Reliability
Because the Svea 123 is made of brass and has only one moving part – the control valve (the later Svea 123R model has an additional moving part, the internal self-cleaning needle) – the Svea has a well-established record of reliability and can withstand years of heavy use with only minimal maintenance. Some users have reported operational problems with the self-cleaning needle on the 123R, such as that the stove may not simmer as well as the earlier Sievert models, but reports from years of field use of the Svea on the Appalachian Trail indicate that it has the lowest record of clogging among stoves used on the trail.
Some common but unrecommended practices can adversely affect the Svea’s performance and reliability. For example, when using a wind screen or shield other than the built-in wind screen (such as the flexible aluminum foil windscreens used with stoves made by Mountain Safety Research), care should taken not to wrap the windscreen too tightly around the stove because this may cause the stove to overheat and the fuel tank to over-pressurize. This in turn will cause the pressure-relief valve in the filler cap to open and the over-pressurized gas vapor to escape, which may catch fire and result in a dangerous "flareup" or large fireball. In addition, while the Svea is capable of burning unleaded automobile gasoline, only naphtha or "Coleman fuel" is recommended: Coleman fuel contains rust inhibitors and is specially refined for use in camping stoves, while automotive fuel contains additives that vaporize when burned and leave gumlike deposits behind that causes clogging. The stove should also not be allowed to run dry because doing so will burn or char the cotton wick inside the fuel tank, which will inhibit the wick’s ability to draw fuel to the vaporizing tube.
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