Which do you prefer? Vapalux/Biladdin or Tilley bowlfire heaters and why? I tried to search the forum, but found nothing. Thanks! Eric
Why "never Vapalux"? Poor quality? When you say Vapalux are you referring to the newer ones? I am unclear as to the relationship between Bialaddin and Vapalux--I thought they were the same company. If you had to put a price on a used Bialaddin and a used Tilley at what point would the Tilley make more financial sense to buy? 20 Pounds cheaper? 30 Pounds cheaper? Just trying to wrap my head around how much better the Bialaddins are. Thanks for the help.
My guess is that he means that Vapalux never made any bowl fires. Regarding the relationship between the two brands, I assume Wikipedia is fairly correct. Check here.
Yes that is correct. The Bialaddin Bowl fire was made for Aladdin in the 1950s and was never sold as a Vapalux. Bialaddin and Vapalux were never the same company. Bialaddin is the brand of Aladdin Industries UK and Vapalux was the brand of Willis and Bates in Halifax. It is however true that W&B made the '50s Bialaddin range. So they were made by Willis & Bates but not sold with their brand. The only other brand you might find on the bowl fire is Imber Research but they only turn up in the US and are not at all common. IR is a brand also owned by Aladdin UK. Jack Imber was CEO of Aladdin at the time. The Bialaddin has a better vapouriser and burner than the Tilley which tends to last longer and work better after sustained long term use. Also the Bialaddin tank is more robust than the later Tilley models. The heat output is the same so on balance as a heater for use the Bialaddin has it every time. ::Neil::
I have two Imber Research bowlfires here, one of which has a stress-cracked tank. The other is OK - well it was last time I looked, anyway. Both came from the US; Oregon and Florida...
From an aesthetic point of view I think the Bialaddin is nicer, it seems to have been designed with the household environment in mind. Whereas I see the Tilleys as being more utilitarian, but that could be because they are from a different era. Not that I am trying to ruffle any feathers. JMHO
225€ though! Their website is driving me to distraction though... Whoever thought having those images leaping around all over the place was a good idea must have been lobotomised
Paraffin heaters are very popular in Korea and Japan, so they might sell a few. I'm more interested in the spares section, some interesting items there.
The more I look at the pics of the products, the more they seem to be drawn in some sort of CAD program rather than a genuine picture
I would be inclined to agree, the images do look very synthetic, but as Base-Camp have the new Korean Vapalux Co M320 and T20-esque table lamp in stock it might be safe to say that these products do indeed exist in the flesh.
I didn't doubt that for a second Ellie, just curious why CAD and not a genuine photo ( if it is CAD ), its very good rendering It's more apparent when you look at the individual pics as opposed to that annoying slide show
My 2 cents. I figure Koreans think the CAD drawings are prettier. OR They aren't fully in production yet. A few weeks ago Base Camp noted to me that new Vapalux Bowlfires were not yet available.
I don't think it's that unusual for rendered images to be used any more, they are just not as obvious as these. It's easier to achieve perfection with a model than it is with a camera. Perhaps they intended (or intend) for the images to be viewable from 360 degrees, that would be easier to achieve using exiting cad drawing that have been rendered. It is a very time consuming process to do this with a real item. I'm just speculating here. I do like the globe/gallery on the T410T, I think it would look very nice on a T10 font, it doesn't seem they offer that globe as a spare though.
€225 comes out at £160 at todays exchange rate. They do a "package", but no indication of what that is. https://vapaluxmall.com/ The address give on the website is in South Korea, and looks like a residential site of multi storied flats. Though across the road is a modern industrial site. Hard to say with the inaccuracies of Google Maps. https://goo.gl/maps/ntL2S
The Package deal is shown below the pics. Heater, carry/storage bag and a funnel. I must say that for 14 euros is a bit much for a funnel.
Ah yes! Found it. It's a metal funnel with shroud and fine gauze. I have one the same and purchased at least 20yrs ago. Wasn't cheap then either, but quality.
I wanted a Vapalux, but they tend to cost 2x the price of an x246b in working condition. I am new in this department, can't tell about multi-decade longevity of the aluminum pump or the weaker tank...
I would say the build quality of the Halifax built lamps is more than twice that of the later Tilleys though ps the discussion was originally about the heaters.. I thought you meant the lanterns :-) regards pB
You're right, I was focusing on lanterns. Thanks for the insight! re build quality, rusting-peeling chrome finish is the ugliest sight I can imagine on any metal items...
