The Nort star looks very bright I have one of the Coleman double mantle lamps and it is very good, lights easy reliable and bright. I have wondered about the North star and keep looking to see if I could pick one up at a decent price.
It’s nice to have it in the collection @rayw but it’s not got the same appeal as the older lanterns. It’s an electronic ignition and would be great as a practical and reliable camping lantern. I didn’t pay much for it and it came with a nice carry case which I can use to safely transport my older lanterns!
I never seem to hear much praise for them, but still quite interesting. I keep hoping for a bargain. To get one with the case would be a big plus. The old one looks superb, I picked up an old paraffin Coleman recently, it wasn't working very well but soon had it up and running quite well.
The main advantage of the Northstar (other than its brightness) is the fact it can be adjusted, unlike most other pressure lanterns that are on/off devices. Its weakest point is the electronic ignitor. They seem to go bust quite easily. It is possible to buy a replacement, but I find it to expensive, so I use long matches instead. Besides, I have no idea how long a new one will last me and am not interested in finding out...
The Northstar is a decent development and its certainly bright if working properly. But it does not appeal to me like the 242. Too many plastic parts.
Exactly my experience with mine! Mind you, it did cost only £12, including box, at a car boot sale - I didn't even bother to haggle the bloke down - so I'm not complaining. But it's yet another lantern I haven't seen for years...
Hi @James The Northstar uses a special mantle, only sold by Coleman. It is unique, no other lantern uses this type of mantle. As far as I know, Coleman mantles nowadays are Thorium-free. They are a very potent lantern! (I'd have to look up the CP, but I think it is higher than the twin mantle Colemans)
It was just the cardboard box, unfortunately, not the carrying case. But, yes, a bargain at £12 - I think I might have paid slightly more for the spare globe I bought later on...
It is possible to use regular mantles... I've seen posts where it's been demonstrated. I've even seen one converted to kero which is the only reason I'd buy one if the price was right.
Hi @ColinG , using a regular mantle would mean one can't use the igniter anymore but as these go bust anyway, it makes sense! It would also save some money, the original ones are not cheap! I think one would need to use the largest size available though as the Northstar has a high output. Converting to kero in my opinion is mostly a waste of time, there are so many good kero lanterns out there, so why bother? It takes away the biggest advantage of the white gas lanterns, their "quick start" feature. I have no idea how much they go for second hand, but I have the impression they were never very popular. As long as everything works, they are a great lantern!
The Coleman Northstar "dual fuel" lantern should have a gas tip(jet) orifice of 0.009" in diametre. A Coleman 236 has a jet orifice of 0.0095" in diametre. Accordingly, the Coleman 236 would have a slightly greater output. Since they're both gasoline/Coleman Fuel lanterns, I'd guess their rated outputs would still be in the range of 500/550cp. If the Northstar appears brighter, maybe the design of the mantle and its assembly make some difference in the emitted light.
If my calculations are correct, a 0.5 thou increase in diameter will give about 11% increase in area and theoretically the same increase in light. Not much but noticeable.
Sorry i did get it wrong In the orriginal text it says "The Coleman Northstar "dual fuel" lantern should have a gas tip(jet) orifice of 0.009" in diametre. A Coleman 236 has a jet orifice of 0.0095" in diametre." Thats a difference of 0.0005" on diameter, or 0.0127 mm or just over 1/100 th of a millimeter 0.009" diameter = 0.0000636 square inches area 0.0095 diameter = 0.0000708 square inches area Its pretty small in area but arround 11.3 % more
Yes, its proportional to the percentage increase in the orifice's area. That's with all other factors (pressure, fuel, etc) being the same for both lanterns. And, assuming that both the Northstar and 236 are burning perfectly with optimum fuel-air ratios and with the best mantles that could be used for each. By the way, has anyone ever compare the two side-by-side when they're operating as such? Which one would give a higher lumen output if measured with a lux meter?
I was just passing time making the calculations but one thing struck me, the amout of enlargement of the diameter is very small and yet the area grows by more than 11 %. Its easy to understand why lamps start to act up when the jets become worn, only a tiny bit will throw everything out.
Proportional to the square of their radii. Its about the relative sizes to us. 0.0005" difference does not sound significant to us but it does to something as small as a 0.009" orifice. That's pretty much analogous to diametre difference between 9.5" and 9.0".
