Your best bet is probably the W.T.K. #350 "Little Giant." It has the biggest (5/8") wick and the globe is easy to clean when it gets sooted-up. Longer globes are alot tougher to clean, and they don't seem to be any brighter.
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Old fashioned goodness, Dietz Lanterns
- Thread starter Sylvrfalcn
- Start date
Your best bet is probably the W.T.K. #350 "Little Giant." It has the biggest (5/8") wick and the globe is easy to clean when it gets sooted-up. Longer globes are alot tougher to clean, and they don't seem to be any brighter.
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- May 9, 2001
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Cliff is correct that the shorter globes are easier to clean when they get sooted up, the openings at each end are larger, allowing for large hands to get inside them more easily. But when they soot up they do so in an area that is closer to the flame. That affects their light output sooner, so they need cleaning more frequently. Soot accumulates first at the top of a globe; with a taller globe the soot takes more time to work its way down to the flame where it will affect brightness. This has been my experience and is mentioned in the FAQ on the Kirkman site as well.
As to brightness, all things being equal, generally a taller lantern will be brighter. In this case, the #350 puts out an average of 8 CP (candlepower) (it stands 12" tall) while the #2 (which is their best seller and stands 15" tall) puts out an average of 12-14 CP, @66% brighter. And one last correction; the #350 uses a 5/8" wick while the #2 uses a 7/8" wick. The #2 uses a bit more oil/hour (6¢/hour v 4¢/hour for the #350). That's understandable since it's brighter. Usually "brighter" results in a lamp that burns more oil.
I lean towards the #2.
Link to the #350: http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2...ode=WKL&Product_Code=WTK350&Category_Code=WKL
Link to the #2: http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2..._Code=WKL&Product_Code=WTK2&Category_Code=WKL
Take care, Lou
Lou:
Now that you mention it, the #350 does have a smaller wick. I just went out in the garage and checked, though mine is a Dietz "Little Wizard" which appears to be the Dietz version of the WTK 350. At the time I got it WTK was out of them so I settled for a Dietz.
I also have a WTK #2, but switched to the Little Wizard because the #2 globe sooted up pretty bad toward the top of the chimney and required frequent cleaning regardless of how the wick was trimmed/set. The Little Wizard-type never sooted up much for me and was alot easier to clean when it did.
Both these lanterns were used inside a white canvas tent, and under those conditions I couldn't really tell much difference in brightness. Inside a house it might be different, though I suspect it might be one of those things easier to detect with a light meter.
These things don't cost much and it wouldn't be a bad idea to get one of each. IMHO it is critical to have a couple around if the lights go out for an extended period of time. Official "lamp oil" seems to be what works best in them, but kerosene certainly works too though a bit smelly. When I was a kid my Dad always burned diesel fuel in them, but this is not advisable. Still, diesel will work if the chips are down.
Now that you mention it, the #350 does have a smaller wick. I just went out in the garage and checked, though mine is a Dietz "Little Wizard" which appears to be the Dietz version of the WTK 350. At the time I got it WTK was out of them so I settled for a Dietz.
I also have a WTK #2, but switched to the Little Wizard because the #2 globe sooted up pretty bad toward the top of the chimney and required frequent cleaning regardless of how the wick was trimmed/set. The Little Wizard-type never sooted up much for me and was alot easier to clean when it did.
Both these lanterns were used inside a white canvas tent, and under those conditions I couldn't really tell much difference in brightness. Inside a house it might be different, though I suspect it might be one of those things easier to detect with a light meter.
These things don't cost much and it wouldn't be a bad idea to get one of each. IMHO it is critical to have a couple around if the lights go out for an extended period of time. Official "lamp oil" seems to be what works best in them, but kerosene certainly works too though a bit smelly. When I was a kid my Dad always burned diesel fuel in them, but this is not advisable. Still, diesel will work if the chips are down.
- Joined
- May 9, 2001
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- 316
Hey Cliff. Generally the WTK are almost exact copies of the Dietz designs. There are some small differences. One is that the WTK fill caps are "fiddly" while the Dietz' seem to go right on. This is mentioned in one review online. Sooting is a function of time, adjustment and wick shape. Sooner or later they'll all soot up and will need cleaning. You're right that the globe on the smaller lanterns is easier to clean, especially if you have large hands. One problem is that most people light the lantern adjust the wick and then walk away. As the lantern heats up, what was once the proper adjustment no longer is, and so sooting starts. It's worse with the bigger, more powerful, lanterns because the difference between cold and hot is bigger. Lanterns of this type usually take about 5 minutes to warm up before the adjustment will be the one for the long run. You can either stand there for 5 minutes and fiddle or come back in 5-10 but by then they'll have started sooting.
Another issue is proper trimming of the wick. Perhaps because the burner is rounded, some people trim the wick to match it. But wicks burn best if they're trimmed straight across. Some find that rounding a very small (1/8") corner on them seems to work but that's not been my experience. Best to use a sharp pair of scissors so there aren't any loose threads left behind and so that the cut isn't ragged.
This stuff used to be common knowledge when these lamps were in common use but nowadays most people's experience comes from seeing them in movies and with a large segment of the population not bothering to RTFM (read the f'ing manual) some people have lots of problems with them. The WTK site is a wealth of information but you have to go looking for it.
I prefer to have all my lanterns of the same model so that I only have to stock one size of globe and one size of wick. If I have two sizes of lanterns, Murphy's law will see to it that if I need a wick, I'll be out of the size that I need.
I agree with you about using lamp oil and that kerosene works but is a little smelly. My nose is pretty sensitive but if I use kerosene outdoors it doesn't bother me much, but indoors I find it overpowering. The lamp oil is fine though. Never tried diesel fuel but if you use it I suggest that you change the wick before using lamp oil again, it will probably clog it up and affect how well it burns. Diesel probably results in more CO being generated due to poorer combustion than lamp oil does, so be sure to provide some extra ventilation.
Take care, Lou
Another issue is proper trimming of the wick. Perhaps because the burner is rounded, some people trim the wick to match it. But wicks burn best if they're trimmed straight across. Some find that rounding a very small (1/8") corner on them seems to work but that's not been my experience. Best to use a sharp pair of scissors so there aren't any loose threads left behind and so that the cut isn't ragged.
This stuff used to be common knowledge when these lamps were in common use but nowadays most people's experience comes from seeing them in movies and with a large segment of the population not bothering to RTFM (read the f'ing manual) some people have lots of problems with them. The WTK site is a wealth of information but you have to go looking for it.
I prefer to have all my lanterns of the same model so that I only have to stock one size of globe and one size of wick. If I have two sizes of lanterns, Murphy's law will see to it that if I need a wick, I'll be out of the size that I need.
I agree with you about using lamp oil and that kerosene works but is a little smelly. My nose is pretty sensitive but if I use kerosene outdoors it doesn't bother me much, but indoors I find it overpowering. The lamp oil is fine though. Never tried diesel fuel but if you use it I suggest that you change the wick before using lamp oil again, it will probably clog it up and affect how well it burns. Diesel probably results in more CO being generated due to poorer combustion than lamp oil does, so be sure to provide some extra ventilation.
Take care, Lou
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What's the purpose of having the colored globes? Walking through fog, etc.?
When I was a kid, the highway dept. put what appeared to be Dietz Comets (painted blue) with red globes out on their sawhorse street barriers as warning lights. Now they use battery operated yellow strobes but I remember when there would be hundreds of those little lanterns burning all over town.
A while back I got a red globe and used it as a night light light in my tent turned down real low. It worked pretty well and wasn't as rough on night vision.
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That's a GREAT idea .re the red globe... I could probably use that when I break out the telescope... It would have to be better than white light!!
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Red light is also good when catching nightcrawlers. They don't react to it as much.
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Guys, I have two questions.
You don’t want to cook anything in a galvanized bucket because breathing zinc fumes is Bad For You. Do these galvanized lanterns get hot enough for that to be a problem?
I read somewhere that how you extinguished the lantern mattered. Blowing them out was supposed to be better than lowering the wick. Or maybe lowering the wick worked better. It was years ago and I don’t remember. Does anybody here know?
You don’t want to cook anything in a galvanized bucket because breathing zinc fumes is Bad For You. Do these galvanized lanterns get hot enough for that to be a problem?
I read somewhere that how you extinguished the lantern mattered. Blowing them out was supposed to be better than lowering the wick. Or maybe lowering the wick worked better. It was years ago and I don’t remember. Does anybody here know?
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- Jun 6, 2011
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Mine arrived the other day. They worked VERY well. Just ordered the red globe for nighttime out door stargazing! It'll be nice not having white light thrash my night vision...