Coleman Exponent 550B Multifuel stove

[Canadian Guy]

Another stove review here as I went out for hike for a few hours in the local Provincial Park and brought along my Coleman Exponent 550B Multifuel stove. I've had it since 1997ish(?) and has been through a lot as I used it quite a bit for a while without any major problems. Coleman is known for its bigger 2 burner camp stoves but their small backpacking stoves sometimes don't get the credit they deserve.
Here is the beat up aluminum Peak 1 stove case/cookset:


Open it up and the stove sits perfectly inside:


Stove and cookset:



Here's some of the stoves specs:
• Multi-fuel stove
• Operates on Coleman liquid fuel, unleaded gasoline, or kerosene (with a generator change which is included.
• Integrated fuel tank
• Burner bowl and pot supports for wind protection.
• Precision flame control
• Leveling ring keeps pots level
• Filler cap with lanyard
• Dry weight: 21.6oz
• Fuel capacity: 10.3oz
• Coleman liquid fuel and unleaded gas burns at 7,500BTUs.
• Boil time: 4 minutes, 25 seconds
• Burn time: 1 hour, 20 minutes on high; 7 hours on simmer
• Kerosene burns at 6,500BTUs
• Boil time: 4 minutes, 36 seconds
• Burn time: 2 hours, 25 minutes on high; 9 hours on simmer

Short video review (don't mind my camera work in the one section where I cut off the top part of the stove):


They are still available in stores and definitely ebay, its a great little stove and I highly recommend it. Being able to get parts easily is a bonus.

[Orphancow]

Nice i have actually been looking at one of these. I saw one sitting at the local surplus store a few months ago. My new stove is going to be my next upgraded purchase for my pack.

[111t]

I think the 550B is the best of the 'piggyback' colemans. The military case is a valuable addition when packing.

The leveling feet are a nice feature that you don't get on the 533 or the 442.

[Flying Lead]

Do you need to prime it with kerosene or will it light without priming?
Nice review, great vid. THANKS!

[Canadian Guy]

Orphancow-This stove has served me well and I certainly recommend it.

111t-The Peak 1 case is handy and hard to find, rarely even see them on ebay. I agree with you that the 550B is one of Coleman's better one burner liquid fuel stoves.

Flying Lead-Priming is helpful and probably even necessary in cold temps (below -10 C?) but not required above that however in my video you can see even at -1 it does take a bit to warm up the generator to get it burning good. You would pour a bit of whatever fuel you are using in the burner cup and light it and wait until it burns down before turning on the stove. You could use alcohol as what traditionally is done with (e.g.)Optimus stoves, it just burns off cleaner.

[111t]

Do you need to prime it with kerosene or will it light without priming?
Nice review, great vid. THANKS!

Yeah, I like to use a fire paste.

[*SHADOW*]

Where can I sale one of those,mine is the same kit excpt it is grey,how much could I ask?

[northernxposure]

I think the 550B is the best of the 'piggyback' colemans. The military case is a valuable addition when packing.

The leveling feet are a nice feature that you don't get on the 533 or the 442.

Completely agree. Had a chance to pick on up a while back and missed it as I sat on the fence too long. Still like 'em, though.

NXP

[The Machinist]

I think the 550B is the best of the 'piggyback' colemans. The military case is a valuable addition when packing.

The leveling feet are a nice feature that you don't get on the 533 or the 442.

Completely agree. Had a chance to pick on up a while back and missed it as I sat on the fence too long. Still like 'em, though.

NXP

I was the same. I sat on the fence and missed several opportunities over the last several years. For some reason, I ran across one on sale around Christmas on Amazon, purely by chance and I decided to pull the trigger. I am DAMN glad I did. Used it a couple times since Christmas just for practice and to check it out. I love the hell out of it. I am building up the nerve to put Gasoline in it now. Something about fire and Gasoline keeps me on edge. lol

[Woods Walker]

Nice review. I have one much like that. It’s a Peak 1 purchased from a surplus dealer at a flea market maybe 6-7 years ago. I had to oil the leather cup once but that’s about it for issues.

The surplus stove is the smaller one, not the 533.



Those woods look much like mine. Is that Beech and Hemlock in the background?

[111t]

Mine was a mil surplus model too. The military liked it because of the kerosene burning trick. Jp-8 the ubiquitous mil fuel is basically kerosene.

Also, @ machinist I remember when I felt the same way about gasoline, really though gasoline is only slightly more dangerous than coleman fuel. Point being that you should be using about the same level of caution with both fuels. Gasoline emits a lot more toxic fumes than coleman fuel does.

In general, the ideal storage fuel is going to be kerosene. It's Safer to store bulk quantities of as well as burn. Harder to light though.

My preferences for a multifuel stove in order are 1) coleman 2) kerosene 3) gasoline

[taz-hein]

I bought one of the peak 1 stoves with that case/cook pots back in the early 80's. still going strong.


the pots/case start looking beat up after the first boyscout campout. when I was 14

[111t]

There was a windscreen and pot set specifically designed for these. The windscreen resembled a pie tin with a stretegically cut hole in the bottom. It extended up a couple of inches up the side of the pot but did not enclose the stove at all. I found a site that still seems to be showing some in stock... But there is no photo.
Here is a post from CCS on the Subject of the windscreens with a couple of pics.
http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/show ... ost/58976/
Doc mentions the ones he has are SIGG brand. (yes the water bottle company$
I think there was a coleman branded one at campmor until very recently.

[TacAir]

Orphancow-This stove has served me well and I certainly recommend it.

111t-The Peak 1 case is handy and hard to find, rarely even see them on ebay. I agree with you that the 550B is one of Coleman's better one burner liquid fuel stoves.

Flying Lead-Priming is helpful and probably even necessary in cold temps (below -10 C?) but not required above that however in my video you can see even at -1 it does take a bit to warm up the generator to get it burning good. You would pour a bit of whatever fuel you are using in the burner cup and light it and wait until it burns down before turning on the stove. You could use alcohol as what traditionally is done with (e.g.)Optimus stoves, it just burns off cleaner.

I have a gas Coleman single burner. For the longest time I stored the stove in in a coffee can. Fits well, add a bit of cardboard if you worry about any rattle.
Used the square carry case for cooking, don't want gasoline residue in my soup.

[Canadian Guy]

Woods Walker- The Peak 1 multifuel stove is essentially the same as the 550B Exponent one, its just an earlier model. I've used the Peak 1 stove also and can't really tell the difference other then colour. Leather cup is the way to go as they work in the cold vs the rubber ones.

111t- Have not tried gasoline in my stoves as apparently there are additives in Canadian gas (for the cold?) that can damage the stoves inner workings (generator?). That's why you do not see the Coleman "dual fuel" stoves sold up here. I've used kerosene in my Optimus stoves but have not switched out the generator in the 550B but am curious to try it. I've got that windsreen in the Spiritburner website photos, it came with a Coleman Peak 1 cookset and it handy but large and easily bent so it stays with the cookset. The cookset is SS and nice quality, it is a 4 person set-up with three SS pots with nice bail handles that fit inside each other, 4 small SS plates and 4 SS sporks. Its not light but is great for base camp.

TacAir- What's wrong with a little bit of gas in your soup

[Flying Lead]

Damn you Canadian Guy! Read your review and must have lost consciousness of something.
Woke up and I had bought a Feather 400 off ebay. I remember when they came out years ago, thought at the time "why would you want one that dinky?" But thought they were cute and having the power of a gasoline stove in a coffee mug size is WIN.

I needed my 26th stove, thanks!

[The Machinist]

Mine was a mil surplus model too. The military liked it because of the kerosene burning trick. Jp-8 the ubiquitous mil fuel is basically kerosene.

Also, @ machinist I remember when I felt the same way about gasoline, really though gasoline is only slightly more dangerous than coleman fuel. Point being that you should be using about the same level of caution with both fuels. Gasoline emits a lot more toxic fumes than coleman fuel does.

In general, the ideal storage fuel is going to be kerosene. It's Safer to store bulk quantities of as well as burn. Harder to light though.

My preferences for a multifuel stove in order are 1) coleman 2) kerosene 3) gasoline

111t, yeah, I think it was how much vapor that always seems to come from gasoline that always makes me nervous using it. Like you said, with the proper safety procedures, using it would be no different that Coleman Fuel. Do you think Coleman Fuel does not have as long of a shelf life as Kerosene? I have never given that much thought but may be important in prepping. I also agree with your order of fuels. I think I would only use actual Gasoline if I were in a situation where the others were not available.

[Canadian Guy]

Damn you Canadian Guy! Read your review and must have lost consciousness of something.
Woke up and I had bought a Feather 400 off ebay. I remember when they came out years ago, thought at the time "why would you want one that dinky?" But thought they were cute and having the power of a gasoline stove in a coffee mug size is WIN.

I needed my 26th stove, thanks!

I cannot be held responsible for the unconscious online buying sprees you may have had after watching my review

[111t]

Kerosene and coleman are both pretty shelf stable. Theoretically kerosene is more stable. I've never had a problem with either. Auto fuel on the other hand I wouldn't trust past a year. Plus there are different seasonal formulations, not to mention that when many of these stoves were designed (say a svea123 even the r model) gasoline was very different.

As far as bulk storage, I'm much more comfortable with a hundred gallons of kerosene in the shed than an a similar volume of a gasoline type fuel. And lets face it it's unrealistic to store a bulk amount of $9/gallon coleman fuel anyway. (at least for me) In my neck of the woods k-1 is roughly $3-3.50 which is much more realistic.

[Canadian Guy]

Those woods look much like mine. Is that Beech and Hemlock in the background?

It could be Hemlock and Beach, they certainly are in the area. The forest where I live is fairly unique in Canada as it is referred to as "Carolinian forest" so it is unlike almost all the forest of Ontario (and Canada) especially when you head further north so there are some trees you would see more in Eastern United States. Unfortunately I didn't really take stock of what was around me that day when I made the video.

[Canadian Guy]

Kerosene and coleman are both pretty shelf stable. Theoretically kerosene is more stable. I've never had a problem with either. Auto fuel on the other hand I wouldn't trust past a year. Plus there are different seasonal formulations, not to mention that when many of these stoves were designed (say a svea123 even the r model) gasoline was very different.

As far as bulk storage, I'm much more comfortable with a hundred gallons of kerosene in the shed than an a similar volume of a gasoline type fuel. And lets face it it's unrealistic to store a bulk amount of $9/gallon coleman fuel anyway. (at least for me) In my neck of the woods k-1 is roughly $3-3.50 which is much more realistic.

I've been trying kerosene in my Optimus stoves and it certainly works good as is cheaper then Coleman fuel, definitely cheaper to store bulk amounts!

[ForgeCorvus]

I've got one like this and I got two generators..... How do I tell the petrol one from the paraffin (kero) one ?

As well, can anyone tell me what tool I need to change them over ?

[111t]

theres a notch on the kero nut IIRC i'll check quick...

Yeah,if you look at the brass nut that secures the generator to the valve assembly, the coleman fuel one is smooth and the kerosene one has a notch at it's mid point all the way around.

As far as a tool, mine came with a little wrench, but if yours is missing any open wrench like a small crescent wrench will do. just be very careful because the nut is made of brass and is therefore softer. Take care to not tear it up with an ill fitting wrench and take care to tighten it snug, but not strip it.

[ForgeCorvus]

Right, thanks mate
I got it cheap on evilbay so no spanner, I'll be buying a dedicated replacement..... Could you give me a size ?