WMIRAG is right,,
Its all about surface-brightness..
HID has about the same efficiency compared to fluorescent, so there is nothing to gain.. With these lanterns you want as flood as possible, and it has no use to obtain that flood by placing milk-glass windows around a more expensive HID-bulb (and ballast). Someone on CPF made a lantern with Luxeon-leds, without milkglass. The pictures spoke for themselves: very blinding solution with the small led-junctions (also cold colortemp)!!!
I suggested earlier that if I woud make a lantern with todays techniques, it would have dimmable wharm-white Luxeons, ofcource with milkglass, with additional electronics that cause a romantic, candle-like flikker (adjustable)..
AM I LOST NOW ????...
Edit: Ohh,, I forgot: Led's are fully dimmable, HID is not! So not practical when you are at the porch with your girlfriend (or boyfriend... or both) and things get a little more...romantic...
Maybe I can fit a romance-sensor: The lantern would dim by itself !!!
Regards,
Ra.