat up, water billy or a frying pan etc,. This will then radiate heat down to the main tank which will expand the trapped air and force fuel out at a much more rapid rate. Usually after about 2-4 minutes the stove is going like a rocket and will continue full bore for about 40 minutes. If you pull it back a bit it will cook constantly for close to an hour and if you simmer food about another 15 minutes.
For breakfast I boil about 600ml of water then start cooking toast, this usually takes about 20 minutes from go to finish at a leisurely pace.
They are extremely portable and work like a charm. They do have one fault, wind. Wind is a problem with almost any kind of cooking apparatus, don't believe the blurb which states that the lid acts as a wind break, for a tiny billy it might, anything else needs a better wind break. I usually arrange a pannier or the tent or even a bit of cardboard as a shelter and it works like a charm.
You can completely re-build them and spare parts are available pretty much world-wide. Usually after about 20 years the main jet will need replacing. My current one had it's first main jet replaced after 18½ years for a total cost of $22.00. I have also replaced the "O" ring on the filler cap.
The filler cap has a safety valve inbuilt, this will blow before the tank does. This should only occur after extreme heat has been delivered for a long time and one is using a very large frying pan. I know this from experience, made the dinner conversation that evening rather interesting.
The key that you see in the picture has holes in it, these holes fit all of the nuts, jets and those kinds of things. In short, with the key, you can take the thing apart and put it back together again. I would reccommend that you pull it off the stove whilst running, it gets very hot.
If you follow the above link and click on to the schematic diagram, you'll see the fuel bowl and other fancy stuff.
I would conservatively estimate that about 30 or so of my fellow motorcyclists in this country that I personally know, own and use this model stove.
Backpackers for some reason don't use this stove much, even though it is smaller, folds down to the best and most packageable size and is completely self contained.
I occassionally purchase an extreme backpacking magazine called Wild Trekker. In one of their issues they tested 12 liquid fuel stoves, including the Optimus 8R (Hunter). For cooking, ease of use and the important stuff, it was pretty much up there with the others. However it's weight was a bad factor in their opinion. I believe that they made an error of judgement, just as most backpackers do.
The weight of a Nova is listed as 420 g whilst the weight of the Hunter is listed as 650 g however when one adds the weight of a fuel bottle @ 120 g to the Nova it looks quite different with the real difference being 110 g in favour of the Nova. I've just weighed the bag holder for my Optimus Explorer (precursor of the Nova) it weighs 94g ± brings the weight factor pretty much even.
The choice is yours but if you can, try and find one of these little units and compare them side by side with it's bigger sibling.
Let me know which way you eventually go.
Mick.
