Generally speaking, I DISLIKE lanterns for INDOOR use, primarily because they offer too much glare. If you set one in the center of the room, your eyes are drawn to it, and then as your iris closes you can't see much else. However for OUTDOOR use, you don't have much of an option.
The Light Fusion Technology of this lantern truly sets it apart. It spreads the hot spot (that produces glare) out throughout the light panel so broadly that glare is essentially eliminated. I really like the beam of this lantern!
Additionally a BIG PLUS for this lantern is that it has a regulated light output. That means that it has circuitry to manage the power to the lantern from the batteries so that it will maintain the same level of light, a consistent level of light, until the batteries are depleted. Other lanterns get dimmer and dimmer as the batteries deplete and get crazy long run-times but at increasingly lower levels of light. This lantern also has a digitally adjustable light out put. You can set it at whatever level of light is most comfortable, with the consideration that brighter means less run-time, less bright means longer run-times.
A friend wrote this.. "Runtimes on high seemed to come in at about 3.5hrs for 4xAA and just shy of 7hrs for 8xAA loads (under warm summer conditions with Alkaline disposable batteries). Lowering the light level just a small amount led to dramatic increases in runtime, so much so that I terminated testing because I got bored."
I tested mine with 4 fully charged Duracell Iron core batteries, and it ran for 4.25 hours, on high.
The 300 lumen output on high is absolutely believable, and as stated... consistent for the duration of its run-time.
Considering that there are many AA battery chargers that can plug into a car's power port, and the fact that this lantern will run on rechargeable AA batteries or standard alkalines, this lantern is an excellent choice for weekend camping, or for power outages.
I modified mine by adding a USB cable (by soldering it to the battery box) so that it can run from a re-chargeable power bank. IMO the product can be improved by adding a USB input. It runs fine on the 5 volt output of power banks. On high it ran for 3.5 hours on a 3100ma power bank, and on low it ran for 14 hours @ 30 lumens on a 1800ma power bank.
I have seven other lanterns, and this one is the best. If you are preparing for power outages, though (and I think that you should) you should also get 2 four packs of Duracell iron core rechargeables, and a charger that you can plug into your car Cigar lighter or power port. This unit is a little power hunger, not because it is poorly designed, but because it puts out a good amount of light, without glare, and will continue to do so until that batteries are drained.
Would I recommend this lantern? Absolutely!
CHOKING HAZARD - Children Under 3