Customer Reviews

Black Diamond Equipment Apollo Lantern

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great lantern for both the amount of light it produces and its portability. There is a reason every camping/backpacking magazine and website recommends Black Diamond. Black Diamond makes a smaller lantern (The Orbit) which is good for maybe a 2 person tent, but in my 4 person tent (Big Agnes- Big House) the Orbit didn't produce enough light to comfortably play cards or read a book. The increase in light output in the Apollo is very noticeable and works perfect for a 4+ person tent as well as around the camp sight. Where the orbit is more a personal light, the Apollo, with its light output and ability to stand, make it more versatile. When closed The Apollo is slightly taller and slightly thinner than a standard soup can. It is incredibly light and hangs from the top of a tent with ease. Though a little pricey I would purchase again.

Ive been looking for a led lantern and done some research so I decided to give the apollo a try. Right off the bat I like the size compared to a coleman gas lantern I have, the apollo is roughly the size of a can of pop closed up. Since I have some flashlights that use AA batteries I also want the lantern to use the same so I dont have to carry different sizes while camping, I did some testing to see how long batteries would last at full power and with energizer lithiums I got 12hrs run time out them at 85f degree temp. DONT BOTHER with alkalines unless you want to carry LOTS of them with you, I also bought the orbit lantern and tried alkalines in that one, it drained them in about an hour!

Testing the lantern outside in pitch black darkness it throws a good size diameter light pattern, if you elevate the lantern 6-7 feet above ground level. Easily will have enough light for your camping area and I personally dont think I will even run it at full power, probably 1/2 or higher will do so therefore extending battery life even further. The legs on the lantern are nice to have if you dont have a tree or something you can hang it from, the light is definately stable when standing on them. Some people have stated this light wouldnt be appropriate for backpacking, I would kinda disagree with that, it is bigger than the orbit but compared to other lights that I have it is small. To me this lantern is the "do all" light, power outage? It could provide enough light for a living room or kitchen area with no problem. It definately would excell taking it car camping but I wouldnt hesitate to throw it in my backpack either, it really has more than enough power to light the area up without disturbing the rest of the camp. The lowest power setting is 10 lumens, which I find just right inside a small tent for a night light effect.

The overall quality of the light is really good for the price, no problems so far and I like how evenly the light is spread compared to other lanterns I have seen (namely the coleman exponent collapsable lantern). The power switch doesnt seam cheap and has a positive feel to it when holding it in to change the power settings. The hanging clips on top are definately well designed and hold the lamp secure from a tree branch or tent poles, the split design is a bonus. This light will probably replace my gas lantern due to size, i feel led tech has come to probably take over the lantern camping world. OH one thing I kinda noticed was bugs werent swarming the light as much compared to my gas lantern, dont know if this has any merit but atleast that night it did.

I decided to spend the extra money to get this Black Diamond lantern instead of a cheaper alternative and I'm very glad I did. This lantern is very well designed and high quality.

Great Features:

Split ring on top: Ever had a lantern with a ring on top to hang it and a loop in your tent, with no way to connect them? Not with this! The ring on top is a split ring, which means one side forms a hook one way, the other side the other way so that when they are both up, it is a ring, but you can hook it onto a loop in your tent without further connections. Furthermore, the two parts fold down flat with the top of the lantern when not in use.

Dimmer: You can push the power button once to just turn the lantern on, or push and hold and the lantern will dim and brighten to your desired level.

Collapses: The picture shows the lantern full extended. The top part slides down until the gray ring covers the power button. The legs then fold up around the lantern. The lantern can be used in this position, the mirrors in the middle are designed to reflect light even when the top is collapsed.

Weatherproof: I don't know what kind of guarantees the manufacturer makes on this, but the lantern is clearly well designed for being exposed to weather. The gray ring at the base of the lantern shade is made of rubber, helping keep any water out. The power button is rubber as well.

Power Efficient: We've taken this lantern on several camping trips and used it for several power failures, we have yet to replace the battery.

Easy on the eyes: LEDs can be painful on the eyes if you look at them directly. This lantern shade has enough obscureness to prevent that, but at the same time clearly lets the maximum amount of light through - its not just plastic which is colored white, its clear plastic with a special either coating or surface on the inside to cause the light to refract enough for comfort.

Bright: This is a very bright lantern! It easily illuminates inside a tent at night by itself and does a decent job of illuminating the campsite. If you are looking for something that can really illuminate the whole campsite for cooking or playing cards, etc check out the Titan LED Lantern by Black Diamond. Works fabulous hung from the ceiling of our tent.

I have nothing bad to say about this sucker - I feel like it was money very well spent!

I use this lantern every weekend on a outdoor table. Doing so for about Two years. I alternate two sets of rechargeable
Batteries in it. Run it about 6-8 hrs at a time. The low self discharge Sanyo batteries are the way to roll close to home. For packing
Out with no charger I'd use the Energizer ultimate lithium. Light weight and won't leak in storage like alkalines. All my friends bought one after seeing mine. One left alkalines in it stored for a few months and the leaked. Corroded the batt holder. Had to wire brush and baking soda it. It works but usually have to press batteries in hard before putting cap back on. I strongly suggest if you want to store it for over a couple weeks to do so empty, OR us rechargeable Nickel metal or lithium as they won't leak. I own a couple of these but would like two more. Perfect for gifts.

This lantern is fantastic! It puts out plenty of light, has plenty of life, and is highly portable. The dimming option is really great to have when you don't need as much light. Great purchase for us!

Though a bit more pricey than other options, you get what you pay for. The Apollo truly excels in its design and functionality. The size is compact as a soup can when closed up, and the dimming function works nicely by holding down the power button (dims up and down by holding the button, turns off by quickly pressing the button). I got the white one. A very soothing color, but we'll see how it holds up against camping grime.

Back in the day, I backpacked with a candle-lantern, and one time about burned my tent down. Later I found the Black Diamond Orbit and my backpacking became much safer. I love the Orbit. Now I also have this Black Diamond Apollo. Maybe a little heavy for backpacking, but the light output is like the Orbit on steroids. I highly recommend this product.