GEC Z8430CM

Lantern acquired in April 2009.

Thanks to Richard James of Harrison Lighting for this lantern. Unlike the other Z8430CM in my collection, which had seen many years of service, this lantern has never been used.

This lantern dates from 1971 according to an etch on the inside of the bowl.

The canopy is painted in a hammered grey finish.

The asbestos wiring as seen in the older example has now been replaced with PVC wiring surrounded by heat-resistant sleeving. The block connector has been moved further away from the cable clamp; perhaps this was done in order to allow the manufacturer's plate to fit between the two components. Within the plate, a "Code No." is stated, which includes the manufacturing date code 'CC', representing March 1971.

I decided to replace the older Z8430CM with this one and so, whilst the transition from old to new was taking place, I took some photographs of the two lanterns in order to show the minor differences between the two lanterns. In each photograph, the new (1971) lantern is at the top; the old (1965) lantern is below.

There is little difference in the two lanterns when they are viewed from the side - only the bowl clip and hinge have received slight modifications.

From below, the rear bowl securing screws are visible on the 1965 lantern but are not present on the 1971 version - this is due to the positions of the screws on the later model being revised, though the drill positions can be seen when the casting is viewed up close.

Whilst the reflectors on the 1965 lantern have angled edges, the 1971's lantern features completely flat reflectors. The latter's lampholder is also fixed directly to the lantern, rather than being fitted to a separate plate as with the older lantern. Not pictured here, but the GEC logo on the 1965 version faces backwards, whereas it faces forwards on the 1971 version - for the benefit of the very few people who would see it, I assume!

Once installed, the lantern was then powered up - there was no noticeable difference between the outputs of the two lanterns.

Lantern warm-up video:

Testing the lantern with my energy monitoring device revealed the following results:

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