Hi all, recently I saw some pressure lanterns for sale, rather cheap. Some are labelled "Sea Anchor", others "Mannesmann". All are PetroMax clones. As far as I know, the Anchor ones are made in China. My question is, are these any good? They look nice to use in the garden or when car camping but I'd hate to waste money on useless junk. Your thoughts/opinions on these please? Regards, Wim
Simple question - simple answer: NO. The more complicated way is: You will get, what you pay for. What do you expect for Euro 19,90 as the cheap clones are sold for? Erik
Hello Wim, those Chinese made lanterns do work well, once they have been properly fettled. However, if you live in a damp climate, they will soon start to rust, even the rusty ones are useful for spares though, Jeff.
Erik&Jeff, thanks for your answers! Erik, I have not seen any as cheap as €19.90, where can one find these? Or are these second hand? The ones I saw were more like 34-37ish but come with a shade. Anyone else have an opinion on this subject? All the best, Wim
Hello Wim, how much would the shade cost if you were buying it brand new from a shop? Do those lanterns have globes, if so, what would they cost new? That's how I look on it anyway. I'm sure that you could bargain over the price of those lanterns, the seller wants to sell them after all, Jeff.
Hi I bought a "Cat Brand" clone for $20 (Australian) from a "flea market". The chrome was in good shape and it cleaned up beautifully with some rust remover and a scourer sponge. However I got about two table spoons full of rust out of the font when I cleaned it out. (rust remover and 10 small screws). I can get the lamp to light but there are pin hole sized leaks in two places in the font, as such it will not sustain pressure and the light quickly dims out. I am debating as to buying some epoxy tank sealant to seal the tank. If I go down this track I will probably wait until I have a 2 or 3 tanks to seal so that I don't waste the expensive sealant. In short the clone I have is an attractive, shiny lamp that lights easily. The down side is the rust problem in the font. regards Paul
Thing is about these cheap lanterns that they are made for a less affluent market that cannot afford to buy a £120 lamp. So guys in China and India make and sell cheap lamps that they know can be sold in those countries. The buyers there do not have our "Western" expectation of perfection in a new product and they expect to have to fettle things to make them work right but then they are getting value for money. Trouble comes when some enterprising guy ships this stuff over to Europe and America to sell there. Different market but still a cheap product and so people bitch that they are a poor product. I say no they are not; what they are is cheap and you get what you pay for. I have run quite a few Anchor lanterns and with a little fettling they nearly always give a very good light. As Jeff says rust is a problem so if you take one beach fishing don't expect it to last long. Keep it dry and empty when not in use and it will last well. Leave fuel in for any length of time and it will rust out from the inside. So no they are not good quality but they are reasonable value for money. Expect to have to fettle from new and take care of it and there is no reason why a cheap lamp should not give years of service. ::Neil::
I hang a Wentzel outside for the camp site. That way I feel better if I wake in the morning to a down pour or snow and I am not torturing a Nice lantern. I bought my Anchor from the Amish for sixty seven dollars. When I visited Leamans in Ohio I found a P-Max all sooted up in the clearence section for Fifty. Obviously a Coleman camper tryed to instant light it and returned it when it became a fire ball.Dan
Hi Gents, thanks for your thoughts on this! I might just wait a while before (maybe) getting one of these cheapo ones and first breathe new life into the Vapalux . The cheapest one I found is an Anchor one for 28.55€ + 17€ P&P. As it so happens, many years ago I bought a used Anchor and never really did anything with it . Maybe I'd just simply have to take a closer look at it, see what needs to be done to it and then decide what is best: spend some money on it or use it as spare parts for a new one. Time will tell! 8) Regards, Wim
Your old Anchor will probably run OK. You may need to replace the pump leather and maybe the pricker but the rest is just a clean and do an underwater pressure test. I have seen these looking seriously rough and still they work. Nice thing is Petromax bits will fit so parts are not a problem. I have bought plenty of them down the years and probably have half a dozen gradually being canibalised for parts. ::Neil::
i run anchor lamps and i think they are a good lamp ,i do not polish them,i just use them, and i do not have any issues with them.Any lamp is only as good as the owner
