Streamlight 44931 Siege 540-Lumen Compact LED Camping Lantern with 360° Lighting for Power Outages, Hurricanes, and Emergencies, Coyote

The Streamlight Siege LED Lantern came to market in Summer 2013, and clearly was designed to compete with Rayovac's popular Sportsman LED Lantern (over 1,500 reviews on Amazon, ~$27, Rayovac Sportsman LED Lantern...

When designing a product, you begin with its essential function. In the case of The Siege, Streamlight, that's to make a battery powered lamp in a lantern format. You then decide what will make your product special. In this case, it's the brightness achieved with four LEDs lit by three D batteries, which makes old incandescent lanterns seem like a pale glow rather than a light source. Of course, you need a handle. Check! And you should probably give it several "speeds," levels of brightness. Check! Make it attractive, and you've got a product you can sell. That's where most lights end. And that's where this one is just getting going! The designers of this lantern realized they could do so much more. They made it waterproof. Not "water resistant," but waterPROOF. This baby will float down the river with you. Upright, even. How about an extremely low setting that allows a usable light that will last you all night and then some? This one has a red light setting that has extended duration, plus it doesn't fatigue your eyes for going out and seeing in the starlight or moonlight. It has an emergency flasher, and the button lights up when the lantern is on so that you can easily find where to turn it off or change settings. Nice touches, all. But what about batteries off-gassing in their compartment inside a waterproof housing, or merely changes of altitude? They thought of that, too, and added a pressure valve that releases any gasses that may build up, while keeping the water on the outside. Now... how do you use a lantern? You can set it on a surface, such as your table with your map on it, and read. What if your table is not level, or what if it's in a boat that's pitching with the waves? This baby won't slide! It stays put. Very well engineered materials. Ok, you can also hang up your lantern. Most lanterns have a bail-type handle for that. Check! But again, these guys didn't stop there. This bail folds out of the way effortlessly, yet equally easily raises into position with one hand or one finger. It has an unusual shape with a protrusion that allows it to hang easily from small tree limbs, pipes, edges of hoods, cabinets, clotheslines, or whatever. Once again, they didn't stop there. It also has a carabiner on top and bottom, each of which folds out of the way. Attach it quickly to any line, and it will not come off until you remove it. Well, then, if you can hang it upside down, what about the shadow thrown by the top of the lantern, which is opaque? If you'd like for this lantern to act like a bare light bulb, merely twist and pull off the whole top portion, leaving only the battery housing and bulbs. (LEDs, in this case) It casts light everywhere without shadows. Hang it from a tent pole, cord, rope, limb, or whatever you want to hang it from. While you have the top off, you can use it for a water cup. But let's say you prefer leaving the top on. What about that shadow? What about that big round top of the lantern uselessly soaking up all those light rays that come its way? Don't worry. They thought of that, too. Within the top, there is an inverted parabolic cone with a reflective surface. ALL your light is cast outward, evenly, in almost every direction. There is very little shadowing, anywhere. There is probably much more to know about this lantern, such as the height from which it can fall and hit concrete without even interrupting its operation, or the duration of continuous output at various power settings, or the guide that helps you get the lid on the battery compartment aligned with the body without having to twist and test, twist and test, but I'll leave any remaining facts for you to discover in the manual. You won't be disappointed. Like I said, where most lights' designers quit and go home, these guys were just getting warmed up. This is an incredibly good product. Buy with confidence.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend this much but now am glad I did. The lantern is well built, the on/off switch has a very nice quality feel to it. Especially nice is that the switch glows with three colors that indicate the state of charge. I think during camping I will mostly use the low or medium light intensity setting because the bright level is very high for when you are camping and your eyes have adjusted to the darkness. I also really appreciate the RED light color setting and have found the lantern to be very useful when I am stargazing and don't want to lose my night vision from super bright LED's. ***UPDATE*** 01/17/2023 I haven't been able to use this LED lantern for its intended use yet, which is as a camping lantern, but have used it for occasions that I normally would have used a flashlight. First of all, this lantern is much easier to use and more useful than my flashlight, and here's why. The broad stable base and smaller size of this lantern makes it easier to position in a work area. -We have used it to illuminate the leaking plumbing under our kitchen sink making repairs easier. -We used it outdoors one cold and rainy winter night when we remembered that we had not yet spread our wormy compost in the garden. In all cases the lantern emitted a strong sphere of light that made both tasks easier. Additionally, during a recent power outage it provide dependable lightning. **One minor concern noted (there is a question from another purchaser about this in the questions section) is that if the lantern is on and you set it down firmly on its base, the LED's will flicker just once (is that a flick?). My assumption is that the inertia of one of the relatively heavy D-cell battery's momentarily compressed a contact in the screw-on base and continuity was lost. Overall, I really like this lantern and bought a second one anticipating that the extra light will be useful around the house and on camping trips.

First of all I now own six of the Streamlight Siege and four of the Rayovac SE3DLN...I keep extras for my kids and their families if they need them. Points favoring the Streamlight Siege: 1. The Siege has stronger top/bottom spring 'D' clips with retainers. 2. The Siege top handle has enough tension to stay upright even at an angle whereas the (SE3DLN) will not. This comes in very handy in darkness when trying to lift the light. 3. The Siege has 3 white modes and 2 red. The (SE3DLN) has 3 white modes, no red mode, and has no 30 lumen mode for super long use of 295 hours. The SOS mode on the Siege is red, whereas on the (SE3DLN) it is white. 4. The Siege on/off button lights up when in use and also indicates the battery life that is left. 5. The bottom cover is MUCH easier to re-install after changing batteries as you simply line up the large single triangle shaped shaft, push down and twist. Whereas with the (SE3DLN) one must line up 2 small 1/16" wide notches and then push down and twist. Anyone owning both lights can quickly determine the Siege can easily be reloaded in complete darkness by simple feel, whereas the (SE3DLN) cannot. Even though I've heard of people marking the notches on the (SE3DLN) with a glow in the dark material to help. 5. The Siege is rated at a full non-ANSI 340 lumens with the over off, whereas the (SE3DLN) is now ANSI 240, whereas it used to be non-ANSI 300. I'm not sure if the 240 is with top on or off. Either way the Siege is clearly brighter when lighting up a room or an outdoor area. The Siege is not ANSI rated as of yet. 6. The on/off button on the Siege does not blink when not in use to run the batteries down, whereas the (SE3DLN) does. Some like the (SE3DLN) blinking as it make it easier to find the light in total darkness and others like myself do not. Points favoring the (SE3DLN): 1. The (SE3DLN) costs around $25, whereas the Siege is around $40. 2. The (SE3DLN) has a limited lifetime warranty on the entire light, whereas the Siege has only a 2 year warranty on the electronics and switches. They both have the option not to cover is misuse or abuse is determined. Even though I really like my older Rayovac (SE3DLN) lights and they have served me well, I much prefer the newer Streamlight Siege. The primary reasons are the ease of changing batteries and the 295 hour low light mode. I can change batteries on the Siege in total darkness without my glasses, whereas with the (SE3DLN) I need my glasses and some light. For me the extra features on the Siege are easily worth the extra $15 price tag. As some others have noted, I can't find anything on the Siege I don't like and honestly can't think on any improvements within reason I would make. Both are excellent lights and you can't go wrong with either, but the Siege is the clear winner for my needs. Buy the Streamlight Siege and you'll see what myself and others have been raving about. *****Update 10-24-2013: I have discovered the Siege is NOT ANSI rated so I've changed the review above. Also, I've tested 4 different sets of alkaline and rechargeable batteries from 4 different companies and they run only 15 continuous hours on high, rather than the advertised 30 hours. The 15 hours runtime was until the red light came on and not until it went completely dim. All of the lights I've tested, including the Rayovac SE3DLN, way over state the runtimes so I guess they do this to not look inferior to their competitors, hoping nobody will actually check. Overall, I still rate the Siege as a solid "5" *****Update 10-28-2013: I emailed Streamlight with questions about the ANSI rating and the 30 hour runtime. Here is their response: The ANSI standard is for "directional lighting" and doesn't really cover lanterns like the Siege. Therefore we can't use the ANSI symbols in our claims. However, ANSI procedures were used to take the measurements that were used for our advertising claims. 340 lumens (our HIGH mode claim) is a totally valid measurement taken in one of our calibrated integrating spheres that is also used for ANSI-rated products. The 30 hour run time on HIGH also conforms to ANSI protocols. ANSI run time starts 30 seconds into a run with new batteries (which is where the lumen claim is taken) and the ANSI run time ends when the lumen output falls to 10% of the initial 30 second reading. (In the case of the Siege on HIGH, end of run time to ANSI protocols occurs when the output drops to 34 lumens.) I realize that you may take exception to the 10% figure, but it is according to the ANSI standard. I have attached the Product Fact Sheet for the Siege. These sheets are readily available to customers, for all products, under the "Docs/Info" tab on the individual product pages of our website. The Runtime section of the Siege Fact Sheet states "to 10% of initial lumen output." Charlie Craft Charles W. Craft, BSMET Chief Engineer ISO Management Representative kd

After a recent power outage I purchased both Streamlight "The Siege" vs. Ultimate Survival 30 day lantern STREAMLIGHT SIEGE: * THE GOOD: Very well made. Metal Carabiner clips instead of plastic. 2 meter (aprox 6.5 ft) Impact resistance. Pleasing light. * VERY * EASY TO REPLACE THE BATTERIES Has red light to preserve night vision (kind of a gimmick for some but you don't have to use it if not interested) $3 - 4 dollars cheaper (as of 11/01/2014) than the Ultimate. * THE BAD: Maxiumum runtime on low is 12 days. ________________________________ VS. _____________________________________ Ultimate Survival Technologies 30 day lantern https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUPV60K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 * THE GOOD: It purports to run * 30 * days on the Low setting. I have not tested this. The quality of light output is very very close to the Streamlight Siege. * THE BAD: BATTERY CHANGING CAN BE MAJORLY AGGRAVATING - even in good light! I have two of these Ultimate units. On one of my two Ultimate units I had to fuss and fuss and realign and it wouldn't latch or work right. I kept looking at the markers provided, etc. On the 4th try (removing / replacing / checking batteries and line-up) it finally latched and worked. IN AN EMERGENCY THIS COULD CAUSE MAJOR STRESS. Suggestion: Keep the batteries in it, ready to go. Check them once a month if you want to make sure they are viable / no leaks. The hanging clip on the bottom is plastic, not a carabiner and is obviously less durable than the Streamlight. By the way, I've experienced more (occasional) leaks over the years from the major name "D" brand than the major name "E" brand of batteries. ____________________________________________________________________ THE VERDICT: OVERALL DESIGN, DURABILITY & EASE OF USE: Streamlight is the winner. QUALITY / QUANTITY OF LIGHT THROWN: Slight edge to the Streamlight. SHEER LONGEVITY OF LIGHT OUTPUT (TRUMP CARD?): Ultimate is the winner (by paper specs, we'll see). ________________________________________________________________________________ FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The brightest setting on both lanterns is substantial. Clearly lights up a 12 X 12 room. The middle settings on both lanterns is "not bad" you could still read by it if sitting close to the light and not lose your eyesight. The bottom setting on both lanterns is fairly dim. It's survival. "Just enough" to make out your surroundings. If you want it running in a room you don't frequent that often during an outage it's a good choice to keep you from tripping over something. The claimed 30 day output on Low with the Ultimate - has anyone who's purchased this done a real life test on that? That's the thing with specs and claims. Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics. I'm going to ASSUME that the 30 day claim is true. TIP: I have found the Dial D-Cell Storage Box by Walter Drake to be useful for holding backup batteries. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003USCDNG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 For now, the way I solve the choice dilemma is to own both units. As far as physical size, the volume and weight of both units is very close. The Streamlight is lightly more "svelte" and has slightly more "throw" on High. SUBJECTIVE USABILITY CONCLUSION: The Streamlight is more "fun" somehow. You probably couldn't go wrong with either of these.

I own several Rayovac lanterns and I wanted to give this Streamlight a try since it has a higher lumen rating, low light mode, and red light option. It is costs more than twice the price of my $17 Ravovac. I opened up the package and found an LED lantern very similar in size, weight, and quality as the Rayovac and was looking forward to check out the features and increased light intensity. When I turned it on the first thing I noticed was the superior diffuser globe around the LED. The light is very uniform and is easy on the eyes from every angle. The Rayovac globe has various ribs and striations to break up the light. Its LED emitter is encased under a diffuser cover while the Steamlight utilizes a clear cover over the LEDs and a well executed diffuser globe. However, I noticed that the light from the Streamlight did not appear as bright as the Rayovac. To satisfy my curiosity I whipped out my LUX meter which I use to test my reef lighting. A LUX is one lumen per square meter which will generally provide you with an idea of light coverage within a certain area. I placed both lights 12" from the meter's sensor and turned them on individually. The results were interesting. The Rayovac produced anywhere between 13 to 31 LUX depending on the height of the meter in comparison to the center of the lantern. The Streamlight produced approximately 21 throughout the same range. This was baffling considering the Streamlight is rated 100 lumens higher than the Rayovac. Maybe it was the Streamlight diffuser? I unscrewed the Streamlight globe and placed in on the Rayovac to test out that theory. It almost fit perfectly although it was slightly larger and could not be screwed on. When I turned on the Rayovac with the Streamlight globe I immediately noticed that the light was not as bright but definitely brighter than the Steamlight. The tester indicated approximately 25 LUX through the entire range. The light was wonderfully diffused as compared to the Rayovac's globe. So the result? If you're looking for a straight-up LED light source and not concerned about extended use you cannot go wrong with the Rayovac. You can usually catch it on Amazon for under $20 and it's very tough. I've taken mine camping and have exposed it to many drops, rain, and dirt and it never skips a beat. All three of my Rayovacs have also served me and my family well through Hurricane Sandy. It's no way near as bright as even a single mantle gas lantern but it's safer and requires a lot less attention. Now if you want an LED lantern that has a wonderfully diffused light pattern and has features such a low light extended run mode and red light mode you may want to go with the Streamlight. The Steamlight has 4 mounting options versus the Rayovac's 3. The Streamlight is a little easier to install batteries in the dark than the Rayovac as well. It uses a directional guide rod down the center of the battery chute versus the Rayovac's arrow alignment method. They both have removable globes but I prefer the light spread and intensity of the Rayovac with the globe removed. As I mentioned earlier the Rayovac LEDs have a diffuser over them which renders the light more in line with the Streamlight with the globe on except more focused. The Streamlight has a clear cover over the LEDs. The light shoots out from 4 LEDs in a wider pattern. It's a shame Rayovac didn't spend a few dollars more on a diffuser globe it really makes all the difference in the world especially when you're trying to read or do other jobs that require a uniform light spread. Now as far as the lumen rating the jury is still out. My meter is a LUX meter and there are some differences between lumens and lux even though they are related. I did not try to measure light at a distance since the meter is generally ineffective past 3 feet. What I can tell you is that the Rayovac seemed brighter to my eyes even at a distance. I even swapped batteries to make sure it wasn't an issue with them. I do remember that the Rayovac was rated around 300 lumens before the new ANSI ratings. My first Rayovac (2011, same model number) was rated at 300 before the lumen rating standardization. I'm not certain if the Streamlight is rated the same way. Either way you can't go wrong. I was going to return the Streamlight but it will serve its purpose even though it is twice the price of the Rayovac. If it were a few dollars cheaper it would have deserved 5 stars. UPDATE: I recently received a new Streamlight unit for testing and evaluation. It appears that my last unit may have been defective. The new LUX levels indicate 32-38 for the Streamlight which is more representative of its 100 lumen advantage. Great light. 4.5 stars.

Fantastic light. We had an old Kelty LED that someone destroyed and this was to replace that lantern. Charging. The supplied charger powers up the internal battery fairly quickly. This is a good feature as we can charge the lantern off a small generator in about the time it takes to heat the house and be sure the refrigerators and freezer are back to proper temp. In other words, we don't need to run the generator any longer than before. On low, the lantern provides plenty of light for a dinner and some reading is no problem. The only real issue on low is that the flicker rate of the LED (that's how it 'dims', by turning on the LED for short periods many times a second) is such that if you are doing something with a lot of movement, you get a sort of strobe effect than can bother some people. At the higher settings, this does not happen, but the run time is a lot less. On high, this thing is amazing. Our scout troop has a 20x30 canopy that we set up when camping for covering food prep, eating areas, and meeting area. This one light at the peak under a silver tarp provided plenty of light for all activities. The battery lasted for 2 evenings of activity of roughly 4 hours each. When it did go out, I was able to turn it on at low for a while longer which allows us to finish cleaning up, but with much less light. Have not used the red mode much, but the light output is much less. Probably ideal for long duration needs. Love the many hanging options. The main bail is actually the least useful as you need some kind of hook or carabiner to attach it to anything. The built in hook on the top and bottom are much more useful. A short 10" loop of paracord (stored in the bottom compartment) makes hanging the lantern from just about anywhere easy. The shield for the globe is useful when you need light, but don't want to blind people as they walk into a tent. Removing the globe allows a 180 degree hanging option, but even with the globe, the light is defuse enough to provide a good overall light. While it can charge via USB, it really shortens the light's run time. However, this is useful when power goes out and you need a lantern for a couple hours and need to charge a critical item. I store the lantern fully charged. It does not seem to lose much in storage. When I pop it on the charger just before a trip, it only needs about 5 minutes or less to read "full" again. I have no worries about pulling this out for a power outage that it isn't ready to go. The construction is wonderful. Feels substantial, nice rubber bumpers. This is the kind of product you look at the price and go 'ouch' and then you get it and the price just does not matter, it's that good at what it is.

The main reason I purchased this lantern was to have something to use in case of a power failure. I am very happy with everything about this light. As many others have said, it is very bright if you need to run it on high and it will last extremely long on the low setting. I think that I would use it mostly on the medium setting which is still quite bright and is a good compromise. The light it puts out is a whitish light, but I don't find it to be harsh at all. This thing seems really well built and very rugged, which just makes it all that more dependable, which is another thing you look for when buying an item like this for power failures. It's fairly small size is something that I actually like, since light output has nothing to do with it's size, and just makes it more convenient to use. Everything about this lantern is just perfect. Bright, really rugged, designed so well, easy to use, very long lasting and easy on batteries, and it's of the highest quality. It is one of those products that you just feel great about having. I wouldn't change one thing about it at all. I was so impressed that I bought one for my dad, and he loves it, too. If you're like me, you may have searched many ratings trying to pick the best lantern. I do that with many of the things that I buy online, and it can actually wear you out a bit. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with the Streamlight, and can be really confident that you have found the best one!