I mentioned that one of my Christmas presents was some cool emergency gear from my Amazon wish list. To wit: A UCO Candle Lantern from Industrial Revolution. (Note: All links in this blog entry are Evil Greedy Capitalist Amazon Associate Links.)
Not just the lantern, but a lantern “value pack” including four 9-hour candles and a sturdy fleece bag. RJM, the mystery man who sent it, also added an extra pack of candles and a reflector — something I didn’t even know about.
I admit, when I put the lantern on my wish list back in 2010, I did it on a whim. You know me and cool flashlights. Well, I thought a candle lantern looked cool, too, so on the list it went, even though I wasn’t sure it would be all that useful.
I was wrong. This little gadget is not only useful, it’s an elegant piece of design, as well.
It’s nice and bright even without the reflector.
Even brighter with the reflector.
Some features to note:
* Compresses to an easily carryable size (with candle inside) for camping, backpacking — or adding to a grab-n-go kit or bug-out bag.
* Opens easily to its working height.
* The candle is fitted into a very stable holder so you can carry the lantern safely.
* As the candle burns down, a spring in the base pushes it up, keeping the wick at the proper level for burning.
* The flame is extremely steady even when a light breeze is blowing and is almost light-bulb steady indoors.
* A slot in the side of the lantern lets you see how much of the candle remains.
I took a long candlelit bath last night with the lantern hanging by its chain from a shelf. Afterward, I checked the usage. Sure enough; those candles are likely to last the full nine hours.
Very nice!
Oh yeah. And it’s made in the USA for those who care about that. And Needs No Batteries! (Batteries: the bete noir of people who love cool flashlights.)
The only slight drawback I saw was that, to light it, you have to slide the glass wall down into the base. This requires a firm, but gentle, touch. If you got a little ham-handed with it, you might break the glass. But I think this is just something you need to practice and take care with to get the technique down.
There’s also a delux lantern that burns multiple candles and fancy 12-hour beeswax candles if you prefer.
Great gifts for any camper or prepper. A great gift for yourself. It was sure a great gift for me. 🙂
Nice score. I’ve carried one of those in my kit since I was a Boy Scout in my teens (many decades ago). During a power outage last year, I retreived if from my bug out box. The candles had melted in the lantern and the spares had melted together. They weren’t compatible with being in an enclosed truck during Southwest summers. With a little work the lantern was salvageable, no damage of any kind. The UCO candle lantern is probably one of the least expensive, great gifts around.
Does this candle smoke much? I’ve had trouble with candles in my house setting off the fire alarm, especially beeswax-type.
Pat, I got no smoke at all from the candle. I lit it in the kitchen, where I have a smoke detector that goes off even when I boil water for more than a few minutes, and had no trouble.
Matt, another. Candles in a truck in the SW? Uck, that must have taken some serious cleanup.
Here, candles in a vehicle would never melt, but we have to beware of leaving metal objects in a vehicle for long (ask me — no, don’t — about the tools that will never be the same again).
Still, I think I’ll keep this candle lantern in the house — but near the bug-out kit.
Sounds good. Think I’ll get me one.
Like Matt, I’ve had one of these since I was a Boy Scout. It’s a great little lantern and I love mine!
I have one of these,and can attest to it. Very useful,and those stumpy little candles do burn a long time. Looks like the same model(mine’s red). The candles themselves are hard to find locally(I try to buy from local businesses if possible),but can be easily ordered. Mine hangs off the living room light fixture. No smoke,very little odor(only when you blow it out). The Zippo I used to light it has more odor to it than the candle does.
I don’t keep it in the truck anymore. The wax was soft enough to melt the candles together, but not so soft that it pooled or spread around. It helped that I had them sealed in a bag.
A nice reminder. I had six of these at one time but seem to have lost them in my last divorce. I’ve sat at my kitchen table when the power was out reading a book with nothing for light but this candle and the reflector.
UCO also makes “Tea-Light” candle lanterns. We gave those out as xmas presents a few years ago.
They’re smaller, and less expensive. PLUS – they use tea-lights – which we buy for 5 cents each at the local Michael’s craft store ( in bags of 100 ).
They don’t give out as much light, but are great for keeping the dark away on your midnight trip to the kitchen..
There is a discount chain of stores around here called “Dollar Tree”. They sell a 3-pack of replacement candles for those for……..a dollar.
A secondary use for small candles is flying insect control in a small RV or confined space. With the flame exposed, skeeters will fly close enough to singe their wings. Just make sure to blow out the candle prior to shutting your eyes for the night.
The small flame from those candles even heats up a (stationary) truck cab a bit when it is cold.
A — Kewl. There’s a Dollar Tree in one of the nearby Big Cities. I’ll definitely look for replacement candles there! (I love that place.)
On the heat — definitely. I also noticed how much warmth the candle lantern put out in a small space. Good point. I hate to think how you might have found that out, about the truck cab. I have visions of you being stuck by a wintry roadside somewhere.
Like others here, I was first exposed to those micro lanterns as a Boy Scout.
Later, I learned of it’s various other uses (listed above) reading a wilderness survival manuscript by Don Paul.
I was his (mostly uncredited) editor, cleaning up his books and manuals for a few years in the early 2000’s.