Hi all, My interest in pressure stoves, blowlamps etc goes back to boyhood - something to do with fire, I suppose, but I never set anything alight - and I've owned a gold Tilley X246B for many years and used it quite often on night walks and camping & caravanning holidays. I've recently bought an old X246 Guardsman, and got it working a couple of nights ago after replacing most of the washers. I'm now desperately trying to resist the urge to start a Tilley lamp collection, as I have barely enough room to accommodate my existing collections of vintage radios, 78rpm records, Avometers, gramophones, amateur radio equipment etc etc... Reading other posts on this Forum, I notice that there seems to be a few negative vibes towards Tilley, and the X246 range in particular. I have no experience of other pressure lamps, and Tilleys seem (to me) to be relatively easy to work on, with a readily-available supply of spare parts. So what is it about Tilleys that you experts don't like? Noisy burning? Too many threads, washers and seals to go wrong? Or just too ordinary? All the best Phil
Well, the Tilley X246 range began in 1946 and continues to this day. In that 66 year range there have been many changes that have affected the quality of the lanterns produced and, unsurprisingly, this has deteriorated markedly over the years. The greatest change seemed to take place in the mid-50s when, as one member here will put it, Tilley sacked their last engineer and replaced him with an accountant. I'm not sure if this co-incided with the family selling out of the business but I think it was there or thereabouts. In my opinion, the X246 pork-pies and early Guardsmen (with wire loop handle attachment) were, and still are, excellent lanterns. The later Guardsmen (with the 'clip' handle attachment), the X246A and X246B series suffer from a progressive loss of quality due to cost-cutting measures designed to increase profit against a background of falling demand caused by the emergence of more convenient methods of producing portable light. That's wot I finks, anyway...
Hi Phil, I totally agree with what David says. If you can get a pre-1957 Tilley you have a very good lamp. But, still not as good as the Bialaddin and Vapalux lamps of the same era. You want a really good quality lamp? then get yourself a Bialaddin/Vapalux. Any model, it is still much better quality than a Tilley. My opinion only, for what it's worth! - Steve.
Now since Steve's mentioned Bialaddin and Vapalux products, Phil may be wondering why they didn't suffer the same decline in quality that Tilley did. I think the answer is simply that the two companies were selling (in the main) to two completely different markets. Tilley sold mainly to the domestic market - which explains why they're still a household name. On the other hand, Willis & Bates and later, Bairstows (who produced Vapalux and Bialaddin) sold mainly to the military where quality was more important than cost. That also explains why they're generally unknown to the public at large. My general feeling is that yer average modern Tilley i.e. the X246B is, being charitable, 'adequate'. Sort of like a moped - will get you from A to B, but you wouldn't want your mates to see you riding one...
Welcome Phil, Well what is the phrase ? : Resistance is futile, you will get lamps... Or the lamps will get you
Greetings and welcome from the other side of the pond! Tilleys are fun, but there is so much MORE! You better start finishing your basement, or planning an addition. I used to collect pre-WWII radios (TRF only), but moved too often to keep them. Please share photos of your older radios as well as your growing lamp/lantern collection! Al
Thanks for the nice warm welcome, chaps! I've now done the decent thing and become a subscriber, too. I'll keep my eye open for a Bialaddin at the right price then! Thanks for the advice and best wishes to all, Phil
