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. The LED battery powered lantern is the one you should get.
Model 202, the Professional (left), is dated Jan., ’55. This model was produced for 10 years beginning in 1954 For the first couple of years the burner cap was ceramic. The lantern on the left is in Jim Fulmer’s collection.
Today, with gas lanterns falling out of favor to lightweight, battery-powered LED lanterns, Wilmot feels a nostalgia for the craftsmanship of old. The ball nut on this version of Model L227, dated stamped Feb. 1929, is separate from the vent and the ventilator lacks indentations as above. Coleman shipped Model L227 from Aug. 1927 through Dec. 1932 (Strong cited by Becker). This MF143 lantern is stamped Sunshine Safety Lamp Co. on the baffle plate and is a built-in pump version of Model MF125 above.
The first production of instant lighting lanterns was in March, 1928 when Coleman made the L220 and L228 (above- missing mica globe). The first pumps on Quick-Lite lanterns were coleman canopy “built-on” rather than “built into” the founts. This L427 lantern, in John Stendahl’s collection, is date stamped May, 1925, and has the pump top with the rounded handle.
It hasn’t broke on me or anything, this is purely the “feel” test on my part. The lantern offers the ability to recharge at any outlet as well as charge your devices which is great. When Target and Walmart feature your product prominently, you’ll get sales no matter if your product is good or bad. As much as I hate ripping on any piece of gear, I really fell like Coleman mailed it in on their Rugged Rechargeable Lantern. Ozark Trail (Walmart) makes a better and cheaper lantern or Goal Zero’s Lighthouse 400 is our Editor’s Choice for just a bit more money.
At some point after that the Civil Defense waterslide decal was added to this unfired lantern. This lantern and another one with the 1952 date and a CD decal came from a seller in Michigan. There was no other coleman lantern Civil Defense material with the lanterns or the mil-spec boxes they came in. One nice feature to note is that the Coleman is one of the only rechargeable lanterns that came with its own plug in block.