Posted: 5/15/2012 11:14:53 AM EDT
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We are going camping next weekend for a family reunion. I am looking for a LED Lantern.
I am looking at the Coleman LED Quad Lantern and the Coleman LED Duo Lantern Anyone have any experience with these? I like that you can detach a LED panel to use. I have flashlights, but these seem like they would be useful. Any other LED Lanterns I should be looking at? |
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no experience with those, but i have one of these ray-o-vacs. it works well––you can get them at lowe's.
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I've put decent use into a Coleman LED Lantern. Bought it new at Walmart.
Pros: 1. they put out decent light 2. you can get an adapter that will let you use 4 Ds 3. made decently well, plastic is tough, but clear cover can get scratch ––> didn't seem to decrease light output much though Cons: 1. Heavy - compared to other lights 2. uses the batteries relatively fast 3. uses the XPS series 6V rechargeable battery pack ––> this is my major issue - these don't seem to last very long, they fail and are relatively expensive to replace ($23 on Amazon) I got tired of the battery failing, so I got rid of the lantern. Since, I've gone with the Black Diamond LED lanterns. They are generally smaller than the Coleman counterpart. My favorite is the 4AAA Orbit, paid $29 at the local sports store. The globe portion slides down over the bottom, making it very small to store in a BOB or wherever. They also have a 4AA and 4 D version, all increasingly expensive though. Google them or look them up on Amazon. I have been pleasantly pleased with them. They will be the lantern I use until I find something significantly better. ETA: here is an example on amazon. linky |
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I too am a fan of the Black Diamond (I have the new style Apollo) and use it frequently. There was a very popular small LED lantern made by Coleman I believe that ran off AAs. I remember they were very well received and available online. Hopefully someone will remember what they were.
I will also add that my Apollo, while not what I would call rugged, was dropped 4 feet on to concrete with the legs extended within 5 minutes of my owning it, and it was no worse for the wear. |
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Quoted:
I too am a fan of the Black Diamond (I have the new style Apollo) and use it frequently. There was a very popular small LED lantern made by Coleman I believe that ran off AAs. I remember they were very well received and available online. Hopefully someone will remember what they were. I will also add that my Apollo, while not what I would call rugged, was dropped 4 feet on to concrete with the legs extended within 5 minutes of my owning it, and it was no worse for the wear. Search my name in the archives and you can read about them. |
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I too am a fan of the Black Diamond (I have the new style Apollo) and use it frequently. There was a very popular small LED lantern made by Coleman I believe that ran off AAs. I remember they were very well received and available online. Hopefully someone will remember what they were. I will also add that my Apollo, while not what I would call rugged, was dropped 4 feet on to concrete with the legs extended within 5 minutes of my owning it, and it was no worse for the wear. Search my name in the archives and you can read about them. We have a couple of those and love them. Those come out first in a power failure. (OK, maybe third, but they are the first area lighting that doesn't have a wick) |
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I use this one and like it
http://www.energizer.com/lighting-products/preparedness/Pages/area-lantern.aspx |
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This is the one I use most.
Coleman AA 
edited to add: I think this is the one I got from Batman's recommendation. |
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This is the one I use most. Coleman AA http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31ZW3-S4d9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg edited to add: I think this is the one I got from Batman's recommendation. Yes, Sir! 
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While I love my Zebralight headlight, they don't make a lantern. 
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This is the one I use most. Coleman AA http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31ZW3-S4d9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg edited to add: I think this is the one I got from Batman's recommendation. Yes, Sir! How much light do those put out? I have a 3 room tent, not that I need it to light up the entire thing at once.... |
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This is the one I use most. Coleman AA http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31ZW3-S4d9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg edited to add: I think this is the one I got from Batman's recommendation. Yes, Sir! How much light do those put out? I have a 3 room tent, not that I need it to light up the entire thing at once.... Enough to see what you are doing for a long time on low. You can read pretty easily on high. Its not like a light bulb. You can cook by its light and do basic chores. |
| I have the Colman LED duo lantern with the CPX6 rechargable battery pack. I am really happy with it. I charge mine every 6 months or so to use in case of a power outage. My kids love it for camping because of the detachable lights but I do not use it as my primary lantern while camping. I also have a Coleman kerosene and a Coleman propane lantern. Both are brighter with a warmer yellow light but that is expected. |
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Go to the WallyWorld pool section and take a look at the above-ground LED pool lights. There's a model that is circular and has a detachable magnet on it. You might find a use for one. I have never endurance tested one, but the LED magnetic puck lights from Harbor Frieght put out a lot of light too. |
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As someone who now has two Goal Zero solar kits, I can say that the less drain on the batts, the better. These kits are pretty good, but they DO take a while to charge 4 AA or 4 AAA batts. The less drain your devices make on your batts, the more practical (portable) solar re-charging becomes.
The very low drain of the Coleman lantern, set on LOW, makes it the obvious candidate given the parameters stated above. FWIW, a little aluminum foil, or even some white paper covered by cardboard and rubber-banded over half the cylindrical tube housing the light source gives a good deal more light output out the uncovered portion, and will not blind you when carrying the lantern. |
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Well, for now I ended up going with this Coleman one.
It had pretty good reviews and I liked the fact you could adjust the brightness instead of just Hi and Low. I should have it tomorrow and will be using it next weekend. I will report back after I get to play with it. |