I bought this Coleman personal size LED lantern when it first came out about four years ago.  I am a Cub Scout Leader and we go on several camping trips each year and I saw some other families had this lantern and I was very impressed with the amount of light it gave off, and how effortless it was to setup! 

I purchased the lantern at Walmart for about $29 (the price has come down considerably since then as LED lighting has become more mainstream, outplacing flourscent lighting as the new choice of those concerned with ecology, like myself).  I recall taking the lantern out of the box, opening up the battery compartment, and NOT finding any built in rechargable battery or no recharger cord.  Eh?  Did they forget to include it?  It was a sealed box, afterall.  After I read the instructions, I learned that this was NOT the rechargeable battery type lantern I thought it was.  Instead, this lantern runs on 4 D cell batteries.  Fortunately for me, I had several fresh D cell batteries on hand to use in the lantern.

Placing the batteries in the lantern was easy to do:  Simply twist open the bottom, plop the batteries in according to the stamped on diagram, and close up.  It takes less than a minute to do.  The problem is I don't always have these type batteries on hand and when camping, I don't always think ahead of purchasing the batteries.  I would prefer to have the option to use the D batteries or recharge a built in battery.

The lantern does last a LONG time with batteries.  I easily got through the weekend with batteries I put in the lantern.  The lantern has several light settings:  High, which lights up a considerable amount of area - pretty much a full 10'X10' area.  According to the instructions, this lantern gives off 145 Lumens of light on the high setting.  Then there is the low setting, good for leaving on while sitting at the camp fire and lighting up the bowl of popcorn.  There is also the off position and a nightlight setting, which is good for lighting up the front door of your tent at night, in case you need to get up to go to the bathroom....

The lantern is sturdy, well constructed, and lightweight (about 2 pounds).  It has a nice sturdy handle which I use to carry the lantern and hang up on a shepards hook at night.  The lantern does not get hot and will never burn you if you touch the clear plastic lighted area.

Coleman makes MANY lanterns!  Also, they make all sorts of types and sizes including propane-mantel, flourescent bulb, and kerosene-mantel.   They also make lanterns that use LED bulbs AND use rechargable batteries.  Unfortunately, those I found in the store require you to buy the rechargable battery separately, which adds about $25 to the cost of your lantern.  Other competitor lanterns have the ability to use regular batteries or recharge the built in battery with either your car lighter port or via your home's electricity.  These competitors' lanterns are often priced less than the Coleman's lantern, and work just as well.

I do like this lantern, but I ended up returning it to the store and replaced it with a competitor's lantern that uses LED batteries and is rechargable.  I love my new lantern and use it all of the time.  As a result, I would only recommend this lantern to those who prefer using D cell batteries.  Thanks for reading my review and best wishes for a nice day!

Mike 

Recommended: Yes