Post by dirty on Jun 5, 2007 22:37:54 GMT -5
i've been wanting to purchase one of these LED lanterns that can be cranked.
i don't have a real need for one, so i cheaped out. i think this 'ozark trail' is a walmart generic brand.
1. here is the subject at hand. cost me 17.96+tax. it has a built in radio and can recharge cell phones.
2. here is what came in the box. the yellow buttons at the bottom are for the radio. the on/0ff button is right above those controls. you can see it in the picture
3.here is a close up of the cellphone accessories that came with the lantern. you can't see them before you buy the lantern. as usual none of them fit my phone. so i was unable to test that facet of this lantern. also there is no place to store these accessories on or in the lantern.
4. here is the crank. i thought that it all felt well made, for being plastic.
5. the claim on the outside of the box was 'wind up 2-3 minutes for 25-30 minutes'. i cranked for two and a half minutes and got around twenty-four minutes. did that three times, results where near identical each time. i couldn't read by the light. well i could read by it if i held the lantern in my lap with the book in front of it. however that only worked until about the twenty minute mark.
i was able to set it up in the middle of the room and get simple things done. things like getting dressed, moving books and papers, feeding the dog. i couldn't see using the lantern for everyday use. it would be handy in a power outage.
one other thing is the radio. it did work, surprisingly well. but there is no screen to see what station your on. the buttons are only for scan, reset and on/off volume.
overall i would consider this a good buy at maybe six dollars tops. of coarse that isn't what i paid.
i think your money would be better spent on candles and one of those LED headlamps.
i don't have a real need for one, so i cheaped out. i think this 'ozark trail' is a walmart generic brand.
1. here is the subject at hand. cost me 17.96+tax. it has a built in radio and can recharge cell phones.
2. here is what came in the box. the yellow buttons at the bottom are for the radio. the on/0ff button is right above those controls. you can see it in the picture
3.here is a close up of the cellphone accessories that came with the lantern. you can't see them before you buy the lantern. as usual none of them fit my phone. so i was unable to test that facet of this lantern. also there is no place to store these accessories on or in the lantern.
4. here is the crank. i thought that it all felt well made, for being plastic.
5. the claim on the outside of the box was 'wind up 2-3 minutes for 25-30 minutes'. i cranked for two and a half minutes and got around twenty-four minutes. did that three times, results where near identical each time. i couldn't read by the light. well i could read by it if i held the lantern in my lap with the book in front of it. however that only worked until about the twenty minute mark.
i was able to set it up in the middle of the room and get simple things done. things like getting dressed, moving books and papers, feeding the dog. i couldn't see using the lantern for everyday use. it would be handy in a power outage.
one other thing is the radio. it did work, surprisingly well. but there is no screen to see what station your on. the buttons are only for scan, reset and on/off volume.
overall i would consider this a good buy at maybe six dollars tops. of coarse that isn't what i paid.
i think your money would be better spent on candles and one of those LED headlamps.
i didn't really need the extra weight rating, but i wanted to have a large amount of room for error.