So I here people talking about all kinds of different mantles. Different brands and types. I want to know if Coleman ones would really be the best for Coleman lanterns, or some other brand.
@Levi Tomey I can’t really say what is best, however Peerless mantles have a good following here. You may find this thread of interest too. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/something-to-make-you-smile-from-china.15724/#post-119997 Regards Jeremy
The Coleman ones were great and would be the 'best' for Coleman lanterns provided you could still find mantles such as this:-
@MYN These are hard to find and they usually cost a fortune when you find them! The #21 available now is okay. They work well on Coleman lamps and lanterns.
Mantles... this subject can cause quite a lot of confusion and also some controversy. I'm definitely no expert in the field but there are some things you should consider: Twin mantle lanterns are not twice as bright as single lanterns! There's a bunch of science to explain why but it's to do with surface area, gas volumes through-put and probably more besides. Peerless mantles had a reputation for excellence but recently I've started to hear that this is no longer the case. Others might like to jump in on this. Coleman mantles are good but expensive but I've heard that even their quality isn't as good as it once was either. Double tie mantles used on Tilleys, Bialaddins and Vapalux can be a bit difficult to find and are too expensive in my opinion and original NOS will set you back serious cash in my experience. Chinese mantles are cheap as chips but the quality control is.... variable to say the least. Sometimes you can buy 20 Butterfly 41 and they'll perform excellently and the next batch you can get 4 useable ones out of ten. My policy is to stock up on Chinese brands like Butterfly, Anchor and generic no-names as the cost is minimal, (like less than £7 for 36 from AliExpress) and snap up any good brands I come across going cheap. I keep some Peerless and Coleman for 'special occasions' and use cheap ones for testing or for everyday use if they work OK. At the end of the day, I strongly suspect that most mantles these days are made in China, India or elsewhere in the Far East no matter what brand you buy.
@Levi Tomey My advice is to start out with the appropriate Coleman mantles for your lamps until you get the hang of them and start to experiment. Tony
I use the cheap single tie chinese ones and unpick the bottom stitching, turn then inside out and attach the bottom bit with a bit of wire on my 2 tie lamps, tilley and vapalux. The only difference i see is a warmer golden light from the chinese mantles... they shape rather well so far so good. And i buy the cheapest going. I an VERY careful with the strings as they snap so easily. I have only had to trash one of then as I messed up the unpicking So far I have not tried them on colemans, as I only have the one lamp
I'd use the Chinese ones as they're still easily available, cheap enough and perform quite well. However, the tie-strings are weak and require delicate fingers. The radioactive ones are whiter and less yellow in their emitted light as compared to the current Coleman No.21s.
@ColinG Hey Colin, Its a late one, very common, a twin mantle "powerhouse" Straight glass, dark green, made about early 1980's if memory serves... I think its a 290A Can't be more specific, as its at my house in France and I am marooned in lockdown London. Its a workhorse that's for sure, has given me no trouble and I just filled it up and off it went, no tinkering or seal changes. My very first lamp before I knew people collected them... including me! has the original box as well. looked in the reference section to see if I can find it, but there are far to many in there! One thing I did find as I was looking on line was this website, perhaps its interesting to you? Its a real mess and very badly made website but it has a list of manuals for lanterns on it. The Old Town Coleman Center
Wow, you weren't joking when you said it was a badly made website but apparently they're making a new one! The green 290 came just before the silver 295 Powerhouse which is virtually identical. The 295 was my first Coleman and as you say, they just work, first time, every time! In an emergency I'd go for the 295 first and then some of my Petromax clones. And @Levi Tomey did you decide which mantles to go for in the end
