zespectre
Flashlight Enthusiast
9/22/2013
=========================================
A brief note about the "Real World Reviews"
The industry and my fellow "flashaholics" have developed very sophisticated and detailed methods for measuring nearly every conceivable technical aspect of the illumination products on the market. In the "Real World Reviews" I acknowledge the existence of that information, and I will link to it if I can, but will not re-hash all of the tech data. Instead the focus of the "Real World Reviews" is to take the actual equipment out of the laboratory and into real world conditions where I will to try and give the reader some idea of how the technical data and specifications translate into use under actual conditions.
=========================================
Real World Review – Energizer Folding Lantern with Light Fusion Technology
Manufacturer Link
4x OR 8x AA batteries (more on this later)
Review Link (CPF)
New Energizer Light Fusion LED Lanterns and flashlights at Target
What you get:
A largish rectangular lantern with a fold out stand and fold out light panel.
Initial Impression(s)
The unit was taken out on three different campouts where it functioned as the main area light and cooking table light for the duration of each outing. It is a somewhat large rectangle with a fold out stand and an offset handle. The back is a large rubberized switch which is easy to find with your finger however the actual switch is a smallish area in the center of the large rubber pad so it is sometimes awkward to operate. The front is a "light fusion" diffuser panel that is adjustable through a WIDE range of motion.
The construction is generally medium grade plastic with the light panel being a more brittle feeling transparent plastic that is "laser etched" to create a large diffuser. The six LED emitters are completely enclosed at the base of the diffuser panel. There are a sensible number of screws, and a rubber-like gasket around the battery compartment. Overall it feels like a decently constructed item but it should be noted that this is NOT ruggedized in any way, shape, or form. It does appear that at least some attempt at weatherproofing was attempted and I would rate it rain resistant but NOT submergible.
The switch turns on to highest level and then you can press and hold the switch to dim or brighten the light as desired. Over testing use I have decided that if I had the option I would reverse this and have the light come on at it's lowest intensity and then ramp it up if I desired. I have two reasons for this opinion, the first being that it is HARSH to be in a darkening environment and have an area lantern BLAZE at full power right off the bat, and secondly the high power start revealed a serious flaw in the design of the control circuits which I will address later.
The amount of light from the 6 emitters is fairly astounding on high, and very useable thorough the operating range. The "light fusion" diffuser panel works VERY well though the edge opposite of the emitters can hit you with a blinding glare if you get in-line with it. I covered mine with a metalized tape to eliminate this line-of-blindness. The quality of the light is interesting, we began calling it the "portable streetlamp" because once we hung it from a tree branch it didn't really feel like there was a point source, more like everything in the campsite was simply lit from the sky. It was an amazing effect and everyone present on the campout REALLY liked it! Light coverage "felt" better than the big rechargeable Coleman fluorescent lantern and we actually stopped using the Coleman.
I love the fact that this light will operate with EITHER 4x AA or 8x AA. The difference is runtime not light level. In a pinch you could potentially steal 4xAA batteries to power something else if you ran low in a camping situation. Runtimes on high seemed to come in at about 3.5hrs for 4xAA and just shy of 7hrs for 8xAA loads (under warm summer conditions with Alkaline disposable batteries). Lowering the light level just a small amount led to dramatic increases in runtime, so much so that I terminated testing because I got bored.
About that flaw I mentioned earlier...
If the light is on maximum brightness and the batteries start to run low it will begin a "step down, blink off, resume at max" cycle. If you then press and hold the power button you can dim the light down to a point where it will function steadily. HOWEVER, if you have been running the light this way for a while at some point you will hit a crossover point where turning the light off means that it simply does not have enough juice to turn back on in HIGH and therefore it will not turn on even though you probably have many (20 or more) hours of medium or low level operation left in the batteries. To me it illustrates that this light should default to turning on at it's LOWEST setting and allow you to increase brightness, not the other way around.
Handle with care
I have been careful with this lantern through three campouts and it still has a scratch on the diffuser panel due to it's exposed design. I consider this a relatively fragile light to be hung or placed at the campsite and LEFT ALONE, I do not think this unit will handle even slight abuse very well so don't give it to the kids to play with and don't use it to walk around in the woods. It did get left out in a fairly heavy rainstorm (running) and suffered no ill effects from that. Pay attention to which way the battery compartment locking screws turn, the material is soft and I suspect it could be easily broken.
Other assorted items
I wish the switch had a cover, or a lockout mode. I did find the light turned on once when I unpacked at the campsite. I handled this situation by taping a piece of cardboard over the switch for storage, something I shouldn't have to do.
I took some glow-in-the-dark-paint and painted the white battery cover. It gave the lantern a nice "find in the dark" mode that "self charges" every time I run the light <grin>.
When closed, the "light fusion" diffuser panel is exposed and easily scratched. I had an old fleece bag that I put the light in for transport but during the use the panel got a small scratch anyway. Energizer should include a bag or cover.
You shouldn't need a tool of any sort to change batteries, but you do (coin, screwdriver).
My battery compartment was slightly mis-alligned. I had to trim some plastic so I could remove two of the batteries.
Summary:
I have pointed out a number of flaws in this light, especially from a camping perspective and this may sour your opinion on this light but there is one thing that I really need to give a small neutron star's worth of weight to and that is the quality of usable light produced. In my opinion Energizer really has created something special with their "light fusion" diffuser panel and in all the years I've been camping I have NEVER found a light that gave such an even, overall area light without having an eye searing point source. I cannot stress it enough, I LOVE THE QUALITY OF LIGHT FROM THIS UNIT and that sways my final rating heavily.
With the following changes
I would give this light a full five-photon rating even at a considerably higher price point. Unfortunately what we have is a lantern with truly excellent light output, light quality, and runtimes, that is distressingly fragile for it's intended use and as such it gets a rating of;
Three (out of Five) Photons - Approved for general (careful) use in the Real World.
=========================================
A brief note about the "Real World Reviews"
The industry and my fellow "flashaholics" have developed very sophisticated and detailed methods for measuring nearly every conceivable technical aspect of the illumination products on the market. In the "Real World Reviews" I acknowledge the existence of that information, and I will link to it if I can, but will not re-hash all of the tech data. Instead the focus of the "Real World Reviews" is to take the actual equipment out of the laboratory and into real world conditions where I will to try and give the reader some idea of how the technical data and specifications translate into use under actual conditions.
=========================================
Real World Review – Energizer Folding Lantern with Light Fusion Technology
Manufacturer Link
4x OR 8x AA batteries (more on this later)
Review Link (CPF)
New Energizer Light Fusion LED Lanterns and flashlights at Target
A largish rectangular lantern with a fold out stand and fold out light panel.
Important operating note:
There have been complaints about "malfunctioning" lanterns that shut off after a few minutes. From the store these units have a "demo" or "try me" mode that turns them off to conserve batteries in the store while still allowing customers to get a feel for what the light can do. IF YOU BUY ONE OF THESE LIGHTS YOU HAVE TO DE-ACTIVATE THE "TRY ME" MODE!
Per Energizer
"This light comes with a "Try Me" feature enabled to protect battery life in the store. As it stated in the directions, to disable the try me mode, remove the batteries from the battery compartment and wait 10 seconds. Then you may put the batteries back into the battery compartment and wait another 10 seconds before pressing the switch."
Initial Impression(s)
The unit was taken out on three different campouts where it functioned as the main area light and cooking table light for the duration of each outing. It is a somewhat large rectangle with a fold out stand and an offset handle. The back is a large rubberized switch which is easy to find with your finger however the actual switch is a smallish area in the center of the large rubber pad so it is sometimes awkward to operate. The front is a "light fusion" diffuser panel that is adjustable through a WIDE range of motion.
The construction is generally medium grade plastic with the light panel being a more brittle feeling transparent plastic that is "laser etched" to create a large diffuser. The six LED emitters are completely enclosed at the base of the diffuser panel. There are a sensible number of screws, and a rubber-like gasket around the battery compartment. Overall it feels like a decently constructed item but it should be noted that this is NOT ruggedized in any way, shape, or form. It does appear that at least some attempt at weatherproofing was attempted and I would rate it rain resistant but NOT submergible.
The switch turns on to highest level and then you can press and hold the switch to dim or brighten the light as desired. Over testing use I have decided that if I had the option I would reverse this and have the light come on at it's lowest intensity and then ramp it up if I desired. I have two reasons for this opinion, the first being that it is HARSH to be in a darkening environment and have an area lantern BLAZE at full power right off the bat, and secondly the high power start revealed a serious flaw in the design of the control circuits which I will address later.
The amount of light from the 6 emitters is fairly astounding on high, and very useable thorough the operating range. The "light fusion" diffuser panel works VERY well though the edge opposite of the emitters can hit you with a blinding glare if you get in-line with it. I covered mine with a metalized tape to eliminate this line-of-blindness. The quality of the light is interesting, we began calling it the "portable streetlamp" because once we hung it from a tree branch it didn't really feel like there was a point source, more like everything in the campsite was simply lit from the sky. It was an amazing effect and everyone present on the campout REALLY liked it! Light coverage "felt" better than the big rechargeable Coleman fluorescent lantern and we actually stopped using the Coleman.
I love the fact that this light will operate with EITHER 4x AA or 8x AA. The difference is runtime not light level. In a pinch you could potentially steal 4xAA batteries to power something else if you ran low in a camping situation. Runtimes on high seemed to come in at about 3.5hrs for 4xAA and just shy of 7hrs for 8xAA loads (under warm summer conditions with Alkaline disposable batteries). Lowering the light level just a small amount led to dramatic increases in runtime, so much so that I terminated testing because I got bored.
About that flaw I mentioned earlier...
If the light is on maximum brightness and the batteries start to run low it will begin a "step down, blink off, resume at max" cycle. If you then press and hold the power button you can dim the light down to a point where it will function steadily. HOWEVER, if you have been running the light this way for a while at some point you will hit a crossover point where turning the light off means that it simply does not have enough juice to turn back on in HIGH and therefore it will not turn on even though you probably have many (20 or more) hours of medium or low level operation left in the batteries. To me it illustrates that this light should default to turning on at it's LOWEST setting and allow you to increase brightness, not the other way around.
Handle with care
I have been careful with this lantern through three campouts and it still has a scratch on the diffuser panel due to it's exposed design. I consider this a relatively fragile light to be hung or placed at the campsite and LEFT ALONE, I do not think this unit will handle even slight abuse very well so don't give it to the kids to play with and don't use it to walk around in the woods. It did get left out in a fairly heavy rainstorm (running) and suffered no ill effects from that. Pay attention to which way the battery compartment locking screws turn, the material is soft and I suspect it could be easily broken.
I wish the switch had a cover, or a lockout mode. I did find the light turned on once when I unpacked at the campsite. I handled this situation by taping a piece of cardboard over the switch for storage, something I shouldn't have to do.
I took some glow-in-the-dark-paint and painted the white battery cover. It gave the lantern a nice "find in the dark" mode that "self charges" every time I run the light <grin>.
When closed, the "light fusion" diffuser panel is exposed and easily scratched. I had an old fleece bag that I put the light in for transport but during the use the panel got a small scratch anyway. Energizer should include a bag or cover.
You shouldn't need a tool of any sort to change batteries, but you do (coin, screwdriver).
My battery compartment was slightly mis-alligned. I had to trim some plastic so I could remove two of the batteries.
Summary:
I have pointed out a number of flaws in this light, especially from a camping perspective and this may sour your opinion on this light but there is one thing that I really need to give a small neutron star's worth of weight to and that is the quality of usable light produced. In my opinion Energizer really has created something special with their "light fusion" diffuser panel and in all the years I've been camping I have NEVER found a light that gave such an even, overall area light without having an eye searing point source. I cannot stress it enough, I LOVE THE QUALITY OF LIGHT FROM THIS UNIT and that sways my final rating heavily.
With the following changes
- ruggedized form
- sliding cover over the switch
- reversed the mode to low-at-on (so you could use every last bit of battery juice)
- made battery changes tool-less
- included a carry bag or case
- and possibly, mold the white battery cover in glow-in-the-dark plastic
I would give this light a full five-photon rating even at a considerably higher price point. Unfortunately what we have is a lantern with truly excellent light output, light quality, and runtimes, that is distressingly fragile for it's intended use and as such it gets a rating of;
Three (out of Five) Photons - Approved for general (careful) use in the Real World.
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