Vont 4 Pack LED Camping Lantern, LED Lanterns, Suitable Survival Kits for Hurricane, Emergency Light for Storm, Outages, Outdoor Portable Lanterns, Black, Collapsible, (Batteries Included)

I purchased a 4-pack of these lanterns in May of 2021. They are part of my hurricane kit and for the occasional power outage. My biggest complaint with most LED lanterns is that the only way to control its brightness is to partially close the top. However, the battery life is not improved so it doesn't help when dealing with a long term outage.I decided to buy some PWM (pulse-width modulated) speed controllers to test how easy they can be installed without interfering with the lantern's operation. I ordered a few from Amazon (search PAGOW). There are multiple sellers from which to choose but these had decent reviews and the potentiometer has a built-in switch. The installation was fairly quick and the final result doesn't look bad. Pictures are included of the modification. The extra current draw is ~5mA and small compared to the nominal draw of the lantern at 1.1A+ with new batteries before the modification.If you want to experiment and test on your own lantern, you will need the following including the PWM controller: soldering iron, desoldering tool, 2x10" 22AWG flexible(silicone sheathed) wires, 5x6" stranded wires, heat shrink tubing, 1/4" drill bit, 1/8" drill bit, phillips-head screwdriver, crimping tool with screw cutter (depends on space under the cover).It is helpful to use red and black(or blue) colored wires for the battery connections to keep things easy to follow. Try not to use solid wire (ie Cat 5) as it could end up breaking when you least expect it.Directions:1. Take off the bottom screw-on cover.2. Remove the batteries and 4 small screws for the battery holder. The bottom cover only goes back on one way so mark its orientation before removal.3. Take note of which wires are + and -. On mine, the red is positive and blue is negative. Desolder those two wires. One should be soldered to the switch in the base.4. Remove the long phillips screw in the center of the base and pull off the top assembly. Use a marker to show how much of the screw is above the nut before removing it.5. Using the 1/8" bit, drill two holes in the top assembly like in one of the pictures. The location was chosen because the wires will be hidden once reassembled.6. Fish the two desoldered wires from the battery holder through the center of the lantern and through the two holes that were drilled.7. Feed the two 10" wires through the lantern soldering one end of each wire to the same locations on the battery holder as the two desoldered wires.8. The PWM controller will need the potentiometer desoldered and reconnected to the circuit board with the five wires. Add heat shrink to the wires for electrical isolation.9. Connect the two 10" wires to the power + and power - connectors on the pcb.10. The other two wires connect to the motor + and motor - on the terminal block.11. Double-check the connections and install the batteries and test to see if everything works.12. Drill a 1/4" hole in the center of the top cover. The potentiometer might have a small nub that will need to be removed.13. Insert the potentiometer and secure it with the washer and nut that was supplied with the controller pcb.Note: When reassembling, the center screw might need to be shortened to allow the top cover to be installed with the potentiometer. Use the crimping tool for this. The same goes for possible removal of the terminal block. Heat shrink the pcb to isolate it. It will still be a tight fit so use some patience.Results: I installed the now 2 year old batteries that came with the lantern and turned it on to the lowest setting. The lantern is still going after 6 days. It isn't very bright after several days of runtime but it will still make a great night light. The knob also allows it to be used near its brightest setting. As the batteries get older, you will notice the max brightness is starting to diminish. There is also some loss of brightness due to the controller but the added function is worth it.

Awesome! Our lights go out a lot and we love having these now!! They light up our lives and our rooms! Giving to neighbors for gifts!

Nice they came with batteries.

I have been buying these for the last five years! I gave one to each HS grad going of to college as a back up for when the lights go out and some have used as their desk light. I have one in each bedroom in case the lights go out.

GREAT PRODUCT..ESPECIALLY IN AN EMERGENCY

Amazing lamps, it comes with batteries, it looks very well build. I will buy more soon. Perfect for emergencies.

You know how it is; you order something based on the claims made by the manufacturer, only to be underwhelmed when you get it.THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE PRODUCTS!I ordered two of these lanterns after days of research and debate, even after actually ordering and returning another one that I wasn't happy with.I was looking for something small, lightweight, bright, and long-lasting on batteries to take with us to West Africa where the power can be very unreliable.The first lantern I ordered was the Energizer Solar Rechargeable 9-LED Lantern. It claims to be 66 lumens and after watching several video reviews for it, I decided to try it. People reviewing it claimed it was quite bright and that the LEDs lit the defuser tubes very evenly, similar to flourecent tubes. I received the lantern and charged it in the sun for five hours, then tried it out and was so underwhelmed by the brightness. I have a small flourecent lantern that runs on my tool batteries and it is far brighter. Also, you can clearly see the LEDs at each end of the tubes and then it gets very dim in the middle. Honestly, it looks very bad to me. For its large size and weight it simply would not be useful at all in providing very useful light; maybe enough for an emergency, but not much beyond that.I then considered the UST 30-Day Lantern and almost bought that one, until somehow I stumbled upon the Divine LED one at the very last minute. I'm not sure where it came from, as I had never seen it before in all my days of searching, but... there it was. I don't question these things; just accept them as a blessing.The reviews were so positive, I figured that surely all these people can't be wrong. But, rated at only 60 Lumens, I was skeptical. Still, because it was so small, light, and simple to use, I figured, what's the worst that could happen? I might have to return it.So, I ordered two of them and they came a couple days later. I easily installed the 3 AA batteries and out to the dark garage I went (where I had tested the other lanterns.) I first turned on my flourencet lantern as a basis for comparison, then turned it off and slid the Divine LED lantern open.... Holy mother of LEDs!!! I was so surprised by how bright this thing is, especially for it's size! WOW!I then tested it out more later that night in the house, in various large and small rooms, and again it was very bright. It produces plenty of light to light a large room nicely. I find it very hard to believe that it could only be rated at 60 lumens, especially given the one I sent back was supposed to be 66 and it did next to nothing to produce any light.This lantern appears to be made well. It doesn't feel cheap at all. The slide action of opening and closing feels very solid and smooth. I love the simplicity of operation. Unlike so many where you have to click through a bunch of different settings, you just slide it up to turn it on and slide it down to close and turn off. It also makes it very compact for travel.If I had to make one small suggestion for this product it would be to have a defused lens as opposed to clear, as the LEDs are SO bright that it's like looking at the sun if you look directly at it. If they were slightly defused I think it would soften that up quite a bit. Maybe a ribbed or slightly frosted lens would be best, as it shouldn't reduce the overal brightnes. This is by no means a complaint though - I love it just as it is!So, there you have it. A product that far EXCEEDS expectations.I highly recommend these and will likely be ordering a several more prior to our trip to take as gifts.UPDATE 4/6/2015I ordered four more of these lanterns and received them yesterday. I have tested them all and they all work just as perfectly as the original two did. Quality seems to be very consistent.I will be taking all six of them on our trip to Africa and predict that I will not return with any of them, as everyone will want one.