Dietz kerosene lanterns. Advice/recommendations for newbie?

[Tallbald]

Well now. An interesting thread here about emergency lighting really piqued my interests in an old old style kerosene lantern I didn't think was currently being made. Except as inexpensive , almost decorator models made as inexpensively as possible for sale at almost disposable prices. The Dietz lanterns however are handsome and practical, and look to be made to serious standards (from Amazon reviews I read).
I keep 5 gallons of kerosene year around for a Coleman pressurized kerosene lantern and a 28K BTU emergency space heater in cold months. So this old wick-style lantern would mesh well with my emergency plans. Plus. Miss Penny and i thoroughly enjoy setting on our back patio after the sun sinks, and a kerosene lantern of the Dietz lighting intensity might be a ..... romantic addition.
So. There are a buncha buncha Dietz lanterns. Some differences appear mostly cosmetic(?) How does a newbie choose a Dietz lantern model? They all seem fuel thrifty. Within the brand, does price determine quality? Are pricier models for example made closer to home? What's the country of manufacture for most Dietz models?
Hey thanks for any guidance. As always I look forward to learning.
Don

 

[RSIno1]

Older ones have collector value. I've got 3 my dad collected at local yard sales.

https://lanternnet.com/r-e-dietz-compendium-index-of-non-electric-american-made-products/

https://www.farmcollector.com/equipment/antique-kerosene-lanterns-zm0z02deczraw/

 

[Quarterbore]

I am pretty sure the current ones are made in China. With that said, they are inexpensive and work great.

I personally like the Air Pilot model and probably have 6 of them along with spare parts. I have only used two, the other two are for emergency use or to replace the ones I am using if something stops working but I’ve had them for probably 10 years and no issues at all.

In the post above is a good site to compare models. This is the one I like.

https://lanternnet.com/product/dietz-8-air-pilot-cold-blast-lantern/

I like the black with brass trim myself.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Add another vote for these guys: https://lanternnet.com/home

There are many outfits across the country who handle Dietz and other lanterns such as the German Feurhand. The fellows at W.T. Kirkman are my favorite for info.

I have three Dietz lanterns. One dates to 1950 (Comet model, US made in Syracuse NY), the next one (#1 Little Wizard model) is probably late '60s to early '70s, when some of the production had already been moved offshore, first to Hong Kong, then mainland China. This one's US made also, stamped City of Los Angeles. It was used by their street department to mark barriers like the flashing battery lights do now. The third one is a #76 "The Original"--I think it was brought out as a Bicentennial item and remains in the catalog. It's from Hong Kong, around 1976. It's almost a carbon copy of the Feurhand #276 Baby Special. Comparing those two, I'd opt to save up a few more dollars to afford a new, and still German made, Feurhand. Watch the prices on the German product because they're all over the map!

As for the rest of the Dietz catalog, I understand all production went to China by about 1982, and current models are still being produced using original tooling from the US that dates back a centrury. That could be good or bad. I'm not familiar with the Chinese products so won't offer an opinion.

Hint on sitting out on the porch by lantern light: stop by Home Depot, Lowe's or similar and look for the tiki torches in the garden section. A bottle of citronella oil for them is a good thing. Just add a little at a time to the kerosene already in the tank until you have enough to scare off your buzzy friends.

Rick C

 

[Acorn]

My Mom has about 6 lamps my Dad’s father bought for emergency lighting during the Pittsburgh flood of 1936. Some are Dietz and a couple are Star’s. Sadly a couple of the Star’s globes got broken. I’ve been looking off and on to find replacements with no luck for nostalgia’s sake.

 

[Tallbald]

Thank you all so much. This is great information to help me start looking and hopefully choosing! Don

 

[Kevin]

I’ve never heard of this brand before, are they better than the Coleman propane lanterns? I remember those older Coleman lanterns were very fussy about the cotton wick. But when you get everything adjusted correctly, they would burn for hours.

It’s been a couple years, but the last time we BBQ’ed all night one of the guys had some Coleman lanterns which on one of those white propane tanks would last all night and then some.

But why this brand of Dietz? Is it just the style?

 

[Rick Courtright]

I’ve never heard of this brand before, are they better than the Coleman propane lanterns? I remember those older Coleman lanterns were very fussy about the cotton wick. But when you get everything adjusted correctly, they would burn for hours.

Hi,

Kevin, probably every Western movie you've ever seen has a scene or two with at least one of two popular kerosene lamps/lanterns. The "lamp" was usually used indoors. Generally made of glass, there's a fuel fount below the burner which holds a wick, and a glass chimney to get a good draw. There's no handle to carry or hang them. They usually have a pretty well blackened chimney in the movies, but properly kept clean, wick trimmed, and properly adjusted, the chimney doesn't get all glommed up for quite a while. Especially with today's lamp oils and cleaner burning kerosene. These may date back to the 18th century--research required.

Then somewhere in one of the scenes will be a "hurricane lantern" hanging off the porch or somewhere similar. It has a metal frame that controls the air flow to the burner/wick and earned the "hurricane lantern" moniker because they're very hard to blow out even in moderately strong winds. That design dates to the mid-19th century.

As far as I know, the pressurized lantern made famous by Coleman dates to the early 20th century (my oldest one dates to 1939, a buddy has a 1927, and both are functional to this day.) I dunno about any wick operated Coleman lanterns. The fact propane is mentioned in your post makes me think you had "standard" mantle fired Coleman lanterns. None of the wick fed styles are anywhere nearly as bright as a mantle fired Coleman or similar lantern.

There are a couple of links already mentioned about lanternnet. They're a great resource for starting your research on these things that turn liquid into light, especially if there's a wick involved. And if you really like to dig into the past, there's a tremendous community devoted to the pressurized lanterns at https://classicpressurelamps.com/

Rick C