Reviews > Lighting > Lanterns > Brunton Liberty Mantleless Lantern > Cora Shea > Initial Report

Preliminary Information The Liberty arrived on March 2, 2005 in good and complete condition. The Liberty was somewhat different than what I saw on the website. The version I received has an extension on the neck below the reflector wings. On the extension is a toggle to open and close the air intake, and this toggle is not in the photo or description on the website. I guess it is a new version of the Liberty, so I am not worried. The Liberty came with a stiffened fabric case shaped like a small rectangular block. It also came with two instruction pamphlets: one in English, and the other in French. The instruction pamphlet was somewhat easy to read and follow, although some of the numbering in the steps did not line up with the numbering in the images. This problem mostly came from the fact that there are multiple sets of parts 1,2,3... and multiple sets of steps 1,2,3... and it took me a while to figure out when the pamphlet was talking about a part number and when the pamphlet was talking about a step number. But, when I ignored the text and concentrated on the graphics alone, I figured things out. The only non-intuitive part about the lantern is the air intake valve, which I will go over below. Otherwise, I had the entire lantern set up quickly and intuitively without even opening the pamphlet up. The Liberty has two side wings which are very reflective (they look like little mirrors on the inside) and one top wing which does not reflect. The platinum element has two protective bars running over its top. The bottom connection has a rubber O-ring which sits on top of the fuel canister, and the toggle for the air intake is on the back. The button to spark the piezo igniter is also in the back. The fuel output adjusts by turning a big wire knob, which keeps my hands well away from the hot lantern. Here are two pictures showing the front reflectors (the platinum element is the silver 'wire half-bubble') and the rear air intake and red piezo button. The air intake toggle works by sliding the bar to the left or right (toward the plus or minus sign) to open or close it, respectively. Note that the piezo igniter is a piezoelectric ignition system. It creates a sparking voltage by taking certain crystallic materials and placing them under mechanical stress. On the Liberty, the red button on the back snaps inward to create the stress, and the voltage spark occurs between the base of the platinum element and the piezo shaft (which comes out of the white post in the left photo above). For more information, please search for general piezoelectricity information.

Initial Observations Of course, I had to try the lantern out immediately. I grabbed a spare MSR butane canister and trekked outside. Here is what I found with my first few uses on my porch. Assembling and Setting Up The setup is rather simple: unfold the reflective wings, fold down the wire fuel-adjustment knob, screw the lantern on to the fuel canister, turn the wire knob to turn on the fuel, and light. The one non-intuitive thing is that the air intake needs (by recommendation of the instruction pamphlet) to be turned all the way closed (towards the minus sign) when lighting. Additionally, I found the big squishy rubber O-ring on the bottom to be confusing when tightening. At first, I tried hand-tightening the lantern on to the fuel canister, and stopped when it felt snug. This was not tight enough apparently, because no fuel came out. I then tightened it further until the rubber O-ring squeaked and squawked against the canister neck, and with the additional tightening the fuel came out fine. But, this was a lot tighter than I expected, especially with the warning in the instruction pamphlet not to 'over tighten'. Lighting (Priming Phase) Once I assembled the lantern, I turned the fuel on and tried to light it. The first time I tried to light using the piezo, it took eleven tries. I tried it with the fuel running high, with the fuel running low, and everywhere in-between. Finally it lit. This frustration was short lived, however -- on the next five times I lit the lantern, it lit using the piezo igniter the first time every time. The Liberty has a separate priming phase it needs to go through before it can reach its light-emitting phase. The purpose of the priming phase is to let the platinum element warm up. During the priming phase, I lit the lantern with the air intake completely closed. In that time, the platinum element turns a wavy blue color. Eventually, the wavy blue turns to stable blue flame, and the piezo igniter shaft turns red. This took about 15 seconds after lighting. After the priming phase, I opened the air intake all the way and the platinum element began to emit light immediately. Lighting (Light Emitting Phase) After assembling and priming, the Liberty burned brightly. The first time I switched from the priming phase to the light-emitting phase, I held my head too closely to the lantern (in order to see the back where the air intake toggle was) with too high a flame, and I singed a good twenty hairs on my head! That lesson learned, on the second light I learned the correct level of fuel to use when opening the air valve. The platinum element gets bright enough to be painful on my eyes when I look directly at it. It gets that bright almost immediately after warming up the element and opening the air intake. The Liberty is unlike other lanterns I am used to in the way it adjusts brightness. With other lanterns, I usually turn the fuel output to high in order to increase the brightness. With the Liberty, higher fuel output makes the lantern dimmer! The brightest setting in my 1-2 minute experimental burns was with the fuel output set to as little as possible -- almost all the way off. The lantern emits a rather yellow light as opposed to the whiter light I am used to from mantle-based lanterns. You can see this yellow light in the picture here. You can also see how well the reflector wings work - the two reflector wings look almost as bright as the element itself in real life (as they do in the photo): Cool-Down and Disassembling The Liberty gets very, very hot (like a stove) when it runs, so it needs a cool down phase of a few minutes. After that time, I can remove the Liberty from the fuel canister. Once removed, I learned to fold up the Liberty quickly and easily by essentially cupping it between my two hands -- one hand pushing up to fold the fuel knob in, the other hand pushing in to fold in the wings. I especially like the ease of assembling and disassembling this lantern. Other Observations First of all, the Liberty can only be placed on the ground - not only does it not have a hang-cord, but the instruction pamphlet recommends that nothing be within 3 feet (0.9 m) of the top of the lantern while it is lit. I am rather disappointed, since I almost always use my current lantern with its hanging hook. But, I will figure something out. Second of all, the light is very, very directed. Almost no light escapes out of the back of the lantern. Plus, I can't re-direct the light when the lantern is lit because the wings are way too hot. When praticing on my porch, I found the most reasonable method was to simply fold the wings all the way out before lighting (no matter where I want the light) and then rotate the canister to direct the light where I need it. But overall, from my six initial patio burn-tests, the Liberty seems easy to use and relatively bright. It runs quietly and also did well with the nearly-empty fuel canister I used.

Test Plan I currently use a lantern primarily in the winter. I undertake long days, and long days push me into the dark in the backcountry. I enjoy having area-light for cooking and social activities. My testing of the Liberty lantern will have three distinct phases over the next six months. All will occur mostly in the mountains, but I vary to the desert every so often. Phase 1: (Winter Use) This will include all of my posh winter skiing days. With this use, the Liberty will be packed in a pulk, and set up in camp in the high elevations of the Sierra. This use will involve many hours each night of using the lantern. I hang my current lantern from my ski pole, and keep it lit during dinner and long afterwards. The Liberty will face temperatures down below 0 F (-18 C), wind, wet, and general nastiness. Phase 2: (Spring Use) This will involve my stove and the Liberty sharing (not simultaneously) a single canister, and the Liberty will probably only be lit for an hour or so each night after dinner. I use my current lantern on the ground or hung under my tarp. The Liberty will face being shoved in a tight pack, lots of wetter weather, and needing to suck as much fuel as possible out of overused canisters. Phase 3: (Summer Use) This will be the same as phase 2, but will allow the Liberty to perform without the hazards of more extreme spring weather, and thus to really 'show its stuff'. I am very excited to have an excuse to bring a lantern on all my summer trips. Here, I will also take the lantern camping on my kayaking and river/desert trips in addition to my normal mountainous terrain ventures. Over all the three phases, I will use various brands of fuel. I currently use MSR, Primus, and Snowpeak isobutane canisters with Lindal valves for my stoves. I will use the Liberty with the same fuels, and will obtain at least one Brunton fuel canister as well. I will examine the following aspects of the Liberty by using it as I describe above. Light: How well does the Liberty illuminate a campsite? How large an area does it (practically) illuminate? Is the light white, bright, and constant? Or flickering? Is the light bright enough to read by? How far away? Is the light comfy on my eyes when working near it? How well does it dim and brighten over its fuel range? Ease of Use: How dependable is the piezo starter? Are the light reflectors easy to use to direct light? Is the Liberty stable when placed on the ground? Can the Liberty be hung easily and steadily? (Nope, no hang cord) Does it attach to the fuel valve easily and set up fast? Is the fuel feed knob easy to handle, even when on? Packability: How well does it pack down to protect itself in my pack? Does it run well on low canisters (or should I pack more fuel)? How fast does it consume fuel (approximately)? Can it work well with the variety of fuel I already pack? Durability: Is the Liberty easily field-maintainable? Are the reflector wings sturdy and protective? Do I need to worry about damaging the platinum element? Does the lantern generate soot, or collect heat dirt? Is the lantern easy to maintain and clean between trips? I will also document any care and maintenance the Liberty needs during the course of the test.

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Reviews > Lighting > Lanterns > Brunton Liberty Mantleless Lantern > Cora Shea > Initial Report