I received this lamp today, liked the look of it, so bought it on that well known site. It’s an Anchor 950, 500cp from China. It looks to be a very well built lamp, and though I’ve never owned one looks just like the pictures I’ve seen of petromex lamps. Can anyone help me with a few details such as age, quality etc Thanks Malcolm
This is what's known generically as a Petromax clone. There must be hundreds (tens, certainly) of different clones, mostly Asian, all based on the original Petromax design. The quality of the various clones is very variable from 'halfway decent' down to 'total crap'. The Far Eastern mindset is different to the Western one; here, we expect stuff to work straight out of the box and are generally prepared to pay extra for that whereas in Asia, low price is all-important and they don't mind fettling new stuff until it works properly. Yer pays yer money etc. Regarding your lantern, there's 'Anchor' and 'Sea Anchor'. One make is certainly better quality than the other but I can't remember which is superior. I seem to recall one is plated brass (good) and the other is plated cheap steel which rusts at the mere sight of a cloud in the sky - especially near the coast... Age? - probably any time up to yesterday...
I like Chinese lamps but I wouldn't say I'm an expert in any sense although I have a few of them. As regards your model, Anchor are OK, Sea Anchor not so much. I have no concrete info about Sea Anchor but I believe both are chrome on steel and even Anchor Lanterns will rust like hell if kept in a shed or anywhere else damp! Chinese lamps don't have a great reputation as they are built to a budget, often with poor or non-existant quality control, but I have a soft spot for them perhaps because I like underdogs! Chinese lamps are always(?) copies of other manufacturers lamps, like Petromax, Coleman and even Tilley but they were/are cheaper. So long as you keep it dry and check it regularly it should give you years of service and being a clone of a Petromax there are plenty of parts available for very reasonable prices. There are also little tweaks you can do like coiling copper wire around the pricker rod to lessen the pulsing if that's a problem. Lastly, you can get very cheap mantles on eBay which should work fine, and when you're new and still experimenting/learning you can 'waste' them without worrying about the cost. Here's a couple of links.... 10 Pack Universal Gas Lantern Mantles Replacement for Camping Hiking Light | eBay 10 Universal Gas Lantern Mantles Camping Hiking Kerosene Lamp Mantles | eBay Anyway, hope this helps and if you want to ask me anything I'll try to answer as best as I can. Regards Colin
They work well once they have been properly fettled and your example is in good nick, but do keep it dry as they are prone to rusting.
Thanks all, I’ll take your advice & try out the links in the morning. As a big Tilley man I may be back on to you for fettling advice if I get stuck.
It's interesting... I've gone through phases with my lamp collecting. Like lots of enthusiasts in the UK I started with Tilleys because... well, that's just what you do! Then I progressed and got myself a few Bialaddin and Vapalux lamps which were so well made and worked so well, and these kept me amused for a few months. I also bought some Chinese Anchor and Light Brand lamps and thoroughly enjoyed the intense white light output and their shiny, decorative appearance. Along the way I collected various Coleman lamps which are also great and really simple to light, especially the white gas/unleaded fuel versions and I learned how these work. But now I'm drifting back to the Tilley's again. When all is said and done they have some genuine advantages: They're so simple, very easy to maintain and when properly fettled they give out a nice bright light - not as bright as a Petromax clone maybe but perfectly adequate.
Hi Colin, yes that’s what I’ve done, spent years sorting out Tilley lamps for my own scouts and educating the others into there use and advantages over torches & led lamps. A journey that I have won many times. But now with a bit more time on my hands I’ve started to look at proper restoration of some for me. I’ve bought a Tilley table lamp & a PL53 recently & now this clone, and am doing a bowl fire for a pal of mine. I’ll put more pictures on as and when.
Hi @malcolm race, I live in Asia and have a few genuine Petromax (Made in Germany) as well as their Asian 'clones'. As many have testified or commented before, I do agree that the quality of the clones could vary to a wide degree. There are times that you could get one which is almost as good as the genuine Petromax, that works straight out of the box. On the other hand, you could also end up with something that you'll regret buying(regardless how inexpensive). Here in Asia, the general mindset remains unchanged till this day. Cost is the order of the day. The Consumer: "if its too expensive, we'll live without it". The Suppliers: "the buyers want them cheap, so we provide what they asked for". Your Anchor looks good. Anchor is one of the oldest brand for pressure lamps in China. They are also in general, the better-made clones. The lanterns are not date-coded on the unit. There might be a manufacturing date on the instructions sheet that comes with it.
The PL53 makes me laugh because it looks like something Heath Robinson would have designed, but.... it works really well despite that! I don't light it much because I'm worried about breaking the glass and they're bloody expensive.
I picked up an unfired Sea Anchor recently. The tank has some rust, the parts kind of fit but the filler cap/manometer is absent. The Petromax ones don't fit. Any ideas where to procure one?
Another Petromax lookalike, is the Butterfly of Lea Hin. They are also one of the better-made Asian lanterns. These are not from China though. I've got a number of them. Mostly chrome-plated steel construction but I do have one made of nickel-plated brass. In my experience with these, they are usually defect-free. Only need to keep rust at bay. The steel construction in these are stronger than most brass lanterns. One plus point out of this is that you can pump it up to pressures way higher than 2 bar (twice as high if you could, with its built-in pump and with the force exerted from your palm, not just the thumb) without the risk of the fount bulging out. Often this gives a considerably greater light output. I wouldn't try this on a brass fount. I'm not sure if it has thicker steel, so I wouldn't say you should try this on a Sea Anchor.
@Mr cod For some reason the link is not working. I have found the page though. Thanks, I’ll check it out.
Hi @MYN, thanks for that, but the only bit I didn’t get was the instructions. It came in it’s box with some tools, spare washers and jet, but no instructions.
@malcolm race The instructions are here, and as a subscriber you will be able to access them for what they are worth. The Anchor instructions will be of far more use to you. Regards Jeremy Other Countries
@malcolm race , Most of these lanterns from the East are still being manufactured and spare parts are still available. If fettling and tweaks are what you enjoy, these lanterns would be ideal. That's because they are not rare, inexpensive and you don't get much of a heartbreak should you accidentally ruin something in the process. That's something you wouldn't want to risk on a rare, vintage piece that is no longer being made.
Well I couldn’t wait any longer, I have ordered some single ended mantles on line, delivery promised between 27 nov and 27 December. So tonight I cobbled a Tilley mantle to fit put in some paraffin and went for it. I am seriously impressed by the performance, considering I haven’t fettled anything.
The Anchor is a long-established brand. They're expected to be day-to-day workhorses in Asia(at least before electric lighting became affordable and widespread). If they're a little too costly, don't work or if anyone in China or in most parts of Asia feels that it is 'less bright' in any sense, nobody's going to buy it. That's the general way of how many of us in Asia have 'evolved' to view these lanterns in such a manner.
