Current best LED lantern?

[TyJo]

what model is that quark? is that from 4sevens?

Looks like a AA Quark Regular (or could be Tactical with a flush tailcap).

 

[lumen aeternum]

Any reports on performance during the hurricane?

 

[Minni]

I do like my warm cree lantern and use it nightly to read. The Rayovac SE3DLN lantern is still my choice for room lighting as it gives off more light but for reading the warm tint is hard to beat.

The Rayovac is actually on sale today for $18.99 so if you haven't got one this is the best time to do it.

Thanks! Sorry this is way overdue:

Indeed I finally bought the Rayovac sportsman extreme quite awhile ago, and like yourself find it neck and neck with the warm cree. The former would probably last much longer on batteries, while the warm-cree is pleasanter on the eyes while not as bright as the Rayovac. To date, I haven't yet bought long-lasting AA-lithiums to try with the cree.

Also (obviously) the Cree is the most compact, cutely designed, and least awkward for me [personally] to unscrew when inserting the batteries. i.e. the Cree's unscrewing area is round rather than square, which makes the unscrewing process easier for me.

But in the final analysis, taking Lumen capacity & long-life into account...

...here's my order of preference:

(1) Rayovac - due to lighting capacity being superior to Cree & Energizer, and also due to long life
(2) Warm cree - due to compactness & warm color & least awkward unscrewing process
(3) [older-model] WeatherReady Energizer (touted as very long life). Bit dimmer than Cree & junkily designed, with awkward battery insertion. Furthemore, I don't dare screw on the plastic "window" too tight, else I could never get it unscrewed again, so i just leave it loosely screwed on.

Yet with all that:
For all I know, the Energizer might well last longest in times of crisis.

It would be interesting to test simultaneously during extended power outtages:
The Cree on bright mode using Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries
The Rayovac on bright LED mode using new Duracell D cells.
The WeatherReady Energizer on bright LED mode using new Duracell D cells.

Except I don't own Duracell or Lithium batteries, rather had stocked up on a sale of Eveready Gold D cells & AA's.

 

[reppans]

Any reports on performance during the hurricane?

5 Day outage for me. Didn't even finish one 14500 in my Quark AAX, but I'm a low lumen freak and use 0.3/3/20 lms as my LMH. A weighted average usage of ~3 lumens should last about 10 days of continuous 5hrs/night. Davy vs Goliath pix, both on low (spec'd @ 3 lms & 10lms respective), both good for ~ 50hrs.

Quark also did headlamp, flashlight and EDC duty. Course, wifey likes the BD better at home - since I'm still in charge battery duties - so it still has purpose.

 

[lumen aeternum]

Streamlight Knucklehead looks interesting. 200 lumens for 8 hours on AAs. Can hang from ceiling on a hook, or aim at ceiling standing on a table. Or put on a shelf & aim down over your shoulder. Anyone have one?

 

[DaMeatMan]

The current best LED lantern is the one you mod yourself! Check out my most recent mod of an 8D Coleman Retro lantern here. I posted it in Homemade and modified flashlights since it was a mod and not stock. Stock it was putting out aprox 395 Lumens with the CFL bulb. Now modified with 2 x Cree XM-L U3 emitters it is now putting out a whopping 1200 lumens (at the emitter), not sure how much is making it out the lamp though but it's a heck of allot brighter then anything i've ever seen!

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...(1200-Lumens-Cree-X-ML)&p=4083217#post4083217