[Dougzilla]

I just got back from my local walmart in Middletown, Delaware.
I was picking up another lantern in case we lose power from this hurricane coming, and i noticed that almost all the lanterns that i saw there on sunday were already sold out today. :xeye:

Luckily, they people buying them apparently dont know anything about lanterns and they bought up all the cheap ones. The good one i wanted was still in stock :

There was an elderly lady sitting on the floor with lanterns, reading the boxes and trying to decide which one to buy, so i gave her a quick lesson on them and made sure she left there with one of the good ones like i got. She was a sweetheart and that made me feel good to help her. :

 

[tubalcain]

I really like the really old oil lanterns. They don't make em like they used to.

 

[Varmit]

Luckily, they people buying them apparently dont know anything about lanterns and they bought up all the cheap ones. The good one i wanted was still in stock :

Uh-oh. I seem to recall the cheap ones from walmart is what I've
got stockpiled in my supplies. Could you give me a quick education on
what I should have bought / should be looking for in a lantern?

 

[madcritter]

Yep they about ran me down in the sporting goods today. I was standing there trying to get some ammo and the want to be last minute prepers were all over the place. Flash lights and batteries were wiped out and had some standing there gawking at the Mountain house supplies.:xeye:

 

[Dougzilla]

Uh-oh. I seem to recall the cheap ones from walmart is what I've
got stockpiled in my supplies. Could you give me a quick education on
what I should have bought / should be looking for in a lantern?

Look for:

Light source: Get LED. Stay away from incandescent and florescent as they burn thru batteries too fast.
Lumens: 190 or up, with HIGH and LOW settings.
Power: "D" battery powered. Stay away from rechargeable.
RunTime: This is important. Read the box. With LED and 4 "D" batteries, it should run for roughly 65 hours on high, or 120+ hours on low.

This is the one i just picked up http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000006663&categoryid=10455&brand=

Its very bright, and lasts a very long time. It was $29.88 at walmart.

 

[papajoscochise]

Hello everyone, I'm Papajos and I'm a lantern junkie.

No lie, I have at least 20 assorted oil,propane and white gas lanterns.

Can't drive past a yard sale without checking to see if they have lanterns!

And yeah, even got a few from WallyWorld.

 

[Apocalypse Now]

Kind of funny how everybody else are sheep ,yet 2 posters were out doing the same thing as the sheep.

I've had to throw out dozens of batteries that I had "prepped" away recently ,because they were well past expiration.
Looking at it from the other side, some would say I was the idiot for wasting money on a ton of batteries and other perishables that I have never needed.

 

[angeryamerican]

Kind of funny how everybody else are sheep ,yet 2 posters were out doing the same thing as the sheep.

I've had to throw out dozens of batteries that I had "prepped" away recently ,because they were well past expiration.
Looking at it from the other side, some would say I was the idiot for wasting money on a ton of batteries and other perishables that I have never needed.

Buy rechargeables. They can sit dead forever then be charged when needed. Granted if left too long they can go bad, bu they last a hell of a lot longer. They are all I use now.

 

[Backcountry Bob]

Recharable batteries, Pros and Cons.

Buy rechargeables. They can sit dead forever then be charged when needed. Granted if left too long they can go bad, bu they last a hell of a lot longer. They are all I use now.

If you wait until you need them to charge them hasn't your power already gone out? Sure, for a huricane or big snow storm you will probably have warning enough to charge up and be ready. If the power goes out suddenly due to an earthquake, solar flare, terrorist attack, dam break, wind storm, or a (your distaster here ______________.) Then you may want something ready with a flick of a switch. I have a bunch of lights ready so I can see to start my generator to run key emergency circuits in the house.

 

[ajk1941]

I opted for the Dietz lanterns. They have been manufactured since the late 1850s The cost of kerosene is around $10.00 a gallon here in Calif. I learned that you can burn diesel (less then $4.00 gal). Just be careful about the ventilation where you are using the lantern. Lehman's is a good source for Deitz lanterns.

 

[DocRob]

I have one Dietz Lantern and 2 oil lamps for when the power goes out. Now I have to find the right oil for them. Unfortunatly the only lamp oil they have here in Japan is Parafin oil which I can't use.

 

[papajoscochise]

I opted for the Dietz lanterns. They have been manufactured since the late 1850s The cost of kerosene is around $10.00 a gallon here in Calif. I learned that you can burn diesel (less then $4.00 gal). Just be careful about the ventilation where you are using the lantern. Lehman's is a good source for Deitz lanterns.

That's where I got mine. I burn citronella oil in it on my picnic table.

Love that Lehmans!

 

[TrysteofFate]

It's absolutely crazy here in Portsmouth VA....heard a conversation in line behind me when checking out between a couple of youths, discussing how and what they'd steal once the lights went out. Lanterns, both electric and propane, were already low, along with flashlights and most camping supplies.

Good thing I'm getting out of this area when the storm hits...packing up what I have and not planning on having anything I leave behind when I get back. Anything left is a bonus!

 

[Kipper]

Look for:

Light source: Get LED. Stay away from incandescent and florescent as they burn thru batteries too fast.
Lumens: 190 or up, with HIGH and LOW settings.
Power: "D" battery powered. Stay away from rechargeable.
RunTime: This is important. Read the box. With LED and 4 "D" batteries, it should run for roughly 65 hours on high, or 120+ hours on low.

Just thought i would let you know, you can get rechargable D's

 

[Dougzilla]

Kind of funny how everybody else are sheep ,yet 2 posters were out doing the same thing as the sheep.
.

The difference between me and them, i already have 4 other lanterns :thumb:

 

[Dougzilla]

Buy rechargeables. They can sit dead forever then be charged when needed. Granted if left too long they can go bad, bu they last a hell of a lot longer. They are all I use now.

I use rechargeables in my flashlights. But anything i have with a rechargeable battery that sits, no longer holds a charge.

Roomba battery - dead
Rechargeable screw guns - all dead
Rechargeable sweeper - dead
Lanterns with "D" batts - all work

 

[Grevlin]

Charlotte Area:

Went to Walmart to just to spy on the natives...no practical buying yet, just all the useless junk still.

I had to go on and get a few things I was missing...a few bottles of good scotch and a bag of ice :thumb:


Everything else is stocked up and ready to rock, as always.

 

[Dougzilla]

Just thought i would let you know, you can get rechargable D's

rechargeable "D" batts are 1.2 volts each. Primaries are 1.5 volts each. Much brighter.

If you get a good lantern with a long run time, you wont have a problem.

My energizer lantern still has the same 4 D batteries in it from 6 years ago. I use it randomly when i go out to the woods or have power outages.

 

[Dougzilla]

I have a few oil lanterns also, but most of the time my power goes out is during thunderstorms in the summer time. I can't run those things in my house because it heats the house up too fast. LED's are great that they don't put out any heat.

Of course if the power went out in the winter, i'd be lighting those oil lamps pretty quick to slow down the heat loss in the house.

 

[Misanthropy]

Walmart actually sells some China crap oil lanterns. They actually work ok for being $4.88 each. For the price of one colman LED lantern I can get 4 oil lanterns and oil.