A very rambly Coleman Lantern follow-up. Turns out they rarely make sense in 2021 

Unintended handlebar moustache. Edit: Turns out someone knew the secret to this Geiger counter. It's not defective, the genius designers just decided that, for some reason, if you're on battery power you need to hold the power button down long after it wakes up or else it dies. Great design! Really excellent. I love inconsistency.

When you get your audience to watch over a combined 3hrs about lanterns. You're doing something right.

"Hope you like rambling!" Alec, it's Connextras. If we didn't like rambling, we wouldn't be here. :D

When I went camping (pronounced: drinking at camp) with friends when we were younger, half of the benefit of lanterns was the entertainment value of watching the most inebriated member of the group trying to get them going. Because of course, a party when you're young and indestructible is just no fun without the risk of catastrophic injury, self-immolation included.

You touched on the real reason they are still available: the ritual involved. I have one of these little white gas lanterns, and sometimes I use it. Even though I know my little solar Luci lantern thing is better in every way. It just makes me happy to hear it hissing and glowing and whatnot.

My grandfather was a miner and when he retired he brought home his Humphey Davy miners lamp. Would love to see you have a play with one of these. The "striking" mechanism was bruise inducing but these lamps were all about safety underground. I am sure you would be able to make a facinating video on WHY they were so safe.

One of my jobs, as a wee guy, was to keep the white gas appliances pressurized during camping trips. I'm 62, and still remember that feeling of importance--plus the sound and the scent. I still use white gas, because of nostalgia.

Fun fact: Tin cans are actually not made of tin. They’re coated with tin as an anti-rust system, and are largely made of steel (which is why some electric can openers have magnets to catch the lid). But because of that anti-rust coating, sheet metal is often referred to as “tin” even if it doesn’t even have a tin coating.

Connections feels like I'm attending an interesting presentation. Connextras feels like my friend excitedly called me over to show me something. I like them both

Coleman also made fluorescent lanterns in the same style as these, with two 6-volt lantern batteries inside what looks like the fuel tank, and even a fake plunger.

I think you may have under estimated the value of the heat that these things generate in a winter hunting camp. Many times I felt that the heat was just as important as the light. I was never far away from my Coleman Lantern when I was in camp.

The biggest advantage of white gas and the old=skool lantern - It's still going to work after 20 years in the garage. We lit up my granddad's 50+ year old Colman after sitting for at least a decade with no issues. Little oil on the pump and fresh mantels and it was making light and that glorious sound. I love my electric stuff, but the old stuff will still work in 100 years, no battery can claim that! Great series, thanks for the entertainment!

Kerosene is much safer to store, transport, and handle in general terms, than gasoline and other fuels. Aside from gasoline which wasn't ubiquitous until later, the use of volitle or unpredictable fuels is why the use of kerosene became popular in the late 1800's in the first place. With the use of kerosene, the number of house and building fires went down dramatically.

You know you're deep down the rabbit hole when you start inventing new units.

Very good video. At 75 years of age, I can tell you that I have used all of them for decades. If camping, there is no reason not to carry both or all three, propane, duel fuel, and battery. I own three of the propane lanterns and at least 5 of the duel fuel lanterns. Night fishing is a niche use that requires either of the Coleman lanterns, propane or gas. The Coleman Powerhouse, which holds more fuel will last most of the night, whereas the propane will only last about 4 hours or so. With the Powerhouse adjusted down to about 3/4 brightness it will last from sundown to the first crack of light. The light draws shiners and shad and this draws the crappie. We generally fire them up just before dark, do some bass fishing for a while to give the lanterns time to draw in the fish. Propane works but you will have to change out the bottle after 4 hours or so....scarring away the fish and having to go through the long wait of again attracting them. Duel fuel lanterns will pretty much get you through the night. As for camping, there is something about mantle lanterns that add to the experience. When camping I use Coleman lanterns and old school kerosene lanterns as well as LED lights. Kerosene lanterns are ridiculously efficient and really add to the ambiance. As for emergency lighting, it makes sense to have battery lights, Coleman lanterns and kerosene lanterns. Living on the Gulf Coast, during hurricane season, I can tell you that you cannot rely solely on rechargable battery lights. The sun may not shine for a week or more. Always have a backup to your backups backup. I carry a backpacking propane stove and bottle in my boat as well as a single burner Coleman stove. When fishing during the winter I use them to warm my hands from time to time. If it is really cold....propane will not cut it. It becomes very difficult to get a good steady burn. This is why most mountaineers use the liquid fuel backpacking stoves. The Coleman single burner on the other hand, works like a charm. One of the older green ones saved my life and likely my wife as well. If not for it, I would have frozen to death.I kept one in my duck hunting bag at all times. One day while hunting from a ground blind on a small island...a freak storm blew in and the temps dropped from shirt sleeve weather to 6 degrees and just a few minutes. The wind howled as this freak front blasted through. The windchill was likely -20. I think it was in 1983 or so when forcasting was not at all like it is today. It set a record. We lost 5 or 6 hunters that morning...froze to death in their blinds or in attempts to get back to the landing. Living in Louisiana we never see such events and most were not prepared. I was prepared, but like an idiot, I attempted to gather my (expensive) decoys. I struggled against the wind and got wet from the spray. Clear ice formed on my hands and the paddle. Giving up on the decoys, I paddled back to shore. I hollered to my wife to fire up the stove and get the poncho ready to cover me. I knew I was fading fast and was in deep trouble. When I stepped out of the pirogue I passed out, hit the ground like a rock. Had I been alone and not had that stove, I would have perished or likely the both of us would have. After I recovered, and warming ourselves, we were able to put the stove in the pirogue and paddle to shore. The shore was just a short distance away. We left all of our gear there on the bank and headed to the truck. We nursed that stove all the way....our lives depended on it. So, the take away is, sometimes you need more than light and sometimes propane will not cut it.

I collect and repair Coleman lanterns and stoves. It’s good to see respect for these older designs. There are several interesting mechanisms inside them. The way they draw vapor from the top of the fuel tank for easier lighting but then draw from the bottom of the tank for running, with a single valve is very clever.

This level of semi-coherent rambling even after some edits and reshoots just makes us appreciate the scripting and production of your main channel videos even more. :)

It's good that you left the Geiger counter on - demonstrates your point about background radiation well for those not familiar with the concept.

A kerosene lantern makes a ton of sense as emergency lighting if you are planning to use it in conjuction with an emergency kerosene heater to provide heating during cold weather. Since kerosene has a long life expectancy and is cheap.

I think a lot of us use the lanterns because we just like them more than LED's. A certain part of it is the history of them too. The faint hiss as it's running, the perfect color and brightness. There's just something about it that we prefer over LED when camping. It sets the mood

The Kanister is made of "Tinplate" ("white sheet metal"/"Weißblech" in German), sheets of steel, coated with tin, as protection against corrosion.

The reason for putting your thumb on the end of the plunger is your thumb can only hold back soo much pressure. This prevents over pressuring the tank

Lanterns are also useful for heat. We used to use them at a hunting cabin we'd go to in the winter. They can produce nearly white light (they are extremely bright), and they give off a ton of heat - so if it's early spring or early fall, they are a nice addition to warm up the space. I grew up in a very remote area in Northern NY. We'd have power outages in the winter that could last for days. With a Coleman Lantern, we'd play monopoly in the kitchen and it would get sweltering - but the rest of the house would be cold. We had 2 fireplaces, but they were as far away from the bedrooms as you could get. We'd be heating the place as best we could to prevent the pipes from freezing (would have taken days frankly).

They're just fun, camping is about 80% nostalgia for me and when I was a kid everyone had a Coleman lantern so when I see one of those lanterns I get a warm fuzzy feeling. They also will put out a ton of light for many hours, and they double as a very effective hand warmer for those chilly evenings. I find the hissing sound they make relaxing too. Not to mention it's great entertainment when the drunk guy decides pouring white gas on the logs is a good way to get the campfire going.

I used to love the shutoff delay on gas lanterns, it gives you time to shut the valve off and then get to your tent with light, or settle in by the campfire, and then gradually get dimmer allowing your eyes to gently adjust to the dark.

"Otherwise I am just talking about nothing" I don't mind. I like listening to you. I'd even listen to you talk about something as boring as ,say, ... the colour brown. Oh. Wait.

One lantern also produces six hours of light on a tank of white gas, and a single mantle lantern can run for 8. There is also a huge nostalgia aspect, plus batteries also don't operate well in inclement conditions (especially cold, where white gas outperforms)

The Kerosene mantle lanterns were a feature of Sudanese life during my childhood. They were very carefully handled by all. I had always wondered how they worked. There was a funeral that went through our street in Gadarif Sudan. For some reason, it was held at night, and people, including my father and I, did line the street. It was lit by portable Kerosene lights ... they turned the electricity free night into day. Today, LED lights and attached solar batteries make these superfluous as you indicate, and I hope that they are replaced soon. The only remaining issue is dual use lanterns ... some were modified to boil water and cook. Thank you for explaining this in detail.

It is always a good idea to have backups. As a Texan I have a new appreciation for the need to have a source of heat not reliant on the electric grid.

"Connextras - the standards are lower!" That's a great slogan.

The best use-case for the Coleman mantle lantern is if you have a very remote cabin away from electricity. I've seen many cabins in the woods where they have no electricity and for the owners, the opportunity to visit them is sporadic. So it makes sense to leave a Coleman lantern with a fuel can in the cabin for when you get there, or in an emergency. They aren't the primary light source, or primary heat source, but they do both, and can be left in a cabin for years and could save your life.

I have Colman equipment that is 40 years old and I still use them. They haven't deteriorated in time with proper maintenance. Nor have they become obsolete in the way that electronics do. I can fix them if there is a problem. Not so much with electrical gadgets. But you also make some great points about LED's and Batteries. Fun Video full of thought provoking information. Best Wishes ! M.H

i like that you can speak about inefficiency of gasoline/kerosene lamps for 40 mins and 10 thousand people would want to watch it in first two hours

On our sailboat, we've moved completely to LED lighting, and it makes a world of difference. Basically the lighting load down below is nil. Conversely, for heating, we use a kerosene heater that behaves a lot like that lamp, minus the mantle. Works a treat and 8 to 12 litres of kerosene will keep the boat warm for a winter's worth of sailing trips. (Yes, we're that hardcore, that we go sailing in the winter in Canada, on a small boat).

I really appreciate when you compare and contrast different options! Thank you for doing that math! Super helpful! I would like to say that everytime I have been car camping (in Ontario) battery operated lights are by far the norm. Almost no one uses kerosene or propane lights. I usually do back country camping and those folks use battery flashlights because they are small and lightweight. The only places I see kerosene lamps these days are at people's off grid camps and cottages.

I really enjoy these extra videos because they feel a bit more personal to me. Like a friendly conversation after the main presentation. I think both of your channels complements the other nicely. :)

Hi, kerosene lasts up to 5 years in it's original container. Pump gas doesn't.

These are like record players in 2021. There are better ways to get light, but none of them are loved the same way.

I've seen you before, but it's been awhile. I just stumbled across this trying to figure out what to do with an old Coleman lantern I was given. Thank you! There are very few sources that I trust to give it to me straight, and especially when it comes to distinguishing between "opinion" and "fact". I only wish you gave us the news! I love your style.

Enjoyed the content! A cold start technique that I was that I was taught for white gas/unleaded fuel lamps was to pressurize the tank a bit (not too much), light and insert your match, quickly open the valve full open then fully close the valve. The spurt of fuel will of course not be atomized yet due to the cold generator, but there will be enough liquid fuel in the mantle and inside the glass to act like the cup of alcohol in a kerosene lamp to heat the generator tube. Once the fuel has almost burned completely out ( so you don't need to strike another match) crack open the fuel valve and close it. If you get nothing but atomized fuel vapor you are good to go to begin slowly opening the valve bit by bit until the generator tube continues to heat up. If you get another burst of liquid fuel, then again wait until it is almost completely burned out and crack again. Once everything is running in vaporized mode then pump up the pressure on the tank for the "Afterburner" mode. Note the first open of the fuel valve is to the full open to full closed to actuate the self-cleaning pin through the fuel jet orifice to clean out the carbon build up from the last time the lantern was shut off and the dying flickering flame burned inefficiently and probably left carbon deposits in the jet. Hope this helps with your safe enjoyment of lantern fun. I think kerosene lanterns make sense in areas where the fuel will potentially be stored for extended periods of time. Kerosene/JetA and diesel last way beyond the one year of life of modern gasoline. Propane will not go bad. The tank just gets rusty. Major downside to propane fuel is that it has "a lot of quit in it" in really cold weather and won't burn well. More so it seems than the other fuels. Batteries in general especially lithium rechargeable batteries are also susceptible to below freezing temperatures. I bring up cold because if you are depending upon these devices when it's Yukon cold outside when the power goes out for extended periods of time you may need them to help save your life. For just short term fun camping in nice weather, absolutely, rechargeable batteries are the way to go.

I think you're spot on about emergency use being realistically the primary need for this kind of lighting. I have 2 aladdin lamps in the cellar and during the last power outage they where quiet useful. Of course I used the torch function on my phone to find them. The extra heat was welcome as it was November so not freezing but far from warm when the gas heating shuts down due to no power to run the control electronics and the circulation pump. I have an old propane lamp that goes camping with us in the back of the van, which I've used to light the motorhome when its power system failed, as a fair amount of light for a sort period while fixing stuff is useful. Once the emergency is over it gets packed away agian and everything runs off the vans batteries.

We primarily use a propane lantern at late season hunting camp. They have the added bonus of heat. It can quickly heat a six man teepee tent in a snow storm.

One reason I like to use Coleman white gas lantern when camping... Is because of the 360° light projection... That you don't get with a handheld LED flashlight/rectangular plate light... It illuminates the whole campsite and when I set it on the picnic table. For nostalgic reasons I love the sound of it... Lol... Reminds me of childhood camping experiences with my family in the '60s and '70s

The Petromax kerosene lamps have a build in pilot burner which also run on kerosene. You can even light them with a normal lighter without disassemble half of the lamp. The german Army switched their Petromax lamps in the 60s from white fuel to kerosene because to safety concerns. Fun fact: the english "kerosene" is "Petroleum" in german while the german "Kerosin" means "jet fuel". That caused a little bit of confusion for me.

Uncovering the hole on the pump is an old urban legend people thought was necessary because they assumed that hole was the intake valve. Makes sense, but that’s not the case.

"The standards are lower" Never change man.

I love your videos so much. They are so informative, interesting, and very comforting. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

I've used the camping gas lights and stoves for a month long camping trip. I honestly love them. They give so much light and the sound isn't even that bad when all the modern sounds you're used to are all gone.

A note about the fuel pump: it's a one-way valve design. It makes the pump easier to collapse into its stored position if there's a hole there.

The best kerosene lanterns have a blowtorch starter built in that preheats the generator without needing alcohol. These would be the petromax or clones. Kerosene also has a very long storage life when the container is sealed properly. I switched over all my emergency backup stoves and lanterns to kerosene.

For Kerosene, I'll stick with my 1 & 3 wick (6 inch wide wicks) stoves and wick lamps and lanterns. The wick stoves (Victorian Era Technology) work real nice. Biggest issue with propane is there is no way to check remaining volume between uses.

it's even worse for the lanterns vs LEDs when you consider the additional weight of the lantern itself and the LED light.

Let's be honest, fueled mantle lanterns are better because it reminds us of camping when we were kids.

The requirement for covering the hole to pump the lantern is a safety feature. It helps prevent accidental pressurization. Just vibration from transportation could cause the tank to get pressure and possibly cause a safety hazard. So they increased the requirements to pressurize the fuel to make them safer.

LOVE 💓 LOVE ❤️ 💕 LOVE THIS SHOW and this channel. Finally, someone is saying out loud all the questions that have been bouncing around my brain my whole life. I like the editing style the attitude the way topics are connected. I enjoy the general aesthetic of the program but especially the topics, the questions and be intelligent humanity. And I can see no modern justification for a kerosene lantern unless you are in a jurisdiction where you had no other access to other fuels. There is no reason to use kerosene unless you have to.

I use the dual fuel lamp for camping for one simple reason: It makes me feel more comfortable. The thing with LED lamps is: They only emit a small fraction of the frequencies burning light does. And it feels very unnatural. Whereas when I use the Coleman it feels like sitting next to a camping fire.

Every time he says "green lantern", my nerdy brain goes "In darkest day, in blackest night...."

I use my white gas Colman lanterns for night fishing trips down to the river. They give a consistent light and all I have to contend with is the cool down time. Great series, I must say.

About 70 years ago when I was a kid, we used Coleman gas lanterns and stoves to go car camping. It was the family recreation we could afford at the time, and for me it was magical. We also lived in a rural area where the power would go out in the winter, often for a couple of days at a time, and these were what we used then as well. I started doing camping again about 20 years ago and started looking to reacquire these units, only to discover that "modern" concerns had drifted supply toward electric lanterns and propane stoves, neither of which "hold a candle" (pun intended) to these older technologies. Stoves were gone, but the lanterns were available at huge expense. Instead, I bought older units on ebay and rebuilt a lantern and stove, as parts were easily available from Coleman. I do not loose power these days, and I rarely need these for camping, but they are around just in case. Frankly, I never had any trouble working such devices. I guess the Iphone generation just doesn't have the chops.

I cannot believe people actually complain about any aspect of your video productions! They’re all so incredibly ironed out/smooth, entertaining, INFORMATIONAL and funny to boot! I assume it’s out of ignorance to the immense effort and time you put in to your channels, as well as the truly difficult process of video editing and production. I can tell you obsess over accuracy and fluidity (to a healthy extent I hope) and you even take the effort respond to your audience incredibly quickly! Thank you for the time and energy you put in to productions like this one. The sane humans who can grasp and appreciate the concept of your channels will remain for years ahead, as I have, even if you ‘make mistakes’ because you’re a genuinely great human and content creator with endless practical knowledge we crave. at least the adults here at Tech Conns (both channels) can see your genius and that certainly overrides complaints about a TINY ticking sound in the background. Like if you hate noise, TURN THE VOLUME OFF. Watch Closed captions if you can’t handle the amazing sound work on this channel. Otherwise, shut ur trap and be thankful you get professionally produced videos basically for free all the time. Nobody is forcing you to watch with the sound so loud you are pissed off by like 10 quiet ticking sounds. No one cares about your unhelpful complaints about the video production void of any encouragement or positive recognition of the effort this guy puts into this love of labor. Go away and complain somewhere else. I love these videos through and through. Have a great day and continue your genius plz

The pump seal acts like a check valve to let air in on the upstroke, and force it into the tank on the downstroke. It's a cup-looking thing on the end of the pump rod. Probably plastic, the old ones were leather. Pop the black cap off and it should come right out if you're curious.

When I went to upgrade my headlamp, I had the good fortune/curse to stumble across the Flashlight subreddit. Absolutely insane how many lumens can be packed into such small packages.

I so love your videos have done for years I leave your playlists paying on my phone as I'm sleeping. Keep up the good work fella

Hey man, I'm sure you know this....you have a shitload of subs.....a bigger shitload of views....but there is a quality to your personality that makes this rambling style work so well. I only recently discovered you but am consistently pleased by your videos and learn a lot. I always get an unexpected laugh from your dry humor, willingness to mock yourself, and in general don't take yourself too seriously. In short, it's great and I really like it. Thanks a lot.

I like using liquid fuel lanterns because they are built sturdier than their propane counterparts, and the waste propane bottles that you end up with after use are nearly impossible to recycle or dispose of correctly. Whereas, white gas/pump gas/ kerosine creates less waste containers that can be either disposed of or recycled.

I'mma be real with you Mr. Connections, the reason why I use an oil lamp instead of a battery-powered lantern while camping isn't efficiency, warmth or the fact that it works in extremely low temperatures. It's because small flame trapped in a glass ball makes me feel nostalgic. It's like vinyl records, can't really explain that :D

My father had a Coleman white gas lanterns and a Coleman two-burner stove in the 1960’s to 1980 or so. He taught me to use them, and even to change those incredibly fragile silk(?) mantles(!!) He also had. Coleman catalytic heater. Fortunately the TeePee pop-up camping trailer was drafty, drafty, drafty! GOOD TIMES!! Thanks Dad!!

I just love to hear an intelligent person talk in-depth about something they're passionate and knowledgeable about. It's also fun to hear about your learning process and the trial and errors of your projects. Thank you for your hard work!

Coleman has a “quad led lantern” that runs on D-cell batteries. It says it will run for 24 hours, but I have left mine on continuously for a week (over 150 hours) and it was still putting out a useable amount of light. Pretty hard to beat for an emergency light source.

The most practical thing about Coleman lanterns is their nostalgia, at least in my opinion. The stoves are great though, and both are fun to tinker with and restore. I appreciate your content!

I am poignantly reminded to request an explanation as per how good these are in 2022 my good sir.

Another drawback for the lanterns and camping is the weight, volume and fragility of the lanterns themselves compared to a battery and panel style led light.

Your geiger counter isn't defective. You just have to hold the power button for several seconds before it turns on

For me it’s the fact that they are extremely rugged. I have lanterns that are over 70 years old. And they still work just fine. Even after sitting for decades these things can fire up with minimal work. Propane can sit in it’s tank indefinitely it will never go bad. I’ve used Coleman fuel that’s over 20 years old. And it works just fine.

I keep a Alddan mantel lamp for light and heat for extremely cold weather power outages. You can heat a small room and keep light for a while on a few gallons of Kerosene. I do have a couple of oil lamps just for an emergency. I have several LED flashlights all over for practical use so you have proved my philosophy very precisely with your breakdown thank you for breaking it down so well...

I recently broke the glass globe on my Coleman lamp but luckily they sell replacement globes for a very reasonable price. Great video as always ✌🏾

One other thing of note on the kerosene is that it has a much longer shelf life than gas. So if you are using it for emergency use, it would be better than gas.

That fact that we got a whole series about lanterns (1) without anything dangerously on fire and (2) with a small radioactive substance that wasn't a type of fuel or a source of light has been both delightful and illuminating. me: 😁💡 you all, over my pun: 😒 Alec: you call that a pun? that's not a pun. 😏 this is a pun...

After having watched both form factors, i can see why people like this channel just as much, if not a little more. I think your normal channel videos are well produced and entertaining, whereas this channel it feels more like you're sitting down and having a conversation with an old friend. Probably allows your audience to feel a more personal connection (even though it's artificial since you don't know any of us) Love both, keep them coming.

Dig your normal vids but gotta say I'm really enjoying these free-form. Thanks for your efforts man. Very enjoyable and I actually learn shit. Awsome.

One senario that i really like the duel fule option is motorcycle camping, as i can always get extra fule for my stove or lantern. Just pull a little from the gas tank and im good to go.

The hole in the plunger makes it possible to stow the plunger and screw it down without having to fight the pressure of the tank

I did watch all three lantern videos because it was interesting and terribly entertaining to see how complicated and scary you made it to use something that’s so easy.

Pro tip. I use and have used these styles for 40 years as a scout in my youth and also as a leader as an adult. With either gasoline or kerosene when lighting…crack the valve open then once ignited close the valve immediately. This greatly reduces the amount of liquids flowing through the generator into its hot enough to vaporize. Big flame and carbon under your lid is a thing of the past. When the mantles die down a bit, crack it again and do so until it burns without liquids get through. It takes about 30 seconds and about two to three brief openings until you can go full throttle with them. Also white gas, unleaded, or kerosene are way more efficient than propane. For six lanterns and two stoves for camping I’d use 10 or so bottles of propane for gas I’d use maybe a half a gallon for an entire weekend trip. Coleman says it’s 12:1. Gas is much more efficient. I fill everything up in the morning and I get about 12 hours of light and stove time from a full tank. Try running a generator on propane. For a 20lb tank you’ll run about two hours less for the same amount of gasoline. I cannot run 12 hours on a battery lantern. The intensity of the light from an LED sucks. To get the same coverage you need the intensity of the sun which is hard to be around. The soft yellow glow and at the candle power The gas lanterns run is much more pleasing. Plus having the ability to charge in the woods is problematic, batteries are heavy and can be bad for the environment. Solar isn’t an option to charge 6 or 7 lanterns especially in inclement weather and or heavy canopy. Stoves can’t use batteries in the woods at least I haven’t seen any. Again they need charging. Very convenient using the same fuel for stoves and lanterns. Temperatures also wreak havoc on standard alkaline batteries. Propane gives up and performs poorly under about 30° F. Gas, alcohol, or butane/propane mix wins the day. You also assume the poor areas that would depend on these for primary light would have access to funds to Amazon or Walmart. They need only find about less than a quart (liter) a day for light and can be sourced from anywhere. And by the way these lanterns and stoves produce heat. A very welcome by product in cooler or wet climates. Look at old Coleman stoves they sold a top that fit over a stove the is essentially an inverted can that glows as red hot stew and heats very well. Dangerous? Could be but let’s take off the bubble wrap and act like adults. Car camping in the US a couple times a year or quick emergency lighting in the home for power outages…sure batteries could work for you. Long term….nope lots of people…nope. I’ve had 100+ people in the woods before lighting up a large area and running multiple stoves at one time. Great videos but don’t talk in absolutes and leave it as your opinion unless you’re well versed in the subject. Anyone who’s had experience with any of the lanterns can tell you’re a novice. You’ve done well really but not that of years of experience but an education gleaned for the sake of the video.

I would love to see you talk about propane grills, propane vs charcoal, and other propane accessories! In fact, it would be a great character arc to see you slowly turn into Hank Hill whenever you talk about propane, but switch back to normal during other videos!

42:33 you accidentally touched on on why kerosene has a foot hold, unlike gas which can go bad or corrode, kerosene lamps and fuel can be stored without much room for an extended time.

I have battery, kerosene and propane all. I started with the propane 30 years ago for camping, and I have added the other since then. Battery is great for emergence lighting for a night or two, but I was without power for 2 week a few years ago, and I am glad I had the other lighting to fall back on because I didn't have a solar panel. My thought is that it is good to have options available for emergency situations.

I love both channels and watch all the videos. Great work, Alec!!!!!

The sound, the ambiance, the smell, the experience. The nostalgia is strong with this one.

It's funny listening to you talk about the energy content versus density of various fuels because I'm very used to those discussions, but usually in the context of rocketry rather than heating and lighting!

Love these videos. I collect gas lanterns and used them regularly for years and I think every thing you said is completely accurate. It was great to see someone who is unfamiliar with them really explore the gas lamps. If you like the safety of kerosene for lighting you could use an Aladdin brand gas lamp for indoor use. They have a wick like a old fashioned lamp, but the wick is larger and in a circle shape and the wick is under the mantle causing the mantle to generate lighting. A great part of the Aladdin lamps is that you don't need to pump them up, they are quiet, and the wick lights with a match. The bad part is they can easily soot up like crazy if you turn the wick to high and the chimney is a fragile and unsupported, also they are not very bright, approximately 30 watt equivalent. Thanks again for the video!

Bought one and it’s on its way just because I thought it looked cool and I stumbled on this video. Both videos very well done and informative!

In some parts of the US, especially out west, yiu'll find a lot of areas where you can get Kerosene delivered in bulk to a tank on your property, you can't get natural gas or electricity. That's where having a kerosene lantern, or lamps, would make sense. Though, to be honest, I see a lot of people who live in these very rural areas are switching over to small scale solar/battery installations.

Fun totally unrelated fact: white gas is what a lot of fire eaters use as fuel.

I’m glad I listened to your whole argument and on balance, I agree with you. I’ve got an old Coleman white gas lantern and I’m not inclined to use it in most cases, but I’m also not likely to get rid of it as I have fuel and I know it will work if I need it. That being said, I’ve got a backup generator, so it’s rare we would be in a bad position. While I haven’t done it yet, I can see us purchasing a few LED lights as backup lighting in the event it isn’t worth hooking up the generator. Thanks for the video!

Bro your cool as heck man. I watch all your vids would love to know what you do for a career, you must be valuable as heck to a lot of companies and you know your stuff. Bro honestly big up to you man your a flipping genius.

I have one of these lamps since it's nostalgic of Scout camping trips. The boiling sound and the whole lighting process is pure nostalgia fuel (lol).

Having it as a heat source is the only benefit to a gas lantern these days

I love your videos! The thing that makes me keep the old Coleman white gas lantern is the fact that it's been around forever and is super reliable over time. My father appears to have bought the one I now own back in 1956 and I fully expect it will outlive me. Still relatively cheap to use in almost any scenario IMO and I doubt the long term reliability of the electric lanterns on the market. I can't even find a LED flashlight that the switch doesn't give up the ghost after about a year of mild use. Batteries can have their own fire hazards if you drop or otherwise damage them. I agree batteries and solar chargers have come a long ways but I just can't put them even close to the dependability I can get from an old coleman lantern or stove, Sunbeam toaster, Whirlpool washer or my old Jeep Cherokee. These products are legendary and seem to predate the notion of planned obsolescence, let alone the instant crap value engineered garbage we keep shelling out so many dollars for year after year. Just one man's opinion.

Once you learn how to properly start and run gas pressure appliances, you'll find that they are reliable, and do what they were designed to do.