Bushlite Candle Lanterns - US Group Buy

[Xrunner]

After drooling over the Bushlite candle lanterns posted here I've received ExPo admin approval (thanks Brian!) to put together a group buy for US members.


(photo credit to Bushlite ZA)

Here are approximate prices based on about 25 units being ordered.
If we get more than 25 there should be another price break of at least a few dollars per lantern.

Brass - $38
Aluminum - $28
Green - $23

Candle Pack - $6
Spare Globe - $6
Candle Tube kit - $15
Small Stand - $5
Large Curved Stand - $11

Expect US shipping/PayPal fee to be roughly $10-$15 (probably USPS Priority Mail) for under 5 lanterns.

Please post to this thread if you are seriously interested, and include how many and what material/finish.
I will not be collecting any funds at this point… once we hit 25 units I will put a timeline together with more details.

Tentative Timeline:
2/29 - Group buy closes for first batch. I will keep a backup list for extra units/2nd round of the group buy, but no guarantees it will happen.
3/4 - Final pricing should be done.
3/11 - Payments due
3/11 - Lanterns ordered
3/25 - Lanterns arrive? (this is a guess, once they ship I should have a better estimate)
3/28 - Lanterns ship out to members
3/31 - All lanterns arrive

Edits
1/28 - Added candle tube kit
2/5 - Updated expected USPS shipping cost
2/15 - Added stand details and candle tube kit price
2/23 - Added tentative timeline above
3/1 - Closing this up for the time being while I work on the behind-the-scenes details.
If anyone still wants in I'm going to start a waitlist... if there are any extra lanterns I'll work through the list (or considering doing a 2nd buy if there is enough interest).

 

[Xrunner]

[Group Buy List]

Xrunner - 2 brass/1 AL
gaap master - 2 brass, 2 kit bags, 1 pack of candles, 1 globe, 1 table stand (if available)
95RRC - 2 brass/mozzie attachment
Cobra_R - 1 brass/kit bag
theBostonianX - 2 AL/1 candle pack/1 brass?
colorado matt - 1 AL/1 Kit Bag/1 Candle Pack
warejn - 1 Brass/candle pack
forrest5000 - 1 green/kit bag/pack of candles
g150driver - two of the green w/ kit bags. And one table stand.
Mreuling - 2 brass, 1 green, 2 kit bags, 2 packs of candles, and 2 globes
Tazman - 2 brass, all the options
XJ Mulisha - 2 aluminum with the kit, glass and stands,
Red Rock-It - 2 brass, 2 kit bags, 2 globes, and 2 table stands
CalBears - one brass, one kit bag, and one table stand
kmlacroix - Brass one, Kit bag and a bag of candles a globe and small stand.
warejn - another brass and two large table stands.
CrabbyMcNab - Two brass, 1 globe, 1 candle pack, 1 kit and waiting for more details on the stands.
Abu Buckwheat - x4 brass, x4 kits, x2 stands, x2 spare globes
4xdog - 2 brass, 2 candle tube kit bags, 2 small stands, 1 mozzie pad clip
OVRLND - 2x brass, 2x kits, 2x small stands, 1x spare globe

(28) Brass
(6) AL
(4) Green
Running Total: (38)


Backup/Wait List:
traveldud - 1 brass & box of candles

 

[gaap master]

I am interested in this group buy. One question before I jump in...are the 'kit bags' shown on the Bushlite website also available through the group buy?


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[Xrunner]

I am interested in this group buy. One question before I jump in...are the 'kit bags' shown on the Bushlite website also available through the group buy?

I believe so but will double check and get pricing.

 

[Overland_Brandon]

I have never seen one of these lanterns, and I am intrigued!

What about replacement candles? Is there any proprietary about them? Can we buys local candles?

 

[Xrunner]

I have never seen one of these lanterns, and I am intrigued!

What about replacement candles? Is there any proprietary about them? Can we buys local candles?

They are essentially a larger/heavy duty version of the common UCO candle lantern. Elysian Ranch posted several great comparison photos here.

(photo credit to Elysian Ranch)

Finding exact replacement candles locally can be tricky but isn't impossible with a little knowledge and work...

View attachment 255744
Alright I've learned way too much about candles in the last day of owning this lantern haha.

First off a true 3/4" wide candle will work but will also melt its way up through the holder and end up dripping a bit. Not really a problem, but its not ideal. Secondly the standard dining room candle(straight walled not taper) is 7/8" wide and is right on the edge of too wide especially with manufacturer tolerances. Thirdly candles are not really sold by width so even when its listed its not often correct. Thats why you see them a lot of the time with a molded, splined taper at the bottom so they can fit in just about any candle holder.

Above is a picture of the ones I found at Walmart for $.75 each. That's not a incredible deal but it turns out they can be made to work even better then the supplied candle. Get any color you want and peal back the colored wax similar to shelling a hard boiled egg. You are left with a candle that is 21.8 mm wide. They will now fit perfectly. With the colored wax they are 22.8 and too wide to fit.

The bushlites have a lot more flexibility, but finding the best performing candles seems to be tricky

Max width = 22.5mm
True 7/8" = 22.22mm
Supplied candle = 20.5mm
Peeled Walmart = 21.8 mm
True 3/4" = 19.02mm

I've found the bushlite brand candle to be a solid choice if the lantern isn't something you use daily. At roughly $0.25 to $0.50 per hour I suspect they are cheaper than a lot of other lantern options too, and provide a less harsh light I find to be more visually pleasing.

 

[95RRC]

I would be in for 2 Brass ones - with the mozzie attachment thingydoogle

 

[Cobra_R]

I'm in for a brass one with the kit bag

 

[theBostonianX]

2 Aluminum and a pack of Candles.

Maybe one brass for the boat. ...

 

[colorado matt]

1 aluminum ... kit bag ..... and a bag of candles ... Matt

 

[warejn]

I am in for 1 brass and a pack of candles.


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[forrest5000]

1 green , kit bag ,pack of candles .


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[BandK]

Some feedback re use of these lanterns - I live in South Africa and have used my lantern extensively - We use normal wax candles that we by from any local grocery outlet, just cut them in half and pop it in


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[Cobra_R]

Any updates?

 

[Xrunner]

Any updates?

We are still about 14 lanterns short of the 25 I'm hoping for to help spread out the cost of shipping to the US.

I'm going to leave this open until the end of February and then run final numbers on the quantity spoken for. At that point I'll verify the buy is still feasible and put together a rough timeframe for moving forward.