Dietz #8 Air Pilot Oil Burning Lantern (Black)

Mid 1800;s design endures to provide aesthetically pleasing looks and light. Soft yellow light provides easy on the eye lighting around the camp site, Bonus, using citronella lamp oil keeps the bugs away. Easy to use and well made too.

This lamp is incredibly well made. I read lots of reviews here and on YouTube and almost didn’t purchase put any complaints I’ve read have been misuse by overfilling it. I recommend people review how the lamp is designed and do not overfill! This lamp is an ingenious design and will stay lit in a Hurricane! So as emergency lighting or as a lamp on the patio you won’t go wrong. Built like a tank. I’ve also read reviews that say built in China which is true but built to original spec as far as I can tell.

The Dietz Air Pilot is a reliable old school source of light for power outages, outdoor activities, or just for ambiance. The 7/8 inch wick produces more light than smaller wick models and, in my opinion, is whiter and slightly brighter light than the Jupiter's (see the attached picture for a comparison of light output - a Dietz 76, then a 2000, then a Jupiter, and finally an Air Pilot which was the brightest). It's wide base is very stable, and it is light enough for easy carrying. The rising cone burner is easier to light and trim the wick than the other 7/8 inch wick models, however it is more wind sensitive. In stronger winds, you have to turn down the wick some to avoid smoking, more so than the Jupiter. That is the only disadvantage to the Air Pilot I have found so far. In addressing some people's complaints about leaking, all Dietz type lanterns should be filled to just under the bottom of the filler neck (see picture). The 'tank' on these lanterns is a two chambered affair, with a fuel fount on bottom and a separated air chamber above. If you overfill them the oil will expand through the fount's wick opening into the upper air chamber and then leak out the side air tube crimps. None of mine have ever leaked when properly filled and kept upright. Burned with a clear non-paraffin lamp oil there is almost no smell after the initial burn-in. Very useful in winter power outages. I keep a few day's worth of fuel on hand just in case, and it has come in handy several times. Update 1/16/2020: I received an additional Air Pilot 12/25/2019, which brings my total number of that model to three. This last one had a bottom crimp seal that weeped oil just enough to fill the crimp bead, but not enough to overflow onto a surface before evaporating. So, not all of my Air Pilots arrived in perfect condition, but as Mr. Loaf once said "don't be sad, 'cause two out of three ain't bad". Other than that they all work perfectly, and that one is the only one of the 8 total Dietz's I have that required a fix. I have since sealed the crimp on that one with a couple tablespoons of spar varnish inside the dried tank, let it dry thoroughly, and it is fine. Although the fix was simple and inexpensive, it was still needed, therefore am altering my rating to 4.67 stars total for the Air Pilots I have (and I would still buy more in a heartbeat).

思ってたより大きかったですが、とても気に入ってます。ずっと相棒として使っていきたいです。

I wish these were still made in US but oh well. 5 stars for brightness and overall build. Handle needed tweaking but was an ez fix. Don’t overfill and it won’t leak.