A buddy of mine and I went backpacking this past January. His wife had received one of the Luci Original style lanterns from her boss as a Christmas present, so we brought it with us to try out. Since this thing packs down pretty flat, it makes a nice piece of backpacking kit. We knew a storm would be rolling in the first night, so we just pitched under an inclement weather shelter (except for the Mountain Lions, we had the whole campground to ourselves). He'd charged it up in advance, so it was ready to go. We stuck it up in the rafters, I'd say about 7-8 feet off the ground. Some of you mentioned the top being opaque like the bottom and your pictures reflect this, but they must have redesigned it for this latest iteration because ours was clear on top with the strap on the bottom. Placing it above with the bottom facing up made for a nice dome type of light (minus shadow from the rafters). It's not really a "get to work" type of lantern, but definitely a "kick back" lantern. We still had to use my flashlight to cook by, after it got dark. Definitely has "that blue tint" and it could be a bit harsh if you hold it up to your face, but my older Black Diamond Orbit which I had in my tent wouldn't have been much different. We just used this while hanging out in camp and it was fine. We used it two nights in a row, about 3-4 hours each night and didn't have to put it outside to recharge. One night, I was tired and trying to turn it off and I accidentally set it to flash, then proceeded to fool around with it for a couple minutes, trying to figure out how to turn it off while half asleep. Made for a nice little comedy act.
As i mentioned, this seems to be an improved version over the original (probably the same one thermal guy was referring to); clear top, 50 lumens, with a purported run time of 12 hours. I think that if I had to buy one for myself (and I just might have to
) I would probably get the Luci Lux model which is basically the same as the original except frosted instead of clear. This addition should make the LEDs more tolerable. They also have colored versions, as well as the Luci EMRG which is smaller, is lower powered, but has a red light mode.
So who are these for? If you want just enough light to see without running into or tripping over stuff and keep your night vision close enough to darkness that you adjust quickly, then this is for you I guess. Also, when space and/or weight is a concern. Inexpensive and easy to operate. You'll still need your brighter lantern or headlamp for cooking, cleaning up and other tasks perfomred around camp after dark.
