Coleman MicroPacker Compact Battery Lantern

The light isn't blindingly bright, but it is pretty bright considering the tiny size. The lamp seems sturdy enough, and the small size makes it easy to store for emergencies. I could barely see any difference with the rear reflector up or down, so I just leave it down.

These lanterns are great and very affordable. They put out a lot of light. We have bought 4 of these to use during power outages (we've had a lot of snow this year). You can easily read with this lantern and it's perfect to keep by the bed when you need to get up during the night (with no power). The handy carry handle is a nice touch too. We initially bought the one that has high and low, but this one does just fine with it's good bright light. Take my advice, stock up now and you'll be glad to have this handy little gadget when your lights go out!

The purpose of this light seems to be to blast light in the eyes of anyone approaching it from any angle -- not surprising from a company known for it's infamous and blinding Coleman lantern. You might think from its design that it slides together for a more compact package, but that's where the batteries go and there's no sliding to be had. For two LED's it doesn't seem to put out much light. The LED's are inside the standard cylinder of textured plastic which diffuses the light somewhat but also blasts out bits of hard light. It's OK for a suspended tent light, but I wouldn't set it on a table to read or to eat dinner. For a truly intelligently designed lamp by people who understand light, see Dorcy's 4 LED 41-1017.

This little light is very bright for such a small light. I really like the feature of being able to direct the light. This was a great purchase for the price.

Obviously there's no miracle equation between long battery life and greater brightness, but this product really leans toward the long-life end of the spectrum (other reviews suggest it'll go for 24h on 3 AAs).

Speaking of which, the 3 included AAs are GP brand which I've used before and fine to be great quality. I haven't put our lantern through the paces yet (haven't gone camping - not geeky enough to do tests just for kicks at home) but it's really not that bright. Don't think you can read a book or play cards by it comfortably, I really see it as more like a help to sift through camping gear in an otherwise dark tent, but even after your eyes adjust to the relative dimness, it's really not that bright, and the rear 'flood' mode shutter makes little discernible difference. Much better than a dark tent, but not really what I was looking for.