Dietz #8 Bronze Air Pilot Oil Burning Lantern

As far as these modern oil lamps go, these Dietz models are some of the best. They aren’t as sturdy as antique ones, specifically when you use the chimney lift arm….it feels like you’re about to bend/break something. But it looks great, I have no leaking problems (I think 90% of the people who complain about that just overfill them) and WHEN YOU USE THE RIGHT FUEL, it burns brightly and efficiently.That’s the key thing you should know. This lamp uses a flat, wide wick. Paraffin oil and most of what is marketed as “lamp oil” does not work well in this lamp because it cannot flow up the wick fast enough to burn at anything higher than a very small flame. You really have to use kerosene, Aladdin lamp oil or Kleen Heat lamp oil. So don’t waste your time and money getting any other kind of fuel. You will be disappointed! Those paraffin oils are fine for thin/round wicks that small table top lamps use, but not lanterns.

I have to say that the Dietz Air Pilot No. 8 in bronze is the most beautiful latern i have seen, it looks and feels antique, and its just beautiful to look at! It came packaged well in its own box with in a box and was wrapped in bubble wrap to protect it. My Dietz D-Lite No.90 came barely buble wrapped and loose in a box (but thats a story for another time). Ive used it for a few days now and even at night time while its lit it is beautiful to look at and gives a warm nostalgic feeling of life in a forest. I have it on a piece of card board and have not seen any leaks, with that being said, DO NOT fill it to the brim as the gasses inside the reservoir will expand and cause it to leak, i fill my lanterns to about 85% full and ive been using it now for 3 days without needing to refill. As for fuel i use Firefly odorless kerosene alternative as it burns brighter, longer, and barely has an odor (yes it still has a faint odor). Whilst using kerosene in the $7 Walmart brand oil lantern in Red in my photos, it did produce a very pungent burning smell indoors which was very unpleasant. Using kerosene also produces quite the soot build up inside the glass globe as well as inside the chimney of the lantern, so I will stick to the Firefly fuel. I really love these lanterns and will be great to have in any SHTF situation, power outages, or simply just a beautiful piece to collect.

I haven’t tried using it yet but hopefully it works as good as it looks. The only problem might be in getting the globe out to clean. It’s snug and hard to get to move so left it alone for now. Will try again when it needs cleaning.

Just bought my first camp-style lantern, the Air Pilot in bronze. I was pleased to find the lantern well-wrapped with integrity in order. No breaks, dents, misshapes, or leaks.After filling slightly from a manual siphon pump, I let sit overnight to confirm no leakage. Then added 10 full squeezes the next day to use for the first time.Without a marked cup, 10-12 squeezes from a manual siphon pump seems a good measure for preventing overfill and obtaining the higher run time.The flame is adjustable and bright, and heat output perfect for warming our bathroom, where there is no heating system in fall or winter. (Very important to keep the nighttime "visits" comfortable as temps plummet. IYKYN!)The shiny bronze adds a beautiful touch and we're illuminating in style.The metal used for this Air Pilot is, however, very light. We're operating only indoors and recommending for its function at price point (under $45).*Safety first! To clarify, we have full view of the bathroom while the lantern is in use

It looks nice but it does have some design issues that probably happened when production moved to china. The wick is off centered from the crown and leaning to one side. It leaning cut off airflow to one whole side of the wick because it didn't come out the hole was literally touching the crown the whole width of the wick. I did manage to lower the wick enough to stick a big flat screwdriver in and bend the guide so the wick doesn't touch the crown but the wick assembly is still miss aligned from the crown slit. That miss alignment doesn't seem effect the function now. The wires are cheap junk. Not a big issue on the globe but I they could have used something a bit sturdier than the equivalent of heavy guage electric fence wire for the handle. Simply holding the handle and hooking a finger in the chimney loop to lift the chimney with 1 finger to remove the globe is enough to get the handle bent out of shape. It looks nice and works fine once tweaked for it's issues but "for the money" I'd definitely try a different brand next time

I love this lantern! It is easy to light and to extinguish. I had the old blue for 40 years, but this new one with upgraded technology is fantastic!! It is well worth the extra price. And I should know, I have 12 glass lamps with shades I've restored all over my house, plus two of the old blue barn lamps which have never given me a minute of problem, but high tech hitting the carrying barn lamp makes so much difference! So east to light, wick trim, and has a big fuel tank, will burn all day or all night. Buy an extra globe as a back up.

I love it! We own several. Great quality. Purchased this brand because we have one that is 40 years old that still works perfectly! I love this copper colored one. Looks very rustic. Gave it as a wedding gift!

This is a very impressive looking oil lamp. Its bronze color and relatively large size make it a very impressive looking lamp. The oil reservoir is large and glass makes it not only look great, but very practical. I take up any chance I get to light it up and carry it around at night in my backyard. Makes me feel like I’m a night watchman in an east coast Lighthouse. It’s a great product.

Muy mala calidad. No lo recomiendo. Decepcionada.

The product photos do not represent it accurately. Even my phone can show that it's more a mirror chromed version than a bronze one. I am very disapointed that I paid double the price of a typical Dietz Air Pilot for a custom bronze version that has barely any (bronze coloring) on it. And I understand wanting to simulate a worn look, but this is ridiculous. The product photos show a somewhat dark "worn" metal (blending well with the bronze) but it's not the case. This is a highly reflective mirror chromed lantern with a bad job of applying a few dabs of bronze paint here and there. Will keep it, it is still a Dietz, but would not pay double again for an extremely cheap execution of a "bronze" look.