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SILVER

Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern

$57.00

(8)

Item # 776954

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Awarded the Innovations Honoree Product Award for Eco-Design and Sustainable Technology at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, the Freeplay ML1 LED lantern provides clean and dependable illumination.

No need to buy batteries! ML1 features a NiMH battery that can be recharged with the built-in hand crank while in the field or with the included AC adapter when at home
Lantern has 4 5mm LEDs as the primary light source; dimmer switch lets you adjust from area lighting to nightlight use to conserve power
Single, side-mounted LED provides flashlight-style directional lighting
Rechargeable NiMH battery powers light cluster up to 100 hrs. in nightlight mode and 6 hrs. at maximum brightness
It also powers the directional light up to 40 hrs.
60 sec. of winding powers cluster up to 2.5 hrs. on nightlight and 7 min. at maximum brightness; powers directional light for 1 hr.
AC adapter recharges the NiMH battery to 90% capacity in only 3 hrs. and to 100% in 8 hrs.
LEDs are nearly indestructible and provide as much as 100,000 hrs. use
Features a wire-bale handle curved to accommodate fingers; bale also provides a convenient means of hanging lantern

Specs base on manufacturer's information.

Imported.

Item 776954

View all Freeplay products

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Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern

2.9

(based on 8 reviews)

50%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Compact (6)
Lightweight (5)
Long run time (5)
Easy to setup (4)
Easy to adjust (3)

Cons

Flimsy design (3)

Best Uses

Camping (5)
Backcountry camping (4)
Emergencies (3)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (4)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Survivalist / minimalist (6)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (4)

Reviewed by 8 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-8

Sep

2008

(9 of 9 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Light lasts long time. Needs QC

By segways

from Albuquerque, NM

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy To Adjust
Easy To Setup
Long Run Time

Cons

Flimsy Design

Best Uses

Backcountry Camping
Campgrounds

Comments about Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern:

The LED lighting is good, although not really bright, which could be expected from this small lamp. The light lasted a long time on a single charge but unfortunately I wasn't able to turn off the LED spotlight after the first use because the button stayed stuck in the depressed position so I had to leave it behind in the car instead of in my pack. I see from the reviews of it's bigger brother, they have QC issues with it's buttons/switches as well. Hopefully they'll fix these design issues. I exchanged mine for a new one and I'm hoping that it won't have any issues because overall, I like the concept/design.

Nov

2009

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

a perfect companion

By manori

from Sri Lanka

About Me Casual Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Durable Design
Easy To Adjust
Easy To Setup
Lightweight
Long Run Time
Powerful Light Output

Cons

Not Ultra Bright

Best Uses

Backcountry Camping
Campgrounds
Survival
Travel

Comments about Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern:

this is one of the best products i've ever bought. totally worth the money spent.

the best feature about this product is it's compact size. really easy to carry around.

the spotlight can be used to walk around in the dark and the cluster is ideal for lighting up an average size room when there's no power. both spotlight and cluster can be used to read in the dark. activities like cooking & cleaning is not a problem with the cluster turned on even halfway.

charging with the wall adapter was a breeze and the actual battery life is consistent with what's advertised.

turning the hand-crank takes a bit of effort but that will only be used when the battery runs out unexpectedly (which will be rarely). it's a great insurance to be never lost in the dark.

there's a band of radium on the brightness dial that glows in the dark which is really useful to locate the lantern when need be.

im in love with this product and keep it right next to me every night and every time i go on outdoor adventures.

note: the included power adapter is only 120volts. so it can't be used in regions where the power supply is 210-240volts such as asia. don't let that deter you because a 240v AC / 6v DC power adapter won't cost you more than $5 in asia.

Service and delivery comments:

package was delivered via EMS with insurance to Sri Lanka in less than 7 days and the items were in perfect condition.

Nov

2011

1.0

Stopped charging/working

By Anne in CO

from Denver, CO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Campgrounds
Emergencies

Comments about Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern:

Got this as a gift, and it worked well on first backpacking trip we took it on. Also used it during a multi-day power outage. Then the following year, charged it w/ AC adapter prior to another backpacking trip - found out that night it wasn't charged. It would light up while hand cranking, but as soon as we stopped cranking, the lights went out (regardless of how long we hand cranked). Back at home, tried charging it again w/ the AC adapter - but it still didn't hold a charge. Am hoping REI will let us return it (since it was a gift from a while back...). But, it failed on the third time we tried to use it.

Jun

2011

1.0

Waste of Space

By fuzzysidedown

from Driggs, Idaho

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Easy To Setup
Lightweight

Cons

Short Run Time

Best Uses

Travel

Comments about Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern:

I purchased this item for the crank (no battery consumption) concept for my minimalist trips. I also may have gotten a defective product as the runtime was pathetic. It was the most frustrating piece of equipment I packed for a 5 day river trip. Waste of space and not worth the trouble.

May

2011

2.0

Broken Crank

By paulzak

from Seattle, WA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Long Run Time

Cons

Flimsy Design

Best Uses

Comments about Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern:

Bought this for my 2 year Peace Corps service in Uganda. The day I arrived in Uganda I took the light out, and I was disappointed to find out that during the flight over the crank had seized in place. I had several other potentially fragile items in the same bag that came through fine, so I have trouble believing that it somehow experienced a abominably severe shock during the flight.

Whatever the reason was, the lamp was essentially useless for my entire time in Uganda. I was able to charge it through its USB output, but the whole purpose of paying a premium price for a crank powered lamp is so you are not reliant the local power.

BIG disappointment!

Feb

2011

5.0

One of my best purchases!

By JaceB

from Montgomery, AL

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable Design
Easy To Adjust
Easy To Setup
Lightweight
Long Run Time

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry Camping
Campgrounds
Emergencies

Comments about Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern:

I'm a minimalist and I usually use just a Mammut TR1 headlamp for a lantern. I read a lot and especially during the winter months with long darkness hours I was using too much battery life. Decided it was time to get something I didn't need to worry about running out of batteries.I decided on the Freeplay lantern. Glad I did! Super pros: It's rechargeable. Less waste of batteries in landfills. Don't need to carry all those extra batteries. Fairly bright. You're not going to light up a huge campsite, but it's great for the tent and area uses. The adjustment dial changes color according to light intensity. Green is low, orange is mid, red is high. That's just plain cool... The crank to light ratio is the best I've ever seen in one of these crank to charge items. 1 minute of crank time gives you 14 minutes of light at high. It's true. I don't even bother charging it at home.Cons: Kinda bulky, doesn't collapse. Not much of a sacrifice though. It's a pretty small lantern.Never had a problem with mine in the 1 year I've had it. You really can't go wrong with it, [...]

Jan

2011

1.0

Poor Quality

By PetePDX

from Portland, OR

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Lightweight

Cons

Difficult to Light
Flimsy Design
Poor Light Output
Short Run Time

Best Uses

Recycling Bin

Comments about Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern:

This is likely a one-off, defective lantern that I had acquired. The issue with this purchase was that the lantern would randomly turn off, regardless of the amount of cranking. The issue resided with the main lantern and not the mini light which operated just fine.

The idea of a hand-crank powered electrical lantern sounded wonderful and still does. Just ensure that you buy one that reliably stays lit for more than 2 minutes at a time.

Nov

2009

5.0

Better than advertised

By ScottieWest

from Fruitland, ID

About Me Outdoor Professional

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Lightweight
Long Run Time
Powerful Light Output

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry Camping
Campgrounds
Emergencies

Comments about Freeplay ML1 LED Lantern:

Perfect for the backpacker or camper. Adjustable latern output, charge holds for long time. Will light up a 4 person tent. Compact and light weight for packing into remote areas. I pack it into every wilderness camp.