coleman pocket CCFL lanterns at BigLots

I just came back from BigLots where I got a Coleman pocket CCFL lantern for $3.99+ tax. It comes with 4 heavy duty eveready cells and has a decent click switch on the side.
The package claims 6 hours runtime, I am waiting for it to get dark to try it outdoors here.

I finally tracked down coleman's description/pic of one, their website wasn't working for me earlier for some reason.
Coleman micro flourescent lantern

Ooh, nice find. I'll have to get me one 'o' them!

If you have a BigLots get a few. I picked up 3 of them for about $13 after taxes and plan on keeping at least 2 of them around. They remind me of the old star trek communicators how you flip them open to get to the white side of the light shroud.

Oh, and the lanyard makes it a great necklace for flooding the area while you are walking hands free also, or hanging somewhere. There is a plastic tensioner (kind of like a bead) of some sort on the cord I guess you can use for holding it in place when tied around a tree or something.

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Lynx_Arc said:
The package claims 6 hours runtime

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Right, with Alkaline cells...not the carbon-zinc cells that are actually included with the flashlight! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Sounds about right. If I get 3 hours I wont complain for the price. I don't like storing heavy duty cells in stuff as when they leak they tend to ruin stuff a lot worse than alkalines.
Typically very few things come with decent batteries these days, I have drained dozens of junk heavy duty cells the last 6 months in my modded cheap plastic LED lights and nightlight. I just finished using up all the heavy duty cells I had now I got a dozen more to drain...

Well, poop. Went to my local Big Lots today... No lanterns! If anyone gets any extras (1 or 2) they'd not mind parting with, let me know.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

That's quite the avatar ya got there, Skibane.

I will see what I can do, the Biglots here had perhaps 20 of them out on the shelf. It could possibly be they got them because they ran out of almost all the other flashlights there was and got sent those to fill shelf space. I played with one of mine through the night and actually find it rather useful once you get used to it. I walked around with it on hanging from my neck, took the dog out with it etc and even used the clip on the back to hang it on a lampshade by my bed. It puts out enough light to read by easily, in fact almost too much light to read to get sleepy by.

Hey, thanks LA. That's quite gentlemenly of ya. I do think these CCFLs are underrated in output. I have an Energizer trailblazer, and even though the led stinks, the CCFL is pretty amazing.

I think the CCFL on this is actually a little brighter than the evereadys but it is hard to compare because the tube in it is U shaped vs straight in the evereadys. I find the CCFL minis are close to perhaps 5watts output compared to the 4watt F4T5 tubes. On a side note I have a nightlight that uses 3watt tubes and I have two spare tubes with it but I doubt I will ever find any spares otherwise.
I recently took the CCFL out of a doublebright and put it in a rayovac kids lantern with other LED stuff and it makes a really nice area light.

Got a pic?

I started a thread but haven't finished the photographs of it, due to problems focusing the camera for beam shots. It looks the same as original with exception of stuff inside and a small rubber push button. It has a total of 8 LEDs in it plus the CCFL.
Rayovac CCFL kids party lantern mod

I plan to try to add working *light* shots, but right now most of my stuff is packed waiting to move so I put it on a back burner. The light is finished 100% and works great.

These are decent lights. I also saw a few at BigLots last week and would have bought a few were it not for a lean checking account balance at the time.

Pictures from a review that was never completed:

Every time I use mine I want to say... Scotty beam me up! because it feels just like the star trek communicator. I am thinking about ripping the guts out of one of these for a touch light. I have some with timer circuits built in with a little component adjustment I can get any timed runtime.

I completed the Review for this light.

nice review, as soon as I get moved I plan on taking one apart to see the *guts* in it for possible modding into other lights or perhaps maybe even putting a second switch for a few leds in it.

This light is really nice. It puts my Inova 12 LED 4D lanterns to shame. Granted it doesn't have as long of runtime, but it is also much smaller and cheaper.

12LEDs driven at spec is about 240ma, the CCFL in the coleman is driven at about 300ma. What you should do is mod your LED lantern with a ccfl tube and switch so it will be dual mode.

I just bought one, i think it will make a good backpacking tent light. Safer than candles.

I don't like leaving "heavy duty" batteries in anything either. Do you think AA Lithiums would be OK or might they be a little too much voltage?

I think lithiums should be ok. I have run other flourescent lights designed for 6v I have used at around 7v before with no problems and 4 1.7v lithiums are about 6.8v or so.