Merry Christmas one and all. Many thanks for all the reads, rates and comments - all are appreciated...
Merry Christmas one and all. Many thanks for all the reads, rates and comments - all are appreciated. An accountant by day and a random reviewer by night I am not a professional writer, nor do I have any ambitions to be I guess I am just opinionated.
Member since:07.03.2007
Reviews:253
Members who trust:67
Everyone who goes camping, or has camped in the past knows the importance of having a good and reliable light, torch or lantern. There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of a dark and rainy night for a call of nature with the toilet block a 200m walk only to find that your lantern batteries have given up the ghost and you have no light. It is moments like these that can seriously make you consider whether camping is really worth it.
Before I got this lantern I always ensured that I had loads of spare batteries to ensure that I never got caught short, but this turned out to be quite expensive and I was forever ‘mislaying’ the spares.
Wind up torches, lights and lanterns have been around for years and I have read many good, as well as many bad things about them so I had never investigated any further. That was until I had used one whilst camping with a family member. My mind was made up, wind up lanterns were the way forward and it was whilst browsing through a local camping supplies shop that I stumbled across the Gelert 12 LED windup mini lantern.
In the box
In the box there is two items, being the lantern and a mains charger and that’s it. There are no additional bits and pieces and no instructions, which did surprise me a bit since I can’t think of any product I have purchased over the last few years that did not include an instruction booklet or user guide of some sort, even when using the product was so “idiot proof” that a guide is not required.
Instruction booklets and user guides contain all the relevant warnings, disclaimers, how to dispose of the product, information about the manufacturer etc. etc. but the Gelert does not have this, and since it is not needed I thing it is great that this company have bucked the trend and not bothered. In my opinion, this shows a forward thinking company since leaving out surplus paper not only saves the company money, it also helps the environment and this appears to be high on the agenda of almost everyone these days.
Some consumers may be wondering, “where’s all the important information then? Surely there must be some?” Those of you that are wondering this is correct. There is some important information and all of it is stamped around the box. This is a great idea and I
often wonder why other manufacturers don’t adopt this.
Gelert appears to be an environmentally aware company (or maybe they are just trying to save money in these hard times) since the ‘less wastage’ theme is carried in to the packaging for the lantern. The packaging is simply a cardboard box (that is reduced as far as possible by cutting a hole in it to show off the lantern). There is no bubble wrap, no protective wrapping, on other ‘filler’ boxes, nothing. I think this is great since less packaging means less waste clogging up my wheelie bin so it is a win-win situation all round. I hate excess packaging, it is one of my bug bears so I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box to find just the product.
Looks
This lantern doesn’t look like anything special, but then given its use does it really need to be? I know campers that are obsessed by the image they portray and they have to have all the ‘new, modern and stylish’ camping equipment and they would never have this lantern hanging from their tent frame, it just doesn’t portray the right image.
However, I actually like the look of this lantern since it is black, a colour I think looks quite classy. Besides, a lot of other lanterns, such as those made by Coleman are green, which I think is awful.
The plastic is thin and looks cheap and nasty but you have to get very close to the lantern to realise it is made out of inferior materials. The thin plastic is not a criticism since it is no worse than that used in lanterns made by other manufacturers, and it seems that all camping equipment is made out of thin plastic in order to keep the weight down.
Specifications
The specifications stamped on the box are as follows:
i) 3 x AAA (optional)
ii) Bulb type: 12 x 5mm ultrabright white LEDS
iii) Burn time – 3 – 4 hours mains charge
iv) 6 –7 hours 3 AAA
v) 1 minute winding = 15 minutes light
vi) 2 functions – 4 LED on/12 LED on
The unique selling point of this lantern is the fact that it is wind up and, other than the internal battery that is charged via a dynamo, no other batteries are required so why Gelert decided to enable users to power the light using additional batteries is beyond me. I appreciate that it negates the hassle of winding the lantern up but this is hardly a big issue.
On the box there is reference to “ultrabright LEDS” and “energy saving LEDS”. Is this not a contradiction in terms? I am struggling to see hoe ultrabright LEDS can be energy saving. The bulbs in the lantern are fine so this is not a criticism. I guess I am just being a bit pedantic.
The 3 – 4 hours burn time stated on the box is a bit optimistic, even if you just use the 4 LED function and not the full 12 LED. I find that I get 2.5 hours of good light. The lantern will last for just over 3 hours but after 2.5 hours the light gets so dim that it is hardly worth having it on. Some people may see this time as poor but then I guess it depends on what the lantern is being used for. I use the lantern purely for getting ready for bed, finding things in the dark and as a pee light. I do not sit there after dark with the lantern on full blast for hours on end.
I am unable to comment on how long the burn time is using 3 AAA batteries, although if the 3 – 4 hour burn time per charge is anything to go by then I am guessing that this will be overstated too.
In my experience 1 minute of winding does not produce 15 minutes of light. If I’m lucky I get 10 minutes with only about 7 minutes good light. Although shortI find this length of time more than adequate and if I do need additional light then I just wind the handle once more, or as many times is required. It really is not that much of a chore to do.
The 2 functions is a good feature. There are times when 12 LEDS is just a bit too much and you can get away with a softer light. In my opinion 2 functions is not enough and I think the manufacturers should have made it so you can have 4 LEDS, 8 LEDS or the full 12 LEDS. Switching between the features is simple:
i) Press the ON/OFF button once to operate the 4 LED function
ii) Press the ON/OFF button once more to operate the 12 LED function
iii) Press the ON/OFF button once more to turn the lantern off.
The box carries a warning in that the ON/OFF button should not be pressed repeatedly and you should allow at least 20 seconds between turning the lantern on and off.
Features
The manufacturers claim:
i) Compact and lightweight
ii) Durable folding carry handle
iii) Fold out hanging hook
iv) Energy saving ultrabright LEDS
v) Water resistant
vi) Push on/off switch
This lantern is compact and it is lightweight but it is no more so than many of the other lanterns available, so whilst this is true it is not a unique selling point of this lantern. In addition, I should note
Pictures of Gelert 12 Led Wind-up Lantern
The lantern in all its glory. Looks cheap and nasty but there is a protective cage around the LEDs and the hanging hook is a very useful feature.
that there are a few other lanterns on the market that are smaller, lighter and give out more light than the Gelert. The only disadvantage of these are they are much more expensive. I do find it strange that smaller and lighter items are often a lot more expensive than their larger counterparts.
The carry handle is made out of thick plastic and is very strong. In addition the hinges are also strong and very well made. Unless the handle is abused there is no way it will fail, allowing the lantern to fall, since the lantern is just too light. Personally I think the handle is a bit of an overkill and unnecessary but I guess it is better to be safe than sorry.
The fold out hanging hook is an excellent feature because it is very, very useful, and allows the lantern to be hung safely in a variety of places. Like the handle, the hook is made from thick, strong plastic which may be considered a bit of an overkill but then it does the job perfectly.
The manufacturers claim that this lantern is water resistant but to what extent is not quantified anywhere on the box. The lantern is not a fully sealed unit, therefore there is always the chance that water may seep in and damage it. Being in a tent this lantern has had to endure condensation, like everything in tnents, and I must say that it has coped with this very well. The clear plastic containing the bulbs has misted up but it soon clears. I have not and would not take this lantern outside in the rain, even during one of those nightly pee breaks, so I can’t comment on how waterproof it really is.
The LEDS are covered by a plastic casing which in turn is covered by a steel cage which offers further protection if the lantern is accidentally knocked over. Whilst the cage will protect against the occasional light knock it is not strong enough to withstand any real hard.
Charging the internal battery
Before first use Gelert recommends that the internal battery be charged for 8 hours. This is no big deal and simply involves plugging the jack plug of the mains socket in to the front of the lantern and switching the power on at the wall. You must ensure that the lantern is off during the charging process.
As well as a mains charging socket this lantern has an additional socket that allows you to charge the lantern using a jack plug that can be inserted in to a 12 volt source, such as a cigarette lighter socket or a leisure battery. This ideal for campers that do not stay in a trailer tent, camper or caravan, i.e. those who enjoy an electrical hook up.
It should be noted that the internal battery needs a full recharge every three to four months to prolong the life of it.
The range and prices
The Gelert is available in two different sizes, being the mini and the standard and both types are identical in everything but size. They even have the same number of LEDS, i.e. 12, which I find surprising since I would have thought that the bigger lantern would have more LEDS.
I paid £19.95 for the mini size. When compared to similar windup lanterns it is not cheap but then it is not overly expensive either. I appreciate that £19.99 is expensive for a lantern but this lantern will work out cheaper in the long run since it doesn’t require any batteries. It is going to more cost effective to buy an expensive lantern and no batteries as opposed to a cheaper lantern that requires new batteries, especially as lanterns notoriously ‘eat’ batteries.
The standard lantern costs £29.99 and comes with an additional 5 LED head torch. I appreciate the head torch may be a useful bolt on but I didn’t think it justified the additional expense especially given the lanterns were identical in everything but size.
My opinion
I have been converted. If, like me, you do not have access to an electric hook up on campsites then windup lanterns are the way forward. Whilst it is an expensive outlay it will be less in the long run.
(Originally posted on Dooyoo under the name of Yackers1)
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