Good rechargeable lantern

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Ron Bones

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Hey all,

Anyone have a recommendation for a good rechargeable lantern?

I bought a coleman one last year and it didn't hold charge after one use so I returned it but have since struggled to find another.

My build is completely off grid with no facility for hook up or mains charging. We will be relying purely on solar and battery to battery charging and I plan to have everything bar the diesel heater and fridge rechargeable. We've got everything now, except the simplest thing, the lights!

If all else fails I might buy a couple of vintage oil lamps and fit the innards from some rechargeable head torches in them.

Any thoughts?
 
The best rechargeable lamp I've ever owned is a Lens Lensor H7r the link is to the new version which is even better than the one I 've got. They are not cheap - the fakes are!
 
That's a good call thanks sparrks, I can get hold of those quite cheaply where I work and it was one of my option for butchering into a lantern but still, if I can just get a lantern and spare a headtorches life then I will do that first!
 
You would be better looking for a good one to use standard batteries you could at least the use either rechargable or standard batteries ones with integral batteries need throwing away when faulty.
Why not go for LED lighting working off your 12v battery these have very low consumption but far better legal of lighting

Alf


Ron Bones said:
Hey all,

Anyone have a recommendation for a good rechargeable lantern?

I bought a coleman one last year and it didn't hold charge after one use so I returned it but have since struggled to find another.

My build is completely off grid with no facility for hook up or mains charging. We will be relying purely on solar and battery to battery charging and I plan to have everything bar the diesel heater and fridge rechargeable. We've got everything now, except the simplest thing, the lights!

If all else fails I might buy a couple of vintage oil lamps and fit the innards from some rechargeable head torches in them.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Alf, hadn't actually considered using rechargeable batteries in a standard lantern. I just dismissed the battery ones because they mostly needed D cells, which are A) expensive and B) I hate waste and putting things in landfill. I'll look into chargers. I'm trying to avoid any built in lighting to be honest. I like a lantern, with a few hooks to hang it on, stick it on the table at dinner time. Then use head torches to read etc. I think I just like the camp feel rather than the house feel maybe?
 
I think these are a bit too powerful foe inside lighting though I have several LED Lenser from P3 to P7
Worth every penny if you need a torch for a work tool

Alf

sparrks said:
The best rechargeable lamp I've ever owned is a Lens Lensor H7r the link is to the new version which is even better than the one I 've got. They are not cheap - the fakes are!
Click to expand...
 
Cheap solar garden lights from poundshop, put 3 or 4 on dashboard during the day to charge. Use individually or all together for more light. You can take the lights off the post so panel is upwards facing sky when charging, and then cut posts short enough to stand in a mug.

I got solar fairy lights, give off quite a bit of light. I also rotate mine so that they get 2 or 3 days to fully charge in between use.
 
not actually lanterns but ive got several rechargable led torches , two are solar with a tring pull dynamo as well , one ives on the van dashboard and one in the conservatory, theyre always charged and ready for use, also got a wind up one that lives on the bedside cabinet. just got to remember to wind it now and again to keep the battery topped up. my experience is that the batteries last a lot longer if theyre kept permenantly topped up on solar.


total different scale , i wanted to use an old tractor yesterday, been sat unused since september, its always parked with a wee solar charger facing the sun , squirt of easy start and it started first turn of the key.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I'm swaying toward some typical camping lanterns and buying rechargeable D cell batteries and a charger. I want something with a good diffuser so its nice and homely, a lot of the LED stuff is too harsh and white in my experience.
 
cheap motorhome lighting

ron...........theres several options shown, but I reckon the cheapest is the circular 3led pushlights from the poundshops..........you get 2 per pack, so they are 50pence each and last up to 3 months using 3 AAA small cylindrical batteries. You simply stick them or screw the back plates opposite or above the place you want to light in your van, eg above dining table or above sink or toilet........and tap on and off as needed. they just twist off the backplates so you can interchange them.......I managed to get all my lighting off the leisure battery this way, and its dirt cheap if you get the batteries in 10 pack from poundshop as well.........I probably do all my winter lighting for about £6.....................steve bristol
 
That sounds like a neat option! I will look into those. I seem to remember one of my T4's having similar thing in it when I bought it but what I did with them I don't know! I'll have a dig!
 
Alf 1 said:
I think these are a bit too powerful foe inside lighting though I have several LED Lenser from P3 to P7
Worth every penny if you need a torch for a work tool

Alf
Click to expand...

I must admit I missed the bit about using them as lighting for the interior - plenty of inexpensive leds for that purpose.

I use that headtorch for both work and leisure, it has a great adjustable spread of light plus an excellent dimmer control.
 
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