I bought 4 Railroad Lanterns better to light my glass-enclosed 4 Seasons Room (otherwise having only 2 glass pineapple sconces not adequately lighting that 12' x 22' upper deck addition). The Railroad Lanterns add vintage elegance & highly functional lighting - at easily adjustable levels - for entertaining or eating in that space. I attach a photo showing these lovely Antique White lanterns with seeded glass hung and stored at all times on 4 wrought iron display hooks. If I ever need them during a power outage, I can just mobilize them elsewhere inside or outside the house.
I bought 4 Forest Lanterns better to light my Cal Spa lower deck covered by a glass awning (otherwise having only one inadequate permanently mounted exterior house light), next to my small fenced rear garden. I attach a photo showing these lovely Antique White lanterns with frosted plastic hung and stored at all times on 4 wrought iron display hooks, outside but safe from the elements.
When I bought both types of lanterns, I asked a very knowledgeable and helpful Bare Bones sales person who owns both to compare and contrast. She stated that the Railroad Lanterns are good for outdoor entertainment, offering a vintage look with mood/ambiance lighting rather than bright lighting, and enabling one to see people's faces and dinner but also still to see and enjoy the night sky, although she warned that the glass globe might shatter more easily if camping. She stated that the Forest Lantern is the go to lamp for camping, more durable because the lightbulb is encased in plastic not glass, albeit with the frosted glass appearance equally elegant to the Railroad Lantern seeded glass (I think the seeded glass is nicer). Both lanterns are still metal on the top and bottom plus grates so reasonably strong. She also advised that the Forest Lantern offers better overall lighting - in a room or when camping - than the Railroad Lantern, and that the Railroad Lantern projects light downward (rather than multi-directionally) in a room or outside, unlike the Forest Lantern. She stated that both types of lanterns should last equally long when used on charged battery.
So far my Railroad Lanterns seem to maintain a charge better than my Forest Lanterns & the Railroad Lanterns also have easier "switches" to adjust the lights up or down. Admittedly I have run the Forest Lanterns longer so far, at most 1-2 hours at a time while outside in my Cal Spa. The charge of at least one Forest Lantern, and maybe more, seemed to die very quickly, then all 4 required overnight to recharge fully, which seemed longer than it took to complete the initial charges of each Forest Lantern. That gives me pause about the Forest Lanterns, I confess (but maybe one is not supposed to leave them outside all the time, albeit always protected from the elements? But then why show so many photos of them hung outside in the snow and such?). I would say both types of lanterns offer excellent lighting overall. One caveat for anyone else planning to hang their Forest Lantern outside for days, is that mason bees found mine right away and assiduously filled all 3 pencil-width holes (of 1-2 inches deep and otherwise going nowhere and serving no purpose that I can tell) on the bottom of every Forest Lantern with serial cells of pollen & bee eggs separated by mud, and the main entrance of all 3 also sealed with mud! I had to spend many hours removing the pollen/eggs and mud with a tiny screwdriver then Q-tips, then seal the opening of all 3 pencil-sized holes on 4 Forest Lanterns with 12 small round black "felt sliders" to keep the mason bees out! Who would have guessed?! The bees could not get into the actual lamp as the holes are only about 1-2 inches deep as I said. As I also said, I have NO IDEA what the purpose of those 3 pencil-sized holes 1-2 inches deep on the bottom of every Forest Lantern is, but I wish they were not there!
All said I LOVE BOTH types of Lanterns! I just hope that the Forest Lanterns hold a charge better going forward, but maybe the Railroad Lantern charges just have not been tested yet with any longer use.
