What to look out for on a used Petromax lantern - Advice needed please.

Hi all.

I recently bought a supposed genuine Petromax HK500 from Germany delivered to the UK.
Got stung for custom charges and if I want to return it I have to pay the postage!.
Anyway, turns out its a Chinese copy and by the time I send it back I will be so out of pocket I may as well keep it!. Not happy, but that's life.

Anyway, I have now come across a genuine Made in Germany Petromax Rapid 829 / 500CP

It was sitting in the sellers grandfathers garage for decades aledgedly and it still has the original box and does not look to shabby from the pictures.

I am going over to have a look at it tomorrow.
Any problem areas I need to have a good look at?, obviously corrosion in the tank.
The seller is asking £150 for it, what do you think?, and what should I expect for this sort of price.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I've already been stung once.

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards

Andrew

 

£150 is a little on the high side for me unless its a 'New Old Stock' that was actually made in Germany with all original parts intact and undamaged. Anyway, it also depends on how much you wanted it.
Do take some close-up pictures of it when you're there and post it here. That'd allow us to view it and thus be able to correctly identify it. It is not difficult to differentiate between a genuine German Petromax 829 and a modern/recently-made unit.

 

And yes, welcome to the Forum. You can view some of the details of the Petromax 829 in the Reference Gallery from past posts. Observe some of the stamping details, overall features of the frame/cage, logo, pricker wheel, rapid preheater, pump knob, hood features, filler cap and almost every other part on the lantern as well as the box of course.

 

Its being sold as new, but I doubt it is as the top can be seen to be discolored from heat, so no way am I going to pay the asking price unless it really is new old stock.

I'm well aware of the usual suspects for genuine and non genuine lamps as I am now the owner of NOT a genuine lamp, to be fair to it though it is actually well made and much better than some of the examples I've seen on here, but non the less, 11 points on the star, GermanY Regd not Made in Germany and 6 numbers on the base.
At least it is not steel!!!.

So I'm expecting to go and look at it and see a used lamp most likely with the ceramic burner broken / missing, probably the pump wont be working anymore, the rapid burner rubber sealing rubber may well be perished and potentially, the pricker needle wont be able to be felt poking out when the knob is turned, maybe it might be better than this, but this is what I will be looking for.

Whats a realistic price for a used genuine lamp that will require some work, say if there is no corrosion and it has just been stood for over a decade unused so seals are likely degraded.

Thanks again

 

Scrap that, just read the rules on valuations not allowed, sorry. Hope I haven't got myself a ban before I've even really started.

 

It would be helpfull if you post the pictures you already have. What people tell you is not important, human memory is not so stable over time.
The box, logo, monogram tell you enough. I guess. as far as I know the copies did not include the "original" box copy.

 

The guy selling it is asking top money for it but is also trying to sell as new, which it clearly is not. I'm going over to take a look tomorrow and see if reality can prevail and a sensible price be negotiated.

 

Check if there is a four digit code on the bottom or sctrathes of a date.
Looks in a decent stat but the tarnished hat tell you it is fired. Look if the globe is marked. Manual, spare parts, tool that makes it complete and give more value.
There is a box but it looks beaten.

 

Oh dear, I'm going to be in trouble with SWMBO.

 

Plus 5 Optimus Mantle N0 4s for 500CP

The generators move freely and have the needles present, AIDA is the better of the two but both will require some TLC and most likely new seals all round.

What have I gone and done?

 

Those are genuine. I think I can tell just from a glance without looking at the details. The new ones won't appear like them.

 

Any idea on manufacture date?, 2214 on the AIDA and 0723 on the Petromax.

 

I have gone and bought both of them for less than the asking price on 1.

 

If you're interested, try to negotiate the price. Stamped 4-digits usually indicate the 60s and early 70s.

 

You can search the forum for the dating method of Petromax lanterns. Earlier ones would be hand-scribbled.

 

And compared with my Chinese version

 

For the Px it might be the Tuesday of the 7th week of 1962 wich would be the 13th of Feb 1962.

Do look at this thread : Dating a lantern (give it a place on a time line)

 

The modern ones(China-made) are quite different from the original German-mades. Almost on every detail.

 

The earlier Chinese Petromaxen are not that bad. Not as good as a genuine German made one, but certainly better than the current 'clones' which have been a bit more cost engineered. However you now have three - so that is a collection now !

 

I think the blue plastic pricker wheel and pump knob on the modern Chinese ones won't age and turn brown like the originals.

 

I'm looking forward to restoring these, did some primus stoves decades ago which I have no idea what ever happened to those, but I used to use them camping regularly, done my Coleman dual fuel last summer which I had unfortunately used on unleaded petrol until it and the stove packed in! (I wonder why? ), Anyway now both fully working and never seeing unleaded petrol again, and now I have 3 new kerosene lamps to get fully operational, yes technically one is brand new so should work, but you never know.
Also have some wick lamps.

 

I think I know where I will be visiting next time I'm working in Peterborough as BASE-CAMP is 10 minutes away from where I sometimes get called in. Time to strip down and make a list of what I need to get these all cleaned up and working.

 

All the lanterns appear to be in decent condition. Give them your best shot. The orginal glass globes are still there. Usually, these would be replaced or totally missing.

 

They both have their ceramic burners as well!, the new burner in the Chinese clone got broken by me being too heavy handed when I got it as it was a very loose fit, just fitted a replacement into it which is nice and tight.
So I've already found out how fragile these can be

 

You've come over to the light side my son.

 

This is going to be interesting, on my Chinese Petromax from Petromax.de the manufacturing date is Feb 2022, whilst the original Petromax is week 7 1962 or Feb 1962 so we have 60 years difference between lamps supplied by the old and new Petromax companies.
I will take pictures and differences as I come across them and create a separate thread detailing them.

 

I think you’ve done quite well and the Aida is less seen than it’s Petromax cousin

As for being banished to the shed..?
…Well, you’ll have the lovely lamps for company