Lanterns and power outages

Another reminder this morning that in a power outage nothing is as good as a lantern. I have plenty, the kids carry them to their room to get dressed, put them on the bathroom counter to brush their teeth, mom uses it to cook on the gas stove, kids use it to see what they're eating, etc. etc.

My only weakness is that my lanterns are out of date, I think the best are .5 watt or maybe 1 watt luxeons, and I'd like one or two that are substantially brighter, but aren't huge. I'm certain there are some 3W-class lights that put out a lot more light on just a few AAs (preferred) or at most a few Cs or Ds, anyone have any great recommendations? I prefer the form factor of the old River Rock 4xAA lanterns, but am willing to buy at least one that's bigger, so recommendations for both are appreciated.

Have a look at this 3xAA lantern.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C5BXGQ/?tag=cpf0b6-20

It goes by several different brand names. The version Target used to recently carry was RiverRock. I have the cool white version, and am very happy with the output, durability, etc. I would have picked up the warm version linked above if I had known about it first.

Lots of information on the Lanterns sub-forum if you haven't check it out recently: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=90

Duh! I had no idea there was a lantern subforum, I woulda read up and posted there. Thanks! Also, nice pointer on the 110 watt light

I like my zebralight. Its floody enough to double as a lantern.

My sister in law gave me this Joby tripod light for christmas. I am surprised at how useful it is. Its a low draw / long running XP-E, so its very efficient with a nice color tint. It has an infinitely variable output knob and is fully regulated (verified with AM radio test). Its WAY too spot throwey so I added scotch tape to flood the output. I stick it on my computer and use it as a desk lamp. Its only about 50 Lumens though. Which can be seen as good or bad depending on your point of view... it runs a LONG time, even on the cheap included Alkalines.

I think Coleman has a small packable model with a Cree. Just like flashlights it seems like most lanterns need lower lows. Glare shields are nice, too. Now if only I had a chance to use the ones I have.

I know. Be careful what you wish for.

Geoff

you're going to bring another ice storm on us turtle, watch what you say

This one is hands down the best out right now at a reasonable price range:

Rayovac Sportsman Extreme 300 Lumen Lantern
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/218303

There are several more threads on it.

I like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018S4XIS/?tag=cpf0b6-20

I like my muled L1, small, tailstandable and it puts out alot of floody light.

This bad boy is my next lantern

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000000850&categoryid=1045&brand=

Its got auto-on for when the power goes out. 11 watt flourescent spiral which is basically a 60 watt incandescant bulb. 6 hour runtime on high, 9 hours on low. makes no heat so you can put a lamp shade over it LOL

Dougzilla said:

This bad boy is my next lantern

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000000850&categoryid=1045&brand=

Its got auto-on for when the power goes out. 11 watt flourescent spiral which is basically a 60 watt incandescant bulb. 6 hour runtime on high, 9 hours on low. makes no heat so you can put a lamp shade over it LOL

Click to expand...

I have one of these and love it. I recently frosted the globe and am very happy with the results.

Dougzilla said:

This bad boy is my next lantern

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000000850&categoryid=1045&brand=

Its got auto-on for when the power goes out. 11 watt flourescent spiral which is basically a 60 watt incandescant bulb. 6 hour runtime on high, 9 hours on low. makes no heat so you can put a lamp shade over it LOL

Click to expand...

If you're going to buy it from Coleman directly, try this link for discount:
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/Cole...uct_id=2000000850&SourcePage=&SubmittingPage=

The Coleman seems like a nice lantern, but according to the stated specs the Rayovac Sportsman Extreme 3D is brighter and runs longer. I do have the Rayovac, and recommend it if you want to use D cells.

Please continue this conversation, I appreciate all the information and others might not have made decisions yet. For myself, showing my complete lack of impulse control, I've ordered the 3D 300-lumen Rayovac, and a 4xAA 180 lumen eGear (and yes, I'm aware that if I'd looked around, I probably could have found that one much cheaper under a different brand name). I think those two meet my needs nicely though, thanks to all, I will of course keep watching to see if something better pops up...

I used my 2 GE steelbeam lanterns the last power outage.
One will fill a large room up with enough light to see what your doing. The bulb is also warm white so colors look good.

Joe Talmadge said:

Please continue this conversation, I appreciate all the information and others might not have made decisions yet. For myself, showing my complete lack of impulse control, I've ordered the 3D 300-lumen Rayovac, and a 4xAA 180 lumen eGear (and yes, I'm aware that if I'd looked around, I probably could have found that one much cheaper under a different brand name). I think those two meet my needs nicely though, thanks to all, I will of course keep watching to see if something better pops up...

Click to expand...

The Rayovac Sportsman Extreme 3D is my brightest and would be my recommendation for power outages. Check out the Energizer Weather Ready 4D also for more runtime.

Here's my beam comparison of my lanterns:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/242239

...and a mod to fix some ugly beams and artifacts:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/242597

The battery life in the rayovac is great. Plus the fact there aren't 8 of them is a huge winner. It's like saving $10 every time you change the batts vs a 8 cell one.