The Primus stove was the first pressurized-burner kerosene (paraffin) stove, developed in 1892 by Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist, a factory mechanic in Stockholm. The stove was based on the design of the hand-held blowtorch; Lindqvist's patent covered the burner, which was turned upward on the stove instead of outward as on the blowtorch.[1] The same year, Lindqvist partnered with Johan Viktor Svenson and established J.V. Svenson's Kerosene Stove Factory for manufacturing the new stoves which were sold under the name Primus.[2] The first model was the No.1 stove, which was quickly followed by a number of similarly designed stoves of different models and sizes.[3] Shortly thereafter, B.A. Hjorth & Co. (later Bahco), a tool and engineering firm begun in Stockholm in 1889, acquired the exclusive rights to sell the Primus stove.[4]
The efficient Primus stove quickly earned a reputation as a reliable and durable stove in everyday use, and it performed especially well under adverse conditions: it was the stove of choice for Fridtjof Nansen's North Pole attempt, Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition,[5] and Richard Byrd's North Pole expedition.[6] Primus stoves also accompanied George Mallory's ill-fated expedition to Mount Everest in 1924,[7] as well as Tenzing and Hillary's successful one in 1953.[8] While many other companies also made portable stoves of a similar design to the Primus, this style is often generically referred to as a "Primus" stove, regardless of the manufacturer.[9]