NUWAI 16-LED LANTERN

Nuwai 16-LED Lantern, retail $34.99* (www.eliteled.com...)
Manufactured by Nuwai (www.nuwai.com.tw...)
Last updated 02-21-06




The 16-LED Lantern from Nuwai (model # JK-164C) is a medium-small camping lantern that has sixteen Nichia brand white LEDs in three rows of four behind a diffusing column, protected by a plastic cylinder (the "globe" on a white gas lantern).

It feeds from four C cells, and has a continuously-variable intensity control.

* This price is normal price; as of 12-30-05 you can purchase it for $29.99.


SIZE



Feed your lantern four C cells first (see directly below), and then you can go camping.

Turn the knob on the front of the lantern all the way clockwise to get maximum power; the power can be adjusted down or back up as you see fit.

To turn the lantern all the way off, turn the knob counterclockwise until it clicks into the "off" position. The lantern can be stored this way, but remember, if you intend to store it for more than 30 days, you should take the batteries out.

The lantern comes with a hanging handle, already affixed to the lantern's top and folded down out of the way on the lantern's hood. It stays put when folded down. It also comes with a folding plastic S-hook which you may affix to the lantern's handle, so if you have an object with no readily available "end", you can use this hook to hang the lantern on that object (long tree branch, water pipe, etc.).



To change the batteries, turn the lantern upside down, and unscrew the bottom lid. Set it aside.

Remove the dead C cells from the lantern's "gas tank", and dispose of them properly (or throw them in the dead battery box if your community has a battery reclamation program).

Insert four new C cells into the chambers, following the polarity indicators at the bottom of each chamber. The flat-end (-) negative of two of the cells face a springy metal contact at the bottom of two of the chambers; the other two go in button-end (+) positive first, so if you're changing the batteries in the dark, you can pretty much do it by feel..

Orient the free-spinning contact plate on the inner surface of the lid so it matches the battery compartment. Screw the lid back onto the bottom of the lantern; tightening it only firmly; do not use strap wrenches or anything else to tighten it farther.

Turn the entire lantern back over (turning it off if necessary) and you're done with it.

Battery life is advertised as ranging from {paraphrased} "7 hours of light at 100% on high beam to 84 hours (three and a half days) of light on low beam."
It is not stated in the instructional material to what level of light output this was measured to.



Because the Nuwai 16-LED Lantern is primarily made of plastic, "The Smack Test" really isn't that appropriate here.

"The Toilet Test" is also inappropriate. There is an O-ring at the base and possibly another O-ring at the top, but that rotary brightness control is a potential entry point for dirty toilet water or other liquids. So please try not to drop it in creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, oceansides, docksides, puddles of orca whale pee, slush piles, mud puddles, tubs, toilet bowls, cisterns, sinks, fishtanks, dog water dishes, or other places where water or water-like liquids might be found. A little rain or snow probably wouldn't hurt it though, so you need not be too concerned about using it in lightly bad weather. If it's raining too hard for this lantern, it's probably raining too hard for you too.

The LEDs in this lantern are Nichia brand; generally known to be the best, brightest, and longest lasting ones that money can buy.

The light produced by this lantern is a slightly bluish-white, which is quite typical of 5mm white LEDs.

The one-knob interface is easy to learn and use (it's quite intuitive actually), even though it controls the light output in a continuosly-variable manner.

The dimming appears to use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), as I was able to see the LEDs strobing when the product was turned on at its lowest intensity and then rapidly waved about.

(Update 02-21-06): The "OPEN" insignia on the lantern's top (above the hood) apparently advises the user that the top can be removed; when I removed the top, no user serviceable components were found inside. The top can be opened to dump water out if the lantern becomes dredged - this is the only real purpose I can see for this removeable top. An O-ring was found when the top was removed; this should help keep rain out, but that rotary intensity dial still appears vulnerable however.

I received an email today (02-21-06) saying that the top is possibly used to store matches and other small camping supplies. This is not very likely, because the area around the outer edge of the LED column is open, and small objects (like matches, baggies of crack, etc.) would fall inside the lantern if placed in this space.


Here is a photograph showing the upper portion of the lantern with the top removed.



Photograph of the lantern (on "high") lighting up a bathtub.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was sent by G.L. of EliteLED, and was received on 12-30-05

Lantern was VERY LIKELY made in China. A product's country of origin really does matter to some people, which is why I published it on this page.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: Nuwai
    PRODUCT TYPE: Medium-small camping lantern
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm white LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 16
    BEAM TYPE: N/A
    SWITCH TYPE: Rotary dial on/off/intensity adjustment on front of product
    BEZEL: LEDs protected by plastic cylinder
    BATTERY: 4xC cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Not stated - but appears to be weather-resistant
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: S-hook
    SIZE: 7.5"H, 5.1"D
    WEIGHT: 1.87lb (650g) with batteries
    WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Nuwai 16-LED Lantern * (www.eliteled.com...)






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