Where can I get a working lantern?

Brian

Mike is right a Coleman 237 is a good choice for a kero lantern. Petromax are excellent light but for practical use like camping they are finicky lanterns and take quite a lot of maintenance so not worth the trouble unless you are mechanically savvy. A Coleman 639 is also a good kero workhorse but are difficult to find new at the moment.

The Coleman 237 will approximate the brightness but be very reliable. If bright light is all you need the Coleman Northstar Propane is as bright or brighter as any Petromax and propane is cheap in America.

If you don't mind spending $330 you can buy a HC Lantern from the Amish company in Pennsylvania , its a very large, bright 237 on steroids and by purchasing either of 2 generators can run on kero, naptha . I'd definitely buy one of these instead of a Britelyt and by the time you put money into vintage P'Max you are looking near the same price as a HC brand. You can buy them directly from the company.

If you get a kero lantern you should definitely experiment with Jet A , as retail purchases of kero not from a pump can be expensive, Tractor Supply company has the cheapest kero in 5 gallon pails, Crown brand, retail. Naptha off the shelves is Crown from Walmart. I've found a SMALL amount of carb cleaner added to the fount , does seem to help a kero lantern burn cleaner postponing the generator cleaning/replacement for awhile longer.

 

Hey Mike,
I read this but it had to sit in NY head a little before I thought to clarify, you can run either fuel without modification to the lantern? Or must you have different hardware for each fuel?
Thanks.

 

Hi Brian,
The lantern is good to go with no modifications, not even a generator switch. Pour in whatever you'd like, preheat with the alcohol cup and enjoy the 500CP. They are bright!

The straight Coleman generators do clog faster with kerosene, but the 237 generator is pretty stout. They're easy enough to clean out. Some people will run a 50:50 kero/naphtha mix for a cleaner generator which extends the time between cleanings. It's easy enough to do if you don't let it get totally coked up.

Mike.

 

Yes, from what I read, the Coleman 237 was one of those rare occasions when manufacturers accidentally gave their customers much more functionality than they ever realised! Actually, the 635 (Coleman fuel/naptha) is very easily converted into a 639 (the kero version) by simply changing the generator.

Welcome to the wierd yet wonderful world of lantern conversations us collectors have!

 

Mike, I see there are the 237,237A, and 237B. Will all of them work with kerosene/ camp fuel? Thanks.

 

@Brian Ackerly yes, 237 is a not common lantern.

 

@ColinG - so conversely I can get a different generator for my 639 to let me burn Coleman gas ? - just checking in case there are any "gotchas" .

 

There's a comment that hit my email, but doesn't seem to show up in this thread. ColinG wondered if a 236 could be converted to a 237 with a 237 generator and alcohol cup. What do you folks have to say?

 

As they're pretty much identical I imagine it should work but @Norman would know for sure, or one of the other US members. I don't know about the 236/237 as I haven't got an example of either yet... they're still on my wish list!

 

The 237 genny will fit the 236 but a generator nut for the 237 gen will also be needed.

You might think about the HC Lanterns Lightning Bug Lantern. It has everything you are looking for and is like a larger 237. It combines the big brightness of Petromax lanterns with the dependability of Colemans and their build is more heavy duty than Coleman, even vintage. The naptha and kero gens are cheap ,just $10. Easy to get as well as HC ships UPS.

236 = $125 + shipping = $155 kero gen and gen nut = $30, misc. restore parts $20 = $205!

Lightning Bug = $338 + $30 shipping = $368

You would spend $160 more but get plenty more lantern that would last a life time and would meet your desires a lot more. Spend once cry once is corny but I think here true.

 

HC lanterns do look good. The build quality is reputed to be excellent and the fuel tanks are stainless steel. I wish I had one but they aren't cheap but you get a heck of a lot of lantern for your money!

 

Hello everyone, I have a similar question to the original post
I'm looking for a kerosene lantern and would like to buy a new Coleman 639 but not having any luck.
Coleman says they still make them, does anyone know for sure.
If not the Coleman how does a new Butterfly stack up?
I know the Lightning Bug is supposed to be very good but is out of my price range now.

Thanks for any info.
David

 

@david Locke every website is out of stock for 639c and if you get lucky and find one on eBay you’ll pay almost as 2 third the price for a lightning bug. Stay away from clones Locke the Butterfly or sea anchor lantern. If you want a good one I know a guy selling 2 Hipólito Amish conversion in PA

I hope this helps

 

I suspect the Coleman 639 is a victim of C-19 and may have production delays. When they come back and if still reasonably priced I'll grab another one. For me its a great camping lantern, easy to use and very reliable. Build quality is definitely not as great as vintage Coleman and pales in comparison to them but if wanting a new , modern kero lantern for camping, preparedness etc. I'd wager its a good choice.

The issue with P'Max clones is they are more complicated lanterns but the 500cp kind are flat brighter than any Coleman except the Coleman North Star Propane. P'Max clones require more tuning and maintenance and the user with mechanical inclination is the one who'll find joy operating them. If one is a green horn to lanterns they can be frustrating to keep running reliably.

 

Thanks, What is the Amish conversion?

 

On the whole 236/7 gen switch they are not compatible. Because I got both 236 237 gens comparison pics here. Although it would seem if you're able to run a 220 and 200 on kerosene a 236 with a preheater would be no different. Same dia but longer.

 

I'm not so certain if Coleman is continuing the production of any liquid-fueled lanterns. I've recently read somewhere that they are more into phasing them out totally.

 

Coleman is still producing the 639c, supply isues I believe are disrupting things. They were in stock for or around Black Friday at 89 bucks USD. I grabbed one up, since Aladdin mantles are so scarce, now I'm looking at the HC lightning bug lol.

 

Yes, go and get one.
These HC 1000cp are beasts. Heavy, for eternity. But need 4-5bar for full light output.

 

Pitman hasn't responded to my email a few days ago. I'll call directly next week. I know britelyte has a bad rep , but has anyone compared these together?

 

HC lightning bug is Coleman style technology.
Britelyt is Petromax style.
These concepts differ significant in security features.
Britelyt only safe for kero.

 

I believe you can buy a brand new Austramax lamp direct from the factory. Australia though.

 

Willi is right the styles of Lantern differ dramatically. The HC will be easier to operate compared to the Britelyte. The P'Max style is great but requires more fine tuning than a Coleman style lantern. With a Coleman style lantern its just fuel and light sometimes not as straight forward with the P'Max style from my experience.

Dan is great to deal with but you can call HC directly and they'll ship directly timely via UPS. Prices are up for the Lightning bug.


HC Lanterns | Just Plain Business

 

I appreciate the response, I saw the austramax, still prefer the others. The prices being up I haven't seen, the 338 USD is about the top I can go. My further purchases will be updated here, again thank you for so much information.

 

On Britelyt, I'd say the actual products are generally great in terms of make-quality.
Its probably the 'multi-fuel' and 're-engineering' claims in the past that had caused quite some stir among lantern enthusiasts. Some had been dissatisfied by the after-sales service being offered in the past. I don't know about now.
To me, its generally similar in working principles to the Petromax-styled kerosene lantern.

 

Wow , yes they are. That is different than the one on their page.

 

Well, after that price increase I am still in the fence. Didn't mean to hijack the thread, that austramax is nice though, I prefer single mantles as well. The only draw back is the enameled top section imo. Cheaper though.

 

A more cost effective HC would be to replicate earlier models by connecting a 500 Head to a Coleman 220 lantern fount or Leacock lamp fount. The bail, frame , collar to make the lantern HC sells retail. Leacock lamps are plentiful on ebay and Coleman founts are there and usually at Old Coleman Parts.

I think a really good kero lantern as mentioned earlier in the thread is a Coleman 237, its 500cp bright and very dependable and quality construction.