MSR XGK Stove

Used this stove to do some mid altitude camping and coffee creation down in the Moab area. Stable design that accomodates a medium / large pot and supplied simple sheet metal windscreen does what its supposed to.
Easty to start up, the fuel line / bottle interface are simple to arrange and attach. Everything felt secure and tight. This stove is heavy duty and HEAVY. I wouldn't suggest carrying this as your summer packing stove. As a solution for winter melting of snow (its efficient!) or getting a large pot HOT for frying / cooking I'm a huge fan.
Utilized white gas and low octane gas pump automobile gasoline (not suggested for regular use due to corrosion). White gas was clean and hot, auto gas was about the same but took longer to boil or heat a pan. The fuel flexibility of this stove is a massive selling point.
One downside: This stove is loud, really loud. Loud enough to instill confidence that its burning HOT but if you're around anyone else or trying to keep things quiet in a campground this isn't your stove. Everytime I fire it up I'm happy to turn it off to give the ears a rest. In comparison I've used a number of Jetboil, MSR multi-fuel and canister stoves that were half or 2/3rds the volume. Ultimately this shouldn't stop you from buying the stove if all of the above fits your need, just be ready to make some adjustments for volume.
No simmer, the heat is wide open all the time. Shaker jet cleaning is genius and worth the few extra pennies of a stove that doesn't have this.

I got my stove in Dec. '09 and have used it several times since.

My biggest praise is that it fires up and works in any temperature I have used it in, with the lowest temperature being -10*C so far. And, apparently, there isn't a cold enough place on earth where this stove won't work!!

My second biggest praise is that it will burn using multiple fuels: WG, kerosene, unleaded gas, diesel.

In regards to hard-to-light criticism I've read while researching this stove:
Once an EGX EX owner understands that one must heat the generator tube in order for the stove to work (Step Four of the operating instruction manual), said owner should never have lighting problem again. I just release a small amount of fuel as per instruction (A little more in colder outside temperatures) and light the fuel. I then wait, usually two minutes, for the generator tube to heat up. You know when the tube is heated because you'll hear the (After)burner come on. Then, I just open the valve a half to three quarters turn; and the burner will come roaring to life!

I'm a backcountry snowcamper/snowshoer. I boil water with this stove for food and drink. I leave my 'gourmet' cooking to truck camping or campground camping.

I reserve the 5 star rating for exceptional items, and this is one of them. There are better fun & family camping stoves, but if you are looking to melt snow and boil water for hours on end at higher elevations, the XGK is the workhorse of choice.

Like most camp stoves, the XGK can malfunction, but it is also very simple to clean and repair if you have the maintenance kit. I've found that the #1 thing that breaks is the gasket on the pump.

The big complaints on this stove are that it is noisy and doesn't simmer. To me, the noise is a small price to pay for reliability, and simmering can be controlled through pump pressure. If you want to brown pancakes, unscrew the pump from the bottle, let all the tank pressure out, then only give it a few strokes (five?) and start from there.

I use this stove as part of an entire system, of which further details can be found here:

http://straightchuter.com/2009/05/expeditions-stove-set-up/

I've been using my XGK EX Stove for the last 4 months, in that time I've spent a total of 3 weeks on the trail from the Sea of Cortez to Seattle, Wa. The weight of the stove is good, not as light as others but a good compromise considering the range of fuels it will burn. The burner works well with all three fuel cells available from MSR and burn time is good as well. Over all it's a good choice if your looking for a high out put multi-fuel stove. The one down side is there is no simmer function, it's full throttle or nothing. However all I do is boil water with it. Lastly it's louder than any stove I have ever used, but that lets you know it's working.

I have used mine for years, and am always amazed. This things boils water like there is no tomorrow! As others have mentioned, this thing does not simmer, it is all out or nothing, having said that, I have not found this a problem, just plan to eat meals where you add hot water and that is it. People have mentioned that it is loud, it is, but I think it adds to the fun, what could be better then cooking your breakfast on a jet engine? I have used this in all sorts of conditions and it does not seem to care, from sea level up to 15,000', from 100F to -40F it does what it is meant to do, which is melt snow and boil water.

Yeah its expensive. But after having 3 butane stoves (costing more than $150 collectively) I finally decided to go all or nothing. If it came down to it, I bet this thing would burn off of mouthwash.... I boils super fast, its easy to use in comparison to other white gas stoves, and it looks and works great. TRUE STORY: Yesterday I got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere...my car kit was messed up and no joke i used the tool kit that came with the stove to tweak my tools to change the tire. I would still be lost in the mountains of s. utah had it not been for my MSR.