Coleman propane lantern lumens?

Hi guys,

I want to know how many lumens a single mantle propane Coleman lantern produces (on max) so that I can figure out how many LEDs to use to equal a propane lantern's output. Anyone here has any ideas? Thanks.

I have a dual fuel coleman lantern, when camping it not only produces a really good spread of light for quite a few hours per fill, it kills lots of annoying buzzy things. That and it does not use batteries is good enough for me!
I also love my coleman stove. Although the pumping up ritual is part of the game they are both very effective and worth the effort IMHO.

I have numerous LEDs and a starter collection of hotwires but for camping use my coleman rocks! I`m not sure about the lumens but everyone prefers the petrol lantern!

Cheers,

B

It depends greatly on the lantern/mantle combo your using.
Very generally speaking, if your particular lantern is about the same total brightness as a regular 120V 60 watt incandescent household bulb then it is around 850~900 lumens and if it's as bright as a basic 120V 100 watt incandescent household bulb then figure somewhere around 1600~1700 lumens.

basill said:

I have a dual fuel coleman lantern, when camping it not only produces a really good spread of light for quite a few hours per fill, it kills lots of annoying buzzy things. That and it does not use batteries is good enough for me!
I also love my coleman stove. Although the pumping up ritual is part of the game they are both very effective and worth the effort IMHO.

I have numerous LEDs and a starter collection of hotwires but for camping use my coleman rocks! I`m not sure about the lumens but everyone prefers the petrol lantern!

Cheers,

B

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Use a Coleman propane stove with the regulator, I can't think of what it's called off the top of my head, but it keeps the output steady regardless of the tank pressure until it's almost exhausted. Think of it as the propane equivalent to the regulation circuit in a Fenix.

Two mantle Coleman Gas lanterns are "about" 800 lumens, Two Mantle standard Coleman Propane lanterns are "around" 1000 lumens. The Coleman Pinacle Propane Lantern is just shy of 1600 lumens, the last time we had them tested earlier this year.

That sounds about right - I think of a dual-mantle lantern as being like having a 60W bulb.

I contacted coleman once about this. Here's what they have to say.

exponent/peak
dual fuel/white gas
80 candlepower
equiv to 65/75 watt bulb

Powerhouse dual fuel
300 candlepower
~160 watt bulb

2 mantle propane
175 candlepower
~100 watt bulb

I know candlepower isn't lumens, but the bulb comparison is some decent info.

exponent/peak
dual fuel/white gas
80 candlepower
equiv to 65/75 watt bulb

Powerhouse dual fuel
300 candlepower
~160 watt bulb

2 mantle propane
175 candlepower
~100 watt bulb

Click to expand...

Wow, the powerhouse dual is pretty bright. Would that be considered the brightest Coleman lantern? I'm going camping in a few weeks and need to buy a lantern (car camping).

i was looking at:
powerhouse dual fuel
northstar
pinnacle

Looking for bang for buck in terms of light given off/cost of lantern/cost of fuel. I'm assuming propane is more expensive but easier to handle and less dangerous?

iwmtv said:

Wow, the powerhouse dual is pretty bright.

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I wonder what makes the powerhouse different from a standard Coleman lantern? They look essentially the same.

I believe the Pinnacle is the brightest Coleman lantern; Blacklight says it's around 1600 lumens.

Phaserburn said:

I believe the Pinnacle is the brightest Coleman lantern; Blacklight says it's around 1600 lumens.

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Hmmm, if the Powerhouse Dual Fuel is approx. equal to a 160W bulb, wouldn't that beat the 1600 lumens of the Pinnacle?

My assumption (I could be wrong here) being that 1600 lumens equates to a 100W bulb.

Brownstone said:

I wonder what makes the powerhouse different from a standard Coleman lantern? They look essentially the same.

Click to expand...

Since I have all 3 of those mentioned (and more) here's what I can say.

The dual fuel uses a different mantle. The generator assemly is also much larger than any other white gas/gasoline powered unit. Basically, it's just a larger lantern, period. No big secrets to uncover, sorry.

There's no direct conversion between lumens and much of anything else.

Propane is more convenient when the lantern is lit, but that's about it. The disposable cylinders run about 5 hours (on high). A volume of white gas/gasoline equal to the size of the cylinder will run the dual fuel (which produces more light) for 2-3 times as long.

The white gas/gasoline units are MUCH cheaper to operate than a propane model.

I would not use actual gasoline unless I was desperate. It will burn just fine, but it causes generator clogging. It also stinks if spilled.

White gas doesn't stink. It also evaporates very quickly and doesn't leave a residue.

The only good thing about a propane unit is the ability to connect it to a bulk tank. About once a year I go to a multi-day event and will carry a bulk tank. I can light the lantern and leave it running for days if I like.

Cold weather will cause the propane model to die earlier. Dual fuel units are unaffected. The propane cylinder does not like the cold. Expect a small drop in light output and maybe 15% drop in runtime till empty.

Danger is a relative term. What we do know is that all the units are used by a variety of people with not much harm.

None of these are "bad" models.

Be sure to get the padded carry case. It will make transport easier and save your globe from breakage.

turbodog said:

The dual fuel uses a different mantle. The generator assemly is also much larger than any other white gas/gasoline powered unit. Basically, it's just a larger lantern, period. No big secrets to uncover, sorry.

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I just want to make sure I understand. I was asking about the "2-Mantle Dual Fuel" versus the "2 Mantle Dual Fuel Powerhouse". They look the same size to me in the online pictures, but I can't find dimensions posted anywhere.

Are those the two lanterns you are comparing?

iwmtv said:

Hmmm, if the Powerhouse Dual Fuel is approx. equal to a 160W bulb, wouldn't that beat the 1600 lumens of the Pinnacle?

My assumption (I could be wrong here) being that 1600 lumens equates to a 100W bulb.

Click to expand...

The Powerhouse Dual fuel is around 1000 lumens, the Pinnacle is closer to 1600. Performance varies with temperatures, humidity, elevation etc though. How ever if you are going to be in very cold weather you would still give the nod to the powerhouse as a propane bottle is going to freeze up at cold temperatures that a liquid fuel lantern will still perform at.

Brownstone said:

I just want to make sure I understand. I was asking about the "2-Mantle Dual Fuel" versus the "2 Mantle Dual Fuel Powerhouse". They look the same size to me in the online pictures, but I can't find dimensions posted anywhere.

Are those the two lanterns you are comparing?

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Look closer....The dual fuel one is a tad bigger in all the dimensions....2pints of fuel vs. 1.3pints....larger generator, a bit wider spacing it seems between the mantles. It's also a tad taller, if I remember such. I think of the Dual Fuel Powerhouse as the Spinal Tap of the regular DF white gas. It just goes to "11".

I've had the propane powered Coleman Northstar Instastart lantern (single tube mantle #95) for a year. I like it because of the matchless starting, no need to pour fuel (always quite messy, no matter how careful I try to be), and no need to pump a plunger. Plus, it's black (looks nice) and comes with a molded plastic case. I can't estimate the output in lumens, but can say it easily provides enough light for a campsite. Coleman's estimate of 5.5hr runtime on high seems right from what I remember.

This is it

Old thread but here goes.

I think the brightest Coleman liquid fuel lantern being sold today is the Northstar 2000. I have seen it rated as high as 550 cp. I'm not sure about the other series, I think the old std 220 was rated as a 220 cp and the single mantle 200 was rated as a 200. They used to have some that ran a #11 large mantle and they were rated as a 500 cp.

Well I thought I had some good info to share, but now I'm not sure... I just got off of the phone with Coleman for the 3rd time. Each time I got conflicting info on the output levels of their brightest lanterns. Here is what I got:

1st call:
All she could tell me was that the North Star model 2000 dual fuel is the brightest at 200 watts / 375 CP

2nd call:
Powerhouse dual fuel model 295 = 115 W
Northstar propane model 2500 = 130 W
Northstar dual fuel model 2000 = 135 W
Pinnacle - propane - model 2600 = 152.5 W / 250CP and is the brightest Coleman lantern made, first time a propane lantern has surpassed a liquid fuel one for output.
-told me the conversion for watts to Candle Power is 1W = .61 CP
- was looking up her info on her computer and in books on her desk.

3rd call:
Powerhouse dual fuel model 295 = 250 CP
Northstar propane model 2500 = 150 CP
Northstar dual fuel model 2000 = 250 CP
Pinnacle - propane - model 2600 = 200 CP
- said the liquid fuel lanterns are always brighter.
- told me she got her info from a technician in the building.

I would love to see a CPF member do a real shoot out and get some accurate numbers at various distances like 5' and 15' away.

And since we are talking about bright lanterns these should be included in this topic:

The Brunton 3-mantle! They say it's the worlds brightest. http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=403 To further confuse things they say it's 250 W / 94 CP

And this 4-mantle! http://www.practicalsports.com/stansport-magnum-4-mantle-propane-lantern.html which claims 1,200 CP -which also doesn't add up because the two mantle wasn't 600 CP.

:laughing:
It is nearly impossible to decipher what candlepower really is in the lantern world. This section of the coleman website (pre northstar) list the powerhouse at 300cp and the std dual mantle at 220 and the single mantle at 200.
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/newsrelease.asp?releasenum=16

If you look at this gentlemans collection of colemans in my collection
http://light.papo-art.com/
He rates them a bit differently. Truth is somewhere inbetween I would guess. My own experience has been there is not a huge difference in petromaxs and the big colemans, maybe a meter can tell the difference but when they are running well and pumped up the difference in real world use is slight.

It's my understanding that the amish soup up some of their lanterns for higher pressures and they are noticable brighter but I've never seen one in person.

CPF member Blacklight is a marketing director for Coleman. He has stated that the Pinnacle is the brightest lantern they make, having sent them to a lab for testing.

For me, that trumps well meaning but largely uninformed customer service reps any day.