By November, 1951, Coleman’s Model 200A had been introduced, replacing Model 200 above. These earliest 200A lanterns had green painted steel founts and, by November, also had the Coleman decal. The ball nut on this version of Model L227, dated stamped Feb. 1929, is separate from the vent and the ventilator lacks indentations as above. Coleman shipped Model L227 from Aug. 1927 through Dec. 1932 (Strong cited by Becker).
The lantern in the center has a replacement globe and fuel cap. The lanterns on the left and right coleman lantern are in Shirley Willard’s collection. This 200A has a factory finished, white painted fount.
I wanted lanterns that ran on different fuels, but were similar in construction. The gas and propane lanterns are all generally the same type, but the battery operated lanterns come in many different shapes and sizes. The one I choose most closely resembles the other two.
This test is where the propane lantern shines…literally. Putting out 1500 lumens, it is the brightest of the three. Then it was the gas lantern at 860 lumens, followed by the LED at only 360 lumens. The LED battery powered lantern is the one you should get. After a full season of use, this is the lantern that I always grabbed when I needed light. My second favorite lantern is the gas powered one, and coming in third place is the propane powered lantern.
Illuminate your outdoor adventures with our collection of LED lanterns. Designed for durability and efficiency, these lanterns provide reliable lighting in any situation. Whether you’re camping, hiking, or simply enjoying a backyard gathering, our LED lanterns offer the perfect solution to keep your surroundings well-lit and safe. This MF143 lantern is stamped Sunshine Safety Lamp Co. on the baffle plate and is a built-in pump version of Model MF125 above. The first production of instant lighting lanterns was in March, 1928 when Coleman made the L220 and L228 (above- missing mica globe).
There was no other Civil Defense material with the lanterns or the mil-spec boxes they came in. Refillable fuel lanterns seem to be getting more and more scarce – people love their LEDs. However, you can get lanterns that take a Coleman propane tank to save yourself on the filling and pumping efforts and save space on a fuel can.