Coleman LED lantern review

Who it is for

A rechargeable lantern is only as good as the charge it holds when the power goes out. A battery lantern is as good as your stock of batteries, which you control. This Coleman is for the household that wants a bright, simple light that can wait in a closet for years and then run for days on D cells bought in advance. Coleman's product page sells it as a 1000-lumen lantern with a rotating dial for high, medium, low and flashing modes, up to 14 hours of runtime on high from four D batteries, sold separately.

It is the lantern we would put on the kitchen table during a multi-day outage, with a headlamp for moving around; see our power outage checklist.

What BatteryGuard does

Coleman's name for the feature that matters most for storage is BatteryGuard. The page says the batteries are automatically disengaged from the circuit when the lantern is turned off, extending their life by as much as 25 percent, and that this reduces the chance of damaging corrosion so batteries can be stored in the device for years. Anyone who has opened a stored flashlight to find a crusted, leaking cell knows why that matters.

We would still follow the usual practice: store the lantern with the batteries in a bag beside it rather than installed, check them yearly, and keep a spare set. Coleman lists the battery type as alkaline; four D cells are the whole power plan, so buy two sets.

Build, water and warranty

The lantern is rated IPX4, which Coleman describes as water resistance, and impact resistant to a 2-meter drop onto dirt. The LEDs are described as lifetime bulbs that never need replacing. Coleman lists the weight at 1.5 pounds without batteries and the size at about 9.25 inches tall by 4.4 inches square, with a 3-year warranty. The page also mentions a 16-meter beam, which is the throw of the light, not the area it fills.

There is no USB port, no phone charging, and no way to top it up from a power station: this is a pure battery lantern.

How it compares with the other picks

On our flashlights and lanterns comparison and LED lanterns comparison, the Black Diamond Spot 400-R is the rechargeable headlamp for hands-free tasks, and the Energizer X1000 is the rechargeable lantern that is brighter on paper but needs an outlet or a power bank to come back. The Coleman is the lantern that never needs either, provided the D-cell drawer is stocked.

A sensible kit holds both kinds: a rechargeable that lives on a charger for the first night, and this Coleman with spare D cells for every night after.

Verdict

Buy it as the long-outage lantern. Four D batteries, up to 14 hours on high, water resistant, and a circuit that stops stored batteries draining or corroding. Keep two sets of D cells with it.

Skip it if you would rather recharge by USB, if you want a lantern that can charge a phone, or if you are not willing to keep a stock of D batteries on the shelf.

How long does the Coleman 1000-lumen lantern run?

Coleman says up to 14 hours on high from four D batteries. The medium and low settings stretch that, though Coleman does not publish figures for them.

Does the Coleman lantern come with batteries?

No. Coleman's page says the four D batteries are sold separately, and lists the battery type as alkaline.

What does BatteryGuard mean?

Coleman says the circuit disconnects the batteries when the lantern is off, extending their life by up to 25 percent and reducing the chance of corrosion, so cells can stay in the lantern for years.

Is the Coleman lantern waterproof?

It is rated IPX4, which Coleman describes as water resistance against splashes and rain, not immersion. It is also rated to survive a 2-meter drop onto dirt.