UCO Clarus 150 Lumen LED Mini Lantern and Flashlight with Dimmer and Strobe

The UCO Clarus 150 Lumen LED Mini Lantern and Flashlight is a superb portable lantern/light at an outstanding value. I like it better than other, higher-priced packable LED lanterns from better known companies like Black Diamond. I gave it 5 stars because I think this is the best choice for a lightweight, ultra-packable lantern for small groups or families who are backpacking (and thus, can't bear the weight and bulk of a classic Coleman lantern or other large lanterns suitable only for car camping). My only reservation is that mine initially had a few issues that raise some doubts about its durability/longevity, as I explain below.Here's what it does great:As a flashlight, it is surprisingly good. The dual lantern/flashlight functionality is not just a marketing gimmick, as "multi function" devices often turn out to be. Besides my miniature LED headlamp (a 1-ounce Petzl E+Lite), this 4-ounce lantern is the only other light source I take along while backpacking with my daughters. If someone needs to use the bathroom at night, they can take this flashlight or the headlamp and leave the other one in the tent for the rest of us. The flashlight throws a nice, bright beam on high that is more than adequate for following a trail or trampled path through the woods in the dark, and on low it is bright enough to read comfortably or search for an item deep inside a dark pack without glaring back obnoxiously in your eyes.As a lantern, it offers impressive area-illumination for an LED light. The reflector is well designed to direct light outward and downward, and the frosted globe knocks the edge off the brightness fairly well. When placing it at or below eye level, you'll want to stand the lantern on its wider head so that you're not looking directly at the illuminated LED, which is a little too bright for the frosted housing to diffuse adequately. Likewise, if you place or hang it above eye level, you'll want to stand it on its narrower bottom or hang it from the fold out wire loop for the same reason. That way, if you glance directly at the light, your eyes will be greeted by the more diffused glow of the reflector, not the glare of the illuminated LED bulb.You can comfortably read by the lantern up to two feet away on high, 10" - 14" away on medium, or about 4"-6" away on low. On high or medium, the lantern illuminates a fairly large space (about an average sized 3- or 4-person tent), though it's not quite powerful enough to illuminate the corners, of course. I think it's very good for illuminating a tent at night and, say, playing cards, telling stories, or organizing gear--all the usual in-tent camp activities. As a reading light, the light is a tad on the cool side of the spectrum (white/blue) and though perfectly adequate for reading, it will undoubtedly tire your eyes more than a brighter (i.e., much larger) lantern would. For the same reason, sight-intensive tasks (such as threading a needle) will feel more difficult or tedious in the diffused bluish-white light of this lantern. But for all typical camp activities, it's great.Here are the few issues I've noticed that are not so great (though none are "deal breakers"):On "high," the light dims noticeably after only two hours--becoming virtually indistinguishable from the brightness of "medium" setting. Fortunately, the medium setting is still plenty adequate for tent use, and it lasts about 20 hours at that level, getting gradually dimmer over that time but remaining quite useful as an area light nonetheless. That's quite good for a light that only weighs 4 ounces with batteries. Nonetheless, I wish the high brightness level lasted longer than it does. The product packaging shows a chart that suggests that both the high and medium lumen-output levels taper off dramatically after only two hours. I was greatly relieved to find that to be true only for the high setting, whereas the medium brightness is sustained considerably longer--remaining about three times brighter than the low setting even after 20 hours of use.My main concern about this light is that, initially, I could not get it to work. As it turned out, the sticker on the battery tray was put on BACKWARDS, instructing me to insert the tray in the wrong direction. After some initial confusion, I tried turning it around and it began to work fine. However, later that day, my two year old picked up the light from our kitchen floor and gently tapped it against the tile. The light immediately shut off. For the next five minutes, I could not get it to turn on again no matter what I tried. Again, I was confused because she tapped it far too gently to do any damage to the bulb. Perhaps she somehow unseated one of the batteries just enough to cut off the circuit. Whatever the cause, after I removed and reinserted the batteries, it began to function normally again. I haven't been able to re-create the problem, but I'll report back here if the problem ever resurfaces. Just be aware that both issues (the backwards sticker on the battery tray and the brief period in which the light quit working) suggest there may be some quality control issues with this product (which is made in China, of course.)Lastly, I'm not crazy about the light mode selection switch. To turn the light on or off, you hard press the button on the bottom of the light. To cycle through high, medium, low, or strobe, you soft press (i.e., half press) the same switch. It works well enough, but it's a tad finnicky--sometimes turning on or off when you're merely trying to cycle to the next setting, or vice versa. Moreover, I could do without the strobe setting. I think strobe settings are idiotic because, for emergency signaling, one could simply flash the light manually if need be. Cycling through functions with a single button is only slightly annoying, but it's made worse by having a superfluous strobe setting that I will never use and which, when accidentally activated, can flash your eyes like a camera flash and ruin your night vision for a few moments. Frankly, this light would be better with just two settings--"high" and "low"--especially since the high mode naturally dims to medium brightness after the first two hours of use anyway.Despite the few issues I mentioned, I think it will be very hard to beat the superb value, convenience, and packability of this light. For around $15, it's an excellent lantern for ultralight backpacking--more than sufficient for 3 to 5 days of camping, even if you use the light for 3 hours a night and carry no spare batteries. Assuming the brief moment when mine stopped working was just a fluke, I expect this will be a durable, highly functional light. Recommended![UPDATE 5-13-2014: After several nights of camping over the past month, the lantern is still going strong and has worked out very well for myself and my daughters. I lost track of the exact burn time, but despite the gradual dimming I noted in my original review, the medium brightness setting remains adequately bright for a very long time on one set of batteries. On medium, our light lasted well in excess of 20 hours--possibly as long as 30 hours--while still offering adequate usable light in the tent or teepee after dark.As a packable lantern, it is certainly a little less convenient than the brighter, better diffused glow of a full size camp lantern, but the more you use it, the more you learn how to situate it so that you have adequate light without having to stare into the illuminated LED. After getting used to it, we love it. It's an excellent lightweight, backpack-friendly option for small-area illumination, and flashlight mode has also proven useful far more often than I expected.]

Yes, this UCO product really is superior to the Black Diamond Orbit (which is still a good lantern). I have both, I like the BD Orbit, but the performance and battery life on the UCO just blow my BD away. Plus, the UCO can be bought from several different vendors here on Amazon for $17-$20, almost half the usual BD price.PRO's: Much brighter. It's difficult to confirm exact Lumens, this claims to be 150 and side by side I'd say it's 40-50% brighter than all of my 100-lumen headlamps and flashlights. So yes, I'l believe it's 150 lumens. It's much brighter than any of my other lanterns.The option to instantly use it as a flashlight is rally handy, and the BD Orbit doesn't do that.Battery life is excellent. I'll say it's good for about 36-48 hours with rechargeables depending on your brand. That's a lot of battery life. Of course, YMMV.CONs: Only two, and very minor: On a tabletop, it's a little top-heavy and easy to tip over. Not a biggie.And I do prefer the cleverly designed bail on the BD, but that's a minor note.It's not waterproof (and does not claim to be). I'd throw it in a ziplock bag if I were expecting to be around a lot of water.Do yourself a BIG favor with ALL your hanging lanterns and hanging gear: Get yourself a cheap pack of shower curtain hooks, the plain wire type, black if possible. Add those onto your existing lantern rings or bail handles. Suddenly you can attach to anything--branch, wire, whatever. Lighter and cheaper and more versatile than a carabiner.SUMMARY: As for this UCO, definitely buy it. It's a no-brainer. I would like to see BD upgrade their Orbit performance next year (and they usually do, each model year) but they'll have a hard time catching up with the specs of this 2014 UCO Clarus. I'll keep this one for a long, long time.Hope this was helpful. Happy trails.

I have a Black Diamond Apollo and an Orbit on top of 2) UCO Lumora (both old and redesigned). Of all the LED ones I own...this one is KING! It is bright, light, functional, and compact! It is the brightest LED lantern I own, which I find ironic considering my new lumora is rated higher but in comparison only equals the Clarus at 2x the weight. If I had to ding it for one thing it would be the hanging hook...It is one piece and not split so you cant use it like a hook which is how I love to use any LED lantern, the Lumora has a split hanging hook so you can use it like a hook and not just as a ring. I love the split hook design and hope they will redesign it into the Clarus. It doubles as a flashlight as well...a 150 lumen flashlight. Now this wont replace a Coleman Dual Fuel lantern (I own as well) that puts out about 800 lumens but it isnt meant to. There is a HUGE difference between them. They are different but the Clarus is safer, more functional, can be used indoors, in a tent, small enough to backpack with...the list goes on! One of my favorite things is to hang it in my tent. It takes 3AAA and when closed is very compact! This is my favorite and the kicker is it cost 1/2 of what the black diamond orbit does. For backpackers that take more then just a headlamp this is the king also! And for car camper that want something that is multi-functional, as a flashlight, lantern, and so on...this is the ticket too! Once again it wont put out the light like a propane or dual fuel coleman so dont look to replace those with this. Overall, I couldnt be more pleased. If you really wanted to nit pick something other than the hook it would be the base. Since it is small it isnt as easy to stand like the apollo or even lumora but because it is light and not too tall so you probably wont find that as big of a problem.

This is a great little device. I do recommend it! Quality and very bright, it'll travel into the depths with me I think!

A fantastic product. Bright and fairly durable despite it's size and weight. Have bought another one for partner.

UCO ML-CLARUS Clarus 150 Lumen LED Mini Lantern and Flashlight with Dimmer and Strobe This is the third one I have had and the the same problem exists. I mistakenly thought the first one was defective because the battery contacts were not attached. The second one stopped working within a couple of weeks but again, I thought it was a fluke. This third one has shown the exact same problem. It doesn't matter which setting it is on, it immediately dims and then fades out. This also happened within a couple of weeks of very limited use and now it won't turn on at all. UCO ML-CLARUS Clarus 150 Lumen LED Mini Lantern and Flashlight with Dimmer and Strobe

La surprise fut totale... Cette petite lampe éclaire comme une grande ! Bien pensée et de fabrication solide, elle a tout pour plaire. Malgré qu'elle soit compacte, elle étonne par son puissant éclairage. Aucun dommage après l'avoir échappée à quelques reprises. Excellent achat !

Un prodotto unico, imballo perfetto e curatissimo, comprato ad un prezzo più che ottimo, spedizione rapida nei tempi previsti. Cortesia e professionalità del venditore. Consigliato