Best lanterns...Oil? Kerosene? propane?

[jitterymonkey]

Need some advice before I buy.

Which ones produce the best light?
Last longest?
Easiest to operate/maintain?
kerosene or oil or propane or ??????

here's a couple that i was looking at....
http://www.majorsurplus.com/New-York...4359C1979.aspx
http://www.majorsurplus.com/Emergenc...4250C1979.aspx
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=489037

[HaroldWayneHamlin]

It depends on why you want them.

Oil and Kerosene are interchangeable.

Propane in a survival situation is a high tech item.

I have 5 Oil lamps in storage just incase.

If you use them be sure to review all the safty concerns with the lamps.

later
wayne

[speedofl33t]

Just my humble opinion here but propane is dangerous and should be avoided. I prefer kerosene lamps and you can use kerosene or another oil (usually petroleum based but there are others) so they are pretty versatile.

The red type lantern is great I think. It spreads the heat so things above isn't in danger of a fire, the glass is covered and the tank is metal. It's not very affected by wind. It can be carried. Since it has a pretty narrow wick it doesn't gulp fuel very rapidly. But of course then it doesn't get super bright either. If you can afford it, get a few of these. I have two now. One I used daily when I had no electric.

I had a few table lamps also, the one I kept is actually pretty fancy. It is really bright, it's basically all glass and also has a shade that spreads the light. Those lamps are good for reading and other things you need good light for. But of course they are also more fragile and unsafe so they belong on a table. If you get one of those, you do because you need good lighting, and then you choose one with a broad wick, usually they go in a circle. They take more oil, of course. And the upper part of the glass gets intensly hot, so you need to remember never place anything above it or you'll have a fire. Since they are a bit expensive I just have one, enough for me but you might want to keep some extra glass (goes for the lantern as well).

[jitterymonkey]

Thanks for the good advice.

Along with everything else I'm going to need light for
in a "No Power" situation.
I also love to read & want something better than candlelight.

Kerosene/multi fuel seems to be the way to go because I'm
going to have back-up kerosene heaters also.

I just hope my eyesight holds out

YouTube- Time Enough At Last [Witt Villarreal Mix]

[ousmo92]

The 8-12 burn time is right on at low. I ran my hurricane last summer camping overnight and did not empty it out.

[cabinfever]

For reading and close-up work you can't beat an Aladdin. They are expensive as far as lanterns go, you need to learn how to use them but they put out great light. Any inexpensive lantern will do for soft light so I save my Aladdin just for close work.

[Rascals]

I have some of all. Just like stuff so I can do all my canning and stuff. I feel I put away quality items just because I dont know what might be available. Right now I have propain,whitefuel,Kerosene,wood and 4 tons of coal put away. But I would never just depend on one thing. What happens If you get someone that has so much of one thing to trade but you have no way to use it. Deversify everthing you do in preps,overplan and bury everything you can to keep it away from others.

[radioman]

Pressure lanterns are the brightest also use the most dangerous fuel. I'm partial to kerosene because I restore them collect them and sell them! Kerosene is also the easiest and most stable of all the fuels.

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[radioman]

Of the lanterns you are "looking at" Please don't!!! I'm a lantern guy and the ones your looking at are junk. Look here at one of the very best Kerosene lanterns you can buy today. The days are gone for a great quality tubular lantern but these are the next best thing. I have several of this exact model and I know the owner and he's a great guy who will treat you with respect if you have a problem Check out his web site for other great lanterns.

http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2/...egory_Code=WKL

[jitterymonkey]

Thanks Radioman,

I'm not that far from Lehman's Hardware, I'll have to get down there & check them out.

Originally Posted by radioman

Of the lanterns you are "looking at" Please don't!!! I'm a lantern guy and the ones your looking at are junk. Look here at one of the very best Kerosene lanterns you can buy today. The days are gone for a great quality tubular lantern but these are the next best thing. I have several of this exact model and I know the owner and he's a great guy who will treat you with respect if you have a problem Check out his web site for other great lanterns.

http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2/...egory_Code=WKL

[swallace]

I recently bought 2 aladdin genie oil lamps. The reason is each lamp when burning at it brightess is equal to a 50 watt bulb. Hope this helps.

[radioman]

Originally Posted by jitterymonkey

Thanks Radioman,

I'm not that far from Lehman's Hardware, I'll have to get down there & check them out.

Lehman's Hardware sells Dietz which is what the Krikman lantern is based on. The Kirkman lanterns have an improved globe in them. I think it's worth the extra money do to the globes heaviness and ability to resist breakage. The globes in the Kirkmans are three times as heavy as the current Dietz production. He has them made from original Dietz molds here in the USA. The only way you can tell a new Kirkman globe from an original Dietz globe is that the Kirkman globe is marked as such.

[cranky1950]

We've got a few aladdin lanterns that we use in the livingroom, a few hurricane lanterns that we use in the bedrooms, and a coupla dietz lanterns that we use for wandering around at night. We also have a few windup led lanterns. I don't like propane lanterns, propane stoves and heaters are ok if you can afford to feed them. We also have a few coleman lanterns and a coleman kerosene lantern I need to have a yard sale.

[ForestBeekeeper]

We have a few oil lanterns, two aladdins too.

The brightest lamp is a 'BriteLyt Multi-Fuel Lantern' by Petromax.

Our puts out 500CP.

We have ran it on kerosene, on citronela oil, and on gas.

Petromax has their own forum, folks have burned lard in these lanterns.

Any flammable liquid will power them.

Ours is hanging over our kitchen table. It is bright enough that we can read books or play cards by it's light.

It is far brighter than an aladdin lamp.

I have seen them at our local military surplus store too, for much cheaper.

[Mama Bear]

... Personally? I prefer LED battery operated lanterns. With kids, the fire risk of oil lanterns is really a bit more than I want to deal with. I have some handy, but... My first choice would definately be non-flammable...

Originally Posted by jitterymonkey

Need some advice before I buy.

Which ones produce the best light?
Last longest?
Easiest to operate/maintain?
kerosene or oil or propane or ??????

here's a couple that i was looking at....
http://www.majorsurplus.com/New-York...4359C1979.aspx
http://www.majorsurplus.com/Emergenc...4250C1979.aspx
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=489037

[NiteFly22LR]

I use both propane and oil lamps along with mirrors to reflect the light which helps greatly when reading. With kids battery is the best way to go. Just my 0.02 NiteFly22LR

[AndrewS]

It depends on what you are using it for. If all you need is light LED lanterns have made fuel based lanterns obsolete IMO. The Energizer Weather Ready line of lanterns have ridiculously long run times. They have 3 models of interest.

First is a 500 hour model area lantern. It really does run for 500 hours on 3 D cell batteries. 500 hours is the time for about 1/2 brightness too. When I tested mine it ran for about 700 hours before it stopped putting out any light.

Second is the 245 hour folding lantern. This one is much brighter and makes for a great mobile work like. Again, this one has been tested to run well over 300 hours on 4 D cells(a member of ar15.com tested the runtime on this one.) I took this and the 500hr model camping. I had this one set up by the tent and the 500hr model setup on the opposite side of camp on my truck. This gave more than enough usable light on both sides of camp with a fire inbetween. It also allowed you to just pick one up and wander if you needed to go further out.

Last, is a 100 hour lantern that puts out the most light of the three. I haven't personally used it or even seen a run time test but with the other two passing with flying colors I do not doubt this one. I want to say that the packaging claims twice as much light as the 245hr model which should be as much light as you ever really need. I haven't picked one up because I get by with the 245hr model just fine and I like that it is more compact.


Now if you need the heat generated from a fuel lantern then obviously none of these is going to work for you but if all you need is light I can't see why these wouldn't be superior. $2 in fuel runs for 8-12 hours. $2 in batteries will run for at least 100 hours. Save your fuel for cooking and heating.

[ForestBeekeeper]

Originally Posted by AndrewS

It depends on what you are using it for. If all you need is light LED lanterns have made fuel based lanterns obsolete IMO.

Set within the context of short-term prepping, I agree.

... Now if you need the heat generated from a fuel lantern then obviously none of these is going to work for you but if all you need is light I can't see why these wouldn't be superior. $2 in fuel runs for 8-12 hours. $2 in batteries will run for at least 100 hours. Save your fuel for cooking and heating.

I like LED lighting for permanent household lighting. Our home is wired for 12VDC lighting, though we have not yet found fixtures and bulbs that we like.

But it makes you dependent upon electricity.

Batteries are short-lived, though they store for a long time, if you keep them cold. Running a frig/freezer to keep them cold consumes electricity [or propane].

I like the versatility of all-fuel lanterns, because I can use any flammable liquid. Obviously you do not want a child to handle them. We hang ours from the ceiling in our kitchen.

The truly ideal lighting is methane lighting. Which I have seen as indoor household lighting, and most households are capable to producing their own fuel for those lights.



I do not see LEDs as making anything obsolete.

LEDs do have their issues, as do oil lanterns, as does any source of lighting.

[AndrewS]

Originally Posted by ForestBeekeeper

Set within the context of short-term prepping, I agree.





I like LED lighting for permanent household lighting. Our home is wired for 12VDC lighting, though we have not yet found fixtures and bulbs that we like.

But it makes you dependent upon electricity.

Batteries are short-lived, though they store for a long time, if you keep them cold. Running a frig/freezer to keep them cold consumes electricity [or propane].

I like the versatility of all-fuel lanterns, because I can use any flammable liquid. Obviously you do not want a child to handle them. We hang ours from the ceiling in our kitchen.

The truly ideal lighting is methane lighting. Which I have seen as indoor household lighting, and most households are capable to producing their own fuel for those lights.



I do not see LEDs as making anything obsolete.

LEDs do have their issues, as do oil lanterns, as does any source of lighting.

I guess if you are looking for an end of times lantern a multi fuel lantern might prove to be more versatile. With only 8-12 hours of run time before needing to be refilled you are going to burn a lot of fuel though. Figure 4 hours of light per night and you will need to refuel every 2-3 days. You will end up a slave to finding new fuel. It doesn't hurt to have one as a redundant backup though. The more energy sources you can take advantage of the better. They are likely to take more abuse than an LED or batteries too.

Standard alkaline batteries will store for a few years. Rechargable batteries and a solar charger would last you much longer than that. Long enough for things to develop back into something resembling normalcy. The knowledge and technology exists no matter what happens to the world. Sooner or later the tech will return.

[seawind]

I'd get both at least one propane camp latern 2 mantel model bright light also puts out the most heat. Their are times a bright light is needed. Good kerosene lamps for everyday use, fuel is cheaper. Just remember to get extra wicks and mantels. You can now get a metal screen globe for coleman propane lanterns. Extra globes for both is something to consider just to be safe.