URGENT.....Colemans

Need some urgent advice hear lads finnaly getting round to buying a light for night fishing....Cant decide which one to buy a coleman or a rechargable....Which gives out the best light?....Is there any other type of light on the market which can be classed along with the likes of Colemans

Advice greatly appreciated

relum /anchor parrifin lamp is the brightest of tilly type lamps , rechargables are more reliable but not as bright.
i personally dont use one very often prefer to rely on a good halogen/led headlamp.
rab

I hear the rechargables are a tone weight.....getting tempted by the coleman are they high maintainence and are they reliable....anyone want to put me off the fuel lamp :?:

colemans have their advantages but also disadvantages


coleman:
very good light for long time..
heat (good for winter night fishing)
most of them nowadays are dual fuel

take forever to cool down
mantles can easily be broken
price of fuel keeps going up (insignificant really)
rice of parts

rechargable:
good enough light that doesnt fade
most can be charged by car battery
light weight

light just cuts out when not enough charge
needs to be charged for hours
not good for week of night fishing (battery goes after second night)
usually cant replace batteries (there are ones you can tough)

i am also looking for a coleman but will always carry 2 headlights and spare batteries ( you just never know when you'll need them)

:D

Jeezzzes now im confused someone please tell me what to get.....can they be out in the car hot :?:

Jeezzzes now im confused someone please tell me what to get.....can they be out in the car hot :?:

I was fishing with someone who got seriously burnt accidentally touching a tilly lamp (which only slightly detracted from the amusement) and then left gloves on top of it to dry, only to come back and find a small pile of ashes. The fuel smells and you'll spill it in your boot (car boot if you're lucky, wellie boot if you're not). Dogs will pee on it and crack the glass. You'll trip over it and break the mantle. You'll accidentally touch your line on it and burn through it.

Buy an electric ... it's 2006.

I've just put a new rechargable in my gelert lamp. Very easy. If it came down to it, I'm sure you could make minor modifications to this kind of electric so you could quickly change batteries. All you'd need to do on a very long trip is carry a couple of batteries around with you. Maplins stock them. Turn it off when you're not baiting up, unhooking, casting, etc. You'll probably have a headlamp (or two) with you anyway. Eat more carrotts.

get a coleman powerhouse or northstar, but get a light reflector too so the light doesnt beam out into the sea to spook close in fish and a decent led headlamp too
should do fine for the summer nights and winter nights

:idea: I use a Coleman Northstar and regard it as a great piece of equipment. I bought a reflector for it from Veals and it does concentrate the light on areas where it is needed and avoids dazzle and bass spooking.

:idea: There have been complaints voiced about replacement of parts and failure of ignition system, but these are generally as a result of misuse, neglect or accidents. I have not had a problem with mine during the two years I've been using it.

:idea: It is used quite a lot and goes on camping trips as well (although not inside or close to tents). I even use it for nocturnal slug hunting in my garden!

:idea: Yes, the lamp uses mantles and these can be fragile and need to be handled with care when fitting. The tubular mantles on the Northstar are fairly easy to fit and a spare can be carried in a small plastic box.

:idea: The Northstars generate quite a lot of heat and need to be handled with care as they use petrol (I don't use Coleman fuel as it is expensive and not as easy to get your hands on as unleaded petrol). I drive a diesel car but my wife's car and the lawnmower run on unleaded petrol. There is always an element of risk when carrying a lamp full of petrol in your car so observe sensible precautions.

:idea: As I mentioned, the Northstar has an electronic ignition system which means lighting it is a dawdle: no messing about: pump it up, press the igntion button and turn the fuel valve knob and Bob's your uncle: a portable lighthouse.

:idea: The light from the Northstar is incredible (=200 watts output) and is probably has the best light output of any readily available commercial fuel lamp.

:idea: They seem to run forever on a tank of petrol. I refill or top up before each trip and I have never had the lamp run out of fuel (longest burn session 8and a half hours). Burn times of up to 14 hours are claimed for the Northstar, but I can't verify this.

:idea: I like the gentle hiss of the lamp: very comforting on cold dark nights.

:idea: You can heat your sausage rolls or pasties in a foil tray on top of the lamp or pop on few pebbles to heat up as hand warmers.

:idea: My Northstar is a lifelong investment (touch wood!) and as you probably guess, I'm very attached to it (sad I know).

:idea: By all means look at the rechargeable lanterns, they are undoubtedly potentially less hazardous, as they do not run on highly flammable liquids and do not generate a lot of heat: but then again you can't warm your pasties or your frozen paws on them!

To muddy the waters even further, Coleman does an 'Electric' Northstar which is battery powered and has a fluorescent bulb (around £25-30)

:( A note about fluorescent lights: in very low temperatures (less than 5 degrees C) the fluorescent bulb in some battery lamps can fail to 'strike' and you could be literally left in the dark. I can't comment on individual models but it is something to think about.

:idea: PS If you do buy a Northstar (fuel), make sure you use new petrol and do not leave petrol lying in it for a long time (say over winter). Old petrol can lose some of its more volatile components through evaporation and 'gum', possibly effecting the performance of your lamp. The same goes for a petrol lawnmower.

:idea: Do not tip over or overfill your lamp: it can flood the generator. The Northstar comes with a wide rubber foot plate that reduces the chance of it being knocked over.

:idea: As for putting a hot lamp in the boot of your car: best avoid that. Turn off your lamp in good time before stowing it. Use your head lamp on the way to the car. By the time you stow your gear, take off the waders, have a p*ss (but not near the Northstar!) the lamp should be sufficiently cool to stow away safely. You can always put it in a metal container if you are worried about it melting plastics.

:idea: Whatever lamp you decide on, good luck.


E.L.

Last edited by Esox lunatic on Wed May 31, 2006 1:41 am, edited 4 times in total.

i bought my northstar last week i used it for the first time on monday night its the best thing i have ever bought, as a lady angler i wanted something toooo scare offff the fairy things, as in rats, as im out fishing at night a lot, it works a treat.

I bought my northstar when they first came out and so far it has never let me down or needed any parts. The light output is excellent and the heat very welcome on a cold winter night.

I bought a coleman electric lamp about 2 years ago and it is very handy in the summer but not recommended for heavy winter use.

Some people say that petrol lamps are to be avoided as petrol can contaminate your baits but with the long run time on a single fill, it is unlikely you would ever have to fill it on the beach anyway.

Lee

as a lady angler i wanted something toooo scare offff the fairy things, as in rats, as im out fishing at night a lot, it works a treat.

I remember fishing on a sand bank once, completely surrounded by water, under the umbrella in crap weather and a small mouse came wandering in under the brolly. No idea how it got onto the sandbank!

My Northstar hasn't let me down yet. You'll have to change the mantles from time to time but thats no big deal. Great light from them, team it up with a head light of some type and you'll be sorted for nite sessions anywhere. The light reflector mentioned already is a must though and you'll need to buy it seperately.

B+Q do a coleman rechargeable for £25 2 tubes and very light weight i throw it in a ruck sack with my gear when there is a bit of walking to the mark and i dont want to carry a heavy fuel lamp and need my hands free :D

Mixed opinions :? :? :? .........Cant make up my mind please bare mind i have know expierence with fuel lamps of any description are they easy fixed when the mantles break etc?????

I got my colemans a year ago has never played up once. Parts easy to get anywere. i got 2 mantles £1 ebay. new clobe was £5. Took some looking but was in no hurry with ebay as they were for spares.

There are others with more time with these that could advice. But i got reflector and had a metal carry box made so could put away and not have broke.

only thing is they are warm very warm. good for heat in winter but have a bru and a smoke before putting away again insulated metal box helped that.

in all love it for those dark winter nights in a beach buddy.

Changing the mantle on a Northstar is fairly simple. Just unscrew the top of the lamp, remove the metal cage and glass globe (these simply lift out from the lamp assembly) unclip the old mantle and hook up the new one (the lamp has instructions with it and they will take you through this procedure step by step.) The mantle is then flamed with a lighter to 'prime' it (only required once on installation of a mantle). The lamp is then reassembled and you are ready to go.

I wouldn't be too worried about fragile mantles. Once they are primed to burn off the protective coating, they are fragile but are protected by a toughened glass globe and a metal cage.


E.L

buy a speleo headlamp plus carrier have used a speleofx2 for twenty years never one problem.am now using fx5 heavy but if your life depended on your light it would be a speleo headlamp.
greg

Northstar every time , had mine for about a year now , gone through a couple of mantles and two ignition units but i still wouldnt swap it

on the subject of cooldown .............they cool down in a few mins esp at the shore .

bs

For my self its a Coleman's every time. I have used them for night fishing for move then 20 years. They are easy up keep and if you take care of it will last for years. Depending on how bright you have it turned up can burn for more then 8 hours. But you do need to get a caring case for them.