Im just reviving a very useful and informative old thread. Thanks to all the great comments here, Im the proud new owner of a
1948 Coleman Empire 237 kerosene lantern in great condition. This one is in the line-up of the brightest ever produced by Coleman and is rated at 500 c.p. All I need now is a new globe and a new fuel cap o-ring before I light-er-up.:devil:
5 years ago, I bought a new Coleman Northstar 2000 Dual Fuel lantern and had problems with constant brightness fluctuations. It would get bright and then dim about once every second and cycle back and forth at that pace (about a 25% dip in lumens and then back to full power). After spending hours on the phone with Coleman (and replacing 2 generators, a fuel pickup tube, several mantles, different batches of brand new coleman fuel and unleaded fuel, experimenting with different fuel tank levels and pressures), I gave up and returned the dam thing to the store for a refund. After reading several positive comments online about this lantern, I decided to give it one more try and bought another brand new Coleman 2000 for $125. What a waste of time! It had the exact same problems as the one before it. I havent even mentioned how cheaply these things are built today and all the flimsy stamped parts used throughout. Dont buy one of these pieces of complete garbage. Instead, hunt down an old Coleman lantern in good condition. You can look forward to giving it to your great grandkids for their continued use once you're long gone. 237's are going for around $100 or less for great used ones, and they are built 10 times better than the current models. Coleman still makes the 237 generator tubes for them as well, which isnt the case for most older Coleman lanterns.
leacockcolemancenter still sells thorum based mantles manufacturered by
peerless. They are less expensive than what walmart sells coleman mantles for. Coleman mantles are very fragile and produce a dim yellowish light. The Peerless branded ones are strong and produce a bright white light that must be at least 25-30% brighter. Its a superior product in every way you could imagine. I also purchased a spare 237 generator from leacock just in case... great people and knowledgeable over the phone.
Thanks to all for "turning me on" to this little known and greatley misunderstood masterpiece from a by-gone era. She's a real looker too! :huh:
FlameKeeper: if you ever do drop by again, thanks for all the great information and your considerable knowledge about this lantern. This thing is beautifully crafted and built like a tank.
