Dears, Please find below Coleman Col-Max 333, 300CP made in USA. Dated A 1947. That model is a Coleman’s tribute to Petromax IMHO - the most boring Coleman and one of the most interesting Petromax clones Lamp in pretty good condition, all parts original except for DUROTERM glass. It is very bright with Butterfly 500-600CP mantle. There were some minor rusty spots at the bottom of the tank which I treated with APP “R STOP” and protected with transparent lacquer. Red enamelled cap was treated for a week in Evaporust to get rid of any rust. Steel parts (inner casing, centring plate) were pretty rusty so I cleaned them and heated and quenched in oil numerous times. I am pretty satisfied with the result, but during the process I had to use a fire blanket in my kitchen for the first time There is not that much interesting stuff to write about that lamp so I just present my subjective comparison to old Petromax 826: 1. lamp is also very high quality 2. I prefer Petromax brass bottom then Coleman steel (rust risk), but from the other hand Coleman bottom is immune to bulging and cracking so it is just a personal choice. 3. I prefer Petromax preheating dish with that vertical pipe, but there is nothing wrong with preheating of Coleman as well. 4. I prefer Coleman pump and fuel caps. Just because… 5. I prefer all brass Petromax hood over Coleman enamelled steel (again rust risk) 6. I like Coleman clear and visible dating, but those Petromax hand made scratches have a charm as well. 7. I prefer Coleman brass nuts that holds the J-tube. These are steel in Petromax. It is a pity Coleman has not introduced some of their solutions such as positive shut off valve, pump with air stem etc. to mix with Petromax design and create something different. That would be super interesting. Anyway enjoy. All the best, Piotrek ps. Please watch out when assembling the generator to the tank. It is possible to use to much force and damage the tank. Then you would have to seal it using 20ml of Caswell epoxy tank sealant. Repair is not visible, but you would feel awful about the damage done Point to Petromax, because that has never happened to me in Px lamps...
Rather than a tribute, I think they were intended to cater for the Asian market which was far more used to cheap and nasty Petromax-clones. Perhaps a bit of quality amongst those hoping to attract customers with a bit more to spend. I've got a Col-Max 555 lurking around here somewhere. I can't ever remember being bothered to try to light it up = pfftt...
@David Shouksmith just kidding about the "tribute" Nontheless there is something to consider, that such a great company as Coleman copied Petromax, not the ... for example This particular lamp was exported to Europe, not Asia. I would not bother to buy 555 as well, but I do not own any UK lamp either, so it is up to personal preferences I guess. I really envy you guys that lamp nationalism, because I am still looking for any, ANY Polish lamp
@Piotrek English lamps are of a very good design, very simple, not simplistic. The only problem is the generators which are disposable parts, lifespan 500 hours. I am thinking about a sustainable model of generator. I am not the first, there has already been a very good post on this subject, which is in my favorites, for inspiration. I personally have 2 Tilley table lamps, an X246, a Baladin 300, 2 Vapalux, and I am extremely satisfied with these lamps, very easy to use.
Thank you, @Piotrek. I have another US Col-Max 333 to add to the Gallery. I quite like them. Cheers Tony
Very nice. The Col-Max is a reasonably well-built Petromax-styled "clone". Its worth collecting. I'm quite sure Coleman isn't going to embark on the reproduction of this style of lantern anytime in the future. After some moments of thought, I'm beginning to have some doubts over the widely believed reason that Coleman originally made the Col-Max to compete with the Petromax. In my humble opinion, the product would never ever come close in competition with the well-established Petromax on the Global market(other than the USA) during the time of its introduction...if only,...Graetz or Germany had not stopped all exports of lanterns, etc during WWII. It just seems too coincidental to me that Coleman only started to make this particular design at the end of 1939 or near 1940, about exactly when the War started. This style of lantern would unlikely be listed in any of Coleman's preferences for large scale production under normal circumstances. (my opinion again ). Maybe it was a wise marketing move to make up for a sudden shortage of such lanterns, particularly in Asia. During that period, the local manufacturers of Petromax-styled clones in Asia were relatively few, just starting-off or not yet proficient in large-scale production.
I had a vague memory it is a 555GL but I couldn't remember exactly what the GL stood for. Now thanks to another member posting the relevant Col-Max advertising leaflet, G = gauge (or manometer) and L = rapid pre-heater or Lighter. But I still haven't lit it!
Thank you guys for all comments. @Sellig33 I have nothing against UK lamps and I like their look a lot! They are pretty and cute! I just can not find interesting (for me) example: old, uncommon and preferably not expensive... @Henry Plews I have another 333 as well and I will post it sooner or later. I believe that „Made in USA” makes a difference for collectors. At least it makes a difference for me, but again it is all subjective. @MYN I can just suspect that Coleman was focused on military stoves and lamps when USA got really involved in war and it was hard to plan any export destinations then, but I am not historian. My 249 (1950) and both 333 came from Norway and IMHO that was pretty bold marketing move to export Coleman lamps to compete with Petromax, Optimus, Primus, Radius etc. @David Shouksmith I am not a big fan of rapids and manometers either and I try to postpone fettle of such lamps as well. I am not prejudiced to them, I am just lazy all the best, Piotrek
