Hi, I have just bought a new petromax hk 500 which I believe are now made in china but it says made in Germany on the box ?, the star has 11points , any info would be greatly appreciated , thanks Tom
@Thomas1 Germany Regd on the fount does not mean actually made in Germany. Regd is means the lantern patent and design is registered in Germany. 10 stars and the stamp that says "Made In Germany" plus 4 digit date code under the fount are key identifiers for a genuine petromax. All since discontinued when the Altena plant shut down in the 1970s. Hipolito and Genoil continued to use Altena's tooling a little bit after before ceasing completely sometimes in the 80s. All subsequent petromax lanterns have moved to Hong Kong or China. None are genuine. There are also many other more subtle differences between a genuine and Chinese clones we could also touch basis on if you like but this is the surefire way to know you aren't getting a clone.
Thanks @Dashwood i was expecting it to be Chinese made it’s just these ‘made in Germany’ stickers that are concerning me
@Thomas1 Pelam, one of the licensed company to assemble the lanterns sourced components from their sister manufacturer Santrax from Hongkong (China?) and assembled it in Germany (I also believe Brytelyt, the American version of the petromax also use parts supplied from Santrax), is likely the explanation for that sticker. Still, parts are not "original" petromax design. Too many subtle differences that stand out if you have a good eye and knowledge on petromaxes.
Thanks @Dashwood i have read on the Petromax website about manufacture and I noticed it says ‘assembled’ in their Magdeburg factory Germany, this is the last modern lamp I am buying from now on I am only buying vintage ones, I am currently waiting for a Veritas lamp that needs a light restoration that I won on auction
