SOD-371 MUKA Stove

UPDATE 11/2016 - Note about the simmer and fuel consumption: As pointed out in another review if there is enough air space under pressure in the fuel bottle the flame will be stable when throttled down even without pumping; however, at its lowest setting the SOTO Muka stove still causes substantial boiling (it won't really simmer for a typical sized meal). So if your chef intends to prepare a Carbonade flamande after a 15 mile day on the AT this stove may be problematic. Other stoves can throttle low enough to do a true simmer (Optimus Svea 123 or Nova for example). For this stove I think the point of throttling down is to reduce the fuel consumption rate. Because it is so high powered you do not need to run it at full bore to boil water and it is probably not fuel efficient to do so unless you are in a really cold, wet, and windy situation all while trying to boil a gallon of water. This stove has is uses and I have raised my rating to 5 stars. ORIGINAL: It took about a month to receive it, but the email notifications were forthright about this. The fuel bottle isn't included with the stove and has to be ordered separately. Only the SOTO fuel bottle will work with this stove because the pump unit requires a wider mouth than what standard fuel bottles have. The English instruction manual (2 pages) is available on line. The stove only burns gasoline and white gas. It has a broader flame than the MSR and Optimus stoves I have and it runs quieter. The broad flame would appear to provide more even heating than liquid stoves that just have flame spreader plates. At full throttle the flame is a tall uniform blue. The flame stability is vulnerable to winds just like other similar stoves, but its wind screen works well (thick aluminum foil like MSR & Optimus and is stored rolled up rather than folded; which I like). When it's turned down to simmer the flame remains blue with just a little orange around the generator pipe. The simmer is not as smooth as with an Optimus Nova or even my old MSR XGK, but it does throttle down ok. You have to operate the pump to keep the flame constant especially if you want to keep a low simmer going. It can still function without intermittent pumping, just not as well. In preparation this stove requires much more pumping than other similar stoves. It has an indicator on the pump unit that tells when the required start up pressure is reached. It is unique in that it produces a useable flame while the generator is still heating and it has a very short prime time. This is because the pump unit sends a fuel/air mixture to the burner when the pump unit control knob is set to Start Mode. After only ten seconds or so you can set the knob to Run Mode where it will operate similar to other liquid fuel stoves. When you are done you set the knob to Air Mode and it purges the fuel line and extinguishes the flame and also depressurizes the fuel bottle. The Optimus Nova purges similarly, but the SOTO extinguishes sooner and the bottle depressurizes much faster. I can't speak firsthand about its durability yet. The design is more complex than other stoves in its class and is not as robust as the Optimus Nova (though it is lighter); however, it is well built and accessible to maintain. The fuel hose attaches to the burner with a swivel which keeps the hose from crimping when stowed. I have the repair kit available from Amazon and though it looks like it was meant to include a new generator, one isn't included with these kits. I ordered a spare generator separately. The price is above average, but if you are pleased by well designed gear that has a lot of subtle innovations (i.e., a backpacking gearhead) this stove should fit the bill.

The Soto Muka (atomizing) stove requires higher fuel bottle head pressure than other liquid fuel stoves, and thus requires more pumping. The upside is improved cold priming time and reduced flaring (both nearly eliminated) and much higher output (4,650 Watts/ 15,800 BTU). Compare this to your average 2700-2800 Watts/9000-9500 BTU output for canister stoves, with only a VERY few operating as high as 3500 Watts/12,000 BTU. This output and large flame diameter puts the Muka stove in a class by itself. And it provides this amount of output WITHOUT sounding like jets taking off at the nearest airport. I find this more than a little important when considering a stove. As mentioned in another review, simmering can require a good bit of pumping if the fuel level in the bottle does not allow for much in the way of head space. As the bottle level is reduced, more pumping is required, but you can generally simmer for longer without stopping the pump. I find that using a 700 ml fuel bottle that is no more than 3/4 full allows a good volume of head pressure for simmering needs in most cases. The design, casting, and fitting of the stove parts is as you should expect from Soto - that is it say EXCELLENT in all three cases. The Muka is now my favorite white gas/unleaded stove only replacing the original Optimus Nova which was very well designed until the bean-counters became involved and redesigned it for cheaper production and in the process ruining the manner in which the stove operates. Thank goodness I still have an original new in the box should the multi-fuel need arise. That it the one shortcoming I have with the Muka - its inability to burn alcohols or diesel fuels in a pinch. Hmmm, I may just have to work with the jet/regulator once the first one needs replacing or cleaning to fix this issue. But it IS getting rare to find oneself in a place where alcohols or diesel fuels are more common than unleaded gasoline. If you are planning a long expedition or through-hike, get the spare parts kit as well as a spare generator. I have yet to need either one, but better to have and not need... While your mileage may vary, I like the Muka stove enough that I picked up a spare just a week ago to use on my next overseas trip. I is much easier to take a NEW stove and fuel bottle in your luggage and ship it back home afterwards (or donate it to a local), than to jump through hoops trying to get a used stove clean of all traces of fuel and cleaning solvent odors. And it sure beats having your pack emptied on the floor of the airport while you argue the semantics of the words "trace" and "residue". Be advised that the Muka stove pump ONLY works with Soto wide-mouth fuel bottles and these are not usually found close to trailheads or the local outfitter. If you are looking for a high output white gas/unleaded stove, you can't go wrong with the MUKA. If being required to pump the fuel bottle a good bit more often, then perhaps you should look at other options. And don't don't rule out a good canister stove that can operate with the remote canister inverted. It has taken 30 years for the manufacturers to realize the benefits of inverting fuel canisters and realize that the customer is at less risk to fire than when priming most white gas stoves.

Get one while you can! I believe Soto no longer produces this stove, which is a shame because it's so great. I've owned eight different stoves from all the major companies and this is my favorite. No priming, even heat distribution, light, but sturdy, not that loud, simmers, powerful, and quality construction. Always have the option to burn petrol/gasoline if you can't find white gas. I only hike and camp in the USA, so never any fuel issues. I bought an extra just in case.

I've owns mine 3 years and I have yet to service it other than putting silicone grease on the pump you really can't go wrong with any of the top-of-the-line white gases stoves and with ultra lights like this there's some give-and-take things I like: No soot even with gasoline Hottest stove by far 12000btu Folds up small Can simmer All controls are on the pump well away from the stove which makes a big difference when you're cooking Sturdy stable but folds small very small Pump is durable aluminum and easy to service Things I don't like : Muka bottles only most of the other brands the bottles are interchangeable The clips on the legs appear weak but admittedly they have yet to fail after three years of hard to use It does take a lot of pumping maybe 30 more pumps than my friends MSR Whisper light In the end there's give-and-take with anything this stove requires more pumping and is more complicated design than other stoves but is high-pressure and doesn't get soot or buildup deposits inside and The generator warms up about 10 seconds

I didn't buy this stove on Amazon. I actually got it in a backpacking store in Melbourne, Australia. But I love it! I had an MSR Whisperlite before and this is something much better. I've used it for two years and am still raving about it. What do I love? I love that it burns absolutely clean. No soot like I experienced with the Whisperlite. That makes me so happy. I was tired of dirty hands after cooking dinner every night. And I love that it has a spot on the valve that let's the air out of the fuel container. With the Whisperlite I had to untwist the top of the container splashing fuel on my hands each and every time. Some frustrating. Not with my Muka. I just burn unleaded gas which is available in any country I'm traveling in (on my bike) some I don't have to worry about what different fuels are available. Petrol is everywhere. Yup! Best stove ever. I've used it over 500 times. I should know!!

I bought it 4 years ago, and used 4 or 5 times . I checked it all, but it is not working. So I think this part in the picture is problem.

Got this because I was attracted to the no preheat pan and no soot features . It worked pretty good at first except for the fact that it took 210 pump strokes total to boil my titanium snow peak pot full of water . This is a ridiculous amount of pumping . It takes about 150 strokes to get it going and then 60 more after warm up to replenish pressure after lighting . After about 15 hiking trips , the leg socket was wallowed out and was wobbly . Then it started leaking fuel out of the air intake on the burner . The last time I used it , it caught fire out of the air intake and quit working . I was so sick of pumping it what seemed like forever , I did not try to get it repaired . I went back to using my 8 year old whisperlite . I have never had a problem with my whisperlite or had to do any maintenance on it . It has been on 3 trips to Alaska and still works like new after years of abuse . If I put my muka with fuel bottle on the scale it is slightly heavier than the whisperlite with fuel bottle . The muka was a very expensive experiment for me and a total waste of money .

The Muka is a great, STAY AT HOME piece of gear. Pros: * Lightest most powerful stove out there. * Very compact. * Relatively quiet though not as quiet as the Nova or OmniFuel variants with silencers. Cons: * Only white gas or unleaded. * Vulnerable fuel line. * Needs allot of pump strokes to get up to operating pressure. * Simmering not as good as the top performers. * Proprietary fuel bottles. Also you can only fill about 70% of the fuel bottle so 1L bottle equals 700mL of fuel. * Terrible MPG, burns fuel very fast. The Nova/Nova+/Polaris/ or one of the Primus stoves will last longer on 400mL fuel bottle then the MUKA on the 1L fuel bottle, just crazy. * Because it's the most powerful stove, it literally melts the foldable legs of the stove so no more then 2 kilos of weight while in full blast. Overall, due to its faults I rarely find myself taking this stove. If you want to enjoy cooking in the wild just grab a Nova/Nova+/Polaris/or one of the Primus stoves instead. Do yourself a favor and get a silencer for those stoves too. I'm sorry SOTO, I really wanted to like this stove as it's very innovative and nicely engineered, but there are just to many negative aspects to it so it's not usable. I hope the next iteration of this stove will be more successful.

Wonderful service, wonderful product. The vendor is reliable and trustworthy.

冬キャン用に購入。 火力が強いです。 弱にしても中火ぐらいです。 湯沸かし，鍋料理には向いていますが 炊飯はちょっと難しいかも。 ただ，寒い中でも使えるので良いですね。

登山のメインバーナーで25年間使った442ｰ700Jの後継機として6年前に導入。本体の軽さに驚きました。燃料満タンボトル込みでも重量は燃料満タン先代よりやや軽く、小さくたためるのでパッキングも楽になりました。点火後10～15秒ぐらいで火力が安定（速い！）。火力は強力、風防も付属、氷点下でも雪中でも問題なく使用できる圧倒的信頼性は何物にも代えがたいですが、少数派ゆえか、山では驚かれることもしばしばです。 燃料が赤ガスというのも非常にありがたいです。雪から水を得る最強のバーナーかもですね。寒いときは調理後も消火せず、焚き火代わりにするなど重宝してます。燃料代が安いからこそなせるワザ！ ただ、ポンピングさえすればそのまま使えた先代と比べると、当たり前ですが組立分解が少し面倒です。ポンピングの回数も70～100回程度必要。移動途中での使用はできれば避けたいのが本音。弱火が苦手。燃焼音がガスよりうるさいので（先代よりは静かですが）、早朝未明の混んだテン場ではちと気を遣います。 何より、点火直後は慎重な扱いが求められます。点火直後につまみを「START」→「RUN」にしたり、追いポンピングなどすると、バーナー下部の給気口からガソリンが漏れることがあり、漏れたら簡単に引火してしまいます。なので、火が落ち着くまでは緊急停止以外の操作はしないでください。 このバーナーに慣れるまでは、バーナー直下や周囲の可燃物を排除し、万一の燃料漏れにも即応できる配慮が求められます。点火したら10～15秒待ち、火勢が落ちついてからおもむろに操作しましょう！ 機能的なデザインと性能は申し分ないですが、面倒で慎重な取り扱いが求められる、漢気溢れるバーナーです！ガソリンメインで使っておられる方なら愛着が沸くと思います！

作りがしっかりしている はじめてガソリンバーナーを使うので、手順を覚えるまでが大変ですね…

冬のソロキャンプ用のストーブを一つは揃えておきたくて購入しました＾＾ 感想 本体が意外と小さくてびっくり＝コンパクトで◎ ポンピングの際、最適な圧力を示す目安となる赤ラインの目印が出てくる仕組み、わかりやすくてＧＯＯＤ。 プレヒート、ガソリンストーブ初心者なので？でしたが、このストーブは気にせず普通に着火までいけるとこが◎ レギュラーガソリンでも普通に燃焼してくれて、経済的！長く使うほど燃料代に関してはコストパフォーマンスいい感じ＾＾ 燃料ホースの取り回しが楽です。 ダイヤル、スイッチ関係の操作感、遊びが無くて程度な重さとカッチリ感あり、信頼性が高そう。 火力！いうことなし。袋ラーメンの湯沸かしくらいならあっという間でした。 とろ火、ちょっと神経使います。でも許容範囲。ガスと違って、ダイヤル調整が繁栄するまで若干のタイムラグがある感じ。慣れれば問題なしです。 見た目、カッコイイ・・です笑 今、２回ほどソロキャンプで使用していますが、着火の際に立ち上る炎は男心をくすぐります＾＾ 動画の中では４分２０秒あたりから、MUKAストーブを使用してますので、音とか参考にしてください。 音、かなりの轟音ですが、それがまたいい＾＾