Or to give it its full title Number Two Mark Two Modified (No.2 MKII), this cooker is the newest to my collection and was purchased at t'pit for not a lot of money. It's an ex military stove that runs on petrol and was used from WWII through to the 90's when it was replaced by the multifuel No. 12. From the reviews that I have read on the internet, it seems it's a bit of a marmite stove you either love 'em or hate 'em. I'm enjoying the one that I have, prep time is probably longer than all the other stoves that I have but there's just something about it that you just have to love.
Being designed for use with armour, it's not the lightest of cookers weighing in at about 5kg however it's more of a portable hob than a stove. These cookers do have a specific pan set, I don't have these but I am hoping to get some in the not too distant future.
I'm not too sure what the revisions are between the MKI and MKII however I am aware that there were 2 different burners used, the roarer and the silent burner. The silent burner is what I have fitted whereas the roarer is what I would consider the more traditional lookng petrol stove burner, I think, but I cannot guarantee for certain that the MKI would have been fitted with the roarer and the MKII was fitted with the silent burner.
Some facts and figures:
Cost (Ebay BIN) £35 (I have seen them as expensive as £90)
Cost (Ebay Auction) £15-30
Fuel cost £1.35 (1 Litre)
Packed size 255mm x 255mm x 130mm
Assembled size 380mm x 325mm x 355mm
Assembly time 1 minute 45 Seconds
Preparation time 7 minutes
450ml Boil time 4:40 minutes
1L Boil time 11 minutes
Packed state:
Quite an ominous box in all reality, not really something that you would use for backpacking due to the weight but the box does protect it a bit.
Assembled:
The lid lifts up and part of it folds out to provide a windbreak, some tools are stored in the lid along with spare jet storage. Most that I've seen still have the instructions for lighting on the lid.
Preheating:
Being a bit of an archaic piece of kit, it requires a substantial preheat, now there may be a quicker way to preheat but being something I have only got hold of I'm not too sure of what it is. Anyway, the preheat involves 'dribbling' some fuel into the saucer below the regulator and lighting it, when it's just about to go out, open the regulator fully and the fuel should be vaporising enough so it should be burning blue, sometimes the main burner lights, sometimes it doesn't just have the matches handy! Once the main burner lights, it's probably going to be another minute before you get a nice blue flame.
Ready to go:
After preheating is completed you should get a nice blue flame as above, it may be orange to start with whilst it burns off the carbon and soot and whilst it gets up to temp, but after a minute or so it should be good to go, have a play with the regulator and see how you go!
Cooking:
I haven't got the pan set, so I've had to make do with some other pan, this is a medium sized pan so you can see the scale!
Night time:
Just a nice pic to include, a couple of nights after purchase showing lovely blue flame
Pros
Cheap to run, simple, cheap to purchase
Cons
Bulky, Ages to get going, not for those with a nervous disposition.
Overall
I like it, I don't think it will end up in the back of the Land Rover as a brew making machine however it may end up next to the tent. Apparently parts are interchangeable with one of the Primus 111 stoves, I haven't tried it but the schematics look identical. There are tips that I've read but not put into practise like using meths as a pre-heater and running them on panel wipe, none I have tried yet but it's still early days. Another thing I've read was that some people have been using the pans with grids to create an oven, roasting chickens and other good stuff like that but I'll have to wait and see. Fuel is plentiful and if you have a petrol Land Rover it is a bit of a bonus, however if you haven't it's not going to be too hard to get hold of some.
Number 2 cookers on Ebay
Stuey rating: 7 out of 10
- the method of use was to dig a trench, stick this at one end and put grills/steel plates over the trench.
