Kings County ToolsDavy Style 8" Solid Brass Oil Lamp | Wire Mesh to Enclose Flame | Made by Hand | Will Burn Standard Lamp Oil or Kerosene

Lamp ReviewThis little gem of a light appears to be the same as the Garrett-Wade oil lamp of the same design, and probably made (in India) by the same factory. Unlike those, these don't include the copper funnel; on the other hand, these ones get Prime shipping, so it's a wash.These burn lamp oil, kerosine, or low-sulfur diesel; if you're a little nuts, you can also burn JP-1 jet fuel or RP-1 rocket fuel. These are all mostly the same except for the RP-1; that one will produce a little less soot. They will NOT burn cooking oil, however. What makes these little gems truly brilliant is what makes them different from most oil lamps you're familiar with. The burner is called a "Kosmos Brenner" or "Kosmos Burner" and they've been in continuous production for the last hundred and fifty years! That's because they produce approximately 20 candlepower at this size, and the flat wick they take is cheap and easy to find. Compare that to a single wick for an Aladdin lamp, and you’ll see what I mean. The wick goes in flat, in sort of a C-shape, and is curled by the brass cone into a tube. Combined with an air vent on the side near the wick adjustment knob, the heat of the flame draws air in, lifting the flame several inches into the glass chimney, thanks to the shape of it. This ensures the fuel mixes thoroughly with air, making combustion more efficient, reducing the smell, and making the light brighter as a result.Aftermarket “Sans Rival” glass chimneys are available for some sizes of these burners; the constriction and bulges in these are literally rocket science, because by changing the chimney the light produces brighter, whiter light — nearly 50% brighter according to measurements — without increasing fuel consumption. They also more completely burn the fuel, further reducing unburned fuel and indoor air pollution. This also means that you can’t use just any old oil-lamp chimney and expect these things to work right…If you need combustion-based or non-electric lighting, you can do a lot worse than one of these. They’re also great for setting an ambiance, if you’re looking to do that.If I can figure out what size these are, I’ll update my review. Wick width is measured in “ligne” or “line” size; historically a “ligne” was 1/12 inch. If this sounds familiar to you, that’s because the system used 12 lines to an inch and 12 inches to a foot.Edit: November 2023: Soldered joints inside the burner broke, resulting in catastrophic failure of the wick raising mechanism. I blame user error, but do please be gentle with that knob!

A beautiful lamp and it is very bright. The circular wick gives so much more light than a standard flat wick. The brass base is stunning and the lamp is a great addition to my oil lamp collection. I absolutely recommend this lamp, I plan to buy another so I have a pair of them for my dining room table.

Very nice craftsmanship. Burns clean with smokeless lamp oil. Interesting but simple wick adjustment. Looks really good with no cheap shortcuts to the construction.

Truly beautiful, sturdy, functional copper & brass lamp. Very thick glass globe. Way better than expectations! I will be using clean burning paraffin oil. And not just for emergencies. Would make a memorable gift, but i’m keeping mine!!!

First: The lamp is spectacular: 5 stars for the Lamp! (I have three) Made in India somewhere, it's essentially a French "kosmos" burner. --Turns a flat wick into a round, central-air-flow burner. This makes it brighter than a flat wick alone can be. The lamp-glass is sturdy, Borosilicate / chemistry tubing (ideal).The company, however is engaged in false advertising.They have ripped off and plagiarized the Garrett Wade Company which sells this and a smaller version.Garrett Wade - Sells a funnel which is /not/ part of the lamp package.In appropriating Garrett-Wades advertisements, they falsely offer the copper funnel as part of the package. And, of course, Kings County Tools will not make good on their product ad.So 5 starts for a quality lamp. Take back 4 for the poor Seller practices and false advertising.

This is the oil lamp you want as a centerpiece of your collection. This lamp > all others in looks and brightness.

Beautiful lamp. There just isn't much wick material. It's also very difficult to extract it up through the burn end.

I have been unable to find many oil lamps with Gaudard Kosmos style center draft burners. The few that I have found are priced about double what they were a year ago. I decided to give this one a try. I'm quite happy with it. It functions as any good center draft circular wick oil lamp should. The wick adjustment feels solid, does not have excessive play in the mechanism and it works quite well. Excellent value.