Volterrex LED Lanterns review – Very bright ideas

REVIEW – I volunteer with a local Scout troop. The parking lot is nearly pitch black at night, making it tricky to walk outside after meetings. Fortunately, I had a chance to try out a pair of lanterns, the Volterrex 4,000 lumen Pro Lantern, and the Volterrex 19,500 lumen Balloon Light kit.

What is it?

The Volterrex lanterns both produce light from LEDs. The Pro Lantern is powered by rechargeable batteries.

The Balloon Light is AC powered and designed to be pole mounted.

What’s included?

Volterrex Pro Lantern:

• Rechargeable lantern
• Tripod adapter and ring
• Charger
• Carry sack

Volterrex Balloon Light:

• AC powered lantern
• Tripod adapter, hook with hardware
• RF remote control
• Carry sack

Tech specs

Design and features

LED Pro Lantern

The lantern is designed to carried and placed down on a flat surface. At over 5lbs, it’s got some heft.

There are LEDs everywhere, including on the top!

The main body of the lantern features little LEDs behind the frosted plastic in a 360° pattern.

There are two knobs. The left selects the “pattern”: 360°, 180°, top LEDs, and SOS. The right knob turns the lantern on and gets brighter as you turn it clockwise.

Somehow, the left knob came cracked and doesn’t have the best tactile feedback: Choosing modes is almost a guessing game.

Behind a rubbery door on the back is a USB output to charge your gadgets, and a charging port.

The charger comes with it, rated at 24V output.

On the bottom, you’ll find a fold-out hook so you can hang the lamp upside down and a threaded insert that works with the supplied ring and tripod adapter.

The handle swings around easily. It does not lock into place.

In fact, the handle can swing all the way around.

LED Balloon Light Kit

The Balloon Light Kit came with a slightly different set of accessories. It has a tripod mount, O-shaped ring (not pictured), plus a pole clamp. A safety cable is included.

Here’s the O-hook attached to the base of the Balloon Light.

The kit comes with a tripod and a carry sack.

At full height, the tripod extends to 79″ tall.

If you’re not careful, you can pull the sections of the tripod completely out. A red stripe warns you not to go further.

An RF remote comes with the Balloon Light. This is the only way to control the light. There are no physical controls on the light itself.

Assembly, Installation, Setup

Blue LEDs on the front of the Pro Lantern indicate the state of charge.

The Balloon Lantern won’t sit on a flat surface, so it must be hung somewhere, or placed on the tripod from the kit.

Performance

This is the 4000 lumen LED Pro Lantern at full brightness in a dark parking lot. It illuminates the area around the table and surrounding area nicely.

When the Balloon Light powers up, a small fan inflates the balloon into shape.

I lit up the same area using a portable power bank to supply the AC. The 19,500 lumen Balloon Light is much brighter, providing light over a larger area. Notice the tree on the left behind the wall.

What I like about the  Volterrex Lanterns

4,000 Lumen LED Pro Lantern:
• Selectable 360°, 180°, top and SOS patterns
• Many mounting options
• Sits flat on a surface

19,500 Lumen LED Balloon Light Kit:
• VERY bright
• Balloon shape provides diffused light

What needs to be improved?

• 4,000 Lumen LED Pro Lantern:
  • I wish the mode selection knob had better detents or tactile feedback
  19,500 Lumen LED Balloon Light Kit:
  • No physical controls: Remote only

Final thoughts

If I can access AC power, I’m going with the Volterrex Balloon Light whenever I can. It does require the use of a tripod or the ability to hang it off something from the hook. The smaller Volterrex Pro Lantern is plenty bright if I need something portable or if AC power isn’t available.

Price: LED Pro Lantern $239.99, LED Balloon Light Kit $449.99
Where to buy: Volterrex and Lowes
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Volterrex. Volterrex did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.