It didn’t want to make a spark, so I bent the electrode down to make the gap smaller. That helped a little bit, but it still had a hard time igniting the propane. This product comes with a metal guard to protect the globe and reduce rattling.
I’ve had it over 40 years, and it’s still going strong. It can get messy trying to refill it with gas, but other than that, I don’t mind using this one. It has a nostalgic feel to it, and brings me back to the days when I’d go ice fishing late at night with my Dad. In fact, this is his lantern, that I acquired. The cost of these tanks vary depending on where you buy them. They normally run $4-5 at most big box stores.
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After a teaching career on farm machinery at Otley College in Suffolk, he retired as Vice Principal in 1993 when he was awarded the MBE for services to agriculture. Brian Bell has written several books and made seventeen DVDs on modern and vintage tractors and machinery. As with any gas appliance fuel should not be stored in the lantern for long periods of time, so burning off any unused fuel is best. This is not a problem with propane cylinders. If you know you’ll be using your lantern while hiking, camping or traveling, you’ll want to choose a Coleman model that isn’t too large or heavy. There are multiple sizes available and some portable lanterns are even collapsible, making storage a breeze.
There are also small belly bulge sandblasted sunshine logo globes very rare or hard to find today, so far no Canadian version seen. In 1965, Coleman entered into a marketing agreement with Sears, Roebuck & Co., manufacturing this all-purpose Ted Williams lantern. This arc-style lantern represents Coleman’s entry into the market in 1905.
At an average coleman lantern of $2.50 a gallon, that will bring the operating cost to $0.07 per hour. LanternHighLowPropane4 hours9 hoursGas7 hoursN/ALED85 hours299 hoursThe LED lantern was a clear winner here. I put new batteries in mine the beginning of the year, and it was still going strong at the end of the camping season.
Although you may not be able to buy this exact one these days, they do make a similar one. The one they make now is a dual fuel lantern. The new ones will also run on unleaded gasoline. Coleman made this version of their L327 model for their Sunshine Products subsidiary circa 1929 based on a parts comparison to dated Quick-Lite lanterns. The baffle plate is unplated steel rather than nickel plated brass and lacks Sunshine Products stamping.
Note the air tube along the left side of the fuel pickup tube, which is necessary for the Instant Lite feature. Coleman made this model for their Sunshine Safety company . It has many of the same parts as Quick-Lite Model L327. The collar, generator, and cap nut are different from that model.
a largely obsolete measurement of light output. It’s still used sometimes by manufacturers to measure light intensity in the center of a flashlight beam. This continuity clearly appeals to Wilmot and his personal Coleman collection is a show of respect for this timelessness. Wilmot says he’s also cleaned and shined up a number of lanterns, and gotten them working correctly, in order to give them to friends. Wilmot enjoys the simplicity of the lanterns’ operation.
One 16 oz canister of propane lasts about four to five hours on high and about eight hours on medium to low. It is fully adjustable and can be set lower if you are trying to conserve propane. However, if the propane canister is running out, it occasionally makes a rather loud whistling noise. We lit campfires, cooked, played board games, had parties, and even chopped wood on moonless nights with this lantern.