Need a New Lantern!

[dr_clyde]

We had a winter storm last night that knocked out power for a few hours and my old Coleman battery lantern I’ve had for 20+ years finally decided to die for good.

New lantern time!

I’m probably just going to pick up a classic Coleman propane lantern, but I’m also open to suggestions.

I have Milwaukee tools at my shop, but not at home. Is it worth picking up the cordless one even if I have to drive to the shop to get it?

 

[bassJAM]

I have a 20 year old Coleman Propane, a 50 year old (and recently rebuilt) Coleman gas, and an Aladdin Mantle oil lamp my parents got me for my wedding.

But honestly when the power goes out I grab these cheap lanterns I got from Harbor Freight. I originally picked them up for my kids to play with out side, but they're bright and the batteries last forever and the only ones that have died have been the ones that have bounced down stairs or been left outside in the rain for weeks. I've got about 6 or 7 total so I can spread them around the house when the power goes out. Not that they're expensive at $4.99, but occationally HF puts them on sale for $3.99. Looks like HF says the run-time is 2hrs 20 minutes, but my kids have left them on overnight and they're still putting out plenty of light the next morning.

250 Lumen Pop-Up Lantern

Amazing deals on this 250 Lumen Pop-Up Lantern at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I've only got out the propane and oil lamp once when the power company said it'd be 12hrs until they restored power, and wouldn't you know they got it fixed in about 90 minutes...of which I probably spent 30 minutes getting the oil lamp set up (had never used it before) and putting a new mantle in the Coleman.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I just grabbed a flashlight and then went back to bed until it got light out enough to see.
Then I made tea with my MSR Pocket Rocket
(flashlight was 79 cents up at Harbor Freight)
YMMV

 

[ObnoxiousFumes]

I have Milwaukee tools at my shop, but not at home. Is it worth picking up the cordless one even if I have to drive to the shop to get it?

Hmm I'd say YES!
This reminds me of even more reasons to buy more cordless tools, I need work lights anyway so might as well.

 

[GeoBruin]

Flashlights (and by extension, lanterns) are one of the many rabbit holes it's possible to go down and I'm only a couple years "recovered" from my journey. During my time, I was closely following a project conceived of by a dedicated few flashlight enthusiasts over at budget light forums. In fact, many forum members contributed ideas and input to the design, and the members managed to arrange for the light to be produced by a manufacturer that is now called Sofirn.

The project was named the Budget Light Forum Lantern 1 (Blf-lt1) for short). It embraced what were considered to be the most advanced features at the time including efficient LEDs, advanced user interface, high capacity (replaceable) batteries, usb-c charging, and the ability to charge other devices. The form factor was adapted from a flashlight host then manufactured by Sofirn. The project was a great success and many were made/purchased.

Since then, more variations were made and the original has been refined but as far as I can tell, subsequent versions have kept to the spirit of the original design intent. The most compelling version in my opinion is the Lt1s (or lt1s-pro for the advanced UI).

I say all this because if you can imagine getting a bunch of dedicated tool nerds (such as those that hang around here) together and asking them to collaborate to design a tool, and then getting a company that is active on the forum (think Astro Pneumatic Tools) to produce the tool, that is essentially what happened. I really enjoyed having a front row seat to that process and I think what came out of it would be hard to beat in terms of functionality and features.

In any case, I strongly encourage you to look at Li Ion powered lantern options. They'll run for months continuously on very low modes, are very bright on high modes, have lots of features like custom tints and colors and the ability to charge to/from other devices, etc. Many are waterproof/dust proof/shock proof, etc.

Good luck with your search.

 

[dscheidt]

We had a winter storm last night that knocked out power for a few hours and my old Coleman battery lantern I’ve had for 20+ years finally decided to die for good.

New lantern time!

I’m probably just going to pick up a classic Coleman propane lantern, but I’m also open to suggestions.

I have Milwaukee tools at my shop, but not at home. Is it worth picking up the cordless one even if I have to drive to the shop to get it?

I'd suggest just having one at home. lithium batteries stay charged a long time, just remembering to bring a different battery home, and take the current one to work once every six months or a year (or after a power outage) would be enough.

 

[dr_clyde]

Swung by Blain’s at lunch today to take a peek at what they had on the shelf for lanterns.

Milwaukee sure is proud of theirs, $150 for just the bare light.

I really don’t like the idea of having to have a bunch of D cells in the house anymore, so if I go battery a rechargeable lithium or something that uses drill batteries would be ideal but I just don’t know if I want to have a $150 lantern that just sits 95% of the time. Maybe.

Propane is cheaper by half, but not as safe or easy for my wife to use. I also don’t know how I feel about using one indoors for more than a couple hours.

I’ll keep looking, keep the suggestions coming!

 

[ObnoxiousFumes]

Swung by Blain’s at lunch today to take a peek at what they had on the shelf for lanterns.

Milwaukee sure is proud of theirs, $150 for just the bare light.

I really don’t like the idea of having to have a bunch of D cells in the house anymore, so if I go battery a rechargeable lithium or something that uses drill batteries would be ideal but I just don’t know if I want to have a $150 lantern that just sits 95% of the time. Maybe.

Propane is cheaper by half, but not as safe or easy for my wife to use. I also don’t know how I feel about using one indoors for more than a couple hours.

I’ll keep looking, keep the suggestions coming!

Does it have to be a lantern? As long as it emits light in a usable pattern right? One of their work lights should work well enough and then would serve dual purpose.
Either way I'd wait for a sale.

 

[larry4406]

We have solar lights on our deck posts.

Past few outages I’ve just grabbed a few from the deck to place in the house.

Glad I didn’t use the screws to secure them to the post.

 

[four.cycle]

"...keep the suggestions coming! ..."

Over the years, I've been gifted various objects designed for illuminating the interior of a tent.
What people who do not backpack do not understand is that weight is almost as important as function. (Small and light is better.)
Best gizmo I have been gifted was a small cylindrical LED "lantern" that used a few AAA batteries. About 5 inches tall, little under two inches in diameter. Not sure of brand - I would have to do some digging in boxes.
Check REI's website.
Gas is a pain in the *** unless it's really needed. Technology with newer LED lamps/lanterns/flashlights makes them the no-brainer choice in my book.

 

[Kscardsfan]

Find an old Coleman white gas at a garage sale for $20 and keep some fuel around, then buy a couple of battery powered options. The battery powered ones are too numerous for me to even try to keep up with. I'm looking for one that has multiple power levels, and USB outlets on it to charge phones etc when we have a power outage. My dad has the propane Coleman lanterns and he's a fan, but it's because he's old and doesn't like pumping them up anymore. At one point I had to cook most of my meals on my old Coleman camp stove when my wife was pregnant because the smell of beef or pork cooking would make her puke.

 

[Buster21]

I have the Streamlight Siege, I keep lithium batteries in them so I don't have to worry about the batteries.

 

[four.cycle]

^ that's kind of like the gizmo I was talking about just above. lights up the whole room. can't beat it with a stick.

 

[nadogail]

The Harbor Freight lanterns seem to be a good value.

 

[WildBill]

I have a 20 year old Coleman Propane, a 50 year old (and recently rebuilt) Coleman gas, and an Aladdin Mantle oil lamp my parents got me for my wedding.

But honestly when the power goes out I grab these cheap lanterns I got from Harbor Freight. I originally picked them up for my kids to play with out side, but they're bright and the batteries last forever and the only ones that have died have been the ones that have bounced down stairs or been left outside in the rain for weeks. I've got about 6 or 7 total so I can spread them around the house when the power goes out. Not that they're expensive at $4.99, but occationally HF puts them on sale for $3.99. Looks like HF says the run-time is 2hrs 20 minutes, but my kids have left them on overnight and they're still putting out plenty of light the next morning.

250 Lumen Pop-Up Lantern

Amazing deals on this 250 Lumen Pop-Up Lantern at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I've only got out the propane and oil lamp once when the power company said it'd be 12hrs until they restored power, and wouldn't you know they got it fixed in about 90 minutes...of which I probably spent 30 minutes getting the oil lamp set up (had never used it before) and putting a new mantle in the Coleman.

I have some of those cheap pop up style lanterns off of Amazon, they are really bright and work great, seem to run forever. That's all we have used for light during power outages for the last ten years.

 

[nh_yota]

I've owned various iterations of the simple battery powered Coleman lantern over the years. The fluorescent version lasted a long time and now I've moved to the LED version:

Robot or human?

 

[bassJAM]

Swung by Blain’s at lunch today to take a peek at what they had on the shelf for lanterns.

Milwaukee sure is proud of theirs, $150 for just the bare light.

I really don’t like the idea of having to have a bunch of D cells in the house anymore, so if I go battery a rechargeable lithium or something that uses drill batteries would be ideal but I just don’t know if I want to have a $150 lantern that just sits 95% of the time. Maybe.

Propane is cheaper by half, but not as safe or easy for my wife to use. I also don’t know how I feel about using one indoors for more than a couple hours.

I’ll keep looking, keep the suggestions coming!

I'm not familiar with Milwaukee's offerings because I'm in the Bosch world, but along with those cheap HF lights I forgot I also have an 18v work light. I just put it on a high shelf and shine it at the ceiling and it gives off enough light to read or play a board game.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXXC5WE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[rlitman]

Go with what you have; and preferably something you will use regularly. By that, I mean that if you expect to have charged M18 batteries at home, then the M18 lights are a good option, but if not, then use something else. And while it may be tempting to have an emergency lantern plugged into an outlet and forgotten about until needed, the batteries will likely be dead when you actually need it. If you use it regularly, you know it works.

I own two M18 rover floodlights, and when aimed straight up, if you place a full bottle of water on top of the light they make a FANTASTIC lantern.

My backup to the backup are Dietz kerosene lanterns. I heat my garage with kerosene, so I'll always have fuel, and I have plenty of matches. I still have a pair of Coleman propane lanterns (and a whole lot of unused mantles) sitting around, but with the cost of propane, I just don't bother with them. That's not to say that the kerosene is better (is isn't by a long shot; propane is cleaner and FAR brighter), but propane lanterns are TOO bright and hot for me to use regularly, and the mantles are SO fragile.

 

[Dave455]

I think the idea of a battery powered lamp is a good start.

I’m loathe to recommend anything in particular as technology is changing all the time. I’m not a great lover of rechargeables for this application as they never seem to have charge when needed.

If my power goes down I’m usually reaching straight for my old style mini maglite. The flashlight nerds really don’t like these, but they are well made, simple (no circuits or parasitic drain) light output is decent, and the “candle” feature almost unique.

I travel a lot, and can’t imagine not having one of these simple and reliable lights with me.


Second choice for me is a propane lamp. Mines a Bullfinch which is a British maker, but I’m guessing a Coleman is similar. I cook with propane and installed a spare outlet, so I can just connect up and I’m going. The light output from these is awesome and there are no issues with fumes (any more than from a gas fire).

I can connect to a portable cylinder if needed, which I always have for my blowlamp.



Next option is a “Tilley” lamp. Again, a British thing, but often misunderstood. They burn paraffin (kerosene) from a pressurised tank. The fuel is vapourised before being burnt, and they use a mantle, so the light output is much greater than a hurricane lamp.

There have been times when I‘ve needed to work in my shop without power, and these are great for that.


Final option is a traditional “hurricane” lamp. The best are the German made “Feuerhand” and I wouldn’t personally want to go cheaper. These have one advantage over the Tilley in that they have no mantle, so are theoretically more rugged, but the light output is lower, and my Dad carried a Tilley in his vehicle for decades without issues.


Finally, conventional candles or nightlights are hard to beat for simplicity. I found a cheap supply for both about 10 years back and stocked up.

Whatever you choose, have a few different options!

 

[AdAstra]

Flashlights (and by extension, lanterns) are one of the many rabbit holes it's possible to go down and I'm only a couple years "recovered" from my journey. During my time, I was closely following a project conceived of by a dedicated few flashlight enthusiasts over at budget light forums. In fact, many forum members contributed ideas and input to the design, and the members managed to arrange for the light to be produced by a manufacturer that is now called Sofirn.

The project was named the Budget Light Forum Lantern 1 (Blf-lt1) for short). It embraced what were considered to be the most advanced features at the time including efficient LEDs, advanced user interface, high capacity (replaceable) batteries, usb-c charging, and the ability to charge other devices. The form factor was adapted from a flashlight host then manufactured by Sofirn. The project was a great success and many were made/purchased.

Since then, more variations were made and the original has been refined but as far as I can tell, subsequent versions have kept to the spirit of the original design intent. The most compelling version in my opinion is the Lt1s (or lt1s-pro for the advanced UI).

I say all this because if you can imagine getting a bunch of dedicated tool nerds (such as those that hang around here) together and asking them to collaborate to design a tool, and then getting a company that is active on the forum (think Astro Pneumatic Tools) to produce the tool, that is essentially what happened. I really enjoyed having a front row seat to that process and I think what came out of it would be hard to beat in terms of functionality and features.

In any case, I strongly encourage you to look at Li Ion powered lantern options. They'll run for months continuously on very low modes, are very bright on high modes, have lots of features like custom tints and colors and the ability to charge to/from other devices, etc. Many are waterproof/dust proof/shock proof, etc.

Good luck with your search.

I have an original LT1 and it’s great.

The LT1S / Pro seems even better. All the other battery lanterns seem mediocre in comparison.

And gas is so unnecessary with LEDs and rechargeable lithium batteries.

You should have a plan to keep your phone charged in an emergency. The lantern is USB-C and can be charged from the same thing, as well as serve as a power bank for your phone. You can store extra 2170 batteries if you want a stockpile, and unlike gas you can recharge those too. And you’re not dealing with a boutique supply chain for fuel and fragile mantles.

 

[rd65]

Wife ordered some of these for the grandkids to play with and we found they work really well for when the power goes out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H7DP19Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I also just ordered one of these for the shop, I use PC for my cordless tools. It arrives next week so I'm not sure how good it will work but I always have batteries for it. I bought a couple 5ah off brand batteries from amazon as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FQ8OHK0/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I also still have my old Coleman white gas lantern from the 80's. There is a pic on the garage at night thread and maybe on my shop build thread I think.

 

[PCustoms]

I have a Coleman propane I (occasionally) use for camping and outages.

A few years back I got the M18 light as a part of a "free battery" promotion. Works fantastic in the house. I'd like to pick up a lantern version at some point.

 

[Davefr]

We had a winter storm last night that knocked out power for a few hours and my old Coleman battery lantern I’ve had for 20+ years finally decided to die for good.

New lantern time!

I’m probably just going to pick up a classic Coleman propane lantern, but I’m also open to suggestions.

I have Milwaukee tools at my shop, but not at home. Is it worth picking up the cordless one even if I have to drive to the shop to get it?

If your talking a lantern for your home then don't even think about propane or gas.

I just picked up this one for power outages and it's pretty nice.
It's lithium with a really long run time at low settings (50 hours). It also has a USB output port for charging other devices. It seems really well built. HF get's mixed reviews but I think their lighting products are quite nice.

2000 Lumen Rechargeable Waterproof LED Lantern/Battery Bank

Amazing deals on this 2000L Rechargeable Lantern/Battery Bank at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[DerekV]

I love this thing, highly recommend it.

Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless 700-Lumen LED Lantern/Trouble Light w/ USB Charging (Tool-Only) 2363-20 - The Home Depot

The MILWAUKEE M18 Lantern/Flood Light is the only lantern that adjusts to focus up to 700 Lumens TRUEVIEW High Definition Output for unmatched light output to illuminate large work areas. The flood light

www.homedepot.com

 

[toyotadriver]

I have several M12 lanterns. Love them. We use them for camping and during power outages. Never use the Coleman lantern any more.




Nothing in this post should be misunderstood, interpreted, misinterpreted, or construed to be of a political nature.

 

[engineer2]

I would go with whatever lantern your favorite cordless tool brand offers. LEDs are pretty efficient.
Pocket flashlights have surprisingly long battery life. I left my Oolite 500 lumen on all night and it was still on in the morning,
Same with my Makita worklight. It had the little 2.5 battery and it lasted all night.

 

[AdAstra]

Seriously the LT1S dominates all these other options. And is cheaper.

Machined aluminum housing, waterproof. Excellent light quality, in 3 colors: cool white, soft white, and red. (Having nice warm white light or good quality red light vs fluorescent colored light at night is so nice.) USB-C charging. Easily user-replaceable 21700 cylindrical lithium rechargeable battery, so if battery dies in 10 years you can be as good as new/get latest higher capacity battery, and stockpile small inexpensive commodity spare batteries if desired.

Why use a tool battery one that is huge and requires AC to charge (unless you have a special car charge setup)? Or the HF one that is plastic and has a non-replaceable battery and only one cool color temperature and is more expensive?

 

[RTM]

have my Astro under hood LED light, a couple of rechargeable former deck LED lights, Makita LED flashlights of various voltages, a few 18650 powered LED flashlights, a Suboos LED lantern. And a UPS & generator to charge them all up.

Plus a few non rechargeable LED lights running off AAA/ AA OR C &D batteries.

IF the power outage goes on too long, I do have 2 Coleman liquid gas powered lanterns, and one or two propane can powered ones.

And a few candles, hurricane lamps, Dietz lanterns.

I really don't trust PGE.

Edit: just ordered some Sofirn stuff, including the lantern

 

[Harley94]

The humble candle throws out an amazing amount of light once your eyes adjust to it.

 

[Davefr]

Why use a tool battery one that is huge and requires AC to charge (unless you have a special car charge setup)? Or the HF one that is plastic and has a non-replaceable battery and only one cool color temperature and is more expensive?

I agree with your comments about a lantern that depends on a huge/expensive tool battery and proprietary charger. (that kills the deal IMHO). The Sofirn looks nice but compared to the Braun it is has less capacity, less output, and uses USB C as the output port. For an output port I want USB A since that's the most common for USB output connectors. The Braun is also cheaper with coupon and in store pickup. Just some other considerations for the OP.

 

[M6erfan]

I just don’t know if I want to have a $150 lantern that just sits 95% of the time. Maybe.

It's the 5% you plan for. But if you don't have the battery platform at home then I'd skip the idea anyway.

Propane is cheaper by half, but not as safe or easy for my wife to use. I also don’t know how I feel about using one indoors for more than a couple hours.

Propane has it's hazards for sure. I wouldn't recommend it for emergencies, indoors. Candles either. I do have a butane powered camp stove burner that is pretty 'clean' and I would use indoors in an emergency, but I also have a carbon monoxide detector in my 'blackout kit' as a safety measure.

Frosted globe in a lantern can be a plus over clear globes, less harsh light. Frosted globe will cut the lumen output a bit, but during an emergency I'm not concerned with ultimate lumen output. I want runtime and a degree of comfort (on the eyes).

Currently I have a mix of large and small LED lanterns, AA and D battery operated. They're fine and batteries can be had somewhat easier in an emergency than say 18650's or 21700's, or worse, proprietary non replaceable battery. Whatever you get, have backup batteries.

I use a few Black Diamond Apollo's as small nightlights for, say, the bathrooms. On their lowest setting they last 24h. What I like about them is that they have an internal LiOn battery but also can be run on AA's, one or the other or together. Very sturdy build quality, I have an older one that is about 15 years old, still going strong. I also have a larger 'D' powered LED lantern like the Streamlight siege shown above for larger rooms.

I'm definitely thinking about switching over to LiOn lanterns like the Sofirn mentioned above, with spare batteries. Keeping the D and AA lanterns as backups.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I have a Coleman florescent lantern that takes a bunch of D batteries. Low mode is a cheap LED. It's outdated, but I like it. I'm thinking about switching the florescent bulbs out for LED bulbs if I can find the right ones.

I also and LED have work light that stands upright, which has made a good lantern.

In a pinch, I can also tail-stand a high powered flashlight and let the light bounce off the ceiling.

 

[Zeus36]

Most run on Coleman fuel (white gas), but I have a few that run on kerosene and a military issue Coleman that runs on multi-fuels. In storage is a military jerry can of JP-5 fuel as a backup for the kerosene units. The house has three fireplaces, I just set a lit lantern inside on the grate to light up the room.

Also have rechargeable lights for primary usage and the HF pop-up battery lanterns and worklights, but for extended outages, can't beat a Coleman.

 

[RalphInCA]

Go to just about any thrift shop or swap meet and buy an old Coleman lantern.

Then spend an enjoyable week or so cleaning and rebuilding it.

Lots of parts available and support online including a very well done YouTube channel.

Fun project.

 

[carmantl]

Another vote for the Sofirn lanterns. I was on BLF when we first started spitballing about the ultimate LED lantern. Got in on the group buy early and bought a dozen or so for my extended family. I have every variety ever made and have them all throughout the house and basement. They are bulletproof.

 

[minke]

I think the idea of a battery powered lamp is a good start.

I’m loathe to recommend anything in particular as technology is changing all the time. I’m not a great lover of rechargeables for this application as they never seem to have charge when needed.

If my power goes down I’m usually reaching straight for my old style mini maglite. The flashlight nerds really don’t like these, but they are well made, simple (no circuits or parasitic drain) light output is decent, and the “candle” feature almost unique.

I travel a lot, and can’t imagine not having one of these simple and reliable lights with me.


Second choice for me is a propane lamp. Mines a Bullfinch which is a British maker, but I’m guessing a Coleman is similar. I cook with propane and installed a spare outlet, so I can just connect up and I’m going. The light output from these is awesome and there are no issues with fumes (any more than from a gas fire).

I can connect to a portable cylinder if needed, which I always have for my blowlamp.



Next option is a “Tilley” lamp. Again, a British thing, but often misunderstood. They burn paraffin (kerosene) from a pressurised tank. The fuel is vapourised before being burnt, and they use a mantle, so the light output is much greater than a hurricane lamp.

There have been times when I‘ve needed to work in my shop without power, and these are great for that.


Final option is a traditional “hurricane” lamp. The best are the German made “Feuerhand” and I wouldn’t personally want to go cheaper. These have one advantage over the Tilley in that they have no mantle, so are theoretically more rugged, but the light output is lower, and my Dad carried a Tilley in his vehicle for decades without issues.


Finally, conventional candles or nightlights are hard to beat for simplicity. I found a cheap supply for both about 10 years back and stocked up.

Whatever you choose, have a few different options!

After reading every Eric Hiscock ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_and_Susan_Hiscock ) book I've wanted a Tilley lamp. They do seem clumsy to use since they run on kerosene but require alcohol to pre-heat the kerosene ( https://base-camp.co.uk/instruction.html ).

 

[larry_g]

I have a few of the cheap small lanterns staged throughout the house for when the power is off, 3-4 times a year. What I find most annoying is the lanterns that take anywhere from 3-6 button pushes to get it to work as you want. I much prefer the ones that are on or off with one toggle or button push. Reading about the Sofrin light it has something like 40 different modes.. not for me.

Now if your lantern is mobil, in your car or boat then some of the different modes may be of use to you. Get what you need to serve the purpose that you intend it do.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[rlitman]

After reading every Eric Hiscock ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_and_Susan_Hiscock ) book I've wanted a Tilley lamp. They do seem clumsy to use since they run on kerosene but require alcohol to pre-heat the kerosene ( https://base-camp.co.uk/instruction.html ).

You might want to look into a Petromax lamp. The alcohol start though is a deal-breaker for me. Starting kerosene mantle lanterns is smokey, smelly and difficult. At least with a kerosene wick lamp, you just light it and it it works.

 

[Dave455]

After reading every Eric Hiscock ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_and_Susan_Hiscock ) book I've wanted a Tilley lamp. They do seem clumsy to use since they run on kerosene but require alcohol to pre-heat the kerosene ( https://base-camp.co.uk/instruction.html ).

The Tilley lamps are probably my all round favourite.

The light is bright enough to read / work by, but you’re using an inexpensive and very safe fuel that’s easy to store.

Ultimately, it depends on what you have to hand. Paraffin / Kerosene is readily available at rural petrol stations in the U.K. (assuming you don’t heat with it).

The spirit used to light the lamp is “methylated spirit“ (ethanol, mixed with methanol so it can’t be drunk) which is also very common in the U.K. but anything similar can be used.

The starting procedure looks fiddly, but in practice it’s quick. Typically, you store the “pre heater” in a jar of methylated spirit, so you just pull it out, clip it on, and light it.

You might want to look into a Petromax lamp. The alcohol start though is a deal-breaker for me. Starting kerosene mantle lanterns is smokey, smelly and difficult. At least with a kerosene wick lamp, you just light it and it it works.

There is no smoke or smell lighting a Tilley lamp, provided you do it correctly.…

Ensure lamp is turned off and tank not pressurised

Clip on the pre heater and light it. This warms the vapouriser. If you don’t do this you will get smoke and flames.

When it burns down (about 2 mins) turn on the lamp, which will light cleanly straight away, and give a yellow light.

Wait another 30 secs then pressurise the tank. The light will now burn bright white.

 

[M6erfan]

I have a few of the cheap small lanterns staged throughout the house for when the power is off, 3-4 times a year. What I find most annoying is the lanterns that take anywhere from 3-6 button pushes to get it to work as you want. I much prefer the ones that are on or off with one toggle or button push. Reading about the Sofrin light it has something like 40 different modes.. not for me.

Now if your lantern is mobil, in your car or boat then some of the different modes may be of use to you. Get what you need to serve the purpose that you intend it do.

lg
no neat sig line

Agreed. In a power outage, last thing I want to be doing is toggling through a couple dozen "modes". On - brightness - off. Boom, done.