Yo people,

It's not often I'm blown away by good service, so when it happens it's doubly awesome and needs to be recognised.

I got an MSR Pocket Rocket for xmas a couple of years back, but recently the thread for screwing onto canisters got damaged, resulting in alarming diagonal flame shooting displays (which were actually quite cool but probably unsafe). Being a DIY sort of guy, I thought I'd whip it apart and send the damaged bit in to be replaced, thereby earning the respect and admiration of the service department on the other side.

This was my first mistake.

In the dismantling process, some bits didn't yield so easily to my dismantling attempts. Not a worry, I thought, just pop the jobby in the vice, get a bit more leverage and crank harder with the spanner!

Yep, second mistake.

Shortly after this painful exercise, I was left with a small pile of mostly unless bits of metal and a sinking feeling that my beloved Pocket Rocket would never quite be the same again, which was a real shame, because it really was a stalwart up until that point.

Luckily I knew some people who knew some people who knew Jono at Outward Ventures, the agents for MSR and other useful outdoor goodies. And when cornered one evening, luckily Jono decided to take pity on me...or perhaps it was pity for the Pocket Rocket, the bits of which I presented to him rather sheepishly. Shortly thereafter I receive a call that I could collect the repaired stove. Clearly I had made even more of a hash of the dismantling process than I had realised, because when Jono presented me with the repaired unit, it was completely unfamiliar in the amount of shine radiating from its unused metallic surfaces. (Apparently he'd assembled an essentially new unit from bits of other stoves).

So, the moral of the story (in no particular order):
1. do not try to impress people with your DIY skills unless you actually have such skills
2. do not try and dismantle your Pocket Rocket, especially the gas flow tap - this bit is tricky and not designed to come apart (easily)!
2. know someone who knows Jono at Outward Ventures
3. if you're in a stove purchasing mood, go for an MSR, since they have amazing 'zero quibble' after sale service

Many thanks again to Jono for making my day and restoring my faith (however briefly) in the service industry!

sam

MSR aftersales service rocks, a friend of mine has a Dragonfly which the fuel cup and the spreader corroded away and they replaced it all for him.

Outward Ventures and MSR

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Happy climbing
Nic

I'll second that, years back my Dragon Fly pump had a problem and was replaced.

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Climb ZA - Administrator

That's why it's so expensive. Chances are slim of a stove breaking, but essentially you bought two stoves. They're just holding one for you

IMO: Chances are slim of an MSR stove breaking. No doubt they are more expensive than some other stoves on the market.
The way I look at it: Suppose you were planning a year long overland trip up Africa, what vehicle would you choose to use? The question I would ask myself is: which product would make my trip more pleasant and which is less likely to give me problems? (then I go check my wallet and adjust as necessary

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Climb ZA - Administrator

Have to agree Sam, excellent after market service from MSR. Had two separate Dragonfly's stoves replaced (burner cup separation issue which unfortunately happened on Mt Kenya) and one pump (early model pump) in 12 or so years. In all of these cases MSR improved the design of the product and had no issues replacing the defective parts (thanks to Drifters for arranging).

Used the 'Fly on 5 continents. My only regrets were the times I elected to take a gas canister stove to a high camp at altitude and leave the Dragonfly at base camp. Once the pressure in the canister drops it takes ages to boil water - Benzine cooks (unfortunately with the 'Fly it is at the expense of a not insignificant noise factor and a bit more weight and bulk).

Hiya Sam!

Thanks for kind words and compliments on MSR and Outward Ventures (and for the "thank you" ales - they went down extremely well and gave us good reason to stay in the office a little later than usual!).

From Outward Ventures' side...... we are a local cog, in a big international engine which runs very smoothly indeed! MSR provides exceptional back up, and always go out of their way to help, wherever their clients may find themselves. So all praise is due to MSR.... but thanks for the good words!

Outward Ventures is as committed as MSR is to keeping our customers as happy as possible.

A quick word or two to all our MSR fans and customers.......... I regularly receive stoves for service and/or repair. A fair number that arrive at my workshop could quite easily have been avoided if they were cleaned and self-serviced regularly. Please please please look after your stoves, clean them regularly, and do treat them with the respect they deserve (they are rugged, but a little care when packing goes a long way).

Also remember that, while the liquid fuel stoves are designed to be completely field-maintained by the user, the Pocket Rocket isn't.

Again, thanks Sam for the kudos!

Keep on rocking!

Cheers from Jono, and all of us at Outward Ventures.

I was told recently that an MSR has a lifetime warranty if it breaks. Is this true?

Hi

I've never managed to break one, just had them wear out through lots of (ab)use. Always been repaired free of charge, contact Jono at info(at)outward(dot)co(dot)za and they should sort yours out

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Happy climbing
Nic