Woods Walker
The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
I have been evaluating this gear item and here are the results. Most of my testing tends to be done out of a backpack. Unlike reviews done in the living room pack reviews might not have the most comprehensive technical data but they do offer field use insight. I also like to add the occasional emergency preparation perspective. First let's look at the stats from Fenix.
So here it is. I added the orange paracord lanyard for easy hanging plus things tend to walk away in the woods. Sometimes higher visibility is a good thing.
The tint shown in the above photo is a fairly accurate representation of how it looks in person. For those who don't know LED tint refers the slight color shade of an emitter. For example some LEDs can have a green or blue cast within what's supposed to be a cool white light. I prefer neutral white or even warm for a lantern. Space alien abduction blue or squid **** green gets old fast with a lantern. I was pleased the quality of the tint and diffused nature of the beam however these are subjective judgements.
The battery or batteries based on user options are feed through the bottom. The metal inner tube is supposed to act as a heat sink for the multiple LEDS. I have no clue what type of emitters are used.
The magnet which allows the lantern to stick to metal surfaces also can easily pull the battery out. The included 18650 is a protected 2300 mAh cell. This is of lower capacity than other options but comes included and seems to work just fine. Also for those used to AA batteries we are talking about higher voltage here. 3.8 volts compared to 1.2-1.7 volts for most common AA chemistries. I am no battery expert but guessing it has at least the energy of 3 AAs. There are higher capacity 18650 batteries for those who want even longer runtimes.
The light achieves it's defused nature via multiple LEDs of unknown type and a foggy outer shell. The bugs just couldn't get enough of it as evidenced by the one in the photo.
Despite it's defused nature on the higher modes it was a bit too bright for prolonged direct looking. But I really can't blame the lantern for being so bright. It is what it is.
One major pro is the ability to charge the 18650 battery via USB. Here the lantern is plugged into a wall USB charger. Notice the red switch which indicates charging.
The best part for me is the easy USB solar charging ability.
Hard to see but the switch is deffinatly red.
What's so nice is the lantern even took a charge in partial sunlight without triggering a charging error.
The ability to charge 18650 batteries makes the lantern an ideal candidate for my off the grid packable heated tipi project. This 16 watt folding panel with 2 intelligent USB charging ports has enough power to charge 4xAA and 1X18650 at the same time to satisfy the tipi's electrical requirements.
But the goodness doesn't end there. The CL25R can also run directly off any USB power source with or without the battery installed. It can do this only using the two red LED modes and low and medium main modes. I believe it also will run and charge the battery at the same time but never tested to see how effective this process is.
Running directly off solar power.
Running off an Anker 13000 mAh battery pack. I wonder what the total low mode run time would be? 2800 hours regulated? Not sure but it would be a long time.
Here is something funky. On low without battery the switch turns green though clearly there is nothing to completely charge. On the 50 lumen mode which is the max for purely using a USB power source the switch turns red though again there is no reason near as I can tell. Oh well it doesn't really matter anyways.
Field use:
For this gear item field use also includes within the home as it's a lantern after all. On the low mode night adapted eyes could function in a bathroom or even see basic things under a tarp. Kept it running all night without concern and I wasn't in a hurry to turn it off at any time. The 50 lumen mode provides enough light to do most indoor tasks and can light up an area around camp. I don't use the red modes at all and rarely use the upper main modes. Having weathered several week long blackouts in the past few years I could easily see this lantern providing enough light for the entire episodes.
I prefer gear items which offer multi use options. The ability to charge without removing the battery is very convenient in real world use. I did attempt a night hike using just the lantern but found it annoying however as a last resort there is enough power to get the job done. The CL25R with 18650 isn't super light weight for those who are counting grams. Honestly for things beyond 10 miles I would just go with my DIY lantern diffuser attached to the backup flashlight as there is no real weight penalty. Granted it's small and very UL compared to many lantern options however luxury items tend to be high on my list of things to be removed when looking to cut down on pack weight.
Pros:
1. Tint is ok but wish it was warmer but good enough to be a pro. I think it's NW.
2. Came with battery.
3. Better quality USB cable than I expected.
4. Low mode is really nice.
5. Seems stable when standing.
6. It locks out.
7. Good mode spacing but wish for a 8-10 lumen mode as well.
8. I like the charging feature especially the ease of solar charging.
9. Can use 2XCR123 as well.
1. Possible PWM. Totally invisible to the naked eye in actual use.
2. Humming sound on the higher modes but not really an issue in real world use.
3. Small nick in the metal tube. Pure OCD on this one.
4. A very small - and + indicator on tail cap.
6. Dry threads.
7. Glare on high mode but then again it's bright. No way around that one.
8. What is the purpose in a flashing red mode. Maybe a boating thing? Can't see the value in that but to each their own.
9. At nearly 60 dollars it's not cheap.
10. Extra pack weight for a luxury item.
Conclusion:
I like it!
For those who either have too much time on their hands or prefer videos this is for you.
So here it is. I added the orange paracord lanyard for easy hanging plus things tend to walk away in the woods. Sometimes higher visibility is a good thing.
The tint shown in the above photo is a fairly accurate representation of how it looks in person. For those who don't know LED tint refers the slight color shade of an emitter. For example some LEDs can have a green or blue cast within what's supposed to be a cool white light. I prefer neutral white or even warm for a lantern. Space alien abduction blue or squid **** green gets old fast with a lantern. I was pleased the quality of the tint and diffused nature of the beam however these are subjective judgements.
The battery or batteries based on user options are feed through the bottom. The metal inner tube is supposed to act as a heat sink for the multiple LEDS. I have no clue what type of emitters are used.
The magnet which allows the lantern to stick to metal surfaces also can easily pull the battery out. The included 18650 is a protected 2300 mAh cell. This is of lower capacity than other options but comes included and seems to work just fine. Also for those used to AA batteries we are talking about higher voltage here. 3.8 volts compared to 1.2-1.7 volts for most common AA chemistries. I am no battery expert but guessing it has at least the energy of 3 AAs. There are higher capacity 18650 batteries for those who want even longer runtimes.
The light achieves it's defused nature via multiple LEDs of unknown type and a foggy outer shell. The bugs just couldn't get enough of it as evidenced by the one in the photo.
Despite it's defused nature on the higher modes it was a bit too bright for prolonged direct looking. But I really can't blame the lantern for being so bright. It is what it is.
One major pro is the ability to charge the 18650 battery via USB. Here the lantern is plugged into a wall USB charger. Notice the red switch which indicates charging.
The best part for me is the easy USB solar charging ability.
Hard to see but the switch is deffinatly red.
What's so nice is the lantern even took a charge in partial sunlight without triggering a charging error.
The ability to charge 18650 batteries makes the lantern an ideal candidate for my off the grid packable heated tipi project. This 16 watt folding panel with 2 intelligent USB charging ports has enough power to charge 4xAA and 1X18650 at the same time to satisfy the tipi's electrical requirements.
But the goodness doesn't end there. The CL25R can also run directly off any USB power source with or without the battery installed. It can do this only using the two red LED modes and low and medium main modes. I believe it also will run and charge the battery at the same time but never tested to see how effective this process is.
Running directly off solar power.
Running off an Anker 13000 mAh battery pack. I wonder what the total low mode run time would be? 2800 hours regulated? Not sure but it would be a long time.
Here is something funky. On low without battery the switch turns green though clearly there is nothing to completely charge. On the 50 lumen mode which is the max for purely using a USB power source the switch turns red though again there is no reason near as I can tell. Oh well it doesn't really matter anyways.
Field use:
For this gear item field use also includes within the home as it's a lantern after all. On the low mode night adapted eyes could function in a bathroom or even see basic things under a tarp. Kept it running all night without concern and I wasn't in a hurry to turn it off at any time. The 50 lumen mode provides enough light to do most indoor tasks and can light up an area around camp. I don't use the red modes at all and rarely use the upper main modes. Having weathered several week long blackouts in the past few years I could easily see this lantern providing enough light for the entire episodes.
I prefer gear items which offer multi use options. The ability to charge without removing the battery is very convenient in real world use. I did attempt a night hike using just the lantern but found it annoying however as a last resort there is enough power to get the job done. The CL25R with 18650 isn't super light weight for those who are counting grams. Honestly for things beyond 10 miles I would just go with my DIY lantern diffuser attached to the backup flashlight as there is no real weight penalty. Granted it's small and very UL compared to many lantern options however luxury items tend to be high on my list of things to be removed when looking to cut down on pack weight.
Pros:
1. Tint is ok but wish it was warmer but good enough to be a pro. I think it's NW.
2. Came with battery.
3. Better quality USB cable than I expected.
4. Low mode is really nice.
5. Seems stable when standing.
6. It locks out.
7. Good mode spacing but wish for a 8-10 lumen mode as well.
8. I like the charging feature especially the ease of solar charging.
9. Can use 2XCR123 as well.
1. Possible PWM. Totally invisible to the naked eye in actual use.
2. Humming sound on the higher modes but not really an issue in real world use.
3. Small nick in the metal tube. Pure OCD on this one.
4. A very small - and + indicator on tail cap.
6. Dry threads.
7. Glare on high mode but then again it's bright. No way around that one.
8. What is the purpose in a flashing red mode. Maybe a boating thing? Can't see the value in that but to each their own.
9. At nearly 60 dollars it's not cheap.
10. Extra pack weight for a luxury item.
Conclusion:
I like it!
For those who either have too much time on their hands or prefer videos this is for you.
