# Any opinions on the $14.99 GE Lantern at Costco?



## LightHearted (Jul 30, 2005)

At only $14.99, this little gem at Costco piqued my interest. It's a flourescent lantern that runs for over 16 hrs off of 4 D cells. Anyone own one? I'd appreciate your opinions, or, if you know of a better value elsewhere, please share.

Link at Amazon 

Thanks,
Ken


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## Lynx_Arc (Jul 30, 2005)

*Re: Any opinions on the $14.99 GE Lantern at Cost*

looks average to me for a fluoro lantern. A 6watt tube isn't the brightest in the 4D category as walmart has one that uses 4D and a 9watt tube for about $10 and for $5 more you can get a coleman 15watt lantern and there are a lot of lanterns around $15-20 having all sorts of tubes at Walmart, Target, Kmart etc.


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## Joel (Jul 30, 2005)

I have two and think they're a great deal for the money. During our unusually wet winter here in Los Angeles we had several power failures in my neighborhood. My sister lives only 2 blocks from me and wasn't prepared at all (luckily, she has a flashaholic for a brother). Long story short she used my lanterns and never gave them back. When my local Costco has more, I'll replace them. My only complaint is that you can't control the output, there's only one setting and it can get pretty bright at times. I have since purchased one of the adjustable led lanterns available at Amondotech and I'm very pleased with the flexibility in light output and runtime. Bottom line - well worth the money in my book.

Regards,
Joel


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## DaveT (Jul 30, 2005)

I think they're a pretty decent value, from the ones I've seen. I had one for a while and I've since given it to my mom. On the plus side, they're sturdy and well put together. As others have said, there's no adjusting the output. I also found the on/off switch to have a really light feel - couldn't feel it click and engage.
I've switched to LED lanterns - I believe the GE Steelbeam put out a bit more light, but I really like being able to dial in how much light I need. 
I really like the Nuwai 12-LED lanterns - they're rebranded many different ways but all have the same body type. 
However, the best bang for the buck, in my opinion, is the Innovage 12-LED lantern - same basics as the others (4 D cells, 12 LEDs, adjustable output - even has a plug so you can run it off an outlet) - but they're really cheap. Boscovs.com (or their B&M stores) has them for $9.97 each - a great deal, I think. 
Dave


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## mrsinbad (Aug 1, 2005)

I have 2 and used them for a couple of blackouts already... Works fine and nothing bad to say about them. Price is fair.


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## gorn (Sep 4, 2005)

I picked one of these up a couple of weeks ago. We used it last week while camping. My wife and I both thought it was a great value for the money. We used it all week and never had to break out the extra set of batteries that we brought along. I gives off plenty of light for it's size.


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## Gasguy (Sep 4, 2005)

I had 2, now I have one working one. You cannot get a bulb replacement. ( I looked far and wide) The bulb assembly is soldered in place and is not easily changed from the. If the lantern is left on by accident and the batteries run to low the bulb will blacken inside the tube and decrease the available light. My one non working lantern will be some sort of mod light for a future project. I was really bummed, I have had these lanterns about 2 years and they worked good until this season. They may have accidentaly been turned on when put away after a camping trip in the box. I liked the ruggedness of the things but did not think about the bulb ever needing to be replaced. I plan on getting 2 coleman 4 D packaway lights to replace these. With the coleman lanterns there are parts available. If any one knows of a source for the bulbs, please post. The average consumer is not going to solder or rewire but I'll have no problem doing it. Oh, also the circuit for the bulb is located within the bulb base and I could not find a different bulb that would work. Moral of the story with these lights, don't let the batteries go dead and replace them when the light dims. Gasguy


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