Handiness *****

Robert (23/08/2017), Austria
Orders: 1
Reviews: 2

I already have the older model in use. Compared to this, the new lantern has the following
Advantages:
- warmer light
- better illumination of larger tents / rooms / open areas
(the older lamp has a kind of narrower lighting band due to the recessed arrangement of the LED)
- better illumination directly under the lamp when it is hung (almost no shadows)

Disadvantages:
- LED is no longer shielded (recessed) like the older lamp -> therefore extremely bright light point - annoying for me when the lamp is at or below eye level
- The light source (frosted "glass") is glaring - Reading at the camping table is extremely tiring for the eyes due to the glare from the lamp. Dimming the lamp doesn't help either, as it is then too dark for reading. This was solved perfectly with the older lamp - it is simply great for reading
- The older lamp has 80 lumens, the new one is advertised with 200 lumens.
This factor of 2.5x brighter is only noticeable in direct comparison with the older lamp in selected scenarios when the significantly better light distribution comes into play
(The high value of 200 lumens smells to me more like exaggerated marketing, which has come at the cost of glare).

Conclusion:
Perfect for lighting up a base camp or a parking space when hanging (above eye level) -> warm light, great light distribution - this is exactly where I will use the lamp.
Not suitable for reading/eating at the camping table or in smaller tents due to the glare - the older lamp is perfect for this.
In my opinion, the old model (the new model also dazzles) of the Black Diamond Voyager is more suitable for smaller tents if you can do without the great feet of the Apollo light.

General information on quality:
The lamp that I am already using is well made and of good quality. The new one looks to be just as good. The only weak point is that the removable holder for the batteries has to be handled carefully. Despite this caution, the middle bar has already broken. But the holder still works.

Note when operating with batteries:
I operate the lamp with AA batteries. It is important to note that the lamp does not shut off when the voltage level falls below 1V per cell (4V for the entire pack). This means that batteries are discharged too deeply and are permanently damaged if you wait until the lamp goes out. So always replace batteries early enough (when the orange LED starts to light up - do not wait until the red LED lights up - by then it is already too late for the batteries).

Wishes for Black Diamond:
- Selector switch for battery / rechargeable battery operation with correspondingly set shutdown
- Integrate memory of the last used brightness setting (is standard in other Black Diamond lamps (Orbit / Voyager) in the new generation

Reinhard (27/09/2016), Austria
Orders: 1
Reviews: 2