Camping has exploded in popularity since the pandemic, with people keen to explore their own back yards whilst international flights were off limits.
Hokolite is a lighting brand that I haven’t heard of before but when they reached out asking me to look at some of their camping lanterns, I was keen.
Hokolite have sent me 3 of their lanterns to check out:
- 360° COB Rechargeable Camping Lantern
- Rechargeable LED Vintage Lantern (Read the Review)
- 4000 Lumens Rechargeable Collapsible Lantern (Read the Review)
In this review, I’ll look at the 3000 Lumen 360° COB rechargeable camping lantern.
Hokolite 3000 Lumen 360° COB Rechargeable Camping Lantern Specifications and Features
| Material: | ABS+TPR |
| Water Resistance: | IP44 |
| Battery: | 4400mAh |
| Dimensions: | 7.95 x 4.45 x 4.37 inches / 201 x 113 x 111 mm |
| Weight: | 1.39lbs / 630g |
| Light Output: | 3000 lumens (claimed) |
| Lighting Modes: | High (3000 lumens) – 3-4 hours Medium (1500 lumens) – 5-7 hours Low (900 lumens) – 10+ hours Red – 7-8 hours Red Strobe – 10+ hours |
| Other Features: | Collapsible Hanging Hook Charging Indicator 1M Impact Resistant Rechargeable (Type C) 4400mAh Power Bank |
What’s in the Box
- 1 x Camping Lantern
- 1 x USB Cable
- 1 x Manual
Design & Features
I found it odd that the package didn’t have any branding – there wasn’t even a manual inside which was just odd. That said, the listing mentions that it should come with a manual so it may have just been an issue with mine.
The Hokolite 360-degree lantern is a standard-looking rugged lantern. It’s got a plastic construction which feels high quality, with rubber bumpers to add that all-important drop protection. That said, there’s quite a bit of the LED exposed, making it vulnerable should it be dropped on a rock or something.
There’s a simple power button which lets you toggle through the various lighting modes and a 4 LED battery indicator.
Around the top, there’s the USB Type C charging port (nice) as well as a full-size Type A port allowing you to charge your smartphone or other devices from the lantern’s built-in 4400mAh battery (more on that later).
There’s also a split hook which can easily fit over branches as well as double as a handle. That said, the lantern is heavy at 630g so I wouldn’t hang it on my tent, but it was perfect for hanging on a tree branch or gazebo.
Setup & Usage
The lantern is charged via the USB Type-C port hidden under a rubber flap for weather protection, with a full charge taking around 3-5 hours. Given how commonplace USB Type C has become, I never had an issue finding a place to charge it up.
Pressing the power button turns on the light at full brightness which is intensely bright. Unfortunately, I don’t have the equipment to verify the lumens output but it’s impressively bright.
Pressing on the power button will cycle through the modes:
- High (3000 lumens) – 3-4 hours
- Medium (1500 lumens) – 5-7 hours
- Low (900 lumens) – 10+ hours
- Red – 7-8 hours
- Red Strobe – 10+ hours
The large LED chips provide good light coverage but the reinforcement on the sides results in two dark spots around the lantern – it’s not a deal breaker but you need to pay attention to the lantern’s orientation.
After waiting a few seconds, pressing the power button again will turn the lantern off. Unfortunately, there’s no memory (despite what the product page says) so it’ll always go back to full brightness next time you turn it back on which is disappointing so I wouldn’t recommend using it anywhere people are sleeping.
There’s also no warm white/orange light which is proven to help reduce bugs (and I personally prefer). Technically, you can use the red light but it’s not exactly pleasant.
The built-in USB charger wasn’t great. Whilst it did charge my devices, it was incredibly slow with a peak charging current of 0.5a. One of my Samsung phones was only charging at 0.2a which would have taken nearly 10 hours to get a full charge so I wouldn’t rely on this feature at all. I did notice that all my USB testers would flicker until I plugged in a load which was odd.
Verdict: Should You Buy the Hokolite 360° COB Rechargeable Camping Lantern?
I found Hokolite’s 360-degree rechargeable lantern average. It’s bright which is great as a love a well-lit campsite, and I comfortable that it’d handle a few knocks without issue. However, the lack of a memory function really impacted its usability and the lack of any warm white LEDs means that I put this in the practical lighting category rather than a lantern that I’d take to relax with.
