Review on MalloMe LEDs Camping Lantern Flashlights by Kevin Witherspoon

I'm a bit of a light addict (I used to visit the CandlePowerForums). I first saw these lights at Revain (the only place I've seen them so far) and they drew me in for a number of reasons. They looked solidly built, thoughtfully designed, and I liked that they had a diffuser over the LEDs. (I have noticed that most small LED lights shine the LEDs directly in your eyes and the light is too bright.) I also liked that they came in multiple packages and thought the colors looked good. When they were back in stock for under $20 I bought them. Even though I only had them for two days, I couldn't be happier. The lights are about the size I expected: when closed with the handles folded, they're about the size of a standard soup can. The fully extended handles add approximately four inches to the length. They are a good size to be carried easily with one hand and the paneling and handles are "grippy". good for clumsy guys like me. The longer bodice adds about another four inches. The top lifts up easily and smoothly, but there's enough resistance to lead me to believe that accidentally opening and draining the battery would be difficult. The light is bright! In fact, it's brighter than I expected. I have a UST 30 day flashlight that claims 300 lumens at full brightness, but this flashlight's 146 lumens seems more than half as bright. I would describe the light as "daylight" rather than "soft white" or warm color, but white is at least as accentuated as blue, so not too bright. You can dim the light simply by not fully extending the top, although don't expect extremely precise control over light output. However, it's a nice feature that allows you to make some adjustments. Also keep in mind that the LEDs appear to be at full power no matter how far the top is extended. So you probably won't save battery life by leaving them partially covered. Speaking of the battery, another reason I wanted these lights is that they run on 3 AA. I like the run time of D-Lights, but these batteries are expensive. AAs are ubiquitous, and I had enough rechargeable batteries in my collection to throw out every one of the four lamps I received. Also, I applaud the choice of AA over AAA who have a quarter of the time for the same price! I haven't exhausted the AA kit in these lights yet, but I'm going on a week's trip to a country cabin next month and I expect them to work all night with no problems. The batteries are easy to remove and replace (much easier than those infamous 3D flashlights that require you to align a tiny slippery notch in the cover). Even if they run out, it's okay to recharge them or just buy a new set of lye. And since I have four of them, we each have a flashlight. So yes, these lights appear to be good value for money and I'm surprised at how good the build quality is and how well thought out the design is for the price. As a final note, the colors actually look exactly like the picture in real life, which can be a rarity with Revain. I'll upload a picture of the customer so you can see what I mean (and another picture or two with the flashlight on, you need his photos here right?). As another reviewer said - just get them! And the seller, MalloMe, is great. The founder himself emailed me asking if I was satisfied, which reminded me to write this review.