With the excellent efficiency that Cree LEDs provide as a light source, it was time to get a couple of emergency LED lanterns in case of power outages (although an extremely rare occasion, well we've basically not had one in going on 35 year now since the miners strike in the 1970s) especially as we seem to have got off to an early freezing winter here in the east coast of Scotland. North Sea oil and gas basically peaked in the late 1990s and the UK is now an net importer of energy reliant on foreign coal (all the Scottish coal mines closed down due to industrial vandalism) oil and gas to keep the lights on.

I found this on sale for half price in the local Halfords car and bicycle accessory store for around $23. Time I thought to get a couple of emergency AA powered Cree LED Lanterns (they looked to be quite useful for backpacking as well considering the size and weight i.e. 295 grams with 4 AA Alkaline cells (being just slightly larger than a UCO candle Lantern).

http://www.amazon.com/CREE-Lumens-Multi-functional-Lantern-Torch/dp/B0045WFX7O/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_a

The main feature that sets this lantern apart is the quite clever and neat dual mode function of the lantern itself. The LED rotates in the top part of the housing to become a wide area tasking flashlight. In this flashlight mode the lantern would be useful for tent duty as their is a flush fitting D-ring in the high density rubber base to allow attachment to a tent roof allowing the lantern to hang upside down much like a normal ceiling lamp.

With the 4 AA cells and a 180 Lumen Cree I would expect around 3 1/2 hrs continuous use on high and 6-8 hrs on low with LSD NiMh Eneloops. The Lantern also has a flash mode which would be useful for wide area emergency signaling.

The Lantern also appears to have reasonably good construction quality also and looks to be quite durable. With the quoted 180 Lumens the Lantern will easily light up smaller rooms such as bathrooms and large cupboards etc. The dual function of this lantern is an excellent design feature for emergency household lighting and can be even be taken on some outdoor adventures being small and compact enough to pack away into a BOB etc.



180 Lumen Cree Lantern


Lantern mode


Wide Area flashlight mode

Added to wish-list. Thanks for the heads up!

The specs on that are amazing, and the current sale price of $30 is great, thanks.

EDIT: Where in the world are they getting their 25 hours (full capacity) in comparison to your 3.5 hours (full capacity)?

The manufacturer probably measured the output in the same way Petzl does,

http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/headlamps/lighting-performance

i.e. the light output time claims mean very little and are misleading. A lot depends on the type of electronic regulation (if there is any), the battery cell technology used etc.

I haven't yet measured the time this Lantern will take to become depleted, there are to many variables. I don't even know what type of regulation is used as of yet. The packaging doesn't specify any runtime or lumen output specs.

Judging by the light output, I've compared it to 3C Maglite with a 140+ Lumen LED using some LSD NiMh C cells

http://www.thetorchsite.co.uk/TTS_3_watt_LED_upgrade.html

with a specified 3W power consumption, the light outputs seem to be similar when both are bounced of a ceiling.

So assuming constant current/voltage regulation with 4 2000mA capacity Eneloops @ 1.2V this would give 9.6 Whrs. At approx 3 Watts dissapation gives an approximate time of 3.2 Hrs use at 140+ Lumen.

Using Lithium AAs would get you around 6+ hrs use at maximum output.

Looks nice, but geez, is that thing overkill in the light department! 180 lumens (if true, "out the front" lumens) is plenty for a good size room (like, a 2-car garage!) in a power outing. But really, even something like 50 lumens would be "good enough" and greatly extend the runtime. I'd hazard a guess that with 4 AA's, the 3.5 hrs might be high(maybe on full strength with a long taper to hit 25 hours?)

Is it multi level? If not, you might consider something that has a hi/low setting. Though for the price, it would be hard to pass up

Here's another option, same brand, smaller package, one less battery, less light but still bright.

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Package-Bright-Camping-Lantern/dp/B002C5BXGQ/ref=acc_glance_hi_ai_-2_t_1

Heads up, generally the sales on Amazon are pretty huge right now. I have about 40 things on my Wish List, and I don't recall them being so inexpensive as they are right now.

My nephew got me one of these Coleman Cree pack-away lanterns last Christmas. I think he bought it at Wally World. http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-4D-Pack-Aw...;sr=1-1-catcorr

It's my favourite LED lantern. Nice and bright, multi-mode including night-light. And most importantly: they got the diffusion setup right, so it's a room light instead of a blazing bright pinpoint of light that blinds you.

I avoid D batteries, so I immediately did a conversion using rechargeable lithium ions and a couple of alligator clips. This is dirt simple; anyone can do it, even in the field. The light runs fine on the 3.6 VDC from the lithiums, and will light up with voltages down below 3.0 volts. So it's pretty versatile.

(The other LED "lantern" I use a lot is a 2AA or 3AA mini-maglite in candle mode. Why? Because it's always at hand.)

I won't buy LED lanterns mostly for nostalgia reasons. I'm stuck on the old-fashioned kerosene style railroad lanterns and have some Ultra-Pure lamp oil (non-smoking and non-stinky) stocked up to use in them. I don't know why I'm so backward in this regard, except that I have a couple potstands that actually sit on top of the lanterns with pots that fit them to cook in. I guess they're also handy, then, because they generate both heat and light at the same time.

Incidentally, these railroad lanterns almost require regular-length Strike Anywhere (or Strike on Box) matches in order to light them conveniently. I discovered this during a power outage awhile back after I'd just tossed out a couple boxes of old wooden stick matches, and all I had was the little shrimpy stick matches you sometimes get free in restaurants.

I have lots of LED flashlights though, so at least I'm not backwards about those.

I think you are right on in mixing old and new technologies. I like carbide lamps for the same reason. Just because it is new, doesn't mean it is better in all situations.

I like this variety because it has a usable and sturdy crank generator for creating light when the battery gets discharged.

http://www.freeplayenergy.com/product/indigo