Who makes the very best white gas stoves and lanterns?

[AndrewP]

Really? What changed?

*My Opinion*

They have a reputation for making very low quality and troublesome products. Shiny though. I think it's one of those cases where they took the old German petromax design(which was itself way overly complicated but cool-kind of like a BMW!), had it reverse engineered in China, and then made it even more poorly and cheaper over time. You can get basically the same thing for less on Ebay, but don't bother. I mean $350 for a lantern that will be troublesome out of the box vs a $20 lantern off Craigslist that won't be? They have a long way to go to prove themselves. Now if they made that same shiny lantern with better parts in the USA and sold it for $100, the world would be at their door. Heck, for that kind of money, buy a real vintage Pertomax, Or Hippolito and enjoy tinkering with it. But take a Coleman so you can have light in camp.

 

[dwh]

Hrmm.

Okay, so you're saying their older Chinese reverse engineered stuff was better than the Chinese reverse engineered stuff they make today?


Might be a bit hard to reverse engineer something that you own the patent rights to though. Here's a Wayback Machine archive of their site where they list 4 different patent numbers:


https://web.archive.org/web/20060215085354/http://www.britelyt.com/



Anyway, the "cheap Chinese" opinion doesn't jibe with what I remember. I seem to recall, when I looked into buying one some years back, that there used to be a 3-4 month lead time after you ordered one before it was delivered, because they were built on a bespoke basis.

But it could be true that they've always been made in China. I don't know.

I haven't looked at them in some years, and I'm a bit surprised to see that they've pulled their stoves. Though I seem to recall from some years ago that they were getting orders for those stoves from some military, and none were available for retail customers - so maybe they pulled them off the site today because all of their production is geared to filling those orders again.

In the past, they apparently have sold stuff to Defense Logistics Agency:

http://government-contracts.findthe...yt-Inc-Defense-Logistics-Agency-SPM8E711M0468


Dunno. I know when I looked into buying from them, I found good reviews in several places on the net (except of course, from Coleman collectors), especially on the boating boards.


I see TONS of "Petromax Lanterns" on Alibaba, but I sort of doubt any of them are actually BriteLyts. Maybe it's a case of mistaken identity?


Here's a conversation I remember from a few years ago, which has an endorsement from an ExPo member:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...el-Stove-amp-Oven-Options?p=822580#post822580

If he's still around, might be good to send him a PM and get his opinion.

 

[DaveNay]

As someone who has never used a liquid fuel stove, when you pack up camp can you empty the fuel from the stove? If you're transporting it inside a vehicle does it smell? I'm looking to upgrade from my cheapo propane coleman for next summer.

It keeps....damn near forever! This summer I pulled my 424 stove out of storage and fired it up for the first time in nearly 20 years. I didn't add to or change the fuel, just used the half tank that had been there all this time.

 

[toxicity_27]

So if someone were to look into getting an older Coleman stove what model(s) would be the best to look at? Anything to watch out for? Typical going price?

 

[chris snell]

WHen you get it, I can guide you through a full rebuild and will send you a cap gasket and pump leather if you need one. It looks barely used, so the generator may be perfectly good.

Thanks for that offer. I will take you up on it. My plan is to give it a bath in Ballistol and water and scrub it gently with a plastic scouring pad (but testing first to make sure that the finish isn't damaged).

I'm stoked about this score and I really appreciate your input. Without actually looking, I figured that the vintage Coleman stuff on eBay would be garbage, worn-out, and expensive. I was surprised that you can get a lightly used 1960's stove for $30. I am going to hunt down a lantern now.

 

[chris snell]

For small lanterns and stoves, these have served me well for many years.

The red lantern is 200A - 7/57

The small brown lantern is Canadian 222 - 2/99

I'm surprised that the little lantern was made in 1999. It has that awesome, ****ty 1980s brown paint job. That little lantern is the perfect size for me. The only thing that would make it better is a ****ty plastic case for it.

 

[Camadile]

I guess you don't want one this small: http://www.optimusstoves.com/seen/o...pconnect/optimus-outdoor-kocher/optimus-svea/
Figgered that they'd make a bigger one but I don't see anything like it on their site.
I had one as my only stove for my first 35 years of camping. I don't backpack anymore so my nephew's got the stove now. Tough little bugger.
I think that Optimus bought the Svea name at some point. The stove I bought 41 years ago was just a Svea...

I bought my Svea stove when I was 12 years old - 44 years ago. I have been on at least 200 backpacking trips since then and my Svea is still sitting in my backpack waiting for the next trip. It has never failed me in snow, ice, rain or good weather. I have seen countless other stoves fail for various reasons but my Svea always out-performed every other stove that I have seen on my trips - cold weather, hot weather, high altitude, whatever. I am very lucky to have purchased a Sigg Touriste cook-set long ago that is specifically made for the Svea. It is no longer available but you can get one on Ebay. The combination of the Svea and Sigg Touriste is an unbeatable combination of performance and light weight. All the new high tech stoves are BS in comparison!

Cam

 

[Jerry Ward]

I second the Svea 123! Bomb-proof design/technology, essentially no moving parts, made in Sweden of solid brass, has classic good looks, is utterly reliable, and cost effective. I have carried one for years; both backpacking and car camping. It's an older model from the late 1950's. Never experienced a single issue with it...Jerry

 

[Camadile]

I second the Svea 123! Bomb-proof design/technology, essentially no moving parts, made in Sweden of solid brass, has classic good looks, is utterly reliable, and cost effective. I have carried one for years; both backpacking and car camping. It's an older model from the late 1950's. Never experienced a single issue with it...Jerry

One of my favorite things to do is to show a newbie how to light the Svea. They get all scared and back off about ten yards!

I bought mine in 1970 at Fedco for $12!

Cam

 

[thedjjack]

One of my favorite things to do is to show a newbie how to light the Svea. They get all scared and back off about ten yards!

I bought mine in 1970 at Fedco for $12!

Cam

x100 love my 123

 

[Hilldweller]

One of my favorite things to do is to show a newbie how to light the Svea. They get all scared and back off about ten yards!

I bought mine in 1970 at Fedco for $12!

Cam

Ha.
"Fire in the hole...!"

 

[Camadile]

Here is a video of someone using the 123 with a Sigg Tourist cook set:


Cam

 

[SmokeEater2]

The older Coleman stuff is hard to beat. I just spent 10 days out with a 1977 3 burner stove, A 1970 something 220 lantern and a "new" 288 lantern from the 80's. The 220 lanterns are work horses and throw a lot of light and I never go without one.

The newer 288 or 286 (single mantle) lanterns are bright and have the ability to turn the light down to just a glow if you want. Easy on fuel too.

The 426 3 burner is a beast and has never failed me. It always gets a lot of use and doesn't use nearly as much fuel as it seems like it should.

Like someone else mentioned though, The older Coleman gear is addictive and I've now got probably 20 lanterns and I think 8 stoves. Vintage American made stuff that still works just like it did when it was made 30-70 years ago has my interest.

 

[Jerry Ward]

Nothing wrong with Coleman at all; especially the older models. Another Swedish gem to check out is the Optimus 8R/11R/Hunter series.

Another option is to track down USGI stove and lantern models. I'd stick to the WWII-Vietnam period for the best quality. Popular models of stove include the M1942 and M1950. They burn near any gasoline-type fuel, come complete with a built in spare parts kit and takedown wrench, and are made to be field maintainable. The lanterns likewise are super-robust, completely field maintainable, and also have onboard tools/spare parts.

At one time, I had a pretty extensive collection of vintage stoves/lanterns. They are kinda addictive once you get started. I've downsized substantially since we are in the process of making a big move. Maybe I'll take a few pics sometime in the next few days of the models I have left just for fun...Jerry

 

[segona]

I love my Coleman 228 lantern and Soto stove.. never fail... great efficiency !!!