I am fairly newly registered here at CPL, but not especially new to pressure lamps. That said, I guess I was under the assumption that Tilley lamps of any sort were out of production. I can't say I have ever seen one in the flesh over here in the USA, (Here in the land of Coleman) so I was a bit surprised and glad to see that Tilley does actually still produce an X246B. From what I gather, the general opinion is that Tilley quality has been on the decline since the 1950's, so I was wondering what the current lamps were like in terms of build quality. I do wonder if the modern ones are worth the high asking price, especially when taking into consideration the cost of overseas postage. Thank you for any insight or opinion! Regards, Doug Eisemann
Yes, Tilley are still producing lanterns although I'm not sure under what basis - they seem to have dotted around various places in the south of England since returning from Northern Ireland in 2000. I think the best way to describe the current Tilley output is 'no more than adequate' - they do work out of the box, but they're not that exciting and the build quality has been reduced as you say. The key thing is not to over-pump them, otherwise it's easy to dish-down the base of the tank and the lantern is then, effectively, ruined. For that, they're expensive - currently about £120, is it? Overseas buyers wouldn't have to pay the VAT (Value Added Tax - currently 20%) bringing the cost to them down to £100, but then there'd be a hefty price to pay for postage abroad. Frankly, I wouldn't bother... I've about two dozen of the blighters in my garage - they seem to breed - but most are scruffy and will need parts (mainly vapourisers i.e. 'generators' in Yankspeak). They're probably beyond economic repair, even if I had the time or inclination to be bothered with them.
David, Real co-incidence re your post on tilley quality,,I've just taken a new tilley 606 vapouriser back to my local hardware shop as it doesn't run properly,felt a bit guilty as it was marked up at £13.46 . I took a photo of the end and also included in the photo the old worn one,not surprising that the jet of fuel comes out at a funny angle,the replacement they gave me wasn't quite as bad ,proof is when i fire it up
I can sympathize with you Norf, about a year an a half ago, I bought a pair of 9" vapourisers direct from Tilley (£17 with no VAT) and neither of them worked. They were both rubbish. The folks a Tilley were nice enough to refund my money and let me keep the vapourisers, from which only one cleaning wire was salvaged. A slight stoning of the tips revealed one with two holes in it and the the other clogged on the inside which broke the cleaning needle. Since then I have built up a stock of new old versions which work fine. Dan
Thank you very much for the comments. I had a funny feeling to expect such responses. I thought a brand new Tilley might be interesting, but I can't say that I really love the looks of the X246B with that welded wire guard and aluminum fittings. Without being able to handle one in person, I think I will pass. That said, the photo of the shoddily made new vaporizer illustrates the frustrating truth about many products being made today. Despite manufacturer's claims touting quality in all things, the little, critical details seem to get passed by, in hopes the consumer won't really notice! (really?) Even articles made here in the USA, or what would assume are quality European or British goods are not always such. I should not complain too much, at least Tilley (and for that matter, Coleman) have not completely outsourced lantern production to the Far East. Regards, Doug E.
Hello Doug, Older Tilleys can be had in the States for a reasonable price if you keep your eye out and follow the basic Ebay rule of not bidding until the last 10 seconds of an auction! I keep a stock of consumable parts on hand if you're in need and not wanting to wait for the next boat to come over from the U.K. Al
Well, on the basis of the vapourisers seen here, I suspect they may well have to some extent. Last I heard was that they were no longer manufacturing lanterns, merely assembling them. I was told the Frimley 'factory' was, in fact, nothing more than a room above a supermarket. If Tilley are buying in cheap, shoddy goods from China but knocking the stuff out at Western prices, I reckon that may very well be the final nail in their coffin. We'll see...
Hi Doug Tilley thankfully are still in operation, but they only make a 246b model and spares and accesories. Here is a link to there websitehttp://www.tilleylamp.co.uk/catalog/index.php. I would not say there quality was bad, but David has hit the nail on the head. The Pl53 models and guardsman,were the models that were built to the best standard by Tilley,with there brass control cocks pumps and even the ferrel on the vapouriser was brass and not ali,and there tanks were allmost bullet proof. But i supose these little cuts in quality, has kept the cost down a bit, so they could contend with the far cheaper gas lanterns, which have dominated the market from the 1960's onwards. With out the cuts in quality, Tilley may not be in production still in the Uk,this is only a possible theory. On another note i am not sure if tilley still make all there lantern componenets,and i have a feeling they have sertain parts of there lamps made by other manufacturers?. At least they still in manufacture, and are the last British manufacturer of pressure lamps. I am with David Doug, with the cost and the shipping i would not bother,unless you realy want one brand new,i would look for a old Guardsman or a 246A or a PL53 and restore it
Thanks again to everyone for their input. It does appear that older Tilley models do show up in the US and Canada, so I am sure one will find it's way to me eventually. It is a sad state of affairs when a lamp manufacturer can't get their quality control straight enough to put out a vapor...err... vapourizer with jet actually drilled properly. Seems to me you would get this one critical detail correct at least! Perhaps they think the collector's market they are selling to isn't actually going to use the lantern! Thanks again and Best wishes, Doug E.
Aye, probably one of the extremely rare export only X458, so-called 'Flounder Fishing Lamps'. Then you'll see a few envious Brits around here...
I bet CPL could design/manufacture one hell of a lantern/lamp with its wealth of knowledge and experience 8) 8) 8) 8)
Just think of it, you could combine the best features of all the classic lamps, made of the finest materials..... Sounds expensive already! Maybe we should start a thread on the open forum.. "design the ideal lantern" or some such theme. Cheers, Doug E.
You know, I've always fancied one of those. I didn't realize how scarce they were. Is a Tilley required for Flounder Fishing?
And new in the box, never used! It went for a decent price (over $500, if I recall). Doug, If you don't fancy the looks of the Tilley, check out the Bialaddin/Vapalux lanterns. They are all built rock solid. The later M1 is one of my favorite looking ones. Check the reference pages. Nice Guardsman and Vapalux/Bialaddin lanterns can be found in the US on Ebay on a regular basis, you just need to set up a search and be patient. Expect to pay $75 to $125 for the good ones with shipping about $15 - $20. Dan
Thanks Dan! Don't worry, I too love the looks of the Vapalux and Bialaddin lanterns. I just have to work slowly due to a lack of funds and space! Doug E.
Very nice! Looks as though it should be a very handy lamp to have around. Do watch out for those swarms of flounders when you light it though!
Doug, the flounder fishing lamp seems to be for the east coast flounders of the usa, at night in calm conditions they come inshore in large numbers and by using a lamp and a short 'spear' you can catch them .a bag limit of ten a night is in place to conserve stocks,Coleman also made their own version. The flounders of the uk look very similar but the fishing for them is rod and line and there's no paddling and spearing involved.the lamp pic shows a coleman set up for flounder fishing
I am afraid I can't help much either as I build loudspeakers and vacuum tube amplifiers, so none of my shop equipment will do much good. Can't recall ever needing an oscilloscope to test a pressure lamp!
