If you want to drop the operating cost, then all you have to do is fill the tank with unleaded gasoline. At an average price of $2.50 a gallon, that will bring the operating cost to $0.07 per hour. I put new batteries in mine the beginning coleman lantern of the year, and it was still going strong at the end of the camping season. Its great not having to worry about bringing extra fuel along. Contact our team to talk to a factory expert to help you choose the right model based on your needs.
In 1900, William Coffin Coleman was selling high pressure gasoline fueled lamps. These lamps, notably ‘The Efficient’ Pendant Arc lamp No. 6, were manufactured by Irby & Gilliland in Memphis, Tennessee. The instruction sheet identifies it as a US made “Marine lantern” perhaps in an attempt to develop a new market for the model. The preheater cup contains an asbestos-like material (lower image), perhaps to keep the alcohol from splashing out of the cup on a boat on water. This lantern, in Andy Maschino’s collection, is stamped Made in Canada on the side of the fount but in all other features is the same as those made for the US market.
The LED battery powered lantern is the one you should get. After a full season of use, this is the lantern that I always grabbed when I needed light. My second favorite lantern is the gas powered one, and coming in third place is the propane powered lantern. See how they compare in each test below, and see if you come to the same conclusion that I did. The construction of the above 228B built in May 1930 includes a swaged bail that will only fit in the key slot on the frame member when it is under the frame. As a result the bail will not detach from an assembled lantern.
The steel parts may have been a way to use up surplus parts. The mixing chamber casting has 3 datum targets unique to those made in the Wichita factory. Coleman made the Model 200A for 32 years beginning in 1951. The lantern in the center has a replacement globe and fuel cap.
The brackets in the middle portion of the ventilator center the mica globe (image above). The detents in the bail tabs (image below) hold the bail upright. Model 227 preceding (right image) has flat spaces in the ventilator where these brackets and bail tabs were not used. This ventilator is from an MF-125 in Russ Baldwin’s collection. This product is not cheap, especially if you purchase a case (which we recommend), but it is bright. It is made from quality parts and works well for car, RV, and cabin camping.
To accommodate the pump, which is mounted into the center of the fount, the fuel pickup tube had to swivel for removal (below the 2nd set of threads). Note the air tube along the left side of the fuel pickup tube, which is necessary for the Instant Lite feature. From left to right above is, gas, Led, propane (northstar), and Justin’s propane lantern. His propane lantern has two mantle bags, whereas mine has one long mantle that stretches from the top to the bottom. This picture shows pretty clearly the difference in brightness and color. After a year of use, I found myself always grabbing the LED lantern when I needed light, and for many reasons.
It is unique among the three in having an attachment to show lantern slides (lower image) in addition to 35mm slides and film strips (upper image). The two attachments coleman grill are mounted in the bottom of the case in front of the lantern for transport. Note the alcohol preheating can for the kerosene fueled 237 lantern in the images.
We believe this Coleman 200A lantern dated February 1952 is a prototype for the production of the IR lanterns made several years later. For more information see The Coleman Light, Vol 26, No 2, Pages 1, 4-5. This lantern was also made in Wichita and is dated Nov ’51 as the above lantern for the OCD. It doesn’t have the engraved OCD number on the fount but has the same parts noted above from the Coleman – Toronto factory as on the OCD model. This lantern has it’s original box with the same label as on the OCD lantern boxes (right image).
Compared to these classic lanterns, your modern LED lantern is a toy–and toys are for kids. So it’s time to get a real lantern–and become the master of your campsite–and a master of the night. The lightweight Coleman® Kids 44 Lumens Adventure Mini LED Lantern works well when camping with kids or as a portable bedside light.
The lanterns on the left and right are in Shirley Willard’s collection. Coleman made the “D” version of Model 228 from the mid 1940’s until 1951. This one, in Patrick Fay’s collection, is dated April, 1948, and has the original globe on which Coleman appears in large faint green letters. This was the last version to have a nickel plated brass fount and the pump is held in by two small screws, not a spring clip.