First impressions

    Hi Everyone,


    I have just bought a new Petro max CP500 Super Rapid, which arrived in just two days from order placement. :)


    I really liked the look and quality of the product when viewing it on the internet and my view has not changed now that it has arrived.


    Unfortunately there is a 'but'. I was a bit miffed that both the reflector and top of the lamp have minor scratches on them. But my biggest gripe is the instructions! They are a very very poor photo copy which is just about unreadable. I don't know if this is just a one off or not, but it is still a let down on what appears to be a top quality product.


    Okay now that my gripe is over, I have read on here about various fuel questions. But what is the prefered fuel source to use.


    Petrol (which type), meths or pink parafin. Through bike racing I also Avgas 100LL. Has anyone used this fuel?


    Many thanks, Eddie.

    Hi Eddie J,


    most of the regulars in this forum are camping this weekend, so you may not get as much answers as usual.


    You can download instructions here, but I'm not sure whether we have some in english language.


    There is a big discussion on what's the proper fuel for a Petromax Lantern. Some say that it takes anything from gasoline to diesel, but I think that gas is too dangerous and diesel generates too much soot in the vaporizer. You want to use the fuel that the germans call "Petroleum" and which is probably translated into "Kerosene". But do make sure that it's not colored, the kerosene must be as clear as water! I don't know what Avgas 100LL is, so I can't comment on that. Maybe you have a data sheet or description?


    I'm sure that someone will soon comment on the bad quality of new Petromax Lanterns, too. Since they are made in China, the quality is quite poor.


    Bye,
    Christoph

    Hello Christoph,


    Thanks for your reply. I decided to use kerosene (clear parafin in England) and it has worked well! :D


    Avgas 100LL (it's aviation fuel) and is what I use in 2 stroke motorbike racing - I wondered if it would be a cheaper option!


    Thanks again,


    Eddie J

    Hi Eddie,


    nice to see that people still get new lanterns to work out of the box without much work. This wasn't true with my first lamp :-( The guys at this shop check the parts before shipping though, so it's not that surprising.


    As far as I know, aircraft fuel properties are somewhere between gasoline and kerosene (parafin? :) ). So it should work, but I'd try outside first.


    Bye,
    Christoph

    I must admit that I have been a little bit unsure about the build quality.
    I also found water droplets in the air pump.
    I have tried the lamp again this evening in order to take the attached photos, and had a few problems with fuel leaking out. I think that this may have been my fault though as I beleive that I may have overfilled the lamp.
    The light is very good and the photos do not do it justice.


    Regards to all, Eddie.

    Hi Eddie,


    those are very nice pictures. :)


    There shouldn't be any water in the pump. It is common to have oil there, especially in the pumps with the leather top.


    If you're unsure whether the lamp is leaking, just remove all petrol from the lamp, pump it up and put it into a bucket of water. If you see air coming out, you know that it leaks. Then it's also perfectly normal to have water drops in the pump :) (You want to let it dry before pumping then of course)


    Bye,
    Christoph