Hi Here is my full line up to date. I am hoping to add more to my small collection if I can find. Decent ones at then right price Cheers....Trevor
Hi eiremax, Thank you. I must admit I have a soft spot for Optimus products as they are very well made and built to last.. Cheers.......Trevor
Nice set! My Optimus set is other way around on smaller end. I have brass 930 and chrome 200/1200's. On taller end I just have China made 1551's.
Hi Afterburner. I was looking at getting a 1551 but i never realised that they were made in China. Are they constructed to the same standards as the Swedish made ones? Cheers......Trevor
What would you guess? In China they make them according to Chinese standards and you can see the difference on quality. They use steel tanks and very thin chrome plating so "Chinamus" lanterns get rusty quite fast if they are stored in some other place than indoor conditions. I think that 1551 is coming from same factory where current 500cp Petromax and it's Chinese brand copies are coming from. I would recommend you to look "Made in Sweden" text on Optimus lanterns. 1551 is good for day to day use, but you need to know that they will not last as long as Sweden made lanterns.
I thought as much, Probably the same standard as Anchor lamps in terms of quality I guess. Saying that I have had a couple of Anchors and they have been very good,but as you say not up to the same quality as Swedish made items. Cheers.....Trevor
I am pretty sure that the 1551 came from the same factory as Anchor. If adjusted correctly they work well but rust is a big issue.
Anchor and the 1551 are from Shanghai. Modern Petromax are Hong Kong. So not the same factory although the quality is about the same. ::Neil::
I am completely sure that the Petromax is made by Kaiping Silveray Metal And Plastic Products Company Ltd. which has it's factory in Kaiping City located west of Macao and Hong Kong. Michael
The Optimus 1551 seems to be in several versions. Many of the ones I have seen seems to be identical to Anchor except that they are marked Optimus and with Anchor preheater, pump knob and cleaning needle knob. The one I have has is different from these. It has a Petromax style preheater, maroon colored Optimus pump knob and cleaning needle knob. The only thing indicating Anchor is the gauge which is marked with the Anchor logo. Michael
Interesting...I never guessed that the 1551 was made I China,this explains why they look similar to an anchor. .....?Trevor
The other way around - the Far East had already been making Petromax copies for years before Optimus (and other) production was outsourced to those parts...
Hi David Pardon my ignorance,but I always thought that the Chinese copied European products. That ones an eye opener for sure. Cheers. Trevor
They did - hence all the Indian and Far-Eastern Petromax clones we see e.g. Anchor, Red Heart and all the rest. Then production of even the original European lanterns was outsourced to the Far East, in some cases via Portugal...
