This might look like a funny lamp to be used for camping but this idea came to me when I decided to have all my outdoor gadget to use only 5V supply when I bought the Goal Zero Nomad Adventure Kit. (Excellent Product).
This USB lamp was meant to be a cheap laptop or desktop 5V lamp however after testing it out and hooked up with Goal Zero Charger soon realised it is an ideal lamp for outdoor camping where there is no power source.
So I decided to test out against my Black Diamond Orbit Lantern and came out with surprising results. The Flexible USB 5V Lamp is much lighter, easier to pack, since it is flexible the light can be orientated to any direction needed and it is much brighter than the Black Diamond Orbit which cost 6 times more.
As for quality I can't complain much against the price. Overall the product is made in China and comes with decent quality. However to much amazed the 28 LED bulbs are of very good quality. So far I been using it for couple of weeks and none of the bulbs have yet to breakdown. Currently since we are not out camping, we have use it as our monitor and TV back light to prevent straining to our eyes.
using it as workbench light
28 LED bulbs with on/off switch
weight difference without batteries
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| Black Diamond Orbit Lantern |
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| with Goal Zero Guide 10 Battery Pack |
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| with Cloud WIFI internal battery |
using it as Monitor back light
drawing current around 0.4amps from 5V (that make's it a 2watts Lamp)
Conclusion
I have seen alot of made in China cheap USB Lamp but compare to this Flexible USB 5V Lamp, this is far much better it terms of quality and the amount of light it produces. This lamp is definitely ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. I might be planning to use it as an aquarium lamp too.
How long will the battery last is all depends on how much battery juice you have. Assuming you have 4000mAh battery pack, that will probably last 10 hours however most battery pack will only produced 60 to 70% efficiency.
So how bright it is, here is the last picture taken on my workstation with the lamp pointing towards the ceiling.
So if you are a person who are constantly outdoor with a battery pack for your smart gadget and looking for a cheap alternative lamp for camp kitchen lighting or tent light, you might want to consider this lamp
Either the USB lamp is really bright or my Canon S100 produced a good quality night photo scene.
