Bright Outdoors Solar Lantern Review

Rating: 3/5

What I Like:

Portable design is great to throw into a backpack for a camping/hiking trip
Solar charger ensures that the lantern has power at night
Small battery backup to power a USB device in case of emergencies
Bright light output with two levels of brightness and flashing mode
Rechargeable battery lasts a long time in lantern mode

What I Don’t Like:

Battery appears to drain when the lantern is not in use
The solar panel does not seem to work
The handle is fairly weak and feels like it may snap

Conclusion: This portable lantern is a nice addition to my overnight bag despite issues with battery drain. I like how compact it is when it is folded into a small disc. The quality feels fine when it is folded, but a little flimsy when extended as the rubber part wobbles around. It took a little bit for me to figure out how to open it up too: just pull on each half (but not by the handle). Its a little awkward but does the job. The lantern charges by USB or solar panel. From my experience the solar charge does not work very well, if at all, so don’t expect to power a device off of the USB backup port while the lantern itself is charging. I left the lantern on my windowsill for a week and in that time the battery fully drained and the light needed to be recharged. This is not ideal if you plan to leave it in a cupboard for emergencies or power outages. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing this light if you will rely on solar charging as it seems to be a gimmick and not really work. The lantern does work quite well if charged before use and the battery lasts a good couple hours. In terms of actual light output, it would be perfect for lighting up a tent, but dont expect it to fully illuminate a large room. The flashlight mode is bright and focused, but awkward to hold. Maybe I just got a bad one, but the lack of usable solar charging is disappointing. I would treat this product as a decent light with a good built in battery, and it’s a bonus if the solar charging actually works.

Author’s note: The manufacturer does not state the capacity of the internal battery. I have measured it to be approximately 900mAh – a charge of 25% on a 3,000 mAh @ 85% efficiency and approximately 50% of 1,500 mAh batteries.