Any opinions? I'm still in the steep portion of getting an opinion on mantles beyond the inexpensive and readily available Coleman #21s for my other lanterns. BTW, a 4-pack of #21 mantles is about $2 at our local Walmart. Many folk use them as test mantles since they are so affordable.
I got a lot from these Japanese seller Fast shipping and bright white light http://www.ebay.com/itm/72-Mantles-S-size-Coleman-PEAK1-222-Lanterns-Other-/270850737018?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0ff6437a
Hi Karli I was looking to buy some of those from Japan in the 3-400cp size. Did you bother with the tracking and insurance, or just the standard shipping? Cheers Trevor
Hi Al, I've tried I think every mantle out there and my personal favorites hands down are the Peerless 2C-HG and Lancaster 24A for most all my lanterns. I occasionally use Peerless 111's too for my big single 500's. The Chinese knockoff ones and Coleman mantles burn OK, but the light/durability isn't the same as Peerless. I buy most of mine from an Amish settlement nearby and a 4 pack of 2C-HG's are around $2, so they are really no more expensive than the Coleman 21's at Walmart. Just my two cents, Dan
GREAT SCOOP folks! Thank you! I'm use #21s for testing, but I'll be converting soon. I just never got a warm fuzzy from the Coleman mantles...
Well, I knocked off the 500cp Butterfly mantle from my lantern, and put on a Peerless 24A. I can't help but have the impression that it's markedly brighter ! The lantern is a 500cp Butterfly with the rapid-start feature. No information about it on this forum, but if anyone has experience with the pump and NRV I'd love to hear from you. P.S. Just heard from the vendor that the NRV assembly has a single-use lead washer that is not available as a replaceable part. Apparently it's not supposed to be as simple as using my screwdriver to loosen the valve seat. Well, I may try it anyway since I have nothing to lose...
Hmmm. Sometimes those lead washers can grip the NRV and even when it is fully unscrewed the damn thing will not drop out. You can try a small easy out in the hole to grip and pull but when I have been frustrated with a sticky NRV I have tended to make a very strange shaped tool to reach into the fount and push the valve out from the indside. You can replace the lead washer with a rubber one. ::Neil::
Most of the time the lead washer survives and can be re-used. Otherwise I make my own out of some lead sheeting I found at the scrap metal dealer. I would expect Butterfly parts to be pretty much identical to Petromax parts.
Yes, that's probably what I should have done... I've had a problem with sticky NRVs on two occasions. The first time was with a Vapalux or Bialaddin of some sort. I wrapped some insulating tape around the end of the air-gun attached to my compressor, so that it was a decent fit on the filler opening, stuck it in and pulled the trigger. After about 2 seconds the NRV shot out of the pump tube, but all I can say is that it was a good job no-one was standing in the way because they'd have been dead meat. It came out like a bullet from a gun - **** me!! The next time was with a Mewa stove - less pressure this time and a cloth over the pump-tube. 8) Result? - the NRV stayed put and the tank visibly inflated like a balloon! - Aaaaagh! Luckily, I hadn't exceeded the tank's elastic limit and it went back to normal size and shape (er, probably ) but it's likely knackered - good job it was only a crappy old stove, eh... So not really recommended...
Decided to compare the intensity of my Butterfly using a Peerless 24A mantle against my Tilley X246 with a Happy Mantle. The two lanterns are approximately 12' (4m) apart, and the Tilley had a shadow on the wall 18" (0.5m) behind it! Simply put, the Butterfly is too bright to really be useful indoors save for use as a heater. I'll likely use it in the barn or woods for area lighting.
Any 500 cp lantern doing what it was rated to do is far too bright. Having measured a lot of them most only do around 250 to 350 cp. When you do find a good one, and they are rare, it is literally a blinding light. The first time I took my photometer to Newark we only found one lamp that did its rate which was a Hippolito owned by Malcolm West. That awesome beast turned out about 510 cp as I recall and even in daylight it was too bright to look at. In the dark it was seriously too much. Good to be hung with a reflector to light a decent area but not one to have in your eyeline. ::Neil::
I'm feeling very fortunate to have a budget-Butterfly and access to Peerless mantles! Yes, far too bright for indoors, but I know that I'll be very glad to have it in hand outdoors. I really can't begin to describe how white the light is. Really very amazing compared to any other lantern that I've ever owned.
I am truly smitten by the performance of the Peerless 24A mantle in my Butterfly lantern. I took the attached photo to show the dimensional difference between a Peerless 24A (500cp) to a Butterfly 500cp mantle. The Peerless mantle on the left is fuller and longer, presenting much more surface area to glow. The Peerless mantles also have that naughty element that makes the glow grow! I was about to replace the Butterfly mantle with a Peerless when it occurred to me that I should first take a compare-and-contrast photo first.
