The Survival Store: Camping / Hiking: Brunton Polaris LED Lantern (Silver)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
FEATURES 3 watt Cree LED creates 95 LUX for superior ambient light: 1 High/low mode adjustoment for desired light output: 2 Unique reflector design creates no dead spots in the surrounding light: 3 Diode filter creates an incandescent glow for light easier on the eye: 4 Durable aluminum clip allows one to hang the lantern where needed: 5 Operates on 3 C cell batteries included for up to 45 hours: 6 Non-slip rubberized housing: 7 Durable polycarbonate globe: 8

Amazon.com Product Description
The Brunton Polaris is the first LED lantern in the world to have a "natural light" instead of the typical glaring, white LED we're used to. It also gives you 360 degrees of light with no dead spots. The 3-watt Cree LED emits a warm orange glow similar to a propane lantern with mantle, and you can switch between high and low output. A nonslip rubberized housing provides a sure grip and a durable aluminum clip allows the lantern to be hung inside a tent or from a tree branch. It's powered by three C-size batteries.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 7 x 3.25 inches
Weight: 15 ounces
Light intensity - high: 95 lumens
Light intensity - low: 10 lumens
Batteries: Three C batteries (included)
Battery life: Up to 45 hours

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars

Great lantern to take to a backpacking / car camping trip November 16, 2008
I must admit - I am a bit of a lantern and flashlight addict - I have one too many in my collection at home, though I've had just one instance of power failure in the last 10 years.

That said, every flashlight / lantern has its purpose. And in spite of the other reviewers thinking this one did not hit the mark, I think it did so just fine - with flying colors, no less!

Now, this is not a propane lantern. If you are traveling, you know the pro's and con's. Nothing like being 'all set' on the light part before you reach your destination. I've been on several car camping trips where we've reached the destination only to find something in the way of getting light after dark - those French CampinGaz systems are really tough to get fuel for, the wicks are equally tough to find, and the regular propane ones require finding out a local camping supply store in a strange place when I'd rather be opening a bottle of wine and pitching tent. I don't risk traveling with fuel on road trips, as I don't really pay much attention to hazmat warnings on bridges and tunnels and ferries. Flights, of course, entirely rule out carrying fuel from home.

Given those hard-learned lessons, I've shifted to portable LED lanterns for a while. LED is, well, an obvious choice, as otherwise you are talking about a couple of hours of burn time.

Within the LED space, there's a wide array of options that are now available. This one fits a certain set of requirements - now its up to you to see if they are the same as yours.

1. This is bright white LED. There are come with warm white colors, this is not one of them. If you are particular about the color of light, you should know.

2. This is not as much light as the full-size D-battery powered GE CFL lamp lanterns. Those pretty much resemble a propane light, but are not easy to carry, specially if you have a small car or need to take a flight. This is super portable, and the convenience more than makes up for the small trade off in light output.

3. Yes, this is portable, but not to "ultralight backpacking" standards. There are other lanterns - powered by AA and AAA cells - that are meant to be ultralight. I like the fact that this snugly fits the "middle ground" - way more portable than full size 4xD cell lanterns, while offering a lot more burn time than the measly AA and AAA powered ones.

4. 3 watts is a lot of light! Chances are you'll use this in full power once you've seen the bright setting, and that's a good thing. Enough to light up a small campground, like the standard ones in car camping sites.

5. Nice clip to hang it in the tent, or elsewhere. Another plus over propane lanterns, no harm in letting these burn inside the tent!

So, there. Not the smallest of the lot, not the brightest of the lot (well, among the brightest in the LED space), but a good balance in everything.

And, if I may say, a much better build quality than those cheap knock-offs some "deal" websites have to offer. But then this is a Brunton, so that's a given.

When you are out camping, a lantern should be the last thing on your mind -should be as easy as throw it in the bag and expect it to work. This works great.

3 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected November 6, 2008
Yes... it let's off a good amount of light. No, it's not very different than typical "white" LED light. And did I mention how small it is?

3 out of 5 stars

Decent on bright setting, but shortens battery life October 22, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

This light is indeed COMPACT in size. It would be great for backpacking. However,I bought it for a friend and gave it to him at work, where we tested it, so I can't truthfully say how it compares to my "larger" battery lanterns. But at the BRIGHT (full power) setting, it nicely lit-up a 'confined' area (his darkened office). But no battery lantern will ever come close to lighting an outdoors campground like a propane mantle lantern. And, the bright setting will undoubtedly shorten the advertised battery life. Conclusion: if you really need 'compactness/light weight' for backpacking etc., and you only expect to illuminate a confined/limited area, this light is a good choice. (Be certain to get this 3 Watt version, as there are similar models with lesser light output.)