I had a realization about a month ago. With the explosion of solar powered products on the market, there’s been a lack of consumer how-to to go along with them. I think that in principle, everyone loves the idea of a solar powered product. In practice, often they can be difficult to use, tricky to recharge, and overall provide a less than stellar experience. I’m happy to announce that this isn’t the case with the MPOWERD Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern.
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I had the opportunity to use (play with) both the Luci Outdoor Lantern, as well as my personal favorite – the Luci Aura : Color-Changing Party Light. I received my shipment from MPOWERD during a pretty intense summer storm here at our offices. It was one of those storms where it feels like 10:00 at night, but in reality – it’s only noon. During one of my daily meetings, the power flickered – and then went out. I know, this sounds like a setup – I can assure you that it isn’t. The air conditioning went out in the entire building, and our key cards to get in and out stopped working. One of our co-workers actually got trapped in the stair well. It was the real deal. We grabbed our pair of Luci Lanterns – one to illuminate the white board, and the other to light up our meeting table, and the meeting continued.
I know, I know – big deal. The lantern works great inside…how about outside? About a week after the black out at the office, I had the Luci Lantern in my work bag, and brought them home for an evening on the patio with the kids. Because of their compact design, these lanterns are ultra-portable. They weigh next to nothing, and because they’re inflatable – they’re a great solution when spending time outdoors with kids. The Luci Lantern is able to run on a single charge for up to 12 hours – making it a great weekend companion, and cutting the charging cables.
Overall, this is a great, inexpensive lantern to supplement your traditional camping lantern. The colors in the Aura are great – and definitely bring a festive atmosphere to your outdoor get-together. To be honest, for less than $10 each (EMRG model) – you could string up a whole set of them around your campsite, and have the sun charge them back up each day.
