WhisperLite Shaker Jet Stove

I have had this stove for years. It is the single fuel version of the WhisperLite International. It is a bit less expensive and only burns white gas.



The shaker jet works well and has kept this stove buring blue after many 22 oz bottles and many hours of melting snow and cooking food.



The pump seems to be it weak point but is easy to fix in the field and has been durable. The cup that provides pressure will provide less compression over time and will need to be taken out and "massaged" from time to time to keep it happy. Replacement pumps are available and are cheap.



When using it in below 0 F. temps the pump many fail to provide pressure. When this happens you have to take the pump shaft off and warm the cup. Easy to do and fast.



It has worked well for me during the summer in 100 F. temps and in the winter down to -15 F. degree temps.

I had a bad experience with this stove on a 5 day backpacking trip in the Sierras. We had two of these, one brand new and the other a couple years old. The new stove broke after the second day, when fuel would not enter the priming cup (we checked the bottle on the other stove and it worked, so the stove was the problem). Our second stove worked well for 3 days and then began to burn very badly. At full power it was very weak and took over an hour to boil water. We tried taking it apart and cleaning it, adding fuel to the bottles, and using two different bottles, but there was no improvement.



I gave this 3 stars for its light weight and compactness, and I know that usually these stoves are good or else people wouldn't use them. Maybe we were doing something wrong but I can't think of what.

A good stove but needs regular maintenance. Oil the pump cup, change all the "O" rings every year or two and keep it clean. It is a bit prone to flare-ups when lighting and has provided some exiting moments in the tent. Keep the pot lid handy when starting it up and hold the lid over any infernos that appear. Provides lots of heat and the foil windshield works fine. I made a base of thin plywood covered in aluminum foil tape because the aluminum base can heat up and melt the snow under the stove or under the tent. I have used it in fairly cold weather and at 17,500 ft with no problems.



The stove seems fairly efficient when running but it seems like it takes a lot of fuel to prime it. Priming burns up the fuel in the priming cup and all the fuel in the generator tube. The fuel in the generator tube is the source of flare-ups. The fuel in the hose is lost every time you separate the burner from the pump/bottle. Fuel consumption is high if you restart the stove often or take it apart often.

This stove is deffinitely a great choice. I've used mine on several week long trips and high elevation hikes and it has always done a wonderful job. Its a very powerful stove capable of bringing water to a quick boil. I also like the flexibility of being able to use multiple sizes of fuel containers depending on the length of my trip and the amount of people. It did take a few times before I had figured out exactly how to operate the stove, but once I did I had no trouble at all. A very reliable, field maintainable stove.

Relatively lightweight for a stove but has it's downsides. On thing that annoyed me was the instability of the pans: the legs of the Whisperlite are far too slippery so you have to place the thing exactly horizontal if you don't want to hold the pan all the time.



The stove is much more difficult to prime and start than my Primus Varifuel.



The weight and shakerjet are the only things that speak for it in comparison to other stoves.

I have not used the Whisperlite Shaker jet, however, I have the orginal whisperlite I got in 1986. I still use it to this day. The stove is great. I had to get the shaker neddle for it, and they do not sell it anymore. I emailed MSR and they sent me 2 for free. I really like MSR products.

I have had this stove for yrs and never had a prob with it. I take it with me everywere. Even if I go on a day hike.