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Oil lamps

Wow been awhile since I visited this thread. I've had enough fun with the Walmart lamps. Where is everyone picking up their Dietz or Aladdin?

Looking at this one from Lehmans.
 
Synyster said:
Wow been awhile since I visited this thread. I've had enough fun with the Walmart lamps. Where is everyone picking up their Dietz or Aladdin?

Looking at this one from Lehmans.
Click to expand...

I've purchased several Kirkman (#1, #2, 350) and two Dietz Blizzards from lanternnet.com I too gave up on the Walmart garbage (both the little lanterns & oil lamps).
 
Looking forward to yard sale season this spring. Hope to get a few more. I have one that my great-aunt gave me, I am unsure of its brand, but it is on my mantle.

I need to collect a few more and hope to do that in the coming months.
 
eyebrowski said:
Which of the Kirkman lanterns do you like best?
Click to expand...

Left to right: 350, #2, #1. The #2 work the best for me. They have the large capacity (31 oz: 350, #2, vs 9oz #1) and the larger wick (7/8" #2, 5/8" #1, 350).

DSC_4368.jpg
j
 
Checking back in.....

Interesting comments on the WM lamp oil & smell. It's all I've been using for a couple years now and it burns as clean as anything I've tried. I recently purchased a gallon of "odorless" lamp fuel at Lowes (Heat-Mor?) but it definitely has a smell to it and I won't buy any more. All the Dietz are gone except one, a Monarch in gray and near new condition. It's an odd duck & why I kept it. Exchanged the Dietz's for (2) Embury Air Pilots and (1) Embury Little Pilot. Those are my outside lanterns now.

Inside its all oil lamps. They burn cleaner and produce more usable light with the unobstructed chimney. I have a few flat wick lamps still around but the rest are round wick. The best of that bunch are the Kosmos Brenners. They are amazingly bright, nearly as bright as the center-draft ones I used to run. Those are fuel hogs and massive heat producers. I keep one still (pictured back on page 3 or 4 of this thread) but the rest are gone. Very happy with the mix now, I don't need any more.

Pics later of the group.
 
If you cant find a lantern a can with a wick made from a cloth mop will work just fine. Keep the top of the can, solder it back to the can and cut a hole for the wick. Folks have used them for years when glass lanterns have broken due to storm damage. They can be emptied and carried in a sealed bag and refilled and used over and over again.
I have even used cooking oil and it worked fine. I know it sounds crude but if you are on the move glass will break. If your sheltering in place the glass lanterns are fine. Also hardware stores still carry the red or green metal lanterns which work well indoors. ACE Hardware had them in stock last week while I was there. Also the Coleman lanterns which use the liquid fuel throw a great deal of light. Along with the old stoves they have been making for years. I have a stove I purchased back when I was a kid, that's a long time ago, the parts are still available. I use it to boil water for summer lobster boils on the beach.
 
enbloc said:
Would not want to use for indoor lighting, but this may have some limited use:

Click to expand...


Used to make those with citronella tikki fuel and beer cans at BBQ's to keep the bugs away. worked well and were basically free.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
For a while there I was picking up a cheap lamp and a bottle of oil on every trip to Walmart. Once that particular shelf was filled, I stopped.

I have used the cheap $6 WM lanterns during power outages, and they work just fine. I haven't tried the glass ones yet. I don't trust them around my cats.
 
mclina said:
For a while there I was picking up a cheap lamp and a bottle of oil on every trip to Walmart. Once that particular shelf was filled, I stopped.

I have used the cheap $6 WM lanterns during power outages, and they work just fine. I haven't tried the glass ones yet. I don't trust them around my cats.
Click to expand...

I have one of those. Works fine and throws enough light to light my bedroom. If your cat likes to knock things over, I wouldnt go for one and would go with one of the cold blast style, the glass wont go out on its own if knocked over.
 
i had my oil lamp filled.
didn't need it though. probably won't ever necessarily need it. that won't stop me from buying a couple more when i get around to it. cool little lamps for sure
 
Thanks man.
I'll have to do that in the spring.
The lanterns from WT Kirkman are pretty awesome and short money. I just hate spending more on shipping than on a lantern. Waiting for a couple buddies to go in on some with me.
Hmmm. Maybe we should do a lantern group buy???
 
Oh, I've said it before, but, I like to be repetitive, and to repeat myself: Practice with them before Lights Out - kill the power, and see where they work best in your house. Safe from pets, stable base, good light distribution.

Oh, and not under a CO detector - ask me how I know! [rofl]
 
If your really want one of the best oil lamps available , you should buy Aladdin oil lamps.... they have a wick and a mantle and give off as much light as a 60 watt bulb.

You can buy new or if you want them less expensive you can get used ones one ebay....

Check out the video on their web site to see the difference!

http://www.aladdinlamps.com/
 
Aladdins are a cool item, definitely. I have one.

But, when I want "real" emergency lighting, I use either a Propane or pressure-type Mantle lantern. Easier to use (especially the propane).

The Aladdins are a bit more finicky with regard to trimming the wick, etc. They take practice to run, and the parts are less commom.

This is why I have a diversified portfolio of light;

Candles (the religious ones at Market Basket, cheap, safe and very-long lasting)
Wick Kerosene lamps (several, of different amounts of light power)
Propane
Liquid-fuel Colemans
Flashlights
Generator
 

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