Note to woot. I understand that the provider doesn’t give you the FULL story about products you are selling but this is a battery powered light. Don’t ya think it’s kinda important to post how long they last on a set of batteries?
But anyway, after some snooping around, it appears these last 6 hrs on high, 200hrs on the lowest setting/strobe. Seen them for as low as 9 bucks. Would I put one of these in my emergency bag? No. Why? Because the battery life doesn’t fit my requirements for an emergency light. You will see “preppers” saying “72” hours. So, a light that can run 24 hours before you need to swap out a battery would fit that bill and give you some wiggle room.
My personal preference for an emergency latern is the $15 to $21 (depends on color) Ray-o-Vac SEDLNACOM. I even have a Streamlight (these guys make lots of flashlights) but in the end, I have laterns that will last weeks on a set of batteries, are tough and bright. In the middle of the woods, on low, these things put out more then enough light and on that setting can last much longer. So, guess my rambling point is, do some research. If you are looking for a serious emergency light, set some standards. Brightness is one thing. Longevity is another and to me, is just as important.
I have some very similar looking lanterns here branded “Etekcity” that are very nice small lights. Generally the design and construction are better than typical for the various LED lanterns one sees for sale. The description refers to “many LED chips tightly packed together”. It’s actually 30 LEDs, three panels of 10 each arranged in a vertical triangle. It puts out a lot of light when extended all the way. I can’t comment on the battery life because I haven’t gone through the first set of batteries yet. Overall I think what I have is well worth $12-$15 each; if these are the same thing with a different brand name, then I would give the same recommendation. It’s difficult to say with the way they get produced in China and then sold under so many different brand names.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy these lanterns. They are a knock-off of the real Bell+Howell lanterns. A poor quality copy at that!
I am so ticked-off right now to have received a fake product from Woot! This is the second time in as many purchases that I get a low-quality item from Woot. I guess it’s turned into ebay now. I’m done with you Woot!
I am in the process of detailing the way I spotted the knock-off in an email, but you guys should know that these are of low-quality materials and manufacturing which is immediately noticeable in the plastic seams, and in the threads of the battery cover.
Subtle differences in the finish of the plastic, a casing that already shows damage or defective coloring, and a battery compartment that is flimsy and feels like it came out of Dollar General.
But the Coup D’état is the LED strip! The real lantern contains a strip with 16 LEDs. This knockoff has strip with only 10 LEDs on it.
I cannot even begin to describe how upset I am that Woot either tried to cheat me this way, or that they don’t care enough anymore to protect their customers or at least their reputation.
I guess they just figured we were too dumb to notice!
Oh no! That’s no good. I’m going to reach out to our Sports Team and see what’s going on. In the meantime. If you haven’t already, please use the Customer Service form to report the differences between the two products as you’ve described here.
Works on Fire: Won’t burn even in prolonged heat exposure or in a fire, making it the TacLantern will be your perfect companion for camping…? They feel like they are made of plastic… and I’ve never seen a plastic that doesn’t melt. Not so sure about this purchase.
