Aladdin Lamps
Aladdin lamps have been around for 100 years. At their brightest, they're about as radiant as a 60W incandescent light bulb, so you can easily read by them. They burn kerosene or lamp oil, and employ a cylindrical wick that heats a Welsbach mantle (it's bright incandescence comes from thorium and cerium oxides). Similar to a lantern, but without the pumping and compressed air hissing. As such, the Aladdins are perfectly silent. They're also more fuel-efficient than a pressure lantern, yet provide almost the same amount of light. Though they're not more fuel-efficient than an average oil lamp, they can make a typical oil lamp look like a nightlight.
The lamp on the right (above) does not use a mantle, just a wick. They are both using the same fuel; I use Klean-Strip's "Klean-Heat" which is a purified kerosene substitute usable anywhere kerosene is specified. A bowl of fuel can put out a lot more lumen-hours than a battery-operated lamp, making the Aladdins perfect for off-grid use or in the event of a power failure. I have an off-grid cabin in San Benito County south of the Pinnacles National Monument. Though I spend most of my time at my on-the-grid home, I'm partial to using an Aladdin at both residences. After trying other lamps, including a basic oil lamp I bought at Wal-Mart, I finally got Aladdin's Genie III shelf lamp, the basic no frills version.
When properly adjusted they are essentially odourless and smokeless (the only time there is a slight smell is right after extinguishing the flame). By raising and lowering the wick, you can dim the lamp, too. If you raise the wick too high, though the fuel/air mixture becomes too rich and they start to soot/smoke, just like any other oil lamp. Properly adjusted, the wicked fuel creates a blue flame that heats the mantle. An optional chimney extender creates more updraft allowing you to operate the wick higher and get even more light. They recommend this for high-altitude (5000-ft.) operation.
-- Bruce Bowen
Aladdin Genie III Lamp
$85
(brass)
Available from Aladdin Lamps
Or $90 (clear), also from Aladdin Lamps
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Favorite (15)
Rob
I bought this lamp about ten years ago, and it is absolutely AMAZING! Talk about the light off of this thing! It blows away all of its competitors and is anywhere from $100-$300 cheaper. There is another similar lamp out there with a metal top that gets hot enough to cook on, (they actually advertise that) but is $500 or so. The Aladinn is a MUCH better buy.
The lamp at the top gets amazingly hot, so you do have to be careful, but it will flat out light up a room nice enough to read by in the winter when the ice-storm has taken out your electricity.