This came up on one of the smaller UK 'For Sale' sites and is now part of my collection. Reading up about Light Brand they have been described as one of the better quality Chinese copies. I'll take that on trust for now but it does have a white enamelled fixing plate that keeps the frame in place which is a nice touch. It has not escaped the ravages of time completely however and there is some rust damage here and there as you can see from the photos. I tried to light it and all was well until the mantle blew itself to bits as the first pressure wave hit it - it's now cooling down and when it has I'll fit a new mantle of a different brand. I have included a photo of it alongside the Anchor 950 for comparison. When (and if) I get it lit I will upload an action shot. I haven't seen any other Light Brand lanterns for sale recently? Are they still made of did the company stop producing them. I had a look on-line but the company seems to make different products now - if it's the same manufacturer. Colin
So, here's some action shots and a question... Since the original mantle failed (on closer inspection I found out that the bottom seem had split) I used one of my trusted Butterfly 41 mantles, however, they are rated 500-600cp and the Light Brand is now really burning very bright. Can it be too bright? I allowed some of the pressure to escape to dim it a little, but do I risk doing some damage if it's producing more heat and light than it's meant to? What about the glass which is marked 350cp. I have to say, I find the Butterfly Brand No 41 mantles to be superb. They appear to last, they chuck out a very good light and I have found a source on eBay that sells them extremely cheep, which is handy if you're experimenting getting to know a new lamp.
Well, I think heatproof glass is heatproof glass and the 350cp probably refers to the size of the globe and the lantern it fits. No doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong...
Light brand are made in Laos and Anchor in ShangHai. Different factories so they may look similar but they ain't. 350 cp is seriously bright. I doubt there is anything wrong it is just that most lamps only make about half their rated power so when you get one performing as it shoud it looks way brighter than you expect. ::Neil::
Laos? The name plate says People's Republic of China but I guess they're kind of flexible about the details in those parts! The other thing I like about it is the steadiness - no hunting or pulsing, just a steady, blinding light!
Laos?? I got that from a normally reliable source. I did wonder though because I know it's not in China. ::Neil::
Yes, the label actually says 'Made in the People's Republic of China'. Mind you, in the reference library, someone else said Light Brand were made in Hong Kong. I reckon a mobile workshop traveled all over the far east making lanterns to order wherever they went! It's a nice lantern though and the white enameled fixing plate is a nice touch. At first glance I thought it was ceramic!
Hi buddy you wouldn't mind pointing me in the direction of this Source of B..........y 41mantle vendor please quality mantles are hard to Come by although I do use Phillipino peerless 24a,s with good effect Thanks.... Alb
China claims territory off it's coast - and that is just regional politics - best avoided here. I suppose a manufacturer in some disputed area would stamp product according to his affiliations or intended market?
The thing is, I didn't do much to it - that's pretty much how it came and the lantern was very cheap indeed, in fact I bought it because I thought the parts might be useful. On a tragic note, the second time I used the lantern the globe cracked! It was extremely thin but it was branded... so sad. Long term I intent to buy a glass engraving kit (if such a thing exists) and carefully copy the logo so it looks original again. Itr's a lot of boter for a Chinese lantern but I want it back to it's original state!
A quick update: Thanks to @Jim Jackson I now have a Light Brand shade to go with my favourite Chinese lantern! We exchanged rather than sold which made it all the better as we both made use of parts the other had but didn't need. Thanks Jim and if I find any more parts you might be able to use I'll send them through.
Damn near every Chinese made lantern I have has had the globe break! It usually happened the second or third time I lit the lantern. I now have two Chinese made lanterns with the glass still in tact: an Anchor 950 and a Light Brand 350. I simply don't lite these two. The Anchor is NOS and the Light Brand is just too nice to have the globe crack.
