I need some info about Alladin lamps. How good are they as a light source and how do I find one. An old one or even e reproduction would be nice but don't have a lot to spend on one Cindy

-- Cindy (hollo@bitwisesystems.com), February 07, 2001

Answers

I love Aladdin lamps! I sort of collect them. They give the light of a 60 watt bulb. You have to be very careful with the mantle, they are very fragile.

You can get a brand new Genie 3 for about 60.00. The best deals are at yard sales, auctions, and estate sales etc. There are alot of lamps on ebay that are older. But there's older and then there's older! Some of the older Aladdins are collector's items and can be expensive. But then there are some that are older and not in mint condition that work just fine for a decent price. Or you can buy parts at decent prices and then put one together yourself.

I have a couple of lamps that I have almost all of the parts and am waiting for the right part at the right price to complete them. It's kind of fun to do it this way!

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), February 07, 2001.

I have an Aladin lamp from the thirties that needs a chimney . I found them in the Cumberland general store, but I thought they were a little pricey. I believe that they can be reached at wwwcumberlandgeneralstore.com. Hope that helps. Sherry

-- sherry mullins (chickadee259@yahoo.com), February 07, 2001.

I love my Aladdin lamp, it gives out great light. I bought mine at the height of the Y2K craze at a local hardware store for only $49. Check around at your local stores. You'll be surprised who has them in stock or they can order them. I've been lurking around here for the past couple of weeks. Y'all sound like a great bunch for the most part. I already appreciate Hoot!

-- Deena Johnston (DeenaJohnston@aol.com), February 07, 2001.

I had an alladin for a while, when I lived off the grid. It gave off way better light than my "regular" kerosene lamps, but was a pain in the ass to keep the wick trimmed, and you had to pay close attention to it in order to prevent it from "accelerating" and smoking up both the house and the chimney.

It was also a gas hog. It burned more fuel in an evening than my other lamps did in a week or more.

I ended up getting a small RV propane light. It had a wick, but never needed trimming, and gave off more light than the alladin. It also used no noticeable amount of propane. Before I installed the light, my five gallon propane tank had to be filled every thirteen days (only appliance at that point was the 'fridge") After adding the propane light, I had to refill the tank every thirteen days. Still.

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoff@echoweeb.net), February 08, 2001.

I had an alladin for a while, when I lived off the grid. It gave off way better light than my "regular" kerosene lamps, but was a pain in the ass to keep the wick trimmed, and you had to pay close attention to it in order to prevent it from "accelerating" and smoking up both the house and the chimney.

It was also a gas hog. It burned more fuel in an evening than my other lamps did in a week or more.

I ended up getting a small RV propane light. It had a wick, but never needed trimming, and gave off more light than the alladin. It also used no noticeable amount of propane. Before I installed the light, my five gallon propane tank had to be filled every thirteen days (only appliance at that point was the 'fridge") After adding the propane light, I had to refill the tank every thirteen days. Still.

This propane light was wall mounted, by the way. If I had it to do over again, I'd put them in every room

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoff@echoweeb.net), February 08, 2001.

We have a budding collection of lamps (alladin and otherwise) that we use as a supplemental/regular light source. Some were purchased new, others were flea market finds, some pricey, some not. They are very subtle and sufficient for most tasks.Here's two things for ya': www.vandykes.com these folks are restoration specialists. They have a pretty fair line of oil lamp products, we have been happy with everything we've bought from them. Second is, I located a restaurant supply place locally that sells the parafin oil by the gallon at substantial savings over the chain store/hardware store quart size, since we use quite a little of it. Keep those wicks trimmed and best of luck.

-- dan (dcbaker@2ki.net), February 13, 2001.

We have 3 Alladins and use them every night. Alladin lamps are great in the winter as they give off quite a bit of heat, this is why you can get away with kerosene without the smoke that you would get in a flat wick lamp. The heat is also the reason they are not so great in the summer. If you buy a new one they come with a handy little tool for keeping the wick trimmed. Don't try to turn them up too fast or you will char the mantle. As the chimneys heat up, the flame gets higher, this is because the hot chimney will "draw" just like a stove chimney does. I wrote an article for CS in the May/June 2000 issue that may be of some help. At the time of the article we were pretty down on our Alladin lamps but we have since gotten better at using them and we now like them. We also use Coleman lamps (Leacock) but Coleman fuel is $2.99/gal. and K1 kerosene is $1.80/gal, even at todays inflated prices - hey, every little bit helps.

-- David (daoelker@ticona.com), February 14, 2001.

There's always a trade-off! I agree with David! But herewith Old Uncle Brad's experience. If you are looking for enough light to get get about the homestead, and not stub your toe on the unexplained body of a Palm Beach democRAT that had somehow wandered north and found a final resting place in the outhouse, you can't beat a basic Deitz or other kerosene lantern. But if you want to read, then gas -fired "Colemans" are great, albeit a tad noisy, and the fuel is a bit pricey. The kerosene fed Alladins are my choice for that, but they need close attention, and careful adjustment. I have had times where a few minutes of inattention, within 20 minutes of lighting, led to a spectacular chimney fire, and I had to throw the whole thing out in the snow, because I had not waited long enough for it to "settle down"! They are great, but pay very close attention for the 1st 2 months or so until you know how long you have to watch it before you can doze with the book in your lap!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), February 14, 2001.

I have two Allasins and they are great. I have neverr had problems with either of them, and have not had to trim the wick, either. They are beautiful. But, they are fuel hogs.

-- simon kenton (ken-tuc-kee@woohoo.com), September 22, 2001.

An Alladin gives off the same amount of light as a 60 watt bulb. They are dependable! I got mine from a friend who's 81 yr old husband used to do his homework by it and it still works wonderful. I just bought new mantles, etc. from Lehmans. You won't be disappointed in an Alladin. They are pricey but worth every penny and you won't have to buy another one in your lifetime!

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), September 22, 2001.