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Place of Origin:
China
Brand Name:
MH 2000C
Model No:
MH 2000C
MH Sky Lanterns, the pioneer lantern that established this item in Europe and North America. Available in colours, cylinders and OEM as well. When we decided to market Sky Lanterns a major ethical question came up, Could this item be made in a safe manner and is it in the best interest of everyone or would it only cause accidents, burned forests and a general nuisance? Today, with a stellar safety record, we know this item can be made safely and not present unnecessary danger to the general public and little risk of liability to importers. The amount of joy and happiness we have brought into the world with this awesome item has been extremely satisfying.
However, market conditions have changed rapidly and cheap, poorly made (dangerous) lanterns are becoming increasingly common as profits and cheap prices seem to be more important then safety. The question is no longer about whether we can make these items safe, it is now about competition refusing to abide by safety standards we have set and importers and end users disregarding safety to save a few cents.
In late 2005 we established a factory to make Sky Lanterns. After many close calls testing in windy conditions, we quickly invented the flame-retardant version and increased the heating power of the fuel patch (2006). This ensured that users who ignored the warnings have a much lower chance of an accident. The fire-coating and high heat patch are not patented processes and available to all those making lanterns, if they WANT to make safe lanterns.
Sky Lanterns, an industry in turmoil. Now in 2007, the market has ballooned. Demand has increased substantially and many cheap low quality and more importantly dangerous lanterns are making it into markets. In efforts to increase profit, more and more importers have put end user safety at risk. This adds an additional 10 or 20 cents to their bottom line, of an item already offering a decent mark-on. Low quality Thai and Chinese lanterns are putting the entire industry at risk.
Thai lanterns, which rip easily and are known for dropping large burning drips of burning wax are only suitable for situations where their is no risk of fire (wet conditions) and should be kept far away from spectators. A solid mixture of wax (patch) is also becoming popular in China due to price, (cheaper to produce). However we feel this fuel is less efficient as it doesn't produce enough heat to give proper lift to the heavier flame retardant paper unless there is absolutely no wind, which is seldom. Paper needs to be strong enough to withstand winds etc and must be flame-retardant to ensure the launch is safe. Much like a poorly made candle, these lanterns can pose a serious danger for accidents and liability if they are not properly made.
For the sake of your spectators, wildlife and customers, insist on MH lanterns. End-users, we sell world-wide from our warehouse in Michigan. If prices for safety are too high, reduce the amount of lanterns launched or cancel the idea. For importers, if mark-on is too small on OEM MH lanterns, avoiding the item all together or building your own supply chain with in-house inspectors and testers may be the solution IF you can achieve the quality. With our minimal mark-on and extensive experience I doubt you'd come close to our quality for the price. In the end, if someone is injured from cheap, poorly made lanterns, the victim will know the importer/wholesaler/retailer had access to safe MH lanterns but risked their safety to save a few pennies instead.
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