26.3.2017

Since we are big campers in this house so we have quite a few battery and fuel operated lanterns knocking about. This is the first rechargeable one and we love it! I admit I wasn't all that impressed when I opened the box and saw how small it was. We've used larger lanterns that seemed like they'd put off quite a bit of light but were pretty pathetic. This lantern came with a bit of a charge to its rechargeable battery, so it was able to be tested right out of the box.The lantern itself is quite lightweight so there will be no problems hanging it from the center of a tent or even a child's play tent. I really like the way it attaches to the hanging cord by a magnet.The magnet is strong enough to ensure this lantern won't fall on your head even if the tent is being rattled by some heavy duty winds or an accidental bump by someone's head. It takes a decent, strong-ish pull to separate the bottom from the magnet. The magnet is set into the bottom of the lantern, and the hang cord has the plain metal disk. So if you have the hang cord attached to the top of the tent and are going to set the lantern on something, be careful that whatever you set it on isn't affected by a strong magnet.The blue light function is nice for nighttime or to use as a child's nightlight. There is enough light to see in a large room and not bump your toes into anything. The white light function gets pretty bright. The settings go from dim to bright, and the light given off is more 'soft white' than 'daylight' and I suspect this is thanks to the opaque white top. The dim setting is listed at 10 lumens and the brightest setting at 130 lumens which is more than enough to read by. We tried it in our living room which is 28' x 16', and no other light was needed for us to clearly see everything. To use it for reading you would have to be somewhat near the lantern, but if you had a large print book (like a kid's book), you'd be able to read it on the other side of the room. The brightest setting will completely destroy your night vision, so if you do use this for camping, keep that in mind. We did leave this on overnight on the highest setting, and subtracting for the time we spent messing around with it switching between colors and brightness, the lantern lasted just shy of nine hours on a full charge. The dimmest setting has been on in our bathroom now for three days with no signs of petering out, so it appears that their approximate times (13 hours on highest setting, not sure how long on dimmest) are pretty accurate. If this were to be used as a nightlight in a kid's room on the blue setting, you should get several days of use before it needs to be recharged.Another cool aspect to this lantern is that the base where the magnet attaches screws off and stores a white six inch charging micro USB which comes with this lantern. Yay for a manufacturer that provides the charging cord! You can not only use this to charge the lantern from your laptop, portable power block, car adapter, or USB plug adapter, but you can plus a USB end into the lantern (right below its micro USB charging slot) and charge any device off of the lantern's battery. I love that you can store the charging cord in the base, and if you are careful, you can hold a three foot lightning cord in there as well or even some emergency cash or spare house key. If you do choose to charge a device off of this lantern, the light doesn't dim or flicker. It's not the fastest way to charge a phone, but in a pinch, this is a great solution. At the lantern's charging ports you will notice a blue light that blinks on and off every couple of seconds. This didn't change regardless of the setting we had the lantern on or if something was plugged in to one of the USB ports. It came in handy when trying to insert one end of a charger in the dark, but other than that, I don't really see the need for this light. There is a silicone flap that secures into the ports when not in use to keep them dirt and dust free.The only thing I don't like about this lantern is the cheap-y feel, especially with the on/off/dimmer knob. It doesn't turn smoothly, nor does it adjust in definite clicks like some lanterns. It's as if there is a burr or something on the threading so the knob catches and drags. The knob is securely attached, so we couldn't pop it off to see if there was something there causing the drag. The little wooden disk inset into the face of the knob is a bit out of place. It's an aesthetic thing, just like the faux wood grain in the black plastic of the base, but it doesn't really match the lantern. The color scheme is unobtrusive, though it would be nice to be able to choose other colors for better visibility. I can see one of these being forgotten and left behind if hung in a tree for ambient light because it would blend in rather well with the tree versus a bright blue or red base. This also comes with a one year warranty that covers the basics like defects in workmanship. The instruction booklet is very basic and very short.If you do a lot of camping, go through quite a few power outages from storms, or just want some extra light in a closet or while working on a project, I highly recommend this lantern. Skip the model that requires three AAA batteries and get the rechargeable model. It will save money in the long run, it's less weight to carry when camping, and less waste. Fifty dollars is a lot for a little lantern, but considering what you will save in candles and batteries as well as portability and versatility, it's worth it.

23.3.2017

(See updated performance test at end of review.)A very nice lantern but badly overpriced as of the day I received it and Amazon has a number of other similar items that represent a better value. I'll add a link to one at the end.I live in a part of the country that experiences relatively frequent power outages due to weather even though this is a major city in the Northwest.There's no room outside for a small emergency generator so we have been adding a variety of emergency lights and USB battery packs around the house so we can see what we are doing, use our tablets and Kindles and phones and in general manage until the real lights come back on.(The wireless router is plugged into a monstrous UPS backup that can run it for a couple of days if need be...we do NOT like being unconnected.)Within that scope, this is a darn fine addition. It's about the size of a large coffee mug, can sit upright on its base or, with the provided detachable hanging strap, be used in a tent or camping. The lamp itself is held by a *very* strong magnet to the hanging portion so be careful where you store this thing around anything that might be affected. The magnet is *strong*.The unit is all plastic with some needless and a bit tacky fake wood grain molded in and even printed on the label on the control knob. Silly, really. The company name is printed on the light diffuser so one side will always be advertising this. I dislike this but not enough to yank an extra star.Once charged up (You provide the charging cord, many others come with one, that's part of why I took off one star) this thing works, works well and performs as you'd want it to.The light is soft and 360 degrees so it is more of an area or mood light than a "Let's keep on working on these detailed blueprints" work light. But it does the job in making it safe to move around a cluttered home office where I am testing it. I'd say you could read by it when turned up if you can set it near eye level.The dial is infinitely variable and has a click setting for what they are calling "Moonlight" which is basically a night light setting. Cranked all the way up and hung from a tree branch or such, it will definitely light up a campsite.The LED has a decided bluish cast (which is stated on the label) and might not be to everyone's taste.The best added feature is this is also a "juice box" charger for other electronics like a cell phone or small tablet. At the expense of lighting time of course but a very handy feature. The internal battery has enough juice to charge most smartphones fully or nearly so one time.Makes it a nice multi-tasker for emergencies. The charging port has a little flap over it that is attached so it won't come off. This will protect from very minor rain but this is not intended to be used in a wet environment nor is it waterproof.On the whole, this is a good light, it does what it claims to, does it well and seems solid and well made. Nice heft to it, possibly from the magnetic "puck" but it does make it more stable when just sitting there. Besides the lack of built in charging cable, it is *way* overpriced as of this writing. For half the cost you could buy a much larger "juice box" charger and a small USB lamp.You would not get the flexibility but you'd save a ton of money.Oh, almost forget, there's a small "wrap around" storage area in the bottom where the magnetic "puck" goes that is alleged in the tiny little booklet to hold a USB cord if you wrap it around itself. I don't see much of anything that would keep it from falling back out so I doubt the actual utility of this. There is a lip around the "puck" but I'd not count on that doing the job during rough use.OK, as promised, and after a modest checking of Amazon's other offerings, this one appears to offer much better value, more light (although this one is pretty good when cranked up), more battery (about 30% if the numbers are accurate) and a significantly lower price

30.3.2017

This UCO Rhody 130 is a bright hand-sized light that is approximately equivalent in brightness to a 60 watt bulb I have (130 lumens for the Rhody vs. 120 for my 60 watt)- It has an easy to use rotating dial on front that acts as a dimmer if turned clockwise (10-130 lumens), on-off control (center setting), and if turned in the opposite counter-clockwise direction, you get a nice blue "moonlight" light that provides a different hue. The bottom screws off and inside there is a short, removable USB cord that you can use to recharge the internal 4400 mAh Li-Ion battery (not meant to be removable, and not accessible without a screwdriver). With the USB cord, you can charge the light,or you can use the Rhody's battery to charge your smaller devices.The body of the light is a sturdy feeling plastic with a wood-grained look finish, and it appears to be at least water resistant based on the housing- the micro USB input-output area has a well-fitted rubber cap, for example, and no obvious areas allowing for significant water incursion other than maybe the edges of the control dial. There is an easy on-off magnet pad on the bottom, with a strong magnet, that allows you to easily attach and detach the included orange nylon-type lanyard cord to your light- so you can hang your Rhody upside down from small branches or other areas where a looped cord can be wrapped, or take off the cord and set your Rhody on it's base as a table light.When I first received this, I plugged this into my computer to charge, and the micro USB input area to the Rhody glowed solid blue- it never stopped glowing blue after a few hours, so it could be that it was already fully charged (I'll update this after testing battery life). Because you can only charge this via USB, there may be a limit to use in camping- other than car camping w an adapter or maybe even one of those nifty bio-fuel chargers (BioLite Wood Burning Campstove). I personally prefer solar LED lanterns just based on weight alone, as the Li-Ion in this Rhody makes it fairly heavy at 12.1 oz. But, if you needed a backup source of energy for your cellphone, it's also nice to have this big battery around. Overall, this is a high quality light with a nice bright adjustable glow, that brings home-lamp level brightness to your outdoor (or emergency indoor) environment.Update: I turned this on the highest setting at 8:30 pm. the next morning, at 9:30 am, the light was as bright as it was the night before! so, at least 13 hours of high level light. I left the house and came back around 3:30, and it was completely off. So, sometime between 13 hrs and 19 hrs, it had gone off. I was actually surprised by the power at 9:30- that's an amazing run. I plugged it back in, and the blue light at the plug site was blinking, and about 1/2 hr later it had stopped blinking.... seems too short... i'll keep it plugged in at least a few more hours just to be sure.

3.4.2017

I'm impressed with this RHODY+ HANG-OUT LANTERN from UCO. So much of what appeals to me about this lantern is that it’s rechargeable, so note that this review is not about the AA version.UCO makes a lot of lights and has been doing so for over forty years. The thoughtful design of this lithium-ion powered lantern shows the company’s developed expertise. The very first thing that I found impressive was the light’s variability. Slowly turn the knob right and the lantern keeps getting brighter. At its max level it’s too bright to be comfortable at eye level, so you probably won’t be turning it all the way up when using in tabletop mode. Hanging, on max,

27.3.2017

This camping lantern receives high marks from both myself and my husband, who is an avid camper and supply purchaser.Packaging: It's fairly easy to get out of the plastic packing. It would be a perfect candidate for Amazon's frustration free/cardboard only packaging, but it isn't in one of those terrible "shells" that you have to cut with shears.Setup: SUPER easy. It came fully charged. You turn the knob to get brighter or lower light. On the bottom it has a removable magnetic snap with a cord so you can hang it up in the middle of your tent like a lamp. This feature is great! The magnet is nice and strong and even if you bump into the light while you're moving around it still doesn't fall off.

27.3.2017

So, this isn't a bad light. I like certain features of it better than the cheap similarly-sized lanterns available here and everywhere else on the internet for ten bucks or so. But certain things about it aren't perfect.Negative thing number one: the dimmer switch. It's awkward. It's not a smooth transition from dim to bright, nor is it pre-configured with several discrete brightness settings. As you turn the brightness up, it sort of feels like it's 'clicking' into place at various settings, but it's not. Hard to explain, but it doesn't operate smoothly like it should. Not a big deal though.Negative thing two, and a bigger deal, is the blue light. Described on the box as 'Moonlight mode'.

23.5.2017

I am a school custodian and the school is old and often the power goes out. And we do not have a backup generator. So I need to have many lamps or lights in the school for me to work. I carry this UCO Rhody Plus in my car, so that I may be ready for emergencies. And it did. The power went out in the school and I was ready! This little gem helped me to get through the work and stay in the office until the power came back on. I use this for many occasions - due to quick connect magnetic hanging feature.1. LONG Battery Life. Once it is fully charged, I was able to use the lamp multiple occasions for a month. And most of the times, I used brightest setting. When blue led lights (located above USB B port)

23.3.2017

Pros:CompactBright (and blue "moonlight" setting also helpful)Strong magnet for hangingCons:Takes a while to fully charge (lithium ion version)Red light setting would be niceSummary: Overall a fine camping lantern. 130 lumens (at max brightness) puts out a lot of light. There's also a low setting, just 10 lumens which is also decent for seeing at night. But the brighter the setting, the faster the battery drains. The instructions indicate you get 12 hours at 130 lumens, which seems about right, and 120 hours at 10 lumens, which I did not test. (I have better ways to spend a week.)There is a blue light, for when the night is lit by the moon and you don't need much.

23.3.2017

We have several reasons to be delighted with this light. The first is we live rurally and tend to get power outages during bad weather. To have such a nice bright light that is handy with no fumbling around is terrific. Secondly, my husband is a piano tuner with poor vision. At times, he is called to tune a piano in a room with inadequate lighting so he must take a chance with a portable table light balancing on the piano with the owner's permission or just do without. With this light, he can get that extra lighting that he needs and depending on where he needs it, it can stand up straight or hang upside down. We also have a guest cottage that my BIL when he comes out to visit likes to sleep in,

23.3.2017

The UCO Rhody Plus 130 Lumin Hang-Out Camping light is an interesting devise. This is an LED light. The light is smaller than I had pictured, about the size of two fists put together. The rechargeable unit has a place to charge the it using a computer or car charger connection. There are two options available, one unit is rechargeable and the other uses AA batteries. The Rhody has a place to plug in other devises that need to be charged such as your phone. It acts as an extra battery pack for your phone.The light is small enough, though fairly bright, to put into a backpack and take on a camping trip. The light is dimmable so it can be used used as a very low brightness light or turn it up and use it for reading,

24.3.2017

We have a 5th wheel trailer. We wanted a LED lantern to use on the picnic table and as a nightlight to make the path easier to the bathroom in the dark. This lantern has some spectacular features:1. The dimmer allows continuous adjustment of brightness from a soft glow to a full 130 lumens. That's bright enough for reading.2. The battery is rechargeable. This is a big plus for us. We rarely have replacement batteries when we need them. There are both a full-sized USB port and a micro USB port on the side of the lantern.3. The lighting is even all around the lantern.The unit did not come with a charging cord. You have to supply your own. Plug-in USB chargers are inexpensive.

24.3.2017

Overall I like this light, but it has a number of shortcomings.This is a good size light and 130 lumens is sufficient to get a lot done in a tent, camp kitchen, or room of a house. I did not feel like I needed to upsize to the Madrona or Sitka. Operation of the light is straightforward. It works well in the hanging mode. The blue light mode is a useful feature. There is a recharging cable in the screw-off base.Among the shortcomings:-I was underwhelmed by the build quality. The motion of the rotary light switch has a cheap feel to it.-The variable brightness knob actually adjusts in steps. I would have preferred a smooth dimming capability,

29.3.2017

The UCO Rhody Plus 130 is a very good lantern and power bank. It is easy to charge and holds a charge for a long time. It came from the manufacturer showing a fully charged battery, despite the instructions advising to charge it fully before first use.The dial can be turned one direction for different light intensities. Or you can click it once to the right for a blue light. It gets amazingly bright for the size. It's about the size of an over-sized coffee mug without a handle.The magnetic loop on the bottom is surprisingly strong. You can remove it but it will not dislodge on its own. The entire base also unscrews,

14.6.2017

The UCO Rhody is an interesting little light that makes a good car-camping companion and is equally at home around the house.The light has a dimmer dial on the front which is a welcome addition. Turn the light one click past off and you get a nice soft blue light, perfect for a nightlight. The light quality is quite good, providing light which is bright without being harsh.The base of the light has a lanyard for attaching the light to the top of your tent or other location. This lanyard attaches magnetically to the lamp. For example, you could leave the lanyard tied to the tent and quickly pull it down if you wanted to use it for walking around.Included are some pictures comparing it in size to another light which I have been camping with for approaching a decade.

18.4.2017

This is a compact lantern that provides a surprising amount of light. You turn the lantern on and adjust the brightness level by turning a knob on the front of the device. There’s also a blue light setting (the brightness of the blue light cannot be adjusted). A magnetic lanyard connects easily for hanging, and a short USB charging cable is tucked away in the base. There’s also a USB port for charging your phone or tablet.I got 11-1/2 hours of light at the brightest setting when the lantern was fully charged, and it takes approx. 4-1/2 hours to charge the lantern once you’ve let the battery run down completely.This is a great lantern for camping, but it’ll also provide plenty of functional light for your home during a power outage.

UCO LED Rhody - Reviews

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