UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern Review

***** BUYER BEWARE *****
Stay away from Ultimate Survival Technologies.
Cheap circuitry, false advertising, and potentially dangerous LED products.

Features:

From UST, "The 10-Day Classic LED Lantern combines state-of-the-art functionality and a classic look to provide up to 10 days of emergency lighting."

The UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern will run continuously on high (500 lumens) for 3 days! It features a single button to cycle through the modes. The 6 AA batteries are installed in the screw-on base. The top lantern shield glows in the dark for up to 2 hours when exposed to a light source. The UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

Specifications:

Size: 5.9 in. x 2.9 in. (150 mm x 73 mm)
Material: Impact-resistant ABS plastic
Water Resistant: IPX4
Weight: 6 oz. (170 g) w/out batteries
Lumens: 500 (high), 250 (med), 150 (low)
Run Time: 72 hrs (high), 120 hrs (med), 240 hrs (low)
Bulb Type: 2 x 1.5 W LED
Batteries: 6 AA

Initial Thoughts (01/07/16):

I have been using a Century single mantle propane lantern for snow camping the past few years, but have decided an LED lantern would be better suited to the task. I chose the Ultimate Survival Technologies 10-Day Classic LED Lantern due to its high lumen output, small size and weight, and long stated battery life. It will easily last a camping trip (if the advertised run-time is true) without the bulk of having a propane cylinder or worrying about a broken mantle from a bumpy ride to camp.

The UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern feels sturdy and is definitely bright at first. It is brighter than my single mantle propane lantern. The color of the light is white compared to the yellow tint of a propane lantern. I like the clean look of white light.

The handle on top of the UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern feels sturdy and should work well for hanging the lantern in a tent or on a branch. The base of the lantern is narrow and could be unstable on uneven surfaces. But on flat surfaces it stays put due to the weight of the AA batteries in the base and the rubberized finish on the bottom.

I have tested the battery life claims at home with six sets of batteries, five sets of rechargeable NIMH (2100 mAh) and one set of Alakaline. I did not mix new and old batteries or types. The results have been extremely disappointing. Either I have a defective UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern or UST greatly exaggerating run times (UST is currently looking into my results, so stay tuned.). I have been able to get maybe 3-4 hours of run time on the high setting before the lantern drastically dims. That is about 4-6% of the claimed run time.

For my run-time tests, I placed the UST 10-Day Classic LED lantern on high brightness one meter away from my light sensor (Samsung Galaxy S6 Active w/Light Meter app). The attached run-time graph is using fully charged AA NIMH 2100 mAh batteries. After 3.5 hours the lantern had dimmed to less than 10% of starting brightness (this is what UST uses to make their run-time claims). That is 68.5 hours shy of their advertised 72 hours. The UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern ran for less than 5% of the advertised run-time in my test. Very poor results!

Also, the 10-Day Classic LED Lantern is not a regulated circuit. That means it dims more and more as time goes on, beginning at minute one. This means it has very cheap circuitry which is not very useful for real world applications like camping. Quality LED lights usually have regulated constant current circuitry, maintaining the same level of brightness throughout its battery life.

Until I receive a replacement 10-Day Classic LED lantern from UST, I cannot recommend this LED Lantern and would hesitate purchasing any of their lighting products.

Here is a link to a video from someone else showing a potentially dangerous situation involving a UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern with the batteries incorrectly installed. This should not happen on a well designed circuit.

Update (02/03/16):

UST sent me another 10-Day Classic LED Lantern to test. Unfortunately I received similar results as the original lantern when I tested run-time on high. I used the same test method as before placing my light meter 1 (one) meter away from the lantern. I first tested with fully charged 2,100 mAh NIMH rechargeable batteries and then with a fresh set of Alkaline batteries. With the NIMH rechargeable batteries, the 10-Day Classic LED Lantern ran for 4 hours on high mode before reaching less than 10% of starting brightness. With the Alkaline batteries, it ran nearly 8 hours before reaching less than 10% of starting brightness (although the last 3 hours was too dim to be usable in my opinion). These run-times are nowhere near the advertised 72 hours on high.

Final Thoughts:

In conclusion, The UST 10-Day Classic LED Lantern does not perform as advertised. The difference between actual run time and advertised run time is so great, I have to wonder if it's a misprint versus intentionally falsified advertising. The bottom line is I do not recommend the UST 10-Day Classic LED lantern. It is a very disappointing product and there are much better alternatives on the market.

Available from amazon.com.