During out last camping trip I finally had a good change to use this d.light S20 lantern I’d purchased a while back. I was excited about it since the lantern was less than $20 shipped and promised good things. 🙂 Here’s my take on the lantern…
Battery Life
The website’s info states that the S20 can be run for 8 hours on a full battery which, in my tests, is way off. I was able to run the S20 on low for well over 9 hours (I did so overnight at home before camping and without charging it first) and was surprised to see it still going strong. In fact, I then choose to turn the lantern on high for a few hours just to get it to drain completely but it was still going! That was nice to see. How long does it really last? I don’t know as I never tried to drain it fully.
Brightness (and low vs. high setting)
On it’s own the S20 seems rather bright. In fact, I choose to gather five of the cheapo patio solar lights and attempted to subjectively compare their collective light versus the S20 and, in my opinion, the S20 outshone them no problem. Compared to any other lantern, be it the battery-operated Rayovac Sportsman LED lantern that I’m fan of or a typical propane lantern, there is NO comparison as the S20 is nowhere near as bright. Using it while camping made this clearly obvious. That doesn’t mean the S20 isn’t useful for a variety of off-grid tasks or for around the house, just don’t expect it to light up the night like a traditional lantern would.
The only actual gripe I have is that there is very little perceived difference in the low and high settings. Yes, there is a difference but it’s not super obvious; sometimes I wasn’t sure whether I had the lantern on low or high and found myself turning off the lantern just to be sure I had it right. In my opinion, I would rather have had the high setting be brighter. Yes, this would use more battery and maybe require a brighter (or additional) LED but I think the trade-off would be worth it.
Lightweight
They’re right that the S20 is very lightweight (it’s only 7 ounces). Compared to any alternative lantern that uses batteries or fuel there is no comparison! A toddler could carry the S20 around for hours on end without a problem. The lack of weight also makes it super easy to hang or mount nearly anywhere, from a tree branch to being tacked up to a wall. In fact, I recently hanged it from a thumb tack in a bulletin board and the lantern didn’t fall. Granted, that wouldn’t be a permanent solution but it worked.
Shape
They say the shape is supposed to be akin to a traditional lantern and I guess you could say that. The thing is that the S20 is shaped so that it’s narrower at the base and wider at the top (where the solar panel is). Initially, I was worried that this top-heavy design would make it unstable but the lantern had no problem staying upright, even on a wooden park bench at our campsite. That said, I would still have preferred the shape be the opposite of what it is now, that is, wider at the bottom. Maybe there’s a reason why it’s shaped the way it is, such as to diffuse the light better or to make it hang… I don’t know. In my tests the shape isn’t a problem, just a preference.
Renewable Solar Power
The S20 is renewable since it uses a small solar panel to recharge the light. I would say the panel is about three times the size of the cheapo patio solar lights you can purchase at Walmart for about $1. I’m not sure how this relates to it’s ability to recharge, though, they say it’s a “highly efficient” solar panel. I have no way to verify that statement. I can say that I repeated the overnight test after having let the lantern sit out all day to charge in the sunlight and the test was successfully repeated. Oh, it can also be charged via a USB cable but I wasn’t interested in that capability.
Final Thoughts
For less than $20 shipped it’s hard to go wrong with the d.Light S20 Solar Lantern. It lights up a dark room (or picnic table) well enough to see what you’re doing and lasts surprisingly longer on a single charge than I anticipated. Since it’s lightweight it’s easy to carry or hang. The ability to charge via solar is the main selling point here. Yes, you can purchase a dozen or more patio solar lights at similar cost but those things never seem to last very long. And, though I’ve only had this lantern for a month or two, I feel like it’s rugged enough to take some abuse. I expect to take the S20 Lantern with us camping for years to come.
Stats About the S20
According to the dLightDesign.com website:
- The d.light S20 provides 8 hours of light on a full battery and uses proprietary, highly efficient LEDs. It provides 360-degree space lighting for any environment or focused light for studying, working, or cooking.
- The d.light S20 is designed to be extremely user-friendly and flexible. It has a detachable handle and includes an integrated solar panel that makes recharging simple and easy. The S20 can be carried, hung or placed on any surface to effectively illuminate the surrounding area.
- A highly efficient solar panel is conveniently integrated into the d.light S20 to make solar charging simple and easy. The S20 can also be charged from a USB source using the USB cable or a standard Nokia AC charger.
- The d.light S20 is designed as a replacement for the kerosene lantern for a rural off-grid household. Its familiar lantern-like shape makes it easy for our customers to use and eliminates the need to purchase kerosene for light.
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