Greetings, All, Many years ago, I bought a Prabhat #426 lantern, which is rated as putting out 300 candle power. I already had a Prabhat stove, which, IMHO, was not very nice, overall, and cheaply made, of lesser quality parts and metals. So, imagine my surprise when the #426 arrived, and seemed to be made of sterner stuff, and of a bit better quality! I've not fired up this lantern, as I wasn't sure if I could "trust" it. I most certainly don't trust the stove, and have no need to fire it up, and would take no pleasure in doing do. But, now, after looking at the lantern a bit more, I just may have to give it a go. Here are a series of photos that I took yesterday, of the Prabhat #426, and I'll let them speak for themselves, for the most part. This lantern is much better-made than is the Prabhat stove. It's made of thicker brass, which has been nickel-plated fairly nicely. Most of the machining on this lantern is FAR superior to that found on the stove by the same company. You can see, on the jet, that this part has been only roughly finished, with lots of machine marks on it's face and sides. Also, the wrench is made of stamped metal, and not nicely done, overall. I'm sure it will work for it's intended purpose, but it can't compete with wrenches made in Sweden, Germany, England, the US, or other Countries. The pump leather is better than that found on the stove by the same maker, however, it is still rather fragile, as I found after accidentally dropping it off the deck railing whilst photographing it! Retrieved from our driveway, then photographed, you can see one edge has been compromised in the fall. It still sort of works, but I'll replace it, anyway, "just because". When pumped up, pressure is built up in the font, an the generator passes gas out the jet. But, the pump doesn't seem to be able to activate the pressure dial on the filler cap. Might be the fault of the compromised pump leather, or the NRV, or maybe the dial is just not functioning as it should. Hopefully, further inspection will reveal the truth on this point. And, I'll update this info as soon as I've sussed it out. So, overall, whilst this lantern can't totally compete, quality-wise, with the excellent Swedish and German lanterns, and is not quite as robust as those lanterns that were made in the US by Coleman (in the good, old days), it IS a fairly nice lantern, and for regular use, seems to fill that bill quite well!! If you are looking for the best quality, then this #426 will not give it to you. But, if you are looking for a fairly well-made lantern, of, mostly, good quality parts and workmanship, and if all other examples of this India-made lantern are as nicely done as is mine, than I can definitely recommend that you seek one out, and give it a go!!! For a lesser-priced lantern, I take pleasure in owning it, and it's quality is good enough that I now "trust it", and will give it a further inspection, then add fuel, prime with Meths, and light it up. I'll add photos here, when that happens. Thanks for checking out my Prabhat #426, and if you have any questions, please give me a shout, and I'll do my best to answer them. Take care, keep the light burning bright, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc If you have any
Nice to see a post from you in here too Doc! It's nice to give the stoves a bit of a rest, and fiddle with lanterns instead, eh? Excellent presentation and review with many pictures of all details. That's what we like. I like the picture of the jet. As you say, it's roughly machined, and actually it looks like it has been filed manually on the top surface. You can see the file strokes on the top, so - even if extremely crude - it show that it is a bit of handiwork involved. It's normal to end a jet manufacturing by flattening that area to remove any burrs after making the jet orifice. I would have used a finer grade file, though.
@Doc Mark . looks the same as mine except gauge is different and your mixing chamber is more crude than mine. It says 500 cp on tank...what about jet?... My spare jet said efar on it. Tools are crude! My prabhat mantle worked really well and seems durable.I only paid 45 dollars for mine but had to resolder top on fount and soak pump leather for a week. I agree it's of better quality than my early britelyt (chinese) but Not as good as my Aidas.cool pics.! FIRE IT UP!jon
@Carlsson , @JEFF JOHNSON , @Tony Press , @Lundo007 , Thank you, Gentlemen, one and all! It was most certainly worth the price paid, which I think was around $45, or so. Yes, I do love my lanterns and lamps, but will always be a Stovie at heart, and a Lampie and (if I may coin a word, which seems to fit) a "Lanternite", too. Jon, you are right, the font states "500 C p" cp, the mantle states "400-500 CP". and the box states, "300 CP". I'm thinking that 400-500 CP is closer to the truth. We'll see, one way, or the other..... Thanks, again, Guys, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. Jon, I'll check for markings on the installed jet, and the spare, and get back to you here.
