Well Designed Fluorescent Lantern

[phyhsuts]

This is one properly designed lantern with proper control gear (lamp life 10,000 hours) for everyday use. Sollatek /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Expensive at 50 or 66 Pounds Sterling depending on battery and features. It is designed for use in third world countries and is therefore very abuse resistant. Accepting pre orders now. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Azreal911]

it looks very well built and promising. And the solar charging option is always a plus. the only problem i have with this is the high price that would scare me away. for 50 and 66 pounds they expect to sell this to poor families?!?! it's cheaper to run a kerosene lamp intermittently.

 

[phyhsuts]

Just my tinted view of things, but I think they expect some nice first world country to boot the bill for them .... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Steelwolf]

Looks like a very well designed lamp. It would almost be the perfect replacement for my whitegas lanterns. I'll probably increase the battery capacity a little bit more. 7W CF would be about equivalent to a 40W incand, right?

This company may be selling its products at a bumped up price to help subsidise costs to 3rd world, with the rest of the money coming from charities or even from its own pockets. A bit like what Freeplay or BayGen used to do (I'm not sure if they are still doing it).

 

[phyhsuts]

Interesting thought. There is little space in the battery compartment for a larger battery than the 7.2 Ah VRLA battery that is used in the Plus. It is true that the same size battery is available to 8.5 Ah, but that is not really a huge improvement. In any case the larger the battery, the heavier the lantern. The luminous output of the 7W lamp if driven fully (not a foregone conclusion with battery operated lanterns!) is 400 lm. That is about the output of a 220V incandescent. It is somewhat below that of a 120V one as used in the USA (about 500 lm). The lantern can also use a 9W tube (600 lm) but battery run time will be down.

You are probably absolute right about the bumped up cost.