DM51
Flashaholic
I recently returned from a 10-day camping trip in the Zambezi Valley (link to story in my sigline). I took a large selection of lights with me, including 2 types of lantern – a Coast LED lantern and a Coleman Exponent Pack-away (K2 LED). Both run off 4xAA alkaline cells. Both have fold-down wire handles for carrying or hanging. The Coast cost $42.50, the Coleman $34.00.
The Coleman is an extremely neat unit, which pulls out to expose the light window, which is clear rather than opaque/frosted. When pushed closed for packing, it is very small at 3.1 ins high x 1.75 ins x 2.75 ins. It opens to 5 ins high. When closed, it cannot be switched on – a good safety feature. It has a push-button switch on the top, sequencing as follows: High > Low > Locator flash > Off. There is no battery level indicator.
The Coast has a more traditional look about it, not unlike a pressure lantern. The window is completely opaque, to provide diffuse light. It does not pack away like the Coleman so it takes up more room, but it is still small and neat at 6 inches high x 3 ins diameter. There is a simple on-off push-button on the side (no modes) with a battery indicator below the switch which glows green when full > amber when approx half-full > red when low. This is a useful feature.
The Coleman is on the left in these two photos, closed in one and open in the other. The Coast is on the right.
The Coleman has been turned sideways in these photos. In the right hand photo both lights are switched on, and the first signs of trouble are immediately apparent – very strong artifacts from the Coleman.
The next 2 pictures were taken outside, with the lights on 2 chairs back-to-back to separate the beams. The Coleman is on the left, the Coast on the right. The Coast's opaque (frosted) window gives a good, bright, all-round light. The light from the Coleman is frankly dreadful, with an uneven, narrow field of beam and artifacts from the internal components. The Coleman's window is clear, not diffuse/opaque, so the shadows cast by its internal components are strong and very noticeable. The Coleman's beam is also much narrower and more directional because it isn't diffused, and it does not provide all-round light or an evenly lit area.
In this photo the Coleman has been turned sideways, and the artifacts/shadows can be seen even more clearly. As you can see, the area lit by the Coleman's beam is a mess, and if you were looking for something with this light you would have trouble finding it. It is a very poor and uneven light.
This photo was taken from above, with the 2 lights on the ground. I think it illustrates just how bad the Coleman's artifacts are.
The Coast LED lantern won hands down in actual use around the camp, and provided very good and reliable service – I was extremely pleased with it. I did not check run-times but it provided many hours of very useful light on each set of batteries.
I hardly used the Coleman at all – the artifacts are so annoying and their shadows are so strong that it renders this light a total PITA for almost all purposes.
Why on earth did Coleman make this light with a clear window? Why was it not made completely opaque, like the Coast's one? This single mistake in design by Coleman totally wrecks what is in every other way an extremely well-designed light. If Coleman were to change this one thing, the artifacts would disappear and the light from it would probably be as smooth and useful as the Coast's. If they did that, I am sure the Coleman Exponent Pack-away lantern would be a winner, as are so many other Coleman products. As it is right now, this lantern is next to useless.
The Coleman is an extremely neat unit, which pulls out to expose the light window, which is clear rather than opaque/frosted. When pushed closed for packing, it is very small at 3.1 ins high x 1.75 ins x 2.75 ins. It opens to 5 ins high. When closed, it cannot be switched on – a good safety feature. It has a push-button switch on the top, sequencing as follows: High > Low > Locator flash > Off. There is no battery level indicator.
The Coast has a more traditional look about it, not unlike a pressure lantern. The window is completely opaque, to provide diffuse light. It does not pack away like the Coleman so it takes up more room, but it is still small and neat at 6 inches high x 3 ins diameter. There is a simple on-off push-button on the side (no modes) with a battery indicator below the switch which glows green when full > amber when approx half-full > red when low. This is a useful feature.
The Coleman is on the left in these two photos, closed in one and open in the other. The Coast is on the right.
The Coleman has been turned sideways in these photos. In the right hand photo both lights are switched on, and the first signs of trouble are immediately apparent – very strong artifacts from the Coleman.
The next 2 pictures were taken outside, with the lights on 2 chairs back-to-back to separate the beams. The Coleman is on the left, the Coast on the right. The Coast's opaque (frosted) window gives a good, bright, all-round light. The light from the Coleman is frankly dreadful, with an uneven, narrow field of beam and artifacts from the internal components. The Coleman's window is clear, not diffuse/opaque, so the shadows cast by its internal components are strong and very noticeable. The Coleman's beam is also much narrower and more directional because it isn't diffused, and it does not provide all-round light or an evenly lit area.
In this photo the Coleman has been turned sideways, and the artifacts/shadows can be seen even more clearly. As you can see, the area lit by the Coleman's beam is a mess, and if you were looking for something with this light you would have trouble finding it. It is a very poor and uneven light.
This photo was taken from above, with the 2 lights on the ground. I think it illustrates just how bad the Coleman's artifacts are.
The Coast LED lantern won hands down in actual use around the camp, and provided very good and reliable service – I was extremely pleased with it. I did not check run-times but it provided many hours of very useful light on each set of batteries.
I hardly used the Coleman at all – the artifacts are so annoying and their shadows are so strong that it renders this light a total PITA for almost all purposes.
Why on earth did Coleman make this light with a clear window? Why was it not made completely opaque, like the Coast's one? This single mistake in design by Coleman totally wrecks what is in every other way an extremely well-designed light. If Coleman were to change this one thing, the artifacts would disappear and the light from it would probably be as smooth and useful as the Coast's. If they did that, I am sure the Coleman Exponent Pack-away lantern would be a winner, as are so many other Coleman products. As it is right now, this lantern is next to useless.
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