# Wal-Mart Ozark Trail 6V spot



## Scoob (Oct 24, 2004)

I have to tell ya... I have quite a few cheap 6V spotlights... but this little Ozark Trail spot for $3.50 from Walmart has the tightest spot I have seen on a cheap spotlight. All I did to the spotlight was put a 6V 5Ah (spring type) battery (which came from Walmart for 9.95) and a MAG Xenon 4D bulb, and it has the tightest spot as any flashlight I have! And a very far throw! In my opinion this is a very good bargin if you want a good cheap throw!


----------



## 3rd_shift (Oct 24, 2004)

Way to go! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
If that 4.8 volt bulb quits, a magstar 5 cell may be the way to go.
Still a cheap, high performance light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Oct 24, 2004)

I have a rather old sears 6v lantern with a big deep reflector that has a very tiny spot to it.. probably throws a mile but it useless as a flashlight. The plastic around the reflector used to glow in the dark years ago but I guess it wore out.
It is the green one on the left.


----------



## avusblue (Nov 10, 2004)

I'll probably get kicked off CPF for admitting this . . . but for trick or treating on Halloween, I wound up using this very same $3.50 "Ozark Trails" branded cheapy 6V lantern from Wal-Mart. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif I've been using it semi-regularly since, and continue to be pretty dang impressed!! 

I had it sitting around and it had never been used before (therefore a fresh original battery). The neighborhood has plenty of street lights and house lights, so for Halloween, to be noticed and most useful, the right flashlight would have to be pretty powerful. So I wanted something that would have some punch, and yet very long runtime . . . and I have to say this cheapy lantern was perfect for the application. I switched it on when we set out at 5:30 pm and it stayed turned on, nonstop, until after 8 pm when we finished up. This thing is bright, is a throw monster (easily lighting up houses, and down the street, over 100 yards) and yet has good, useful side spill as well. The beam is artifacty as heck when shining on a wall or garage door -- but oh well, you sure don't notice that out in the real world when walking along and using it. It had the power to warn oncoming cars that "we're here" when they're still a block or more away, and to spot kids when they wander off from the group. Best of all, the brightness appeared just about as good after almost three hours of constant "on" as when we started. 

In my pockets I also had an Opalec MiniMag and an L4; neither one got taken out or used at all. I have to grudgingly admit, this big cheapy did great that night. Nothing else I have in my inventory could have done what it did. 

What sort of runtime would be expected from a standard 6V lantern battery? So far, it doesn't seem to have dimmed much at all, after probably 3 and a half cumulative hours of use.

Cheers to this old-fashioned standby!

Dave


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Nov 10, 2004)

those 6v lanterns stock usually have somewhere around a 500ma bulb and I would guess the heavy duty 6v batteries are probably between 10,000-15,000mah the better lantern batteries have 4 type F cells in them, the cheaper ones 4D cells I believe. so you are looking at probably close to 18 hours of run time.... more if intermittent, this is with dimming throughout the time.

I could be wrong but this is my guess. My dad always had the lanterns and most of the time they died because they were accidentally left on. If you wnat more light you could try one of those S&W xenon 4.8v .85A bulbs from academy. My green lantern pictured above had such a tiny tight spot with almost no sidespill I never used it as a light. If you can stumble across a 4D to lantern battery adapter grab it because it is cheaper to buy 4D cells than 1 6v lantern battery by a factor of 2. Also walmart has some sealed lead acid 6v 4ahr batteries for about 10 bucks and if you have an old motorcycle charger that does 6v you can use that or buy a charger from walmart for about 7 bucks I think.


----------



## Scoob (Nov 11, 2004)

The SLA is the way to go, cause it's only a couple more dollars than an Alkaline, and reusable. I got a smart charger from batterymart that I use to keep them topped off. I did get a couple S&W xenon bulbs the other day from Academy, also...but I can only use them in my MAG lights, because the filiment is about an 8th of an inch taller than a regular flashlight bulb (which by the way is .75 amps for a 4.8 volt bulb), and it throws the focus way off. I get a big donet spot. And yes...hours of run time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif


----------



## watt4 (Nov 11, 2004)

I bought a couple of those at $3.50. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Nov 11, 2004)

maybe all the folks using the uber bulbs and hand held spotlights will flock to the 6v lantern size and start modding them with stacks of subC cells or something... hmmm have to get dimensions and see how many would fit... naw. I have too many other projects on hold till I move as it is.

The biggest drawback to the 6v lantern is weight and size, it is smaller and lighter than a spotlight but not terribly brighter than a standard incan light. By the time you add in an SLA and brighter bulb you might as well buy a 500,000 or 1,000,000 candlepower rechargeable spotlight from harborfreight on sale... mine cost less than 10.00 has an AC and car charger and a 4.5Ahr 7.2v SLA in it and a halogen bulb that pummels a 3.50 lantern to tears but runtime sucks bad... lol. maybe a dual bulb filament version with a wimpy 1A filament would give back runtime.


----------



## avusblue (Nov 11, 2004)

The big advantage I found is the enormously long runtime, combined with surprisingly effective brightness and throw. While certainly not pocketable, I think these have tremendous bang for the buck and moddability. 

As I said before, I've been pleasantly surprised -- and I realized that I was unnecessarily prejudiced. How could a light that essentially, costs almost nothing, be any good? Well, this one is!

Try one . . . you're sure not out much if you don't like it!

Dave


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Nov 11, 2004)

they aren't bad lights but they get you into either buying 6v batteries... buying an expensive SLA/charger or leaving them empty when the battery finally dies. I have 3 lights around here that use those batteries and don't use them hardly at all because for a 30-90 minute useage you dont need that much capacity and two smaller AA lights using nimh batteries will fill most usage needs.

I consider the 6v lanterns good for throw based needs and run time needs combined... like hiking and exploring or snipe hunting. For most other things it is too bulky and battery costs are restrictive. If you are out camping and the battery finally dies... you can buy 6 cheapo flashlights for less than an alkaline 6v lantern battery or toss the light and buy another for 3.50.


----------



## Scoob (Nov 11, 2004)

I agree Dave. 6V lanterns are a good midsize between the average "flashlight that can't reach the garbage cans", and the "12V Spot that lights up all the houses down the street"!


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Nov 11, 2004)

It is mostly about the reflector. If someone could take the reflector and use 4-5AA nimh cells and toss away the 6v plastic body you would have the same light output with greatly reduced weight/size and greatly decreased runtime.


----------



## symes (Nov 11, 2004)

While we're admitting to halloween stories....(a little off topic I know...)

I carved our first pumpkin for my 13 month old this year and decided to put a couple of SLAs inside with a 12V Xenon spot lamp bulb inside. 

It worked great for an hour or so as I suspected, then I forgot about it and when I went back the battery was completely flat. I replaced it with a candle (lol) and then put the SLA on my car battery charger and plugged it in. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I went indoors and got distracted with a movie and came out to check on the voltage. 

As I opened the door to the garage, I was hit by the hideous smell of rotten eggs permeating the whole area.

I quickly went back inside and got some protective gear on and came back out to the hazmat scene. I unplugged the battery charger and looked at the SLA which by now was swelling considerably in the middle and very, very hot.

I let it cool a while before moving it and ventilating the garage with some large fans. It was when I disconnected it from the charger that I realised that I had left the charger set to 15A. This poor little battery was only 4Ah...

When I finally came in, in full turnout gear, helmet, goggles etc.... my wife looked at me and simply said 

"should I ask what happened?"

"er...no" I replied.


I am still not quite sure where the large quantities of H2S came from during the process, but man it was bad.....


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Nov 11, 2004)

Hydrogen sulfide is a product of sulfuric acid H2SO4 when oxygen is removed, you probably cooked the water so much it boiled the sulfuric acid in the battery sending H2S +O4 plus probably some other stuff like Hydrogen gas and sulfur too.
You may have been lucky a spark didn't blow up the battery if there was some hydrogen gas released.


----------



## pedalinbob (Nov 19, 2004)

well, i bought one of those $3.50 ozark trails lanterns shown above...and it is well woth the cash.

bone stock, it perfomes nicely--even comes with a battery.

i added an xpr113, and placed the stock krypton bulb in the spare holder (another plus--a spare bulb holder behind the reflector).

bright, inexpensive, tremendous runtime.

Bob


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Nov 19, 2004)

what is truly odd is they make 4D flashlights with similar reflectors yet charge 10.00 for them when they are actually more economical when it comes to batteries/capacity.
The beauty of the light is the cost is cheaper for light+battery than buying a heavy duty battery alone which means when it dies you are better buying another light and using its new battery in your old one.

I can see it now... you have 6 brand new flashlights a year from now sitting around and no 6v batteries in them LOL.


----------



## pedalinbob (Nov 20, 2004)

yeah, that IS odd!

i think i can get an adapter which allows D-cells to be used in place of the lantern battery.

sidenote on lantern batteries: 
i had an old brinkmann lantern (somewhat similar to the ozark trails light) that is now at least 12 years old. 
for the last 2 years it has bee stored in my rather poorly insulated, un-heated detached garage. 

i didnt check voltage, but that light was still ~2/3 normal brightness...and it has been intermittently used.

not sure if it was a fluke, or if those huge 6v bats (F-cell) just have great longevity. i think the ozark trails has the "D" 6v.

Bob


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Nov 20, 2004)

I have several of those 4Dto6v adapters around here but I find myself wanting to grab a 2D or AA light instead of lugging even the 4D adapted lanterns around. They have a lot of capacity but for 90% of the uses of lights they are only useful if you can sit them down to point at something as holding them to focus on something for 30 minutes gets tiring. 

As for the lantern battery still being useful after 2 years, I am not suprised. Unless a battery leaks I have found they usually can keep going for a long time in storage. I found a toy with 4AA duracell alkalines that were dated 1994 still going strong and bought a calculator in 1979 that came with LR44 alkaline batteries that was a demo.. the bookstore gave me a set of NEW silver oxide batteries for it that died and corroded 5 years later sitting. The calculator still is running on the same batteries 25 years later and numbers I stored in memory still exist there.

On this same note I saw 6v heavy duty batteries at biglots last night for 1.99 they were fuji brand and not as heavy as the alkalines but for you lantern lovers may be ammo for your big gun to shoot cheaper.


----------



## pedalinbob (Nov 20, 2004)

actually i goofed: the light AND battery were at least 12 years old!

crazy...

Bob


----------



## Lynx_Arc (Nov 20, 2004)

just be glad the battery didn't leak.. I took a battery out of my old VOM and it was still good although it had leaked some.


----------



## cheesehead (Nov 21, 2004)

Some 6 volt lantern cells use F and some use D cells. I think never-ready uses the F and Duracell rips us off using D cells, but just get the one that's heavier.


----------

