Goal Zero Lighthouse 250 Hub Lantern

I have to start by saying I like Goal Zero products; they tend to have excellent designs which are practical and reliable. Sometimes they are criticized for being overpriced, but are the "comparable" products really equal? Maybe you can think of GoalZero as the "Apple" of portable solar energy devices.This is a combination of Li-Ion portable battery pack and bright LED lantern. It seems to work very well for both of those things. It is very lightweight for is size. The light is extremely bright (rated at 250 lumens they say) and it has the very nice benefit of being able to use either one side (like if you hang it up on a wall of a tent and just want to light up one side) or all-around where you light from both sides. There is a variable control that turns two ways: turn it to the left and one-side only lights-up and gets brighter as you turn it; to the right, you get both sides. Note that it's no continuously-variable but rather it goes in steps.The other main feature is that you have a USB power out port which is intended for charging things like your cell phone or GPS. This is the same battery that powers the lantern, of course. You have to be realistic and realize that this thing is lightweight and it's not going to fully charge a big tablet. Power just can't come from nothing (as much as we wish it would...) So it's intended for small electronic devices that charge from USB.The langern charges from a USB cord that is permanently attached to the unit and stores wrapped around it (yay, no cord to lose). You can charge it by plugging into a USB port on a laptop, desktop, TV, etc, or from a wall charger (like you might use for your tablet), a car charger (like for your GPS), or, best of all, a solar panel (and of course that is why this is part of the GoalZero line -- you have a panel, you can charge this up during the day, this stores the power, and then you get both light and a cell phone or GPS recharge at night.)The only negatives: (1) as stated, it's a tiny battery. It has to be to fit into this unit in terms of weight and also cost. It's not going to be able charge a laptop or tablet. Note that GoalZero did have a BIG lantern that had a Sealed Lead-Acid battery in it. I'm sure that thing could store a lot. It also weighed a lot -- several pounds. So just remember you have to match the tool for the job. Note that GoalZero also does have a portable Li-Ion unit that can give a charge to a laptop and uses a bigger solar panel. It's not cheap, but it's nice.and (2) the lantern has "emergency lights" which I think are a disappointment. You push the little "red triangle" button (looks like the emergency flasher icon in a car), and little red lights circle around the top of the lantern. Great idea, but I mean "little." They look more like moving lights from a kids toy. They do NOT look like something that would alert oncoming drivers if you placed it by the side of the road. I know that with today's technology they can make BRIGHT red LED FLASHERs like used on bikes. Those bike lights use very short, extremely bright flashes which really get your attention. (I've noticed bikes in the distance in daylight before I would normally notice them) The little red lights are NOTHING like that! I think at night in a campground, kids could look at the moving lights and think they were fun. They are not going to get you help when needed, or alert oncoming drivers if you're using this by the side of the road. And for THAT reason, 4 instead of 5 stars. (in my opinion it would have been better to just leave the feature out, unless they were going to make a better attempt at it and use technology that has been used in bike rear flashers for many years now.)Overall still a great and handy product but don't count on alerting anybody to emergencies with the "kids toy" red flashers.

I grabbed this product ( Goal Zero 32001 Lighthouse 250 Portable Battery Charger USB Power Hub and Lantern ) during an Amazon "Deal of the Day" sale. It looks like a neat gadget that can be useful not just for camping, but also during an extended power outage. After thoroughly testing all its advertised functions, I'm very happy with my purchase.[LED Lantern]The Goal Zero lantern contains two CREE 3-Watt LEDs, with an advertised light output of 250 lumens at full power. I already own the  Energizer Weather Ready Folding Area Lantern , but this Goal Zero lantern is far superior in many aspects:- Over twice the maximum light output (250 vs. 96 lumens)- Well-regulated brightness (instead of getting dimmer as battery voltage drops)- Gives either all-around or semi-directional (180-degree) illumination- The LED brightness can be adjusted to extend battery life- Powered by internal Lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack[Rechargeable Battery]The internal battery pack can be recharged from any USB power adapter, through the attached USB cable. The battery is rated 4400mAh in capacity. The charging current I measured starts at around 0.85A (according to my  PortaPow USB Power Monitor ), and drops when the battery is close to full. So I expect the charge time to be 6-7 hours. I can also recharge it using the  Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar Panel . The charge time is about the same - as long as there is direct sunlight.One good feature worth mentioning: the unit supports pass-through charging. That means while the internal battery is being charged from a solar panel, it can still power the USB port to recharge your cell phone. This offers a good energy buffer in case the sunlight gets blocked by clouds momentarily.[Dynamo Crank]What if the sun doesn't shine and you are running out of battery power? There is still the last resort of dynamo cranking. According to my test, one minute of vigorous cranking (roughly 120 turns on the handle) can light up the lantern for 3 minutes at maximum brightness. The runtime is doubled if only half of the lantern is lit, or even longer if brightness is set lower.The user manual says cranking at 120 turns per minute generates a charging power of 2.2W. That's equivalent to roughly 500mA of charging current. So theoretically, I have to crank it for about 8 hours to get a full charge.[Power Hub mode]The Goal Zero lantern also doubles as a USB charger for your other devices. It generates a regulated 5V output at up to 1.5A (7.5W). So it is good for charging most smart phones and small tablets, but not for iPad which requires more 2A.I tested the capacity of the battery, by connecting a 5-ohm power resistor as load. The USB port generated 4.9V at 0.97A (4.75W) for 166 minutes before shutting off. This corresponds to a total output energy of 13Wh. Assuming the power conversion process is only 80% efficient, I can then estimate the internal battery to have a capacity of 4400mAh (3.7V * 4.4Ah * 0.8 = 13Wh), exactly as advertised.To put this capacity number in perspective: my Samsung Galaxy S3 has a battery pack rated 2100mAh. So a 4400mAh battery should be able to recharge my phone 1.5 times, assuming 25-30% conversion losses.[Battery Status Indicator]I noticed during my test that the battery status indicator is highly non-linear. The indicator consists of 4 blue LEDs. So naturally people will expect each LED to represent 25% of energy left. The actual representation I found is:- 4-LED = 98-100%- 3-LED = 86-97%- 2-LED = 23-85%- 1-LED = 1-22%[Summary]With the exception of the battery status indicator, this Goal Zero lantern/battery charger performs exactly as I expected. The only complaint I have left is its high regular price. At the "Deal of the Day" price I paid (37.5% off from regular price), I consider it a 5-star product.

Pricey, but well made.If you are looking for an all-in-one blackout lamp this will suit your need almost perfectly. I say ALMOST because it doesn't have a radio, but it does everything else and does it well.The dynamo is smooth and easy to crank with a handle that compromises fairly well between ergonomics and a low profile. Cranking for several minutes was no strain at all and the battery charged quickly. You can also charge the battery using the attached USB cable. Perfect if you're in the car and will need a lantern once you get to your destination, like a campsite after dark.The lamp is very bright; About as bright as a similarly sized naphtha or propane camping lamp. The lamp is also dimmable, allowing you to conserve power or not disturb others. Another great feature is the lamp can be turned on with one side blacked out so it doesn't shine in your face if it's at eye-level.The lamp can be used as an emergency warning light of sorts with flashing red LEDS on the top, but they're not very high profile and would be a poor substitute for a dedicated emergency strobe. Consider this a nice, but very secondary, added feature.The wire base is very sturdy and folds up for compact storage. The top wire handle is also very sturdy and is more than sufficient for supporting the lamp from a hook, but has limited clearance with the top, which might make it awkward to carry if you have thick fingers or wear heavy gloves. I was concerned that the handle was missing a little "bump" in the wire so it would stay centered on a hook if bumped or blown in the wind, but the lamp's weight takes care of that.The main reason for buying this unit is the USB port and cell phone charging has worked as well as any AC adapter. Charging was fast with juice to spare.Whether for prolonged black-outs or roughing it in the woods, this is a sturdy lamp and emergency power supply that doesn't require much effort to keep charged.

Liked this so much i brought a second one. It arrived quickly, already have some solar power goal zero products and very happy with the lantern. You are able to illuminate it on just one side for softer lighting or both sides full illumination which is great whether you have a power cuttor use it for camping as I do.

Little heavy but is a lifetime product.

Took it camping this past weekend. Great lamp. Thought I would only use it for the tent lamp, but ended up using it as our main campsite table lamp. Charge lasted a long time too. Haven't used it for charging yet, but as a lamp I love it. I think I will buy another one. Great as a tent light, campsite light and walking light.

This is a solid little lamp, It's very bright (when you need it). It lasts quite a while before you have to charge it. The hand crank charging feature will be handy when on extended outings and in need of light.