Etekcity Camping Lantern for Emergency Light Hurricane Supplies, Accessories Gear Tent Lights, Lanterns Battery Powered LED for Power Outages, Survival Kits, Operated Lamp, 4 Pack,Black

10 reviews for Etekcity Camping Lantern for Emergency Light Hurricane Supplies, Accessories Gear Tent Lights, Lanterns Battery Powered LED for Power Outages, Survival Kits, Operated Lamp, 4 Pack,Black

1. Rated 1 out of 5

   ScottoR – 02/11/2020

   These are well-reviewed and were a lightning deal, so I picked up a 4-pack.

   In theory these are great little lanterns: Reasonably bright, compact, and their on/off action is, let’s face it, cool. Plus they come with alkaline batteries, not the zinc-carbon cells you sometimes get in this sort of thing.

   However, they seem to fall under the adage "you get what you pay for".

   Out of the box all 4 of mine worked great. I was quite pleased with the purchase. But about 30 minutes later — after not having touched them — one of the lanterns wouldn’t light. I tried other batteries, and no luck.

   Since it wasn’t working anyhow, I decided to take it apart for the purposes of making a YouTube video. Here’s what I found:

   – There are 3 circuit boards supporting the LEDs inside the clear section. The traces on the boards are of extremely poor quality. At points there is no continuity on the tracks (presumably due to failed etching) and jumpers were soldered on at the factory as replacement paths.

   – The quality of the soldering is incredibly poor. Dry joints, half-full pads, awkward gaps. Just bad.

   – The problem with the failed lantern was in the contact switch that gets depressed when the lantern is closed. The actual switch was faulty, and tapping on it got the LEDs to illuminate briefly.

   I’ll admit that I could have just received a bad copy (though I doubt it due to the quantity and quality of the problems). However, these last two points are generally true, as they’re inherent to the design:

   – The top part of the lanterns slides up and down smoothly, and with a comfortable amount of friction. However, that’s accomplished by having O-rings pinched between two rails on the bottom section and a tab of plastic on the top section. There was already wear on those O-rings on the lantern that I inspected, even though it was pretty much brand new. I can’t imagine those O-rings lasting long. (Take a taught rubber band and rub it against the edge of a table.. Same idea.)

   – But perhaps worst of all is that these are sold as "outdoor" "camping" lanterns. That’s well and good if you’re using them in Arizona or New Mexico, because there is NO attempt at waterproofing at all. Any rain is just going right inside the base to corrode the already poor connections within.

   Like I said, the one I opened up may have been a fluke of bad QA/QC. However, the fact that these are sold as "outdoor" is in my opinion worthy of a one-star review. "Outdoor" implies at least some level of water resistance; As far as I can see that would be the only factor differentiating an LED lantern between indoor and outdoor use. Hence the product doesn’t meet the expectations set by the manufacturer. (Don’t get me wrong, if it were waterproof I’d still give it a bad review for the terrible build quality.)

   If you want to keep these around at emergency lights for blackouts (which is what I’m doing), then I suppose they’re fine. One out of the four of them is bound to work during a power failure. I just wouldn’t bet on all 4 in a pinch, based upon what I’ve seen.

   As a postscript, I’m baffled that these have 900+ reviews at the time I’m writing this with absolutely no 2- and 1-star reviews (other than mine, of course). Even highly-regarded, high-quality products from reputable firms have at least a few bad reviews out of 900. I’m not saying there’s anything going on here, but that just seems too good to be true from where I’m sitting. (Seriously, pick any product on Amazon that you think is of impeccable quality and has more than 900 reviews. You’ll find at least a few bad ones.)

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   AnneFGar – 26/11/2020

   I was not expecting to receive a good quality product. for the price it is recommended and this will do the job..

3. Rated 5 out of 5

   shanti – 27/02/2021

   They come with batteries work great just got them delivered I’m beyond pleased. Ordering another set

4. Rated 5 out of 5

   Old House Parents – 11/05/2021

   We love these pop-up lanterns for outdoor bonfires, camping, and hanging out at the beach. They are easy to carry with the metal handles. They are easy to use – the pop up slide can hold at any height, for minimum to maximum light exposure. The bulbs are really bright, which helps when you are in total darkness. These are a must on our annual 6-day camping trip, where we have no electricity: we hang them from tent tops for late-night lighting needs, or we use them on table tops for night-time board/card games. They are durable, lasting longer than I expected, since our teen takes them outside for sports practice in the dark and leaves them out all night. We also use these when our power goes out occasionally – one lantern can light up a room quite successfully, if put up high enough. This set is well priced, and having 4 makes it much easier for us – we have put 2 in our camping box and have 2 in our hall closet for home use.

5. Rated 4 out of 5

   laceandcrew – 07/10/2021

   These are great lanterns and easy for the kids to use! My only complaint is that one of the four lanterns was not working when it arrived. Turned out it was missing a battery which is an easy fix …. but if I’m being honest, it’s a little annoying that I already paid for the batteries when I bought this product and I shouldn’t have had to spend more money on extra batteries. This is especially true because I bought these in “like new” condition and they came with a sticker saying they’d been inspected. Either way, happy to have them, just disappointed about the battery situation.

6. Rated 5 out of 5

   Ally – 11/05/2022

   Love how easy these lanterns are and their brightness Perfect to have around the house or use when taking our dogs out since it is very dark where we live/limited streetlights

7. Rated 5 out of 5

   Rachel Shepherd – 09/08/2022

   We’ve had a lot of power outages in my area lately, so I decided to buy these for visibility if the power goes out. Thankfully we’ve been fairly lucky so far and haven’t HAD to use them, but my daughter loves to pretend the power went out as an excuse to use them. They’re so easy to use, and the brightness provided is incredible. With the handle you can hand them from like a ceiling fan and it lights up the room. Easy to use, you just grab the handle and pull up and it turns on when you pull it up. Love them

8. Rated 5 out of 5

   keepitanonymous – 16/09/2022

   I bought a set of these lanterns back in 2017 for emergencies. They have always worked when I needed them and I love how long batteries last! The lights are super bright! I am replacing the old set with a new set. Some of the old units don’t work well anymore but I attribute that to my children playing with them and dropping them repeatedly 🤦🏻‍♀️. I was pleased enough with the first set to replace with the same brand, extra bonus they’re a great price!

9. Rated 5 out of 5

   AB – 16/10/2022

   I’ve used one that seems to be working fine.

10. Rated 5 out of 5

    Terri5757 – 22/03/2023

    Very bright. I put the batteries in the storage area so they won’t corrode just sitting in the battery compartment. I put the lanterns in a convenient easy to grab spot so I can get to them easily during a power outage. And no need to fumble around in the dark looking for batteries. Lights up a decent size room well enough to see.