Mark1267

I saw this lantern on Snow Peak's Japanese website two years ago (before it was available in the US), and instantly wanted it. I have Snow Peak's award winning white gas (WG) stove. The lantern and stove share the same fuel bottle and pump design - so I thought it would be nice to be able to share parts. I got the lantern, and took it out of the box. Instantly I noticed the ceramic part of the included mantle was broken (they even package it within the protected space of the globe). This lantern uses a UNIQUE (and expensive) mantle. Good luck finding replacements. The design is a tube, with a ceramic ring at the top that keys into the burner, and the bottom of the mantle is anchored at the bottom. Luckily I ordered extras. It helps to have three hands to assemble this 3D puzzle. Everything must go together just so - and it only stands once it's all together. I fired up the lantern, and the light output pulsed frantically. I tried adjusting the pressure and fuel levels. Then I took the ENTIRE thing apart to see if anything was broken or clogged. I went to unscrew a plastic nut, and it instantly cracked in two. There were also random brass flakes inside the pump(good way to clog the nozzle& needle). The pulsing light is annoying, so I contacted Snow Peak to figure out what was wrong. The US branch didn't know, so they translated my message into Japanese and sent it to Japan (the home of Snow Peak). Their reply was that unfortunately all of them do it, and they're working on fixing it. Despite having a variable adjustment knob, the light has two settings: 240 glaring watts, and OFF. No in between. Conclusion: Busted parts, frantically pulsing light, and a sky-high price. My Coleman cost 1/5 as much, is easier to use, and works better. Too bad, I really wanted to like this thing. It sure is a cool design though.