The lamp is ok, not great. I wanted it because it does not need batteries, which is great, but the lamp does not put off much light. You can see your watch by it, but it would be hard to read with.
Along with the crank radio, I bought this lantern for camping and the occasional power outage at home. I can't get over how long the power lasts from the crank. Can't wait to use it in my tent this summer!
I work in the solar field - in remote areas of developing countries -so have tried alot of LED products. For the cost and amount of LEDs, it does not produce as much light as other LED products in a similar price range. The battery life is decent once fully charged and the light would be OK for general camping when high levels of illumination are not needed. I haven't had enough sunny days yet to really test the solar-charging mode, but at first glance, the solar cell may be undersized relative to the battery and electrical load (which is typical of these products) so be prepared to do alot of cranking on multi-day trips- even if sunny. The overall quality of the lamp and materials seems good for this price range.
I bought this item for emergency use only. I didn't want a battery operated device because in time they go dead. The versatile ways of charging (solar, crank, car cigarette lighter, or optional AC/DC converter) was a big selling point. I have found that using the lower illumination of 6 diode bulbs is quite adequate, so that total usage time can be maximized. I was impressed with the quality of construction and design. However, since I've only used it for a week, I can't comment on it's reliability or freedom from repair, but I expect it to be very good, because of its construction.
