Coleman has had this model of Dual Fuel stove available for many years. It has been my de-facto camping stove for many years. While not light, its construction is bomb-proof, and fuel is relatively cheap. This is actually my second Coleman stove. The first one was lost somewhere. I either forgot it at a camp site somewhere, or something else happened… The original stove lasted for more than 5 years without any maintenance, using unleaded gasoline. Exterior paint was lighter in color, and the rest of the features were identical.
One of the best features of this stove is how easy it is to simmer food and water. Other stoves are either ON or OFF. Some have a H-LOW-OFF setting, which only works half the time. The Coleman dual-fuel has always had ‘infinite’ heat adjustment levels for cooking meals. The basic premise of operation is like this: pressurize fuel travels through the thin brass pipe in the middle of the burner. As it becomes heated by the flame, it keeps vaporizing the fuel from the burner, which draws more cool fuel from the reservoir. The stove has to be primed initially to build up internal pressure to ‘push’ the fuel through the burner holes. Instructions on how to use it are on a printed label, right on the side of the stove. Coleman propane powered stoves boil water a little faster than the gasoline powered 533, but simmering is much more difficult.
You start by priming the stove.
- Check to make sure the fuel pump is tightened (all the way to the right)
- Pull the fuel pump out, and twist it half or full turn to the left
- Put your thumb over the small hole on the fuel pump knob
- Pump 15-25 times. You will know when it’s enough, there will be more and more resistance from within the chamber
- Turn the fuel pump to the right till tight. Do not over tighten; push it into the stove
- Adjust the red flame-control lever to the medium position
- You should now hear hissing, as fuel evaporates from the burner holes
- Keep you flammable material and your face away from the stove
- Bring flame to the top of the burner. It may flare up for a second, and die down. You may have to open the fuel lever a little more to allow the flame to stay lit. It takes 30-90 seconds for the stove to prime itself. There may be some flare-ups as the flame becomes more even. When it’s ready, there will be blue jets just like a regular gas stove in your house.
- When you are done cooking there will be pressurized fuel left in the reservoir. If you are going to pack up the stove, I recommend twisting the fuel pump to release the pressure.
I will not be held responsible for any damage to yourself or others if you follow these usage directions, and get hurt.
It is said that the single burner is 10,500 BTUs, and there is 1.1 quarts of fuel in the reservoir. Burn time is 1.75 hours on high, and 6.5 on low. Low settings may be hard to measure because there are many different levels. There has always been enough fuel inside for my camping trips. We usually have 3-4 people going for a weekend trip. This means two full dinners, two lunches, and several pots of tea in between.
