Yesterday I bought a Coleman lantern, and today I have to express disappointment.

Functioality-wise, it's great. But I cannot for the life of me fathom out how the design of the globe (glass) assembly ever made it out the prototype stage.

The globe is smaller in diameter than the metal base plate. On the base plate is a heat shield which is spring loaded so that it pushes the globe up against the ventilator cap. That's ok, but the globe diameter is smaller than the heatshield too, such that the heatshield doesn't keep the globe concentric on the lantern.

That is mediocre design, but shouldn't in itself be a problem - you'd visually center the globe and then tighten the ventilator down so that the spring action keeps the globe in position.

This is where it gets really wacky though. The globe diameter is such that the top of the globe rests against a non-flat part of the ventilator. If you think of the ventilator as an upside-down bowl with a wide convex lip, the globe is resting against the convex part, making it pretty much impossible to keep the glass concentrically in position.

I'm all in favor of rustic looking lanterns. but prefer that it is a result of years of abuse tempered by periodic maintenance. Not straight out of the box. These are elementary mechanical design flaws.

Just to complete the picture, the top of the ventilator cap isn't flat either. It has a raised 'bump' section, and guess what? The bump diameter is smaller than the top of the generator assembly that it rests against, meaning that once again, it is virtually impossible to get the thing to sit concentrically. It also has the nice side effect of minimising the friction between the cap and the generator assembly so that, even when you tighten the cap nut as much as possible it is easy to twist the cap in relation to the rest of the lamp. And twisting the cap anticlockwise will loosen the nut.

Since the handle is attached to the ventilator cap, that means the weight of the hot lantern containing pressurized volatile flammable liquid is being hung from the cap, and hence relying on this nut to stay tight.

Now I could understand if these design flaws were present in a lantern made by AnewGuy Lantern Company LLC. It would still piss me off, but I could accept that a new companys designs might have teething issues, or that they couldn't revise such issues out of the production run easily due to financial resources. But this is Coleman. Their 103 year history started with a lantern. Their early financial success was due to lanterns. Their name is known globally because of their stoves and lanterns.
I cannot believe that these _elementary_ design flaws were present in the lanterns that made Coleman a household name. How does a company 'forget' how to make one of its flagship products?
I trusted their name and history, picked out the model with the features that I wanted and paid my money. I guess I'm going to return it. It's the 288 twin mantle for anyone interested.

Are all their current models like this? Or can anyone recommend a model without these flaws? (Or another manufacturer ?)

I have been using Primus stoves for a while now and I cannot tell you how happy I have been with mine. I have a Yellowstone Classic model stove with a piezo lighter for it. They make a lantern that attaches to the same fuel canisters, and I have heard good things about it. I've seen one in use once, but I didn't have another lantern to compare the brightness to. The benefit of this design is that it is a steel mesh lantern that doesn't need to be replaced, AND you get to carry one type of canister for your fuel. If you plan on doing any backpacking or want to travel light, the Primus stoves (and it looks like that lantern) would be a good choice.

This is a little OT, but hey, it's the OT Forum....
Anybody got a bright, lightweight headlamp to recommend for backpacking? Preferably one that doesn't break the bank....

Not sure how powerful you want it to be, but mini Mag lights are fantastic. I used them all throughout Scouts, and they work pretty well. I believe they come in a package with a headband.

I can't remember at the moment, though, whether I used that just for walking around a dark camp sight, or for backpacking its self. But regardless, it makes for a decend flashlight, personal lantern, or headlamp.

How does a company 'forget' how to make one of its flagship products?

Marketing. Every time.

Peter

Anybody got a bright, lightweight headlamp to recommend for backpacking?

I don't use a headlamp, just the mini-maglite and candle lanterns.

Petzl Tikka hands down. If you want a more adjustable beam, get the Tikka Plus, but I've had my Tikka for a couple of years and couldn't want for anything more. It stays on your head pretty good, but when you are in camp and want a general light source, you can hang it upside down around your neck, and you won't blind people you are talking to. This makes it easy to cook, clean pots, eat by headlamp, too.

Are you sure that the "flaws" you see are not really "design features" intended to cope with the dramatic expansion of materials that happens as they heat WAY up ?

Cheers

Petzl Zipka, hands down. There is no alternative.

The similar Tikka is nice, but much much bulkier, and not as versatile (cannot clamp onto your wrist, for example).

Cheers

I'll second the zipka. Rob V. and i used the hell out of those at the Buggy Blast this year. Nice and compact too. I dunno how nice it would be to wear on hikes though...

Yes, the Zipka is really nice too. The Tikka and Zipka both use the same light unit, so it's really a matter of preference. I wouldn't go as far as calling the Tikka bulky, especially since I had a Zoom before! Does the Zipka fit on an Ecrin Roc?

Thanks for the advice, guys. That definitely helps narrow my choices at REI....

Are you sure that the "flaws" you see are not really "design features" intended to cope with the dramatic expansion of materials that happens as they heat WAY up ?

I considered that possibility and came to the conclusion that it was no the case. Firstly, the magnitude of the issues - they aren't in the 0-2mm range, rather the 5-10mm range. There is no way that thermal expansion is going to correct that. Secondly the materials - for the globe size problem, the metal components of the baseplate/ventilator are going to expand more than the glass of the globe, hence exacerbating that problem, and for the ventilator/generator problem, both items are probably the same material anyway, and should expand/contract by the same amount.

Petzl all the way. Whether you're after an insanely lightweight unit or a torch capable of longer range stuff, Petzl will have one to suit.

Incidentally. does anyone know of an online source for replacement Zoom headstraps? The elastic has gone in mine after about 15 years of regular use.

Primus...I cut my teeth on 'Primus' stoves, as made by Optimus. The Type 00 and Type 45 in particular.
That lantern looks great for lightweight use (especially if you've got the stove that uses the same canister), but possibly a bit limited for what I need right now. I have a young son, so my priorities are somewhat different - light output and safety win over size and weight. Ideally I'd like a Tilley X246B Stormlight. Paraffin (Kerosene) is a wonderfully safe fuel compared to gasline, and those lanterns kick out some light. They're also virtually indestructible, and very well designed. (The design has barely changed in nearly 60 years).
Unfortunately they're not available in the US. I had thought that Coleman products would be of similar quality, but it appears that I was wrong.

How does a company 'forget' how to make one of its flagship products?

Marketing. Every time.

I think that you may be right. I'm sure it wasn't the engineers' fault. I suspect that Accounting may have had a hand in it too.

genixia, are you a climber? Or just someone who uses outdoorsy stuff for outdoorsy things?

?

Funny story about the Zipka and a fundamental design flaw.

I was standing in the aisle of head lanterns at REI one day playing with the Zipka. While I was there, two women came up to me to ask about the lights. They knew I didn't work for REI but they wanted to know which light I thought was the coolest one there for them to purchase for their nephew. Of course, I showed them the Zipka. I pulled on the retractable cord a few times and showed how it fit nicely on my head. So, one of the women (let's call her woman1) decided to give it a try.

Woman1 enthusiastically dons the Zipka. She places the Zipka over her head and the cord retracts to fit to size. Looks great, works great, everything's great and she's very impressed with my taste. So, she decides to take it off. Only, woman1 has long thin hair (enter design flaw). Woman1 pulls on the front end of the Zipka to extend the cord and begins to lift up. Then in one quick motion, the back end of the zipka slides up the back of her head and retracts very quickly and “zips” up along with the chord a substantial portion of Woman1's hair. Woman2 lets out a shriek and begins to pull on the cord to extend it and release the hair. This has, instead, the reverse effect and Woman1's hair ends up bundled in knots inside the compact retractor portion of the Zipka.

Meanwhile, I start to slink away from the situation that is quickly gaining the attention of others in the store. On a side note, Woman1 was in a wheelchair and although that obviously bares no significance on the effect of the Zipka on her, it did have a profound effect on how many people rushed to her aid in the situation. A woman in a wheel chair shrieking loudly while another woman pulls at her hair seems odd enough a situation to garner the attention of others fairly quickly.

Well, anyway. I think someone from REI had to eventually take the retracting part of the Zipka apart to release the hair. Needless to say - I'd recommend the Zipka, but unless you have a buzz-cut, pay attention to how you remove the Zipka from your head.

- trs

genixia, are you a climber?

No...climbing is a bug that I never really caught. I've done some wall climbing, but never any real 'on the mountain-face' rope work, the most extreme stuff I've done is the scamble up Crib Goch and traverse of its knife ridge (Snowdonia). I've been up other peaks in the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Brecon Beacons etc, but that's all hiking

I'm a lifelong scout...so I've 'dabbled' in many outdoor pursuits to one degree or another - hiking, mountaineering, camping, canoeing, kayaking, backpacking, spelunking etc.

Funny story about the Zipka and a fundamental design flaw.

LMAO. The picture you painted was hilarious. Thanks i needed that. HAhaha... ahhhhh..

Ok, that's funny. I can just imagine you edging away from the ensuing scene.

Thanks!

Ah, okay. Just checking. Well, at least don't pass up the opportunities for fantastic hiking in New Hampshire while you're in the area!

Cheers

So you knew that my girlfriend had very long hair, huh?

Thanks for the story; I will be mindful of this.

How well does the Zipka perform on a hairless head? Does it stay put or have a tendnecy to slide when the ol' cranium is sweating? It can get pretty sultry at night in Texas... I assume it has some grip-like surface on it?
I use headlamps while night fishing and the current cheapo one I have has the power button in a bad spot. I lost a fish one time trying to hit the switch to turn on the light when I was getting it near the boat. The Zipka looks nice and compact for storage...