The Coleman XPS High-Tech LED is a full-size lantern that puts out only a fair amount of light at 190 lumens. This is enough to see what you are doing near the lantern, but it is not really adequate for reading or other tasks that require decent light. For comparison, a 60-Watt incandescent light bulb produces about 800 lumens, and dual-mantle propane or liquid fuel lanterns are in the range of 800-1300 lumens. So this LED lantern is not going to light up a campsite very well. However, for a light inside a tent or as an emergency light at home it would be adequate (and much safer than a propane or liquid fuel lantern.)
Like many LED lights, the light produced by the lantern is a somewhat unnatural blue-white hue. It does have a diffuser tube around the LEDs; some other LED lanterns don't have this and so their light is quite harsh. The outer clear housing is made of plastic so it won't shatter, however, it can be easily scratched.
Strangely, one of the Coleman High-Tech lanterns that I bought was somewhat brighter and a slightly different hue than the other one - perhaps this is a quality control issue.
Unlike some of the other Coleman LED lanterns, this lantern allows you to adjust the light continuously with a dial rather than just having a high and low setting. (It actually has about six light settings as you move the dial.) On the highest dial setting, the box says that regular alkaline batteries will last for up to 25 hours, and up to 300 hours on low. The instructions say intermittent operation gives longer life than continuous operation. Also, this model has round mirror reflectors on the bottom and top of the LED tube; some of the other Coleman LED lanterns don't have this. Because of these features, I think the High-Tech is better than the other Coleman 190 lumen LED lanterns that use the "Classic" design style (that is, they look like propane lanterns.)
Besides the standard use of four D-cell batteries, this lantern can take the optional Coleman XPS rechargeable battery module (about $20). It snaps in the bottom of the lantern in place of the regular battery case. The module can be recharged from a regular 110 Volt electrical outlet or a 12 Volt car cigarette lighter (which is handy for car camping). However, it doesn't last as long as four regular alkaline batteries. It only lasts about seven hours on high and 14 hours on low.
The battery polarity marks, "+" and "-", inside the battery case are hard to see, and impossible in low light. (You can't tell the polarity from the springs or contacts either since they are all the same orientation.) It is easy to put in the batteries backwards, which might damage the light. You could put a stick-on label on the battery case cover to show the correct battery orientation.
The battery case easily pops out by pressing on two tabs, and then the case has a flip-top lid. You then just press the case back in and it locks in place with the tabs. This is better than some other designs for putting in the batteries. However, you have to insert the case in the proper orienation; it is possible to get it stuck if you insert it incorrectly.
In summary, this is a decent LED lantern, but the light it produces is only fair and definitely not bright. It really is only good for temporary emergency lighting at home if the power goes out or for inside a tent. There are other brighter LED lanterns available, although most all have other disadvantages. LED lanterns will probably get better in the next few years as the technology improves. Coleman 4D CPX6 High-Tech LED Lantern
This lantern is lightweight, durable and simple. I would give it five stars but when I received it, it did not come with the black rubber coating on the carry handle as the product image shows. The light produced is sufficient for household use; although I have not tried using it yet in a camping/outdoor situation. I kind of felt that it would have been brighter for its size. I like the LEDs as opposed to gas lanterns for safety. This overall, is a good lantern to have around the house for general or emergency use. Highly recommended.
I bought 2 Coleman 4D CPX6 lanterns for general use around the house and outdoors.
Pros:
(1) Very well built structure, high quality plastic;
(2) Intensity control knob;
(3) Only 4xD cell batteries needed;
(4) Energy efficient;
(5) Quality/Cost value;
You should not compare or expect lumens intensity of CPX6 to be close to any gas powered lantern. It provides light but only adequate light for a LED model.
I've had a number of emergency lanterns over the years, and this is the best by far: brightest light, well constructed, and rechargeable (with the optional battery). I never thought LEDs could be this bright. After receving this one in record time from Amazon, I purchased a second one. Well worth the money!
I finally replaced my propane unit. Very pleased so far. This one probably isn't as bright, but it's more than adequate. I love long battery life, no flame, no heat, no mantles to change, & no fuel canisters. I got mine at Walmart for $24.88.
I hav'nt had this lamp long, but I'm taking it that the 25 hours on full is with the 4D 10w/h batteries, ( 40w/h total ). Anyway,.........
It ran for just 10 hrs on full and then it took a further 3 hrs to dim out.
So no real advantage over the fluorescent I had previously owned.
Great lantern, adjusts high to low, lasts forever! Ran it 8 hrs straight during recent power outage, didn't dim at all. Mostly got it for outdoor use, great not having to mess with Coleman fuel or mantles.
I lost power a couple weeks ago when a storm hit. It was only out for about 7 hours, but it was late evening when it happened and really dark. The only lantern I had was an old gas lantern that I had used whenever I went camping. It is bright, but it is also hot and smelly. Fine for outdoors, but not something I wanted to bring inside. So a few days later I went into Wal-Mart to look at their lanterns and of course, they were sold out. So I checked on Amazon and bought this. The power hasn't gone out since I bought it, but to try it out I turned all the lights off and turned it on. It has many different light settings, not just a high and low. At full power, which is 190 lumens, it lit up my kitchen, dinner table and part of my family room (and they're pretty far apart). This is 10 times better than a couple flash lights. It is very cool to touch even after running for a while and perfectly safe for indoors. I like that it takes either 4D batteries or a rechargeable one. But I usually use 4D batteries because when the power goes out, I can't charge anything and the power doesn't go out enough for me to keep it charged up all the time. Coleman is a great brand and this LED light is great for power outages or camping.'
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