Coleman Twin vs Rayovac Sportman Extreme

[thefish]

I need a new lantern for camping and emergency lighting. If money is no object which lantern is better? The Coleman Twin LED or the Rayovac Sportman Extreme LED? Which is brighter? How do they compare is size?

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

Yes, it is sort of a stock answer, but the truth is, "it depends".

Brightness:

The Coleman Twin claims 390 lumens, while the Rayovac claims 300. I doubt either one is being rated in the out-the-front lumens, but I still believe the Coleman is brighter.

Weight:

I've handled the Rayovac, but not the Coleman Twin. However, the Rayovac takes three "D" cells while the Coleman takes eight. I think it is pretty clear which one is heavier.

Build Quality:

The Rayovac feels very, very nice to handle. The top and bottom snap together cleanly (after a few minutes figuring out how the battery comparment closes). The Rayovac feels like a tool. As mentioned above, though I have not handled the Coleman Twin, I went to Sears last week and handled some of Coleman's other lanterns, and with respect to build quality, I was *not* impressed. It felt very "plasticky," like it would break if dropped. I am not saying the Rayovac would not break if *it* were dropped; however, the overall physical impression I received from handling two Coleman lanterns was not one of robustness.

That being said, adirondackdestroyer owns one and reviewed one on YouTube. Perhaps he will chime in here with respect to build quality.

Runtime:

I am not sure if either one is regulated or if they are both direct drive. The Coleman affords you the opportunity of selecting from a wide range of levels, which means in all likelihood it will run at a much lower level for much longer.

Beam Quality:

Both lanterns have diffusers. The Rayovac produces a nice clean beam, and the photos I have seen of the Coleman Twin indicate it, too, produces an artifact-free or close to artifact-free beam. The Rayovac's lid can be removed and the hemispherical diffuser exposed, allowing even more light out.

Size:

Again, based on photos and the other Coleman lanterns I handled last week, the Rayovac is quite clearly much smaller.

So, to answer your original question, "I need a new lantern for camping and emergency lighting. If money is no object which lantern is better?", I would have to say "it depends." Going back to the categories I outlined above:

Brightness:

The Coleman is brighter. If you need absolute maximum brightness, this is the one.

Weight:

The Coleman is heavier. If weight is a concern, the Rayovac is lighter.

Build Quality:

Bearing in mind I have *not* handled the Coleman Twin but have handled other recent Coleman lanterns, I would have to say the Rayovac has a much nicer "feel" to it. It just gives me the impression of being better built. If you care about the apparent construction, the Rayovac, IMHO, just feels better made.

Runtime:

This depends! The Coleman has a much wider range of levels to choose from, which may mean it will last longer at the level that is right for a given application. So, for runtime, the Coleman may be better.

Beam Quality:

Judging from beamshots, I would say they both have very nice beam quality. The Favourlight clones (Rayovac, Gentos, etc.) have a very nice diffuser. I would probably give the edge to the Favourlight clones.

Size:

Rayovac is smaller.

Cost to Run:

Initially, both lights are similarly priced. However, the Rayovac takes three "D" cells and the Coleman eight. If, as you indicate, "money is no object," then this is not a factor for you. However, it is clearly cheaper to use three alkalines or NiMh than eight. I am trying to figure out if a 12v SLA battery can be modded to fit in the cavity of the Coleman Twin. If it can, this may make the Coleman an excellent option without the inconvenience of eight individual cells.

My personal opinion? For build quality, beam quality, size, and cost to run, I tip my hat to the Favourlight clones. For overall brightness and variable intensity, along with the advantages drawing less current entails (longer runtimes at lower brightness) I would choose the Coleman.

I hope this helps!

LEDAdd1ct

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

I need a new lantern for camping and emergency lighting. If money is no object which lantern is better? The Coleman Twin LED or the Rayovac Sportman Extreme LED? Which is brighter? How do they compare is size?

I'll do my best to answer your questions, as I have more time now then I did this morning.
Here are the pros of each lantern (in my opinion) :

Coleman

- Slightly brighter. Not enough to blow you away by the difference in brightness, but the difference is noticeable to the naked eye when going from one back to another.

- Longer runtime on high due to more cells. Since the Coleman uses 8D batteries, it will run a pretty damn long time on the highest setting.

- Variable brightness settings. The Coleman has 7 different levels of output, and the lowest setting is VERY low! I just put my light meter beside the Coleman and did some ceiling bounce tests. These numbers show nothing, other than the difference in output from one level to the next, here is the list:

1st = 2.8
2nd = 18.8
3rd = 32.1
4th = 40.0
5th = 52.8
6th = 63.2
7th = 78.3

As you can see the levels are spaced pretty evenly apart, with the exception of the 1st level of output (nightlight) which is 6x as dim as the next setting.

- Smoothest beam I have ever seen in my life!!! The Rayovac has a smooth beam, but the Coleman has an incredibly smooth beam. No artifacts at all!

Rayovac

- Size/Weight. The Rayovac is MUCH smaller than the Coleman! It is less than half the overall size I would imagine, and weighs much less as well (mostly because it uses 3D instead of 8D).

- Cool extra functions. The Rayovac has the find me blinker which blinks ever 5 seconds. I could see this coming in handy in the middle of the night while camping. The glove can be removed and it has a hook on the bottom so you can hang it from the inside of a tent for pure flood lighting.

- Build quility is ever so slightly better on the Rayovac. The Coleman Twin LED is much nicer than the Coleman Family and Coleman 4D Packaway lanterns that sell at Walmart/Kmart, but with that said I still think the Rayovac is built a little bit better. This could be because of the rubber added around the base.

Overall

I would go with the Coleman if I were you. Mostly because of the super low levels of output that it has, and the super long runtimes due to the 8D batteries. The beam quality is pretty good on both, as is the build quality, but the range of output is really what seperates the Coleman from the Rayovac.
If size was a concern I would definitely go with the Rayovac.

Yes, it is sort of a stock answer, but the truth is, "it depends".

Brightness:

The Coleman Twin claims 390 lumens, while the Rayovac claims 300. I doubt either one is being rated in the out-the-front lumens, but I still believe the Coleman is brighter.

Weight:

I've handled the Rayovac, but not the Coleman Twin. However, the Rayovac takes three "D" cells while the Coleman takes eight. I think it is pretty clear which one is heavier.

Build Quality:

The Rayovac feels very, very nice to handle. The top and bottom snap together cleanly (after a few minutes figuring out how the battery comparment closes). The Rayovac feels like a tool. As mentioned above, though I have not handled the Coleman Twin, I went to Sears last week and handled some of Coleman's other lanterns, and with respect to build quality, I was *not* impressed. It felt very "plasticky," like it would break if dropped. I am not saying the Rayovac would not break if *it* were dropped; however, the overall physical impression I received from handling two Coleman lanterns was not one of robustness.

That being said, adirondackdestroyer owns one and reviewed one on YouTube. Perhaps he will chime in here with respect to build quality.

Runtime:

I am not sure if either one is regulated or if they are both direct drive. The Coleman affords you the opportunity of selecting from a wide range of levels, which means in all likelihood it will run at a much lower level for much longer.

Beam Quality:

Both lanterns have diffusers. The Rayovac produces a nice clean beam, and the photos I have seen of the Coleman Twin indicate it, too, produces an artifact-free or close to artifact-free beam. The Rayovac's lid can be removed and the hemispherical diffuser exposed, allowing even more light out.

Size:

Again, based on photos and the other Coleman lanterns I handled last week, the Rayovac is quite clearly much smaller.

So, to answer your original question, "I need a new lantern for camping and emergency lighting. If money is no object which lantern is better?", I would have to say "it depends." Going back to the categories I outlined above:

Brightness:

The Coleman is brighter. If you need absolute maximum brightness, this is the one.

Weight:

The Coleman is heavier. If weight is a concern, the Rayovac is lighter.

Build Quality:

Bearing in mind I have *not* handled the Coleman Twin but have handled other recent Coleman lanterns, I would have to say the Rayovac has a much nicer "feel" to it. It just gives me the impression of being better built. If you care about the apparent construction, the Rayovac, IMHO, just feels better made.

Runtime:

This depends! The Coleman has a much wider range of levels to choose from, which may mean it will last longer at the level that is right for a given application. So, for runtime, the Coleman may be better.

Beam Quality:

Judging from beamshots, I would say they both have very nice beam quality. The Favourlight clones (Rayovac, Gentos, etc.) have a very nice diffuser. I would probably give the edge to the Favourlight clones.

Size:

Rayovac is smaller.

Cost to Run:

Initially, both lights are similarly priced. However, the Rayovac takes three "D" cells and the Coleman eight. If, as you indicate, "money is no object," then this is not a factor for you. However, it is clearly cheaper to use three alkalines or NiMh than eight. I am trying to figure out if a 12v SLA battery can be modded to fit in the cavity of the Coleman Twin. If it can, this may make the Coleman an excellent option without the inconvenience of eight individual cells.

My personal opinion? For build quality, beam quality, size, and cost to run, I tip my hat to the Favourlight clones. For overall brightness and variable intensity, along with the advantages drawing less current entails (longer runtimes at lower brightness) I would choose the Coleman.

I hope this helps!

LEDAdd1ct