Coleman stove isn't what it used to be and I'm tired of pretending otherwise

I picked up a used 1970s Coleman two-burner at a garage sale for $10 last spring and it boils water in half the time of my 2020 model. The new one has that fancy electronic ignition but the burners just don't put out the same heat. Has anyone else noticed the newer stuff feels cheaper even though it costs more?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_oscar1mo ago

You ever take apart the new ones? The regulator is garbage, that's why the flame is weak. They put these tiny little orifices in to meet some efficiency standard and the whole thing just starves for fuel. The old ones had a brass valve assembly that basically lasts forever, the new stuff uses cheap pot metal that warps after a few seasons. I'd strip that old 70s model down and rebuild it before I ever bought another new Coleman. The metal is thicker too, the wind doesn't kill the flame as easy. That's the real difference nobody talks about, the engineering philosophy just shifted from "make it last" to "make it cheap enough to sell at Walmart.

spencer_hayes711mo ago

Man just hit it on the head, that old brass valve is bulletproof. A quick clean and a new gasket on the 70s model will outlast any of the new stuff by a decade easy.