Hi all, I wanted a Petromax for a long time but didn't have that much spare coin. So I came across the Sea Anchor clone on Sportman's Guide on sale and bought it overjoyed. I filled it with kerosene and she started up without any problems. But then I noticed there are plastic rings on either end of the glass which melted and caught on fire. And to me they seemed to be there on purpose not just for transport. So I took them out but now the glass fits very loose. It's a standard 115mm high glass. And I haven't seen those rings in any parts diagrams or for sale anywhere. So, does anyone here know what I'm talking about? Is there a way to make the glass fits tighter? Did I do something wrong when I lit it? Are there any of those things out there to buy? Your help is much appreciated !
@Thomas Schneider, In fact you should have removed those rings because they are meant to protect the globe for transport only. The glass globe must be be loose inside the cage because of the thermal expansion when the lantern is lit.
Thomas Sea Anchors have a bad reputation as a working lantern. I had one under a different name and insisted the seller take it back. Stay away from Wenzel's as well. I have made very expensive mistakes with P'max and clone lanterns and I would warn you to really research buying them . Too with the skyrocketing of lantern prices a body has to be extra sure about what lantern to buy, ease of operation, parts costs etc. Many people will tell you about their " P'Max phase" and then how they moved on to other lanterns. If you want a lantern with Pmax brightness ,power and Coleman reliability and ease of use the Amish lighting company, HC Lanterns makes a lantern, the HC 500, with a Coleman tank/fount for $200 plus shipping.
G'day Thomas and welcome to CPL. I'm glad your lantern started up without any problems besides the melting plastic . Petromax clones often need tuning even from new to get them running properly.
Well that explains it... But the glass has a lot of play, you can lift it up a centimeter or so... that seems quite generous for thermal expansion...
Yes I hear ya... it was an impulse buy for sure ... But other than the silliness with the plastic rings it's working ok so far, knocking on wood... I have a couple of other lanterns anyway so I don't have to rely on this one should it render its ghost. Those Amish lanterns look indeed very nice but they are a bit out of my budget for the time being...
The China clones of PX are as bright and reliable as ancold German Petromax, After you have checked all parts, And did the all the standard improvements, which I. Apply to Petromaxes and Clones alike. Egrets are said to be unoperational. I can tell you, mine works just perfect and is even dimmable with kero. Regards willi
hi thomas due to the founts being made of steel and not brass on the anchor lamps they will rust if not well looked after. i have two of these as well as a petromax a hipolito, and an optimus 1550 and all work superbly.
That is good to know, thanks! I guess I shouldn't be surprised this day and age of the internet but it nonetheless floors me each time that there would be a fellowship of the pressure lantern in this case with people from around the globe who share their passion and experience... I mention "pressure lantern" to anyone else in my life and I get a "huh?" or a shrug at best... This truly is the internet at its best! In any case thanks for all the info and keep 'em bright fellas!! (I will too, I'm just waiting for new mantles...)
Well, I suspect you'd probably get the same response if you said 'wax cylinder' or 'phonograph' when referring to recorded music. Probably even, 'Sony Walkman' these days!
This is not true. There is a big qualitative difference between a Chinamax and vintage PX or vintage clones, parts and operation are MUCH BETTER on the vintage. I don't feel Anchors or Wenzels or other brands of Chinamax lanterns are to be recommended to people with no experience with lanterns because the Chinamax is poorly made and that makes it even harder to light when even the vintage PMAX's require a learning curve to operate. If newcomers are expecting to operate that bright handsome Anchor reliably, easily over a long period of time , they got some surprises coming. lol
The problem with the far east Pmax clones is that the quality is very inconsistent, by brand as well as by individual example. One may get lucky and find one with minimal defects that works well. The next one you get may look good but not work worth a damn without rebuilding it and repairing/replacing defective parts. It is like the predictability of the temperament of a dog from a good blood line: You know what characteristics you are getting, in broad strokes at least. There are some wonderful mutts out there, but in the same litter you may have geniuses and idiots, heroes and cowards with no way of telling ahead of time.
I must have been lucky because so far it has worked great what the lighting is concerned. A short warm-up with the rapid preheater and it lights up nicely. What I don't like is that the glass is so loose that it very easily tilts. I will have to modify the base so that it has a better seat. But it was a $40 lantern so I can't really complain... Are there typical problems those Anchor lanterns often have or develop? Anything I should look out for?
Bad rubber seals, gas tip getting loose, ceramic burner cap becoming loose, and RUST. Fortunately all fixable and preventable. Is it Anchor or Sea Anchor? They are two different products, with Anchor being by far the better one.
The main difference is the fount: brass versus steel. As we all know, steel rusts so watch out for rusting Chinese founts! On the other hand, some brass founts get stress fractures...... To be honest, I do like the quality of most Chinese lanterns, the Indian made ones are (far) worse imho. Best regards, Wim
I sure hope mine will be more Lassie than Cujo... But I get what you're saying. I will have to start feeding the piggy bank for one that was made with love. And also come up with a decent justification to present it to my wife...
It's a Sea Anchor. Ningbo Cixi I believe and they make another called Butterfly. Ningbo Cixi Sea Anchor Pressure Lantern Co.,Ltd. There was a sale on Sportman's Guide and I got one for about $40 so I impulse bought it... But so far so good, knocking on wood it stays that way.
In my opinion the Primus 1020 is the all-round best kerosene pressure lamp ever made, by anyone. They can often be had for around $40 from Sweden on tradera.com Simple, robust, low-maintenance, reliable, unbeatable performance range. If you are in the market for another kero lantern, this would be my best recommendation.
ttps://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/hq-issue-steel-hurricane-lantern?a=1502179 If one reads the reviews of the lantern one can see the problems with it and how mainstream people will struggle to no good end with one. The reviews echo the same ones I had with the Chinamax I owned . Luckily I could return mine for a refund.
I have a Sea Anchor I bought new, & now it just pretty much sits there taking up space. It's temperamental at best, & downright dangerous when it decides to pitch a fit. I fought with it till it irritated me one too many times, & now it sits under my work bench. I have a 'Work Horse" brand Pmax clone & it's an order of magnitude more reliable than my Sea Anchor.....I especially like the positive fuel shut off on it. I don't know if the Sea Anchor are the made by the same people as the Butterfly or not.....I had one of those I also bought new, & other than having to replace a couple of seals that tended to leak, it worked well. I eventually let a friend talk me out of it, after I'd acquired the Work Horse, I don't think he's lit it since he got it....lol
Hi, A few years ago, i kissed my first Petromax N°829 lamp it was on the sidewalk for 5 €. I bought it out of curiosity because it was marked Schott & Gen Mainz, as i am a chemist i use the Schott's laboratory glassware, i bought out of curiosity for technical research on this thing unknown to me. Then the viral disease of the lamp fell on me and there my doctor can not find the remedies I have no Chinese lamp in my collection. Best regards, Titoo
In all fairness I must say that, rusted through founts excepted, I have not yet encountered a Chinese Petromax clone that could not function acceptably after a proper service.
I agree with Phaedrus42. Here's my 57-year old Petromax and a circa 2010?? Butterfly operating side by side. However this Butterfly is not a Chinamax from Ningbo, China. Still it depends on your luck when you get these...inconsistent quality is expected.
Hi M8tey ... I use carbon fibre to pack the glass on my PMax Bund lantern ... I bought it to use in handwarmers ... it is justbrilliant stuff you get a roll and cut with scissors to required width or length .. result ... no glass movement Alb
Hi Thomas .. I posted a solution to your ill fitting glass problem today on this site ... its the use of " carbon fibre " an excellent way to pack the sides of the glass ..to resist / stop movement ....comes in various sheet sizes....and is flexible can be cut to your requirements easily by sharp scissors.... China Ebay has the stuff readily available ..I bought a large sheet to pack insides of pocket handwarmers but now I use strips of it at the sides of my glass in the Petromax 829 lantern ... CF is flexible too..to allow for expansion of glass ...The carbon fiber itself will withstand incredibly high temps of over 1000 dgs + more than your lantern will ever reach or generate ....glass now solid / stable/ safe ...result buddy Alb in UK
Alby, that sounds genius! I was going to braze on little brackets for the glass to sit on but hadn't gotten around to it... now I think I will go this route! So far I must say the wobbly glass has been the only real gripe about the Sea Anchor, l used it on a few outings and it works great so far. Yay!
good evening from me too. I would like to share my own experience with the sea anchor lantern. first of all, I own 3 petromax lanterns and I decided to buy a Chinese clone. What I noticed at first is the same as you, that is, the glass has quite a few gaps but this is not something serious. The problem was that the sealing plug in the carburetor was leaking, so I had to change it. Then I found that the valve from the air pump was also leaking, so I had to change the valve as well. Fortunately, I have spare parts from petromax. When the lantern finally lit up and worked for about 2 hours, the mantle caught fire and the light dimmed. the classic problem in many lanterns, even petromax ones. poor quality nozzle, resulting in a leak in the combustion chamber. I also changed the nozzle with a tighter one and the problems were solved. Unfortunately, these things happen with the newer generations of headlights.
