TacLight “Tough” Lantern is an LED “tactical lantern” which is said to be twice as bright as a regular lantern. Read our TacLight Lantern review.
About TacLight Tough Lantern
TacLight Lantern is a bright, collapsible lantern which is said to be brighter, more compact, and more durable than an ordinary lantern. There have been two websites used to advertise the product: toughlantern.com, which was registered in June 2016, and taclightlantern.com, registered in August 2016. As of this December 2016 update, the official website is now taclightlantern.com. The screen captures below shows how the original website appeared in August 2016, and the how final version appeared in December 2016.
Claims & Features
- 2x brighter than a regular lantern
- Weighs under 1 pound
- Water and heat resistant
- Collapses down to a size smaller than a smart phone
- Regular and Deluxe versions
- Visible up to two nautical miles away
Cost
You can buy TacLight Lantern from the official website for $19.99 with free shipping. There is – somewhat surprisingly – no “double offer” for this product. The current offer automatically upgrades you to the Deluxe model (with a magnetic base) for free. Despite its free shipping, you’ll still have to pay a $2 “web processing fee” that is applied to all orders.
We finally spotted TacLight Lantern (not the Deluxe model) in stores in December 2016 for about $20. There is a lifetime guarantee, although that guarantee does not cover “abuse” which the lantern is advertised to handle.
TacLight Lantern Review
Note: This product has been advertised under a couple of different names, including “Tough Lantern,” “TacLight Lantern,” and “TacLight Tough Lantern.” We’ll use those names interchangeably below.
Television airwaves have lit up with commercials for tactical flashlights throughout 2016. You may have seen ads in recent months for Tac Light, Atomic Beam, or Mile Light. On the success of these products, we are now seeing “tactical lanterns.” Atomic Beam already released their “Atomic Beam Lantern” and the TacLight brand followed with its own version known as Tough Lantern.
Pitched by Nick Bolton in a similar manner to that of the original Tac Light, Tough Lantern features a collapsible function, allowing it to be stored in a compact manner. It is also lightweight, weighing under one pound. Despite its small size, it can illuminate with double the brightness of a standard lantern. You can partially collapse the housing in order to adjust the brightness. This doesn’t actually dim the light, which would have probably been a better way to conserve batteries.
Also sharing features with Tac Light, Tough Lantern can suppposedly be submerged underwater, and resist extreme heat or cold.
Unlike the Tac Light flashlight, which offers a Deluxe rechargeable model for an additional price, Tough Lantern does not offer a rechargeable option. The Deluxe model is offered standard in the current television offer, and features a magnetic base. The version currently sold in stores is not the Deluxe model.
As you’ll see in the video below, Tac Light Lantern held up pretty well in the tests we threw at it, although it did fill with water during the underwater test.
You may notice the Bell & Howell name appearing with greater frequency in As Seen on TV products. In recent years, the Bell & Howell trademark has been licensed to third party consumer electronics in order to heighten brand recognition. Thus, the Bell & Howell name alone should not be a determining factor in your purchase.
Overall, Tough Lantern is a compact, durable, and bright lantern which outperforms standard lanterns across the board. Its brightness is surprising given that it is powered by three AA batteries.
We’re confident that consumer ratings for Tough Lantern will be high, perhaps over the 4 star range. It should be noted that this is an increasingly competitive market, and there are numerous LED lanterns on the market.
Video Review
Below is a hands-on review of Tac Light Lantern, with many of the advertising claims put to the test.
Alternatives
As noted earlier, we spotted another As Seen on TV lantern called the Atomic Beam Lantern which has advertised online and on television. Below you can see our video review of Atomic Beam Lantern.
Perhaps the closest in design to Tough Lantern is a product by Alaskanite, which looks virtually identical in every way, including COB LEDs, except the logo. That runs about $13.
When you factor in the price, quality, and features, a case could be made that the Streamlight 44931 Siege Lantern is perhaps the standard by which all others in this class may be measured. That $32 lantern has an astonishing 4.9 star rating among over 1400 reviews.
Your Tough Lantern Reviews
Have you used TacLight Tough Lantern, or are you considering buying it? Tell us what you think in the comments below and leave a star rating above.
Updated December 2016
I bought this in sept ,was charged to my debit card 19.99. I haven’t received it yet. whats up?
joann
This is the most common complaint with virtually every new As Seen on TV product. They should ship or refund money within 30 days from the purchase date. You’ll probably have to hound them for an answer.
I got the 4 pack online for $20 and am curious if there’s any real difference. I opted for cheaper ones after seeing the commercial and realizing a lot of their claims were bogus ( putting it in a fire and it still working? It’s plastic. It’d melt in no time I also thought it’d be metal after the fire and smash claims) I live in Florida and have a lot of power outages and so far no complaints with the “generics” but I’ve always wondered if one was better or they were as identical in inner workings as they… Read more »
I got r of them from Ebay. By paying through PayPal, I know I can get a refund if there is a problem. So, I use the 18650 rechargeable battery system. If you don’t know about this system, it’s a great investment. Look on Amazon. So, back to the lanterns… They came with 2 of the 18650 batteries each. They go in the bottom of the lantern. The top of the lantern also has a battery compartment for 2 AA batteries. It also has a usb port (comes with a usb cable) so you can recharge the batteries without removing… Read more »
I bought this product for my mother. It eventually started leaking yellow stuff (within a week or so). It also doesn’t last as long as they say it does. However, mine could be defected seeing that it was leaking a yellow substance. I wasn’t impressed.
Yeah I ordered 2 of these GARBAGE items Lanterns the first one damn near caught on fire till the wires burnt off and opened the circuit the other worked twice before it stopped. Took them apart the wires were smashed and shorted on the one the other smashed and the wire was not even soldered to the switch held in place by a wedged in switch. DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT BUY THIS SHIT unless you want to burn something down. The wires are to small for the current load and DO NOT use rechargeable NiCads these draw so… Read more »
Lori
Junk. You cant turn them off without pulling the batteries. Disappointed. Very bright, very utilitarian. Not impressed. Sending them back. I cant believe they wont shut off.
after 45 mins, the batterys are red hot. WHY ????
Piece of crapola. Received it as a gift and it took a 5 ft fall out of my van and the interior of the battery compartment essentially shattered. Chinese garbage and fake claims by a joke of a company. Avoid wasting money.