Considering that there are now stock LED flashlights that are capable of 10,000 lumens output and lights with 3000 to 4000 Lumens out are readily available from multiple sources why are LED lanterns stuck at a claimed 1000 Lumens maximum and about 300 to 350 Lumens for most so called “powerful” lanterns? Other than the 1000 Lumens output Coleman the next most powerful I see are in the 550 to 650 Lumens range and they are few and far between. Current technology can obviously do better if the demand exists.
Is there a demand for a lantern with the following suggested features?
Output from 10 to 3000 Lumens, continuously variable. (Similar to Supbeam X40 flashlight)
LEDs well enough heat sinked so maximum output can be used continuously if needed.
Design which minimizes glare.
Neutral White or Warm White color temperature output. (3800K to 5000K color temperature high CRI)
Lithium Ion Batteries powered, 4 or 8 (can run on either combo) (Like Fenix TK 75, 76 and 61 and extension)
Accept 18650 and 26650 batteries.
Regulated output until batteries are 85 to 90% discharged, then low battery indication and decreased output.
External power input connector so the lamp can be run from a 12V nominal car battery or other 12V DC source when desired.
Is this an outrageous idea and have I overlooked any other worthwhile ideas for the state of the art LED lantern? What are your thoughts on the concept?
Sounds too good to be true! but if there was such a thing I would be putting my hand up for one.
I must admit I have looked around a bit for a decent lantern but they always seem soo underwhelming compared to flashlights. So I just bought the solarforce LT-1 lantern head and whilst it isn’t hugely bright it’s pretty versatile and I have a bunch of different drop-ins I can use with it.
I made such lantern for home use. but I didn’t found optics.
setup:
two nichia 219 leds neutral white. parallel and driven by 5x7135 (~1750mA)
6x18650 laptop pulled
2x1A TP4056 charging boards + LM2576 step down module to charge lantern from 12V pack.
ATTiny13A to mode control
I used dead computer PSU case for housing and 0.1” thick aluminum sheet as heat sink
The Clamplight lantern is available on Amazon for a better price than mentioned in the video. I have the Streamlight Siege and it seems to be about the best of the 300 Lumens class relatively small lanterns but it is still quite low output compared to what could be done IMO. Standard household level lighting has spoiled me when a standard old style 100 watt light bulb was 1700 Lumens out and many light fixtures used multiples of them.
Speaking as someone who just bought three LED lanterns, and tested out the coleman you mention last night briefly, the answer is YES. While the coleman is adequate, it doesn't come close to matching a gas lantern, in either brightness of the quality of the light produced. I'm glad I will have two more 300 lumen lanterns along for the weekend.
If there was an option with an LED lantern, of a similar size to gas lanterns, meaning relatively BIG, that fed off of 18650's I would have gone for it.
Ideally what I would like to see is a lantern that feeds off of 18650's, maybe 24 of them, where reasonable, but not quality, or matched cells can be used, with 4-6 MTG2s, with adequate heatsinking, and able to pump out enough light that even with with a cover over the LEDs it would still pump out a healthy 4000 lumens.
I would be completely ok with using a power bank with nimh batteries instead, although not thrilled since it would add to size significantly.
Unfortunately there is no production version of anything like this out there.
Personally I would rather use 3 of the 1k lumen lanterns spread around than to have 3k lumens in a single point light source, and I would imagine most folks use and prefer multi point lighting in their homes as well. Even cars have a headlight on each side
Maybe so, but the production light can only run at max for 5 hours - at least that's what is advertised, I will see. Tested the batteries before I put them in, they were all at 1.51v.
Also three lamps take up three times as much space, and end up being three times heavier.
If following ANSI standards then the output after 5 hours is going to be 10% of the starting value or in the region of 100 Lumens. I also expect pretty rapid fading even in the first hour or so as alkaline batteries cannot sustain the current draw of the light when run at maximum based on some current measurements reported on CPF for the lantern. Probably steadier output but less total run time if using true D size NiMH batteries.
I have a 3-D cell Rayovac Sportsman, with the dinky little SMD LEDs replaced by a single old XM-L, and it's more than enough light for the things you should expect a lantern to do. Many times I've toyed with the idea of reworking the driver board but then I remember that it already puts out enough light and 'more than enough' would just shorten the runtime from approximately forever down to something less practical, basically for nothing but bragging rights. I would like it if there were a way to modify the battery compartment to work with either the series D cells or a handful of 18650s in parallel, but I've not yet hit on a way to do that that would work reliably with both battery types, and job #1 for a lantern, before you get to light output and power source and size/weight and any of the other stuff, is that it has to be 100% reliable.
...and can cover three times the area. What happens if you need light in two separate locations but your single Monster Lantern isn't bright enough to reach both spots at the same time?
It’s not outrageous and I think such bright lantern would be optimal designed with an adjustable reflector system so the light can be used both on a table and over head.
Having 3k lumens hanging overhead shining down onto my campsite would be awesome and it’s the only way I could see such brightness useful.
Having 3k lumens sitting on a table would not only be difficult to look at but a large amount of light would be simply lost or wasted shining out into nowhere.
Been there and done it. I also collect and build Lanterns, along with flashlights. I probably have 80 plus lanters in my collection of everything from including vintage Coleman gas lanterns, to LED mini lanterns larger LED lanterns, etc. I have already converted my Flourescent Coleman lantern to a 500 Lumen LED model with remote control, and in the process of modding a Classic Coleman model 321 Naptha Mantle Lantern to a 1500 Lumen MT-G2 multi-mode version that runs on 6 18650’s, 8 D-cells, or a single 12v SLA 5AH battery. ( it will still have a “fake” mantle to simulate the gas original, only without the flame, fuel and heat.
I prefer multi point lighting at home because LED bulbs and CFL's that fit under a lamp shade aren't bright enough. So no, I want a 3000 lumen lantern, and if I still want multi point lighting, I'll get three 3000 lumen lanterns.
One of the reasons my original post suggested making it continuously variable. No need to live with high output when not wanted or needed and lower output greatly extends run time. I was trying to lay out parameters for a flexible use lantern that except possibly for size could be a kind of universal uses design. To me one of the major disadvantages of the mantle lantern is that you are very limited in the ability to turn it down to a low output level. Easy to include in an LED design though.
I end up using one of my flashlights instead. In my case, there will be about ~30 people at our campfire, all with have some lights, I'm bringing a ton of finger lights for kids, and lighting in general should not be an issue at all (especially that this campsite has power outlets every 50 feet or so). So it comes down to a matter of preference, and yes some bragging rights. I would have preferred to just hang up one lantern to light up the area, and be done with it.
I also find myself very rarely using anywhere close to turbo or even high on my flashlights... usually it's the two lower settings that do literally all the work. At the end of the day, it's nice to just have options, and while there are a ton of ~300 lumen LED lanterns, there is literally just one that even tries to approach what gas lanterns are doing.
I read and understood that you would include variable brightness. I like variable brightness on every type of light in my life. In your OP you asked had you over looked any other worthwhile ideas and I was just proposing one regarding an adjustable reflector for use in table vs overhead situations. You also said you were trying to lay out the parameters for a flexible use lantern and I guess I don’t think simply variable brightness equals flexible use.
Most of the common led lanterns are great used on a table but relatively useless when hung overhead due to the led strips and emitted light being perpendicular to the ground. However there are a few use inverted-cone shaped bodies instead of cylinders, so that the led’s are less than perpendicular to the ground, these type cast great downward light.
Another easy to implement and useful feature is having the handle double as an adjustable angle stand.
Just throwing out some ideas
I have that same light, only i modded mine with a LED emitter and 2 mode driver. (High/Low) its the second one from the right in the photo below of a line up of some of the smaller lanterns in my collection. ( many of these below ere converted to LED and uses Flashlight-Drivers for the modes.
Here’s another crazy lantern idea fresh out the atmosphere J) Imagine an umbrella upside down and it’s canopy exterior covered with led’s. When the umbrella is closed the light is emitted outward. When you open the umbrella the light is emitted downward (or which ever way you point it).
Now I dont think led’s on an actual umbrella would make a great lantern, but I would quickly buy one that functioned in this way and especially if it was really bright and called something like “The Transformer”.
One major use for lanterns is during power outages. Should a relatively high power LED lantern have a removable top cap so that much of the light can be spread by ceiling bounce if desired? Kind of like some of the small camping lanterns which have this feature so when the top cap and reflective cone is removed the lantern effectively becomes a directional light but without the sharp focus of a flashlight. I have a small 3AA lantern made this way.
Considering the number of times that I have been asked to make lanterns for people after showing off mine I know there is a demand. In fact I just finished one for another member that is around 10,000 lumens on high. It’s a square lantern with drivers and switches for each side. 8x18650. 24 XML’s on Nocticons mounted on a big old chunk of aluminum. What is nice is that your don’t have to run all four sides or have it on high, One side on low is still a nice bit of light for a picnic table.
Lanterns that run on either 18650’s or 26650’s would sell to just about anyone who is running those batteries already. I think that would be one of the biggest selling points. So far I have only found one lantern that runs on a single 18650. That was from the yupard dealer on ali-express.
