By The Maj.
In our gadget centric world, it is usually a shock to our systems when those gadgets run out of power for an extended period of time. Certainly most reading this have 12-volt chargers for their vehicles for their most important devices but have you considered what happens when the gas is no longer flowing and the battery in your vehicle is as dead as a hammer? What happens if or when you have to Bugout or get home without the luxury of your vehicle? Having the capability to charge those devices, regardless of their limited operational capacity, can provide a difference and possibly provide you some advantages post-SHTF.
I have searched for a durable, lightweight, reliable, affordable, and pack able charging system for my cell phone for several years. Most of what I have found has been one of or a combination of three things: priced through the ROOF, cheaply or delicately made, and/or absolutely unreliable. It has been a frustrating process for me and I have rarely been more disappointed in purchases in one particular area of my preps. While cruising the internet a few weeks back, I stumbled on a K-Light solar rechargeable lantern and the one that I stumbled upon was being advertised to be capable of recharging cell phones. At about $80.00 and free shipping, I figured I would travel the “disappointing road” yet again and placed an order. It took me several weeks to run it through its paces and I figured many would be interested in how this lantern graded out.
K Light from EarthEasy,com
First and foremost, the K-Light Lantern is a solar rechargeable lantern that can charge cell phones. It is important that you keep that part clear throughout this review and understand that the solar panel charges the lantern battery and then the lantern battery can be utilized to charge a cell phone. This system will NOT charge a cell phone at the same time the lantern is being charged.
Full K Light Kit with Solar Panel
Now that is out of the way, let’s take a look at the lantern. The lantern is small, lightweight, durable, and water resistant. It is advertised to be 100-120 lumen, has 16 LED lights, and a reflective cone for dispersion of the light it gives off. The lantern has a high setting (all 16 LEDs burning) and a low setting (8 LEDs burning). The low setting is slightly brighter than a nightlight without a cover and the high setting is about twice that bright – overall it provides adequate light over a small area (think tent) and remains cool to the touch throughout operation. The advertised run time is 10 hours on high and 20 hours on low with an 8 to 10 hour charge time. Putting the lantern through its paces, the run times averaged 8 to 10 hours on low and was 18+ hours on the high setting over a continuous run. The advertised battery life is 100,000 hours or 8 to 10 years of daily use -obviously, I have not had it long enough to verify this, but if true it will make it one of the most durable, rechargeable batteries that I have ever owned.
Charging the lantern is relatively easy. The wall charger is as simple as charging anything by plugging it into a standard 110-volt outlet and is equipped with an indicator light to show the battery is accepting a charge. The solar panel charger is well built and charges the lantern well but I found it charged the lantern best when I continuously adjusted the panel’s position with the position of the sun. It did charge it placing it at the optimum position for the sun and walking away for the 8 hours it takes to charge the battery. I did not attempt to charge the battery other than in full sun outside or plugged into an outlet. As with any rechargeable device, you will want to ensure that the battery is drained as low as possible before recharging and make certain you do not leave the lantern charging over 12 hours or there is the possibility of damaging the battery or creating a “memory”.
K Light Adapters
The system comes with five power adapter tips including: Apple, Apple 5, mini-USB, micro-USB, and Samsung. There is a single cord that plugs into the same place the charger is plugged into on the lantern and each tip simply attaches to the end of that cord for plugging into your selected device. All of my phones are iPhones and both (iphone4 and iphone5) fully charged from each charging event and seemed to charge faster than when plugged into the outlet. Probably most impressive was the fact that there were at least three hours of lantern run time on the low setting after each charging event. Also, although the lantern is not advertised to charge iPads, I did attempt to charge my iPad 2 twice and both times it added 30 to 35% charge to the device but drained the battery very quick. The biggest thing is the system actually does work for charging cell phones, which is what I was looking for.
The only downside I have been able to identify so far is the system does not come with a pack able case to keep all of the cords, solar panel, lantern, and power adapters together. Maybe one day K-Light will make a case that organizes the system and protects the solar panel. The solar panel is the most delicate part of the entire system and without it, you might as well have a rechargeable flashlight. While the panel appears to be well built, things that can break do break when you put them in a pack and head out. I am currently playing around with a few cases and some packing foam in an attempt to come up with a case that will work with the system. I am also considering ordering a second solar panel or complete system for redundancy.
Overall, I am impressed with the “K-Light Rechargeable Multipurpose Lantern with Cell Phone Charging System“. It has worked as advertised through the tests that I ran it through and I plan to utilize it heavily this spring when I will be living out of my bag for 3 weeks to a month. I will update this review at that time if anything new surfaces with the system. As with any gadget, there has to be a true need for there to be added value to one’s preps but if you are looking for a solar system capable of recharging your cell phone, I think this might be the answer for most people.
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