Initial
Report - Brunton
Glorb™ Lantern
Product
information:
Manufacturer: Brunton
URL: http://www.brunton.com/
Listed weight: 8 oz (227 g)
Listed Dimensions: 5.5 x 2.3 in (140 x 58 mm)
Actual Weight (dry): 7.6 oz (214 g)
Packed Weight (dry lantern, case and mantle):
10.1 oz (286 g)
Actual Dimensions: 5.5 x 2.3 in (140 x 58 mm)
Fuel Requirements (per instructions):
Premium Butane (see below)
MSRP: $55.00 |
 |
The Brunton Glorb lantern
is a compact, self contained unit about
the size of a can of soda. It is hard for me, when reading
specifications on a website, to get an accurate visual as to what size
the item will be. When the lantern arrived, I was surprised as to how
small the unit actually was. The lantern came in the retail box with
hangtag. The box has a large display window which houses the lantern
itself and the case and other components are stowed in the other half.
The lantern came with a case, two mantles and two instruction booklets,
one English and one French. The instructions were clear to follow and I
had the lantern ready to light up after about 10 minutes. 
All of the controls of the lantern seem to be engineered to minimize
accidental contact or breakage. The switch for the piezo igniter is
recessed into the body
of the lantern, and the fuel control is a small lever situated between
the
igniter housing and the globe supports. The air flow is controlled by
rotating the fuel chamber, which is surrounded by a
rubber-like
grip. The globe itself is protected by metal support bars,
which
can be opened up and over the globe for access to the mantle assembly.
Installing the mantle consisted of slipping the mantle over the
protruding gas outlet, tying the bottom of the mantle along the brass
channel along the middle of the gas outlet and snipping of the excess
thread. Priming the mantle involved pre-burning the mantle, which
caused it to shrink into place. Ignition of the lantern is simple,
requiring the operator to push the ignition button and slide it down
about 1/8 of an inch (3mm). Flame strength and light output are
adjusted by rotating the fuel chamber to adjust air intake.
To fill the lantern, a knurled thumbscrew must be loosened at the
bottom of the lantern. This in turn removes the foot pedestal and
exposes a fuel port. Anticipating the test, I had bought a 4 oz (112 g)
canister of butane. This is not the type of canister I normally
purchase, so I was a bit unfamiliar with it's use. When filling the
lantern I had some difficulty making a good seal and spewed butane all
over the place while getting a small amount in the lantern. after
re-seating the tube of the canister onto the fuel port, I was able to
successfully fill the lantern. Brunton offers an adapter called the
FuelTool, which will allow for the use of thread mounted butane
canisters as fuel sources. This will allow me to test isobutane mixes
as well as propane/butane mixes with the Glorb.
My first impressions upon lighting the lantern without the mantle were
less than impressed. It seemed that there was a very small amount of
light. I will need to try this again in the field to see how the output
as a candle lantern works for reading and similar tasks. After
attaching a mantle my view was that it seemed to put out a strong bit
of light. The photo at the top of the review shows the Glorb sitting at
the base of a tree. The light output seems adequate without much in the
way of excess heat. I hope to be able to further quantify this on trips
to come.
The Brunton website is very well laid out and is easy and intuitive to
navigate. Each product has a very small amount of detailed information
as well as product specifications. By reading the site, I was expecting
a small, self contained system. I was not disappointed as I received
exactly what the site promised. They say the lantern may win my heart.
If it performs as well as it seems to be designed, I will not be
surprised if it does.
In
the next 6 months I have trips planned that include the
following elements:
A 60 mile (100 km) kayaking trip along the Edisto River in South
Carolina USA
from Ghivens Ferry State Park to Charleston Bay. During this trip I
will be dealing primarily with damp conditions at or near sea level. I
will be packing my gear into the holds on the kayak and will be
sleeping in my hammock system.
A number of short trips into the the Dahlonega Uplands in North Georgia
to work on backpacking skills with new Boy Scouts. These trips will
offer varying higher altitudes and varied weather conditions. With my
luck, this will undoubtedly involve rain. Again, I will be in my
hammock.
A trip to the Florida Keys which will give a chance to test the lantern
in salt air and warm breezes along with potential storms.
I currently use a butane/propane canister lantern, which I love but
have
problems keeping running due to the mantles, which I cannot keep
intact. My intent is to put the Brunton Glorb lantern through the
rigors of a season of camping with a general klutz. I am especially
interested in the ability of the Glorb to act as a candle-lantern.
Around camp I am known as the guy who can fall in the most unlikely
places. Lanterns in general are a great idea, but I tend to have a
problem keeping them intact long enough to use them more than once. I
feel that a mantleless option would be ideal, provided it provides
enough light for general use.
The
outings I have planned for the next six months provide a wide
array of conditions, and will allow for a varied testing base. The
specific issues I am hoping to determine are:
- Will
the lantern provide adequate light when using a mantle? I
generally camp with a group. Will the lantern work as a general camp
lantern, or will it not provide enough light and need to be
supplemented with additional equipment. I will try to figure out a way
to measure the light output.
- Does the candle lantern
functionality provide a substantial
amount of light? Can you read by it or does it simply look like a large
birthday candle?
- Will the lantern perform
after submersion? Like I said, I can be
a bit of a klutz. I almost guarantee that I will dump this little
beauty in the river at some point. Will it survive? What steps will I
need to take to recover?
- Will the lantern burn
efficiently using a wide variety of brands
of fuel, or only Brunton brand fuel?
- Is the lantern easy to fill?
After getting acquainted with the butane canisters that do not require
a FuelTool and a bit of initial confusion, it would seem so, but the
website seems to imply that
the FuelTool will be a much desired option, especially if I want to
test other types of fuel.
- Does the lantern hold up to
the rougher handling that is dished
out by older children who are unfamiliar with the gear or any sense of
restraint? While I carry my own gear, there are usually kids around
when I camp. They will probably get a hold of the Glorb at some point
while my back is turned.
- Is the lantern light and
compact enough to feasibly carry
backpacking?
I am looking forward to
the Field Testing phase of this test. The
small lightweight design of the lantern seem to be an ideal fit to my
style of camping, which is basically lightweight gear in a group
setting. My early impressions of the lantern leave me with the
following points of either excitement or concern:
|
Excitement:
- It is really small and
light
- No parts that are
sticking out to get broken
|
Concerns:
- Will it provide enough
light?
|
Thanks to
Backpackgeartest.org and
Brunton for the opportunity to
share my experiences!
Name:
Arron Robinson
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9.5" (1.77 m)
Weight: 230 lb (104.3 kg)
Email address: mouserar-at-gmail-dot-com
City, State, Country: Dallas, Georgia, USA
Date: 09 March 2005
Backpacking
Background:
Camping and hiking since 11, I've been
in a constant search for the perfect balance between usability,
durability and weight. These days my camping is generally a mix of Boy
Scout style crew camping, kayak or canoe camping or light to mid weight
hiking. I generally carry 20-25 lb (9-11.3 kg) and sleep in a hammock
system.
