I have been badly bitten by the fascination of Paraffin Pressure Lamps started by refurbishing my late Father-in-Laws X246B Tilley and am interested in slowly increasing my Collection. My Question to those interested in Pressure Lamps is which Pressure Lamp is Best, most reliable and easiest to obtain Spare Parts for I live in Britain so I was contemplating adding a Vapalux to my Collection. Any Thoughts please?
Willis & Bates products are well built and simple and their brands are Vapalux and Bialaddin and Imber Research.
Thank you, for your Advice, mind collecting Pressure Lamps is a slippery slope isn't it, I started off inheriting my late Father-in-Laws X246B Tilley and a 1946 X246 short Handle Tilley now I also have a 1950's Tilley Guardsman and now I've just bought a Vapalux 320........
Definitely a slippery slope…but your purchases sound like great choices to me! A good aspect is they are similar so you can use what you have learned from fettling the 246b. there are so many other good choices from here too-depending on whether you prefer to start searching for more of the older Tilleys, or perhaps some Tilley table lamps!
Petromax are also good, also they work differently to Tilley and Bialaddin, there's also Coleman, most of them are petrol although they did make paraffin ones as well. Hipolito are Portugese built Petromax and just as good if not better than the German made ones, the 500CP ones are lovely if you like being blinded and the sound of jet engines
It does become a bit addictive... I started with an Optimus, which I still can't get to run properly, and now it has nine little friends!Mostly Bialaddin and Vapalux, which have been excellent to get up and running, a Tilley and a Coleman that scares me - hot pressurised petrol isn't for me
Go for it, Tilley and Willis & Bates are close cousins and work on similar principles. See if you can find a decent Vapalux 300 project, great workhorses, akin to the X246. Alec.
Welcome Peter to the best lampie forum. Enjoy the Vapalux 320, that was me that sold it to you. I put quite a few good lamps on eBay recently (now all sold, so I can say that now) at a very good price as I needed space. Many thanks. Stuart. (Cat-D9H)
Dear Stuart (Muzzleflash), The Royal Mail delivered the Lamp to me this Morning, looks beautiful and so well packed, Thank you. I ordered my Mantels this afternoon so looking forward to lighting her up when I receive them. Meanwhile, I have the Tilley Guardsman that I recently bought to also get working...... Many Thanks once again. Warm Regards, Peter.
Hello Peter, You have enterd the world of Pressure Lamps, what is best is subjective. Rareity, desirability, unique design & history, are all driving forces in what one may choose. As for me I focus on early unique and rare lamps. I, being American focus on early American lamps. The early lamps vary widley in design oftern looking very odd indeed. For me the common brands are boring, though this is certainly not the typical response. French lamps are beautiful for sure and prices paid show the great appreciation for unique designs. There are likley lamps that have still not been cataloged and you will see some of these rare beasts here presented by their proud new owners from time to time. Welcome to a great place filled with nice helpful people who share your interest in pressure lamps. Best, Brian
...and even darker still - blowlamps!! Then there's irons, wickie-crap ovens and radiant heaters etc. I may even have to odd one or two here...
Already started with Primus Stoves, so far have a Nr5 and recently bought a 210 on EBay which being in its own wee Box will be nice to keep in the Car for when I fancy a cup of Tea whilst out. I also have my dear old Dad's Blowlamp somewhere in the Garage........very much on the slippery slope......
Probably some not too modern Coleman. Regarding being both reliable and easy to get spare parts from... well they are hard to beat nowadays when you not are restricted to get stuff mainly from your own country. Which one "is the best" is a much harder, and of course also a very subjective, question. What does best mean? Is it the one that is brightest? Then practically all British lamps are out. Is it other things that means "best", which I assume it is, and also should be... well that's not answered without more specifications about what's wanted.
