Streamlight Siege Review --- Now in neutral white! (September 2014)

martinaee

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Hellooooooo guys and dolls of CPF!


Here for your led pleasures are my thoughts on the excellent Streamlight Siege. I love this lantern and wanted to review it because it is an excellent option for those looking for a compact led lantern. It's different and good enough that I wanted it to be my first review of any LED lighting product. Also I'd like to go over what could be improved upon in a future version by Streamlight or through a direct competitor's lantern. This review is more geared towards actual usage thoughts and opinions rather than going over output specs and other technical data in detail.

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Okay, so that being said here are the output specs direct from Streamlight:



  • White LED (four C4® LEDs) with cover removed:
    • High for brightest light; 340 lumens; runs 30 hours
    • Medium for bright light and longer run times; 175 lumens; runs 70 hours
    • Low provides extended run times for when less light is needed; 33 lumens; runs 295 hours
  • Red LED (one red LED)
    • Red LED High - Steady (night vision preserving mode); 10 lumens; runs 235 hours
    • Flash SOS mode for emergency signaling; 10 lumens; runs 430 hours
    • Night vision preserving mode extends run time for emergency preparedness

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For my own uses of this light I have been using 3 AA NiMh in AA to D Eneloop carriers (Duraloops in this case) and have a backup of high capacity D alkalines. I keep 12 D cells in a box which would allow 4 full cycles of this light in an emergency. I'm not really worried about unused D's leaking and will use and replace them in a few years if they aren't used in an emergency roll until then. This is more than adequate in my opinion for emergencies falling below the apocalypse category. I am mainly concerned with power outage scenarios lasting from half a day to a week or so. Maybe I'll get a few more D alkaline cells in the future. This light could definitely help with a power outage that could last a week or more. This is especially true on the lowest mode where it has crazy long run times nearing 300 hours if you only use it in low mode.

I don't think the Siege is rated to ANSI specs. Like a lot of companies their rating claims are to 10% of initial lumen output. Without going into detail the Siege looks to have about the same output as my TK11 R5 if I try to diffuse it in the same way. I'll say the Siege seems to realistically output maybe 280 ANSI lumens or so. This is from 3 fully charged NiMh AA cells. However, keep in mind that this is in a very diffused pattern when compared to most of the flashlights we are used to seeing on CPF. I think it does output closer to 300 or more lumens using fresh D alkaline cells. I can't speak to the output of 3 NiMh D cells. I assume one would be able to run the light on high for longer time with those.

When I first got the Siege I played around with it for a week using 3 D alkaline cells. I left it on high for at least a couple nights (6+ hours) and then used it constantly in mixed usage on high medium and low. It took a LONG time before it couldn't sustain the high or at least medium modes anymore then it still took days for it to taper off on the low mode before it flickered constantly in the dying stages of the cells. When the voltage gets very low the indicator/power button led changes from green (full-to-good voltage) to orange (a warning of impending doom) to red (HOLY COW change your cells soon!).

Long story short: The siege has AMAZING run times if you are willing to use the dreaded alkalines that so many *love* here on CPF. Or if you have or want to buy D NiMh batteries you can get the very long run times and not have to have nearly as much worry about the slight possibility that the batteries could leak. If you keep unused alkaline D's and change them every few years this won't be a problem if you have to use them in my opinion. I know this has been talked about on other threads of the Siege, but I don't think I'll switch to getting D Cell NiMh batteries for the siege; I have a system for all my lights with 18650's and AA cells. Edit: I did end up getting NiMh Tenergy Centura D cells. See below This fits into that system perfectly. If I need to top of the AA's I can do it very quickly. The Eneloop AA to D cells are very good quality and reliable. Also the other main reason I like using these over alkaline or NiMh D's is weight. The siege is noticeably heavier using D cells of any kind vs. NiMh AA's in carriers. I don't feel like having another big charger as well alongside my two BC-700 AA chargers, Fenix 18650 charger, and 3 DSLR camera battery chargers. IS TOO MUCH!!! If I do get D NiMh I'll have to update this review and compare how they do.

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Build Quality:

So how is the overall build quality of the Siege? --- *Outstanding.* Next topic.......... No seriously though, The reason why I love the Siege is primarily because it fits into my love of quality and precision in life. Do things right! Streamlight really did an excellent job overall with this lantern. Yes, it's not perfect, but considering the category it definitely should be what other companies should be looking to for inspiration for future similar products. With 3 cells of any kind the Siege feels solid with no rattling and no cracking/wiggling of the plastic. The light is built of a combination of plastics and rubbers primarily that are very high quality. Nothing seems to be tacked on. It's the kind quality difference I experienced when first going from shoddy brand flashlights being sold at your local generic-brand store *cough/walmart/cough* to something like a Fenix. And as to other plastic and/or rubber led lanterns like the Energizers, I'm sorry but this is just made better. It's rated to be able to take a drop and I believe it would probably be fine. The only weak spot for damage would probably be the hard plastic diffusion cap, but hey it's a lantern. Just don't hit it with a hammer and it'll be fine :) Don't throw rocks at windows, right?

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OOOH pretty colors!:

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OMG RED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was almost as impressed as Mo with the Siege when I found out it had a 10 lumen red mode in addition to the white modes. It's his favorite lantern by far! The red mode is very cool, but I really wish it was brighter honestly, If Streamlight could put three of the red emitters in a future version or one red emitter that is significantly brighter that would be cool. It is very noticeable in the dark and would definitely make a good signaling/marking red lantern outside, but I just wish it was even brighter now that I see how nice the red is. If it could output say 50 lumens of bright red light you could use it like a flare almost in the dark for roadside situations or something similar.

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It gives off a deep red. At night or in the dark it's VERY red and visible.

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The single red emitter actually has three tiny emitters from what I can see. Maybe someone can point out what kind of emitter it actually is (see images below). I do think even though it's only 10 lumens of red light Streamlight did well to put it directly in the center. This ensures that a lot of red light is hitting the 45 degree reflector cone and bouncing out of the diffuser horizontally. This means you can see the red light pretty far off in the dark. It does well as a marker for a camp site/emergency site/etc. Speaking of the interior reflector cone let's have a look at it:

DSC_3466_zpsb3c1ea54.jpg


The top part of the Siege has a reflector cone that I can only describe as aluminum coated with a glossy epoxy. It's got a silver-milkyness feel to it. It terminates in a point leaving maybe an inch of space or less between it and the clear plastic sphere that covers the emitters/circuits/drivers. Notice the good o-ring on the diffuser here that connects to the main part of the lantern. The lantern is rated to IPX7 standards. It can float and get very wet. Just don't keep it submerged I guess. If you need a deep sea "diving lantern" look elsewhere.

DSC_3473_zps546ed2de.jpg


Above you see what the Siege looks like with the diffuser unscrewed and taken off. Four cool white "C4" emitters (aka what Streamlight calls every emitter in existence apparently) sit evenly around the single red emitter in the center.

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Here above you see a closer crop of the board. Everything is nice and tidy. The red emitter is very interesting. It's output isn't massive but it makes up for it by being pretty well placed and an actual true red led rather than just having a red diffuser or something cheesy. You can leave it on 10 lumens red for nearly as long as you can leave the 4 white emitters on their lowest setting of 33 lumens. From what I read one has to pump more power into red emitters to get equivalent lumens to white emitters so it's pretty good in my opinion. Also the red is going to be VERY noticeable outside in the dark even at 10 lumens. Again I'd personally like more red output, but I can see that everything about this lantern including the lumen output was carefully thought out so I can't hold it against Streamlight.

DSC_3476_zps30e5019b.jpg


This image above shows the cool white emitters on their lowest setting putting out a combined 33 lumens according to Streamlight. Very cool! (literally...). One switches between the red modes (constant/flashing) and the white output modes by holding down the power button for a second or two.

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Quality of light from the Siege:

Below you can images of the cool white and neutral white versions of the Siege. Both images are exposed exactly the same at: iso 100 / f/7.1 / 1/2 second / WB: preset -> shade (~6000k I'm guessing without looking it up).

DSC_3454_zps643af6d7.jpg

DSC_3453_zps7f507ef8.jpg


"Wait... what Martin?" you say ....

No, I didn't receive the only neutral white/warm version of the Siege in 2013-2014. This is an awesome easy modification/hack I'll share with you all. If you shave with anything but electric razors get a can of "Gillette FUSION - Hydra Gel - Ultra Sensitive". It is the orange can with green and blue lettering. The cap/lid of this can is where the fun happens. Through trying to figure out what would be a good way of warming up the Siege a light clicked in my head when I saw this in a store. It's a bonus that I like the gel for shaving as well :) I was going to try to get a yellow photo gel to wrap the inside of the Siege's diffuser, but this is so much easier even if the results aren't 100% perfect. I'd say this is closer to a "******* amber" flash gel. Yes that is the actual name for that color gel.

DSC_3477_zps36277d13.jpg


As you can see above I've found that when slightly modified this cap fits perfectly over the interior clear dome. Carefully cut two slim triangle cuts into the cap like in the image above. Be careful as the plastic of this cap does crack if pressure is applied too harshly in the wrong way. Once cut in this way though it has some bend to it and even holds itself against the plastic clear dome. You can turn the lantern upside down and it won't fall off! Even cooler is that it won't interfere with putting the top of the Siege on. You can close up the lantern and use it normally. The bad news about this mod? Well, it does reduce the light output a bit, but not enough to make me not want to keep it on there. I'd say the color temp is on the warm side of neutral and it definitely has a slightly orange tint. It looks warmer than my Fenix E50, but definitely it's still closer to a neutral white output than a warm white. It reminds me of the elusive neutral Fenix E21. Those who have/had that light know it was a very warm neutral. This is what I was wanting. Some people want incandescent feeling lanterns but this is what I like. Look at the above images with the apple, figure, and pumpkin. Sure the color rendering is probably a little better in the pure cool white image, but you could murder kittens with the harshness of that cool bluish light.

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Conclusions:

In my opinion the Siege is one of the best LED lanterns in this size available now in 2014. The output isn't anything crazy, but it has excellent run times. It has caribeeners on the top and bottom and a folding "hook" that hangs well over branches and shower curtain rods alike. The build quality is amazing and I sincerely hope other lantern makers take note. In a theoretical 2nd version of the light I would love to see a neutral color output as well as a higher overall maximum lumen output. A 4D or maybe 8 AA version of this light would be awesome as well. I'd like an 18650 version too but I don't know if that is an overall good choice for a general consumer oriented LED lantern.

If you are looking for a compact LED lantern now that has great run times and don't need 1000 lumens or more of output this will serve you well. In an emergency preparedness mindset this could very well be one of the best lanterns on the market right now.

streamlight-siege_zps91b1686e.jpg


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Update: 11/19/2014 Use with Tenergy Centura 8000mAh NiMh D cells


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Big little guys aren't they? Everything is relative.

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I also purchased the Tenergy TN190 D cell charger. It's a good charger and charges each cell individually so you don't have to worry about overcharging or undercharging. It has a discharge mode (refresh mode) and decent lcd screen though it's a little hard to read even being lit blue. The screens on my 2 BC-700 AA chargers are MUCH more clear. It doesn't give that much info on the screen though so it doesn't matter. The charger emits an audible whine when in use so I unplug the power cord just enough to keep it off when not in use. This seems to be a problem for these Tenergy chargers as other users commented on it. Not super loud, but definitely audible to those with good hearing.

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Below you can see it's about the size of two BC-700 chargers.

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So how do these D NiMh cells do in the Streamlight Siege compared to 3 AA NiMh? With the cells fully charged the brightness is initially virtually identical as it should be with all cells being 1.2v.

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Now here are run-time shots on max brightness for the Siege using fully charged Centura 8000mAh D cells:

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These shots are all with my neutral tint diffuser hack on so the output is slightly less than if it were off. As you can see it runs strong for a solid 8 hours at least without dimming. At the 9.5 hour mark it has dimmed some for sure. Somewhere around 10-10.5 hours it gives up the goat and the red light of doom switches on and it would die soon after this. These shots are meant to show relative brightness and aren't a visual indication of how bright the Siege actually is to the human eye. It lights up the dark bathroom I took these shots in very well.

In real use the medium mode doesn't look THAT much dimmer than the max brightness so in a real power outage lasting several days or more I'd suggest using the 175 lumen mode. It's rated for 70 hours on medium vs 30 on high so it would probably last 2 full nights using NiMh D cells. I say this because using alkaline D cells the run-time brightness curve seems to be way more gradual instead of quickly dropping off using NiMh cells. I remember this being the case when I tested D alkalines when I first got the Siege. I used it in mixed modes for several days, but it took forever to finally die. If you can constantly charge these D cells though they are fantastic in the Siege!
 
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BanditoPete

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Excellent review with great photos! I just bought a UST lantern but just might have to look into the Siege. Thanks for posting.
 

mcnair55

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A very well done review and i love the light except for the power cells which breaks the deal for me,i need it powered up by AA batteries and at your suggestion 8 would suit.
 

martinaee

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Thanks guys. Yeah, pretty much the only things I'd like to see different are the power cells used and the lumen output increased on max and leds changed to neutral white leds. I know you might say well that's everything about this lantern, but it's too good of a base platform not to be improved upon in my opinion. I hope this lantern has been selling well for Streamlight so they feel inclined to do so. I'll try to make them aware of my review as I want them to know what is good and not as good about it.

It would be cool to see a much larger version of this lantern made too. If the lantern itself was physically bigger it would open the possibility of even greater run times and much higher max brightness while still being very diffused and soft due to a larger diffusion hood. Is there an actual name for the diffusion element in lanterns? The diffuser? Lens shroud?
 

Poppy

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I don't have one, but improvements I would like to see are: a NW option, and a regulated option.

To run higher lumens, and still run on Ds, it may need to go to a 4 D cell format. idk

If it were to go to 18650 format, it would need a couple, or few batteries to get decent run-times out of it at 300 lumens, especially if it was regulated.

3Ds in NiMH IMO is the way to go with this lantern. PERIOD. AND... 3D 10,000 ma NiMH Ds pretty much have the same or similar Watt Hour Capacity as three 18650's, and for a little less cost.

I understand the concept of consolidating on AAs, but IMO 9 AAs are too many to have to charge for a single lantern.
 
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Poppy

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Martin,
This was a nice review of the lantern, and your little mod. The difference that your mod made, in the pictures was truly impressive. So much so, that I bought some yellow cellophane bags at a local dollar store to see what difference they make on that Ozark Trail lantern i recently bought. They were the wrong color, but the concept works.

I'd be interested in seeing how long your Tenergy Ds run in it before dropping down, and how many hours you would want to let it run before pulling the batteries and putting them on charge.
 

martinaee

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Thank Poppy. If you want you can try what I was going to do before I found the trick with the shaving cap: Bend a photo gel sheet into a cylinder shape and line the inside of the lantern. It may not work as well on a lantern that isn't cylindrical though. I don't know.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ld-keywords=rosco+gel&rh=n:172282,k:rosco+gel

On this link scroll down the page some. I think some of the lighter amber gels would work pretty well or maybe one a tiny bit more yellow if you are using a really bluish led. They are kind of expensive at 10 or more dollars but the sheets are pretty big. I haven't really used photo gels in a long time, but I think a few years ago I remember interning at a photo studio that used them... I think Rosco was the brand so they are pretty durable. With a 20x24 sheet you have some room to try different things too.

How did those cellophane bags work out? Which Ozark lantern did you buy?

You know... I'm just sitting here thinking, but aren't D NiMh the same length as AA NiMh? I don't really want to buy another separate (and big for D cells) charger, but I am wondering if it would be pretty easy to find a pretty simple and easily repeatable way to jerry-rig D's into an AA charger. I think you were the one talking about that on a different thread. Could you just slide a sheet of aluminum foil over the cell on each side? That seems like it would easily rip.

Maybe I'll just break down and get some D's and a charger. LOL now I feel like I have to see this through and make the review even more complete :)
 

Poppy

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Good morning Martin :)

I bought the Walmart brand Ozark Trail 300 Lumen lantern and did a little review of it.
The inside of the globe is not accessible, because the inner diffuser and it are glued together. Therefore, for THAT lantern color changing gels have to be on the outside of the lantern.
I just ordered two XB-D emitters from China in Warm tint, and I'll try swapping one in.
The cellophane bag was very inexpensive. Thirty of them for a dollar! They were the wrong color - yellow - which gave off a little bit of a green tint. It did cut some of the lumens, and some of the glare though. Looking at the lantern, you could see that the emitted light was not as uniform coming through the bag, as it would be from professional tinted gels. That is being a little "picky" though.

I have to apologize, I had you confused with RichWouldnt, who in the other Siege discussion thread bought and uses Tenergy D NiMH cells.

C cells are the same length as AA cells, Ds are a little longer.

I jerry-rigged a way to charge some C NiCads I have. Because like you, I didn't want to get another charger.
I picked up a bunch of jumper wires (with aligator clips) @ harbor freight for a couple of dollars, and a pack or two of neodymium magnets.
I attach a jumper wire to each end of the battery to be charged with a magnet.
Adapters can be made a number of different ways, and depending upon the style of your charger, one format may be easier to do than another.

Essentially you'll need to insert something into the AA slot, that doesn't conduct electricity and short the charger. For example, you might insert an AA battery, that you put tape over one end. Then insert two paper clips between the battery and the charger contacts (one at each end) so that you have something to clip the jumper wires to.

People have used dowels and thumb tacks, I used 3/8 inch dowels with short finishing nails or brads inserted into each end as AA replacements.

I recently purchased a Nitecore I4 intellicharger. I just stuck an alkaline D in it as a test, and it didn't make a connection at either end, BUT I put a couple of little magnets on the positive side of the battery, and one on the negative end, and it made contact.
 

BanditoPete

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Because of Martinaee's fine review I just purchased a Siege after buying a UST 30-Day lantern. I really like this Siege. To me, it's a bit brighter on the highest setting and the red mode is very useful...just wish it was a bit brighter. Overall it's quite versatile, well made, and seems durable. The size is just right. Overall a well thought out and functional lantern that will see a lot of use. The UST is also very good and will see use but, for me and my uses, the appeal of the Siege edges out the UST.
 

Poppy

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Pete,
When you compared the brightness of one lantern to the other, did they both have fresh batteries in them? IF not, that may not be a fair comparison, because Alkalines drop off in power quite rapidly initially. If the batteries in the UST had 20 minutes run-time on them before the test, that might be enough to skew the results.

I am wondering, after an hour or two, is the Siege still brighter than the UST?
How long does it seem to remain brighter?

Which senarios do you feel that one is better than the other? Or what is it for your particular needs that you feel the Siege is better for you?
 

martinaee

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Because of Martinaee's fine review I just purchased a Siege after buying a UST 30-Day lantern. I really like this Siege. To me, it's a bit brighter on the highest setting and the red mode is very useful...just wish it was a bit brighter. Overall it's quite versatile, well made, and seems durable. The size is just right. Overall a well thought out and functional lantern that will see a lot of use. The UST is also very good and will see use but, for me and my uses, the appeal of the Siege edges out the UST.

Nice. Yeah it's a cool lantern. I hope there will be an official version 2 of it someday.
 

martinaee

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Does mAh capacity affect the time it takes for voltage to drop? AKA if you have an (x) brand AA alkaline cell and the same (x) brand D alkaline cell and you put them both in say the Siege lantern on high do they both drop from 1.5 volts pretty quick and then level out with the D just lasting way longer on a sub 1.5 volts than the AA?

I know NiMh cells are supposed to hold their charged 1.2 volts longer before dropping off, but I guess the question is the same for different capacities of that chemistry cell too.
 

Poppy

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The short answer is YES; mAh does affect the rate of voltage drop.
In both cells, voltage drops most rapidly, initially, compared to the rate that it drops further down the road. The rate of drop is also load dependent. The higher the capacity of the battery, the better it can handle a larger load. The D cell with its greater capacity, given the same load will drop voltage more slowly compared to a single AA, both initially, and during the rest of the run-time.

Our friend HKJ spent a LOT of time creating this comparison graphs.
Here is a study of the AA with graphs
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Duracell Plus Power AA UK.html


and

here is a study of D cell with graphs.
http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Panasonic Pro Power D UK.html
 
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Poppy

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martin,
I listed the changes in the amperage draw, and voltage of new D alkalines on high of the Ozark Trail lantern here
I believe that the Ozark Trail, and the Siege will have similar draws because there run-times are similar.

It started at 0.7 amps and dropped to about 0.4 amps at the end of four hours.

I offer the above information, so when you look at HKJs graphs, you can better estimate which color lines you should follow.
 

BanditoPete

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Pete,
When you compared the brightness of one lantern to the other, did they both have fresh batteries in them? IF not, that may not be a fair comparison, because Alkalines drop off in power quite rapidly initially. If the batteries in the UST had 20 minutes run-time on them before the test, that might be enough to skew the results.

I am wondering, after an hour or two, is the Siege still brighter than the UST?
How long does it seem to remain brighter?

Which senarios do you feel that one is better than the other? Or what is it for your particular needs that you feel the Siege is better for you?

After reading your comments last night, I ran both lights simultaneously on the highest settings with the same brand of fresh batteries (purchased at the same time) in each in a very darkened bedroom with no other light placed approximately seven feet from each other. After one hour I did not really notice any appreciable difference between the two. After two hours the Siege, to my eyes, appeared just negligibly brighter. After three hours, the UST was going strong while the Siege had a slight but noticeable drop in brightness. I didn't persist since sleep was calling after about three hours. If I had carried on the test overnight, I would conclude that the UST would probably just edge the Siege in overall brightness. Both globes were still cool to the touch after the three hours. I'll have to try this sometime.

I think both are excellent lanterns that can be used for walks around the property at night, taking the dogs out, camping, lighting dark closets, accessory and additional lighting in rooms, etc. I think it just boils down to personal preference.

Edit: Alkaline D cells used in both lanterns (Duracell Duralock)
 
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Phaserburn

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I'm very interested in your neutral white mod; very slick! When the cap in in place and the dome/top of the lantern is screwed back on, how secure is the cap inside the lantern? Can it be made to be completely secure? Are the cut triangles visible when the lantern is on? I'm wondering if the lantern emits two small triangle shaped cool tinted zones, or any other artifacts caused by the cap.
 
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martinaee

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I'm very interested in your neutral white mod; very slick! When the cap in in place and the dome/top of the lantern is screwed back on, how secure is the cap inside the lantern? Can it be made to be completely secure? Are the cut triangles visible when the lantern is on? I'm wondering if the lantern emits two small triangle shaped cool tinted zones, or any other artifacts caused by the cap.

If you make cuts/triangle cuts/whatever into the cap so it can flex like I show in the review the cap effectively secures itself to the inner clear dome through light clamping force. If done right you can even turn it upside down and it stays in place.

As to your question about whether you get little visible triangle light patterns: sort of. There are little triangle light artifacts on the outer Siege diffusion cover, but I think it's too diffuse to really affect anything that it's actually putting light on. Kind of like beams from a Fenix TK75 or any multi-emitter light; Sure there are weird light patterns if you are wall hunting, but you aren't really going to see them in real use. Maybe I can take another photo later to show this. The ones I took to show the color of the output are obviously exposed too long to show detail on the Siege itself where light is coming out of.

TL;DR -- Yes, there are some slight artifacts, but it doesn't really affect anything in real use. It's so slight that you don't even really notice it that much just looking at the Siege cover even when on.
 
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