Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Caution: Consider buying this product only if you had metalworking or related shop classes in high school. I just received one of these lanterns and had to spend an hour bending and twisting just about everything on this product to make it serviceable. The chimney, bail handle, globe cage and pot holder were all distorted and would not assemble as intended. After getting all the parts to fit and play together, the lantern still has a decidedly crooked appearance. One of the clips for the snap on legs was broken which make that attachment totally useless. The quality control for this rates as non-existent. I figure I could have bought a 7 dollar lantern at Wallmart and made my own pot holder for the top and got the same result at less than a quarter of the price. This was not shipping damage, it was made this way. The pots used for heating food or liquids are round at least, but the handles feel like they will fall off under moderate use. Excellent concept on paper maybe, but very poor execution. The Dietz lanterns of the American made past were solid, straight, and lasted for years. The junk they are apparently making now exemplifies the sad state of affairs where American jobs and money are flowing over to China while scrap products are flooding in. Who is getting the profits? Who is getting screwed. The Dietz name used to be embossed on the product, but its just stickers now, which may mean its a generic lamp, probably made by a no-name subcontractor with a license to put the Dietz name on it as well as any other. I bet it cost only a couple of bucks to make. If I had to do this over, I would pass on this purchase. As it is, its just not worth the trouble to pack it up and take it to the post and return it. I'll use what I can for as long as it lasts and chalk this up as a learning experience.