Coleman 275 with fluted glass .Coleman collectors call it the turd!

Just got tonite.drained cf.seemed to hold pressure.fresh fuel and mantles and lit it up!(fire extinguisher on hand) T .marsh site said these had bad shraeder valves! Took a while to lite..ran for 1/2 hour than the moment I was nervous about....shutting it off! 3 settings on , light ,and off. Weird? I'm used to petromax style. Switched slowly to 3/4 off and it started going out..than all the way off and it fired back up!! Not a positive shut off! IT WOULD ONLY TURN OFF AT 3/4.not AT off. Now is there an adjustment or is the shraeder valve acting up? Should I replace the valve no matter what to be safe ? Or can this tendency be adjusted out...any input on this lantern would be appreciated. Like I said it's my first coleman....i happen to think it's cool looking. Definitely not a turd!!! What do you think? Lundo

 

The best place for info on this lantern is the Coleman Collector's Forum. Use the search feature, there is tons of info on 275s there. There is some adjustment to the Schrader valve. They are good lanterns once you understand their nature. By the way, that nickname for these lanterns has nothing to do with the color. Long ago a poster of the CCF was having trouble getting a 275 to work properly and called it a turd. Sadly the name stuck.

 

Thanks @Reese Williams. will go there!The only problem is I will have to join another club

 

@Reese Williams .went to site and signed up....good info! Test drove it again this morning.turns out from C.C.Forum that 12 ocklock needle blocks jet than at 3 ,needle is open and valve is shut but it takes 1 or 2 minutes to shut off.it held some pressure over night so I think I'm all good! Thanks for the heads up.!jon

 

You're kidding! How can you live in the US, collect gas and kerosene stuff, and don't have a Coleman
They have some of the best lanterns ever made.
You really should get one of the old "Quick-Lite's" like LQ327 seen here.
Mine is from 1924, and worked pretty much directly without any fuss. Simple, reliable and also good looking.

 

I've got an unfired turd 275 here, that I've yet to try. It needs a glass, but I suppose I could try and light it sometime. I must agree with Christer, Coleman have produced some of the best lamps I've seen, 427K, 327, 200, 201 they just work, so long as the generator is good you don't seem to get any problems. On my wish list, I'd like to add a slant gen type, table and lantern and also a 228 with the wide hood. Also, but very unrealistic would be an arc lamp.

 

Ah, yes! A slant generator type!
That has been on my wishlist too for many years now.
Not that it's hard to find one, but I just simply hasn't got my finger out.

Time to start browse eBay again...

Some of the best looking, smaller, lanters are also Coleman.
The 242's, and similar, just look great.
And they all work very well, of course.

 

Sounds like you got the right advice there, Jon. They have a special 275 owners registry that you can join if you like. I think the globe you have is the "Picket Fence" type. The fluted globe is very desirable and the glass is actually "rippled" like a Roman pillar:



Starting a 275 can be a little tricky because you have to find (by trial and error) the exact angle on the knob that actuates the fuel/air valve. Too little and nothing happens, too much and...



(Image courtesy of CCF)

But they are very sturdy, well made lanterns and I very much enjoy using mine.

 

...Don't you mean 'turdy'...?
Sorry. I'll get my coat.

 

Lol... You got me there, Christer! Freudian slip, perhaps? I should have written (s)turdy!

 

@Carlsson @phaedrus42 .Ok Ok! I'm kinda an accidental collector! Just trying to rub elbows with you guys cause I have lanterns on the brain.I was actually trying to look for a 327 or old quick lite like Carlsson had suggested on another post when this fell into my lap ....i liked the late 60s early 70s feel it had.it does have the fluted glass and picket fence if you look at pic #2. Ok im doomed... I have lampalitus ;or whatever you guys call it! T.MARSH has been contacted and I just found out one of the largest coleman collectors lives a few miles away.... Jerrys coleman collection....shite!

Jerry's Coleman Collection -- Home
.

 

My mistake, Lundo. That is a rare glass and not easily replaceable. Yes, I like the 275 because it was a radical departure from Coleman's traditional styling and construction. They reverted to the old style but kept some of the innovations in their subsequent models.

 

Here' s my 327 . In the past I always took it for granted until I read of Neil's appreciation of it and since he's seen more lanterns than the lord would allow I started to appreciate it. I've used it as a camping lantern and it worked as well as in the 20's when it was produced.

 

@Hanzo thanks for the pic and insight!@phaedrus my 275 only shuts off at 3/4 it leaked at full off over night. Looks like I will have to take it apart. either ...that Schrader is acting up or the eccentric is turning to far and opening valve again ( does that make sense)?

 

I think this post on CCF has the info you need: How to rebuild a 275 valve - Coleman Collectors Forum

 

Thx. That site is a littllittle harder to search than this one!!

 

Excuse me for ruining everyones day by reply to this topic.

Personally, I like that Matthew crossed out the 'turd'

Just because some flip (and I mean flip) called the lamp a Turd, others shouldn't degenerate the lamp by dignifying using the term.

 

+1 on that, Matt! I have handled the odd make and model that really made me want to wash my hands afterwards They appeared to have been carved by hand by someone who had once briefly seen a blurry picture of a Petromax...

 

Does this mean it's worse than a turd???? So I should use it's bail for a toilet tissue dispenser as requested by a very large Coleman collector who's name will not be revealed???

 

I've got probably 6-7 Coleman 275 and 275As. I think at least one of them is pretty pristine and actually works as Coleman intended. The others need a bit of fettling and are probably parts lanterns...

 

Learning ,It's all part of the hobby!!

 

None of mine have that fluted globe which I've never seen before. It looks pretty cool but I don't suppose it's all that effective at cutting down the glare...

 

Looks like some of the globes have gone for 50 or 70 US dollars on e bay...maybe I should sell the globe an put money toward a different coleman! It just looks pretty.. the fluted glass ...

 

Coleman collectors seem to denigrate the 275 like Brit collectors the Tilley X246B. It has a lot to do with each lantern just being so common in each respective country. But as perfect an example as yours is , then its definitely worth having and NOS 275's bring a lot of coin on ebay now. Coleman lanterns unlike other brands really do evoke memories of the past for so many because they were produced over the course of modern America and you said it, the 275 is the late 60's and 70's in America, its design is so much that era.

 

The Tilley X246B is very common in the UK having been produced in vast numbers for the past 53 years. But I'd say it's not the ubiquity (is that a word?*) that tends to cause us Brits to denigrate them. Just my opinion for what it's worth and your mileage may vary etc., etc...

* Edit - yes, it is...

 

@Hanzo
Point taken,This makes sense.i think I'm looking for a 327 like yours just the same.I like the 275 cause it don't get no respect! And your right I like the 70s vibe!!! It's all about perspective. Thanks,jon

 

@Hanzo . Ok your the exact same age as me...you might be a little biased about the 70s.

 

@Mackburner @Hanzo @Carlsson .I have a l327 Coleman coming my way!!!should I be getting the loop generator? Its coming with the straight cleaning tip one..and I do not have the mica chimney...do you know what glass will fit in the mean time? Should I get a spirit cup or use a torch to preheat? Jon

 

That would be the R55 Jumbo gennie. For Coleman Fuel, it should be quick and easy to pre-heat with a torch or BBQ lighter. I think a Coleman 220 globe will fit, but I stand to be corrected. Fred Kuntz in the USA makes excellent mica globes for these lanterns.

 

Thanks @phaedrus42