Coleman Dual Fuel Powerhouse Lantern

**Reschs** · 31-01-16, 08:51 PM

Anyone used one of these.

Other half produced one tonight from our boys old Cubs days.
It is brand new in box and she wants to take with her on a camping trip.
Female group going camping at a concert in Birdsville. They are all over 55, so should be amusing.

Question is It uses unleaded petrol.

Should I start planning for my, soon to be, freedom or are they actually safe.

**Drift** · 31-01-16, 08:57 PM

,

Originally Posted by Reschs

Anyone used one of these.

Other half produced one tonight from our boys old Cubs days.
It is brand new in box and she wants to take with her on a camping trip.
Female group going camping at a concert in Birdsville. They are all over 55, so should be amusing.

Question is It uses unleaded petrol.

Should I start planning for my, soon to be, freedom or are they actually safe.

Get it out and test it for a few hours first. Let it cool then do it again.

It should be fine. I've used my dads old dual fuel stove a number of times and it's been fine. It's night on 40 years old. Bastard to start the first burner but once it's hot it's good. The first time I used it I was seriously worried it was going to blow up but it's fine.. Suspect your lamp will be the same.

**mtv** · 31-01-16, 09:02 PM

Hmmmm... petrol and flames, usually not a good combination. (unless the inevitable effect is what you're trying for)

Found this amusing.

Tool Dude Tony...lol (mostly tool)

**Rick** · 31-01-16, 09:07 PM

I do like the retro of these lanterns, ive got 2 but they just hang in the shed now and never get used, not sure if they are usable when a total fire ban is in place? I ended up buying the Coleman Rugged LED lanterns, far safer IMO and a lot cheaper to run, no having to carry excess fuels

**Reschs** · 31-01-16, 09:17 PM

I was surprised anyone would make something that used petrol.
I did not know we owned one until tonight.

If I was going, I would use battery powered lights.

**mtv** · 31-01-16, 09:23 PM

Had a mate who was badly burnt when he knocked a gas lantern over and set fire to surroundings.

Apart from the flammability, the hot glass itself is a safety issue.

Battery power is by far a safer alternative.

Some pretty efficient LED lanterns available these days.

**Rick** · 31-01-16, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by Reschs

I was surprised anyone would make something that used petrol.

Both the white fuel and petrol are a worry, my kids knocked one over one night, fuel spilled out of it everywhere, scorched the lantern and the ground, luckily our camping area had good clearing, could have turned pear shaped pretty quick, not only the safety risk its the stinking smell they give off, thats why they are just hanging ornaments in my BBQ area now

**lsemmens** · 31-01-16, 09:59 PM

We had an old kero lantern like that when I was a kid, they worked extremely well. These days, I'd go for high intensity LEDs.

**SpankedHam** · 01-02-16, 07:56 AM

I've still got a few used at the grandparent's farmhouse before they got electricity on.

LED lamps + solar panel to recharge have taken the place of candles and kero lamps as far as I'm concerned.

**Landytrack** · 01-02-16, 08:31 AM

I have two Colemans, a single mantle and a double mantle. Both are excellent lights and have used them at campsites with kids. Just put them up somewhere where they can't be bumped or knocked over and all goes well.

Far brighter than any LED light I've seen. Would advise against running them with our Australian unleaded fuel which is full of additives and can cause damage to the burner.

The dual fuel applies to American unleaded fuel.

The best fuels are Colemans fuel or Shellite. Shellite can be bought at Bunnings or other hardware stores.

**gordon_s1942** · 01-02-16, 12:21 PM

For many years I used a very small stove fueled by Metholated spirits.
This sat on a stand and you poured the metho in to the level of a 'dimple' on the side of the bowl.
You lit it by simply holding a match over the metho and the fumes caught.
I'd guess it held about 1/3 of a cup of Metho, 125ML?
The way to put it out was to place a cap over the holes in the top side cutting off the air.
A relative one time got some very nasty burns from 1st to 3rd Degree burns from the navel area to the forehead when refilling a similar one because it was still hot from just being used.
Her body burns were caused when the liquid 'exploded' and although what she was wearing was fairly thick, (winter time), the liquid soaked straight through and then ignited.
Metho like Petrol burns with an almost invisible flame making it a very hard to see it to extinguish it.
I had one of those 'Primus' Kero fueled 'blow torch' used to burn off paint etc and I was wary of it because mishandled, they can be dangerous.

I have used Kerosene 'Hurricane Lamps' but never the Coleman/Primus type and as for a stove, I would rather have LPG than Petrol for the fuel.

**Tiny** · 01-02-16, 12:47 PM

I've only ever used Shellite in mine as I'm not a fan of petrol bombs, although Shellite is still a hazardous inflammable liquid, however it is what I believe the lanterns were intended to use for fuel.

Like Rick, mine is just an ornament now along with my kero lanterns & gas lanterns, as I have a rechargeable Coleman fluro that was the predecessor to the Led version & it works great. Rest of my camp lighting is taken care of by the Caravan.

Actually they are still available.
Mine is in retro style as well.

**JasonC** · 01-02-16, 01:17 PM

LED strip lights hooked up the battery - dirt cheap, don't have to worry about carrying and lighting fuel etc.
very low draw on the battery next to nothing really

**gordon_s1942** · 01-02-16, 02:02 PM

Now that Kerosene is almost $4 a Litre, it aint no cheap fuel today.
I dont know if you can still buy wicks for them now.

The last time I used the Hurricane lamps was when the local Cub group camped out and I set the two of them up to burn all night to 'show the way' to the P TREE.
I think it cost the munificent sum of about a $1 for both of the lamps to burn all night and still had some left over the next morning.

**Tiny** · 01-02-16, 04:22 PM

yeah, kerosene is ridiculously priced atm, here it is $6.50 for 1L or between $4 & $5 per litre in 4L container.

Cheaper to use diesel??

**LeroyPatrol** · 01-02-16, 04:43 PM

I stopped using gas lanterns 10yrs ago for ARB flouro camp lights. Yeh yeh they're not the latest LED lights but still work very well. No dangerous hazards to worry about.
I thought those lanterns above in OP were shellite and only use unleaded if you can't get it?

Leroy

**Drift** · 01-02-16, 04:48 PM

I have a few old hurricane lanterns I use in the yard as decorations mainly but they do get filled with citronella oil occasionally to ward off biting bugs. They don't come camping any more. The only lights we use for camping these days are LED. Have a couple of weather proof roll up dimable strip lights that are rated at 1000 lumens at full brightness. They also have an amber setting which is supposed to be better for the bugs. Not sure of that but they're good for what we need anyway.