In honor of Mother’s Day I present a Dietz Little Wizard, born the same year as my mother: 1947. And like her, it’s still going strong!
I haven’t done any restoration, just wiped it down and washed the globe. It still has most of its original factory grey paint intact!
On the left we have an American made Comet, likely from the 1960s.
In the center we have a Hong Kong made Comet, likely from the early 1980s.
On the right we have a modern China made Comet.
Now this will most likely come as a surprise to nobody, but materials have been noticeably reduced each time manufacturing moved. The American Comet weighs 446 grams overall, with 98g of that weight being the glass. The Hong Kong Comet weighs 437g overall with 87g of that being the glass. The China Comet weighs 388g with 55g being the glass.
Obviously the glass has gotten consistently lighter but when manufacturing moved the China the metal weight reduced as well. As I said, I’m sure it’s a surprise to nobody, but it’s interesting to see the numbers on material reduction over the years.
Now all that being said, that modern Comet goes with me every time I’m out backpacking, strapped to the outside of pack. It’s survived hundreds of miles through the woods and mountains, weeks worth of nights outdoors in all weather, and still burns true. Just goes to show, that even when they’ve cheaped out on the materials, Dietz still makes one heck of a lantern.
On the left we have an American made Comet, likely from the 1960s.
In the center we have a Hong Kong made Comet, likely from the early 1980s.
On the right we have a modern China made Comet.
Now this will most likely come as a surprise to nobody, but materials have been noticeably reduced each time manufacturing moved. The American Comet weighs 446 grams overall, with 98g of that weight being the glass. The Hong Kong Comet weighs 437g overall with 87g of that being the glass. The China Comet weighs 388g with 55g being the glass.
Obviously the glass has gotten consistently lighter but when manufacturing moved the China the metal weight reduced as well. As I said, I’m sure it’s a surprise to nobody, but it’s interesting to see the numbers on material reduction over the years.
Now all that being said, that modern Comet goes with me every time I’m out backpacking, strapped to the outside of pack. It’s survived hundreds of miles through the woods and mountains, weeks worth of nights outdoors in all weather, and still burns true. Just goes to show, that even when they’ve cheaped out on the materials, Dietz still makes one heck of a lantern.
Dietz introduced the Wizard in 1914, and merged it with another #2 burner size short globe lantern, the D-Lite, in 1919. Only five years of production before the name Wizard was retired in order to avoid confusion with the 3/4 scale Little Wizard.
This particular Wizard has a tinned iron frame, a brass fuel tank, and a brass crown, though it’s hard to tell by looking at it since it’s varnished. Most interesting though (in my opinion anyway) is it has a production date code indicating it was made in 1914. Theoretically date code stamps didn’t start until 1915, and weren’t consistent until about 1920. And yet here we have one clearly marked M-8-14!