Hello All, This forum is a Godsend! I posted this somewhere in the Forum but am not sure if I placed it at the correct bboard. Anyway... My interest in classic pressure lamps was re-started with my brother inheriting a Petromax 523/500 CP from a deceased aunt. When I was in high school, power thus school was out in our place for about 2 months because of a big storm. A couple of borrowed Petromax lanterns got us by. I maintained those for the duration and now want to have one...or two. I'm afraid this could be a hobby. Nevertheless, since current Petromax lamps are no longer German-made, just assembled, I have my sights on Optimus 1200's instead, supposedly surplus Swedish military. I'm looking at one w/ a red hood. the tank marked Optimus 1200 Made in Sweden. Has only one control knob. I saw somewhere in this forum that these were supposed to be 200's but since it was for the military, 1200 tanks were installed to use up their inventory of tanks. Are they truly so? Are there issues I need to watch out for? Worth buying? Thank you for your advice and guidance on this.
The '1200' you are talking about is configured as a 200P. There is no evidence why this is but the common theory is that it was a stamping error in the factory and the tanks were used up filling a military order. These lamps are only seen as ex military. You say you are looking for Optimus 1200s. Do you need the pre-heat torch? If not then there are a lot more 200P lamps available. You see brass versions of both but they always seem to fetch higher prices. They work the same though. The only one I would be a bit wary of is the last version of the 1200. It is a brass lamp with a Petromax style pre-heat torch and a black control wheel. They seem to have varying quality. Some work very well while other are a pain in the ...
Hi Nils, I know I will be asking the obvious here but please bear with me. What exactly does the pre-heat torch do? Years ago, I would put a small amount of denatured alcohol in the internal cup, light it, and when the mantle (even pre-used) glows, I would slowly open the main control valve from the tank. Does the pre-heat torch do away with having the denatured alcohol in the cup? Thanks again.
The idea of the preheat torch is to have a quicker preheating method that uses the fuel in the tank. That does away with having an extra bottle of alacohol and speeds up starting. All sounds good, but there can be a couple of challenges. Firstly the torch uses a lot of pressure quickly so you have to keep pumping while it's running. Secondly, I have found them to be prone to clogging. Personally I am not fond of them and stick to using alcohol. Slower but works every time. The preheat torch is good to use to impress those who havn't seen one before. Big flame and lots of noise.
Here is a link to a Norwegian dealer who sells lanterns from the Norwegian army https://www.forsvarsbrukt.no/c-17-parafinlykter.aspx Go here to contact them https://www.forsvarsbrukt.no/t-contact.aspx Fornavn = name Telfon = Telephone e-post = email Overskrift = title Melding til oss = message to us They sell unused ones for $191,93 USD and used ones for $157,03 USD. Ive heard from Nils Stephenson that the 1200M was a bit of a gamble since it varied in quality.
Hi Nils, Thank you for solving this mystery for me. I remember having to pump a lamp that is ON. My dad would always tell me to be careful not to break the glowing mantle. A brother always held the tank steady for me while I pumped. I can see how the pre-heat torch could impress the unknowing. I have yet to see it in action though - the lamps we had then didn't have this. Thanks again.
Hi Kristian, Thank you very much for these leads. I am trying to control my excitement while seeing the lamps in that website. I did write them, thanks to your translation of what the boxes were for. I am looking at the Optimus 1200, 1200M, and the Petromax 828. The 1200M is very attractive indeed. I hope the 828 is German-manufactured and assembled unlike the recent ones. Thank you very much for all this.
From memory I don't think P'Max model 828 was ever made in Portugal and certainly not in Hong Kong. I believe therefore that all 828s will be German made. Wim will know better than I do here though. ::Neil::
I am not sure when 828 was dropped as a model but I think it was before the move to Portugal. However there is a 350 cp Hipolito with a rapid preheater so it is possible 828 was also made there. Not really a problem because the Portugese Petromax lanterns are about as well made as the German ones were. I don't remember a 350cp lantern of any persuasion being made in Hong Kong for Petromax so I believe any 828 is going to be European made and will be of good quality. ::Neil::
