LED Latern

[joec]

Cabela, the sporting goods store, has a "new" latern under its brand name. It has 12 LEDs arranged on all four sides. Claim is that it will run on 4D cells for 1000 hours.
(a) I asked about the light output compared to a mantle type propane latern. Reply was it was equivalent to a single mantel gas latern. Could this be possible?
(b) Asked about the variation of light output with battery life and was told that it is pretty constant until end of battery life. Sound reasonable?
(c) There is only an on/off function (via a remote control). Is an LED type of light source as "harsh" (cannot look near it when it and you are at a picnic table)?

Thanks

 

[cheesehead]

Hey joec,

a) NO WAY, that's ridiculous (um, not trying to be rude). Anyway, a gas mantle will blow any battery powered incandescent/LED out of the water. Instead of a chemical battery, they use a power source that's equivalent to a small bomb. No matter how inefficient they are, they still are very very bight and run a long time. Get a gas light, you will not be dissapointed. LEDs are even dimmer than incandescents, although the runtime is great.
b) they dim over time, although it's not very noticeable.
c) hmm, I think they are a little more harsh. The gas lights can be dimmed to a warm glow.

Plus, 12 LEDs on 4 Ds may run a few hundred hours, 1000 seems excessive, unless they are pretty dim to start.

Eh, unless there is some reason not to use a propane lantern, I think it's the way to go (except for the obvious answer is that you'd never want to use the propane in a closed tent, or even slightly vented tent). I think the propane lights are very nice for camping, the little extra heat also helps.

ps, welcome to CPF /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

 

[joec]

Well, I ended up getting an LED latern from Campmor. It is a 12 LED unit and has a full-range dimmer with a good "click" off rotary knob. I do not have any equipment to compare light output. It does appear to have less light output than a propane lantern; however, in my opinion the light is sufficient especially as a second camping latern. I think the other plus factors of an LED unit is also an advantage (e.g., no fumes, not hot, no carbon dioxide/monoxide worries (safety and less bugs attracted), easy turn on, dim and turn off, wider range of operating air temperatures, quiet, etc.). Not sure when I could run a scientific test. When or if I do, I will post the results.

Joe

 

[cheesehead]

Sure, it's a good light for "in the tent" use since it makes no carbon monoxide, even the catalyst ones will use up your oxygen and kill you, so your point is well taken. Hmm, maybe I need one.

cheese

 

[DaveT]

Hi Cheesehead - I have one of the 12-LED lanterns mentioned above, and I think it's great. But if you're just looking for an "in tent" light, I'd recommend one of these Energizer LED lanterns:
Energizer LED lantern
Decent light, the panel folds to a wide angle as it sits or stands, or it can be hung from a hook at the bottom. Light enough to hang from top of a tent, you could carry two if you needed more light, and they'd still be smaller and lighter than one of the 4 D-cell lights. And the price is right - about $3.29 at Office Depot. You would't cry if you lost it while camping.