Streamlight44943 Siege 200-Lumen Ultra-Compact AA Alkaline Outdoor Hand Lantern/Flashlight with Magnetic Base, Yellow

Hey folks... this is GeezerSpeak the flashlight-wonk. I have a collection of flashlights and lanterns going back years and it includes close to 50 different types from the best of the brands. To date the Streamlight 44931 Siege LED 3-D-cell is still my very favorite camping lantern. I've purchase 15 of them since December 2018 and gave most of them as gifts. I've updated this review with some additional information.I also recently compared the 44931 Siege to the Rayovac "Virtually Indestructible" Camping Lantern, and the Streamlight is by far more versatile and feature laden. If you wish to see that comparison, click on my name and find the review there.There are some things I have come to appreciate about the Streamlight that are hard to explain. One is that the contacts inside the battery compartment can easily be readjusted and cleaned. For long-term use that's important. You will need to on a rare occasion adjust the contacts with your fingers because after you've slammed D-cells in and out of the battery compartment a few hundred times the contacts can get a little soft. But it is really easy to do, and it can be done in total darkness, no guesswork, once you are familiar with the battery compartment. This need for adjustment occurs on a lot of Alkaline-powered flashlights & lanterns, but many of those have contacts that are hard to access or adjust.Furthermore, I can actually determine the proper battery direction in total darkness because I can feel the contacts with my fingers. You can't do that with a lot of lanterns. I discovered this beneficial feature during a blackout, when I realized that all I had to do to determine battery orientation was to feel inside the battery compartment for the largest elevated contact,,, that being the only one that connected to the negative side of a D-cell. The other two batteries would then be inserted with the positive side going into the compartment.Another thing I have come to appreciate about the Siege 44931 is their durability. I have subjected the Streamlight to exceptionally abusive conditions and I've yet to have a failure or leak. I have dropped them, drowned them, and the one I keep in the shower has stayed wet continuously for two years. It is impressive.Another thing I love is the fact that the switch acts as a battery monitor to let me know when the batteries are running low. Ordinarily I use NiMH batteries in these lanterns, because they get used daily. This battery monitor feature is very beneficial. It keeps me from ruining my NiMH batteries by depleting them to zero.NOTE: Regarding NiMH batteries, I have found the most economical approach is to use AA cells in single-cell AA-to-D plastic adapters. Yes you swap batteries more often. But the adapters that use 2 or 3 cells each were introducing some variables that resulted in a few incidents of depleted cells... something to be avoided.This doesn’t happen with the single-cell adapters. Here's why. In the single-cell version all the cells are connected in series. In the multi-cell adapter versions some cells are in series but some are in parallel. That's where the problem comes in. Regardless, using the 1-cell-adapters I haven;t had any depleted NiMH cells, and it works well. Having said that... if I'm going camping I use regular D-cells.Another thing.... I know that rechargeable Li-Ion (Lithium) is all the rage these days... but I prefer lanterns that can take either NiMH or standard Alkaline cells. For one I am never without backups and I'm not exclusively dependent on a charger. Lithium Ion cells will eventually wear out, and if that happens while you're in the field, you're out of luck. I don't worry about that with the 44931 Siege. Also the Run-Times are typically longer for a given Lumen Output using either Alkaline or NiMH versus Li-Ion.But the biggest reason I prefer lanterns that use regular cells is because of our experience post hurricane Ike when we were without power for 10 days. If you are relying on a rechargeable and you DON't HAVE an inverter for your car or a really large solar panel... then you are at a loss. But there were plenty of Alkaline batteries we could get during Ike. So... everything that used regular batteries remained useful... but not the rechargeable flashlight and lanterns we had at the time. They were done in a couple of days. Oops. So lesson learned.The feature I like most on the 44931 is its light-diffusing globe. You can have the lantern right on the table while the gang plays cards and it doesn't blind you. But if you need to illuminate an area, take the globe off and hang the lantern upside-down overhead. It is plenty bright. By the way it is waterproof with the globe attached or not, doesn't matter. NOTE: If you're looking exclusively for table lighting take a look at the Mini-Siege Streamlight 44941, it is only 200 lumen and very civilized lighting for tabletop use. I own four of those.PROS:Very well designed and built...2 meter impact resistantIPX7 waterproofFloats in waterFull O-ring ProtectionOne-way-vented battery compartmentkey-post-guided battery cover for blind assemblylong run-times on all settingsrealistic run-time estimates3-basic light modes and...more...also has an eye-friendly red mode and SOSlight-diffusing globeremovable globe for down light tent-top uselighted battery-level indicator (on off switch turns colors)D-ring-clips top and bottom for hangingcarry handle with built-in hook-notchUses 3 D-Cells, but also works well with NiMH or Lithium batteries, and AA to D adaptersCONS:: ..... NONERECOMMENDED (Five Star)As a total LED wonk I heartily recommend this lantern. For one... unlike many of the lantern makers out there, Streamlight calculates their run-times to only 10% of initial value... NOT down to 1% as so many other companies do, so their run-time estimates are more accurate. There will still be some usable light output at the specified times, The lantern will tell you when you're close to exhausting your batteries. The built-in battery-level indicator goes from green to yellow to red as as you approach the end of charge. The button also flashes red if you install one of your D-Cells incorrectly (reversed polarity).The 3-levels of White light are enough to illuminate your work area, camp table or tent. Don't expect it to light up an entire yard though. The lantern provides useful light without being harsh on the eyes, thanks to the quality diffuser they use.. Another really well thought out feature is the red-light mode. What makes it unique is that it is totally separate from the 3-level white-light mode. You enter and exit it with a long-press of the power button (about 2 seconds). So when you're on a deer-stand and you're using red-mode it will NOT sequence back into white-light when you turn the lantern on and off. It stays red until you decide to switch it out of red-mode by long-pressing the power button.The Siege is extremely well built and comes with more than the usual amount of handy design features. If you research this lantern you will find that the vast majority of the reviews are excellent.As always... and for the record... My reviews are without any commercial bias or affiliations, and NEVER compensated in any way. I only review products that I purchase for my personal use. If I like a product or brand, or if I don't... I'll tell you honestly why. Thanks for reading..... GEEZER SPEAK

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 (SE3DLN). I researched the Rayovac and other options extensively before choosing the Streamlight, and I'm exceptionally happy with my decision. The Rayovac has been on the market longer, and has impressive reviews, but in this review, I'll outline why I think the Streamlight is superior to the Rayovac, and sets the new standard in the 3 D-cell LED lantern category.Both lanterns are LED lights, powered by widely-available 3 D-cell non-rechargeable alkaline batteries. Both manufacturers stand by their product with a limited lifetime warranty. And they are identical in weight, 14.4 oz (408 g) without batteries. Both products are water-resistant. Lastly, both can be suspended from hooks on the top or bottom of the lantern, or carried by a handle.However, there are significant advantages to the Streamlight Siege. First, the Streamlight produces 340 lumens, with state of the art LEDs, compared with 240 lumens for the Rayovac. Second, the Streamlight floats in water, in case you drop it off your boat, etc. Third, the Streamlight also has a red LED, for use at night, if you don't want to lose your night vision. The Rayovac doesn't have a red LED. Fourth, the Streamlight has more settings: high (340 lumens/30h), medium (175 lumens/70h), low (33 lumens/295h/12 day), the above mentioned red (10 lumens/235h), and a SOS mode, where the red light flashes S.O.S. in morse code, for an incredible 430h. In contrast, the Rayovac offers 3 modes: high (240 lumens/40h), low, or a strobe light. Personally, I don't care much for strobe modes in any light, and find the much prefer the longer lasting, more visible red SOS mode of the Streamlight lantern. Fifth, the battery compartment of the Rayovac can be difficult to open and close (see reviews on the Rayovac, on Amazon or YouTube). This isn't a problem with the Streamlight, which had an easy to open battery compartment, and can only be closed one way, due to some clever "keyed" construction. Sixth, and lastly, the Rayovac Sportsman has an LED indicator light that blinks every 5 seconds when the lantern is off. LEDs are exceptionally energy efficient, so that won't meaningfully drain the batteries, but I would find a constantly flashing LED annoying. The Streamlight doesn't have such a flashing LED. However, the power/mode change switch does have a nice feature: it doubles as a battery power indicator. When the light is on, and the batteries are powerful, the button is green. When they die down, it turns red, and then flashes red when they are power-critical. This is a really wonderful, innovative feature.In conclusion, I highly recommend Streamlight's the Siege lantern. It's a powerful, small, well-built lantern strong enough to take some abuse and provide you years of quality light. I really appreciate the versatility enabled by 5 light modes (high, medium, low, red, SOS), and the clips to hang the lantern in either an upright or inverted fashion. The red/night vision light is something I haven't seen on another, similar LED lantern, and is a welcome addition. Finally, especially with such a long battery lifespan, I appreciate the battery indicator light telling me when it'll be time for replacement batteries. This is clearly an exceptionally well-conceived product. I think it's more than worth the extra $10 over the Rayovac (which was the previous best-in-category, before The Siege was released).Finally, I want to note that I'm not in any way related, affiliated, or compensated by Streamlight for this review. Lastly, Amazon sells D-cell batteries for about $1 each: Rayovac ALD-12 UltraPRO Alkaline D Batteries, 12-Pack.

Keep in mind this one do not has magnetic base.

I have not owned it for long so just initial impressions - phenomenal feeling build quality & very bright.

I didn't think I'd ever be buying this kind of a lantern, but I gave it a try and for me, it was well worth the money. The design is very well thought out and with the 3 brightness levels, red light, red flasher and USB charger, this is a keeper! I'm getting to be a big fan of Streamlight.

Tiene potencia más que suficiente para iluminar una pequeña estancia.El tamaño es muy pequeño, lo que la hace muy manejable. La cantidad de luz es mayor de lo que uno espera al ver un dispositivo tan pequeño. Me ha sorprendido gratamente.

This is a very well made lantern. Although it's very small it's perfect for camping. Well made plastic covered with like a rubber feel to it. Functions all modes perfectly with nice lighting. I just keep on low setting for in the tent and it works great for reading. And the biggest feature for me is it's Waterproof and floats would be good for emergencies as well. I like the clip on the bottom too for hanging. I would buy from this company again!