Now what's that have to do with Ray-O-Vac lanterns? I'm preparing for Peak Oil in many ways, including growing my own food, indoors. Why? If oil shortages get really severe, there are going to be serious problems with growing enough food for people (fertilizer, pesticide, and fuel costs for farms), and getting it to stores (fuel cost and availability for trucks). Suppose rationing starts? Suppose you just can't get food at all? If people start going hungry, they may riot. Care to shop for food under those conditions?

Well, you don't have to. I've been working at growing vegetables in my basement for the last year, using only artificial light. Some of the light comes from LED lanterns, and some of the light comes from fluorescent lanterns, in my case the Ray-O-Vac (SP8D). Each type of lantern has advantages and disadvantages, but this review is only about the Ray-O-Vac.

First, the disadvantages. While the Ray-O-Vac is well built (and you could even call it good looking) piece of equipment, it is fairly bulky; it's the same general design as the older propane lanterns. So, while the lantern will take some physical abuse without breaking, it also will not fit into tight spaces. However, that's a disadvantage for me, as I'm using them for something they weren't designed for; it may not be an issue to you at all.

Another disadvantage is its battery requirements; it needs 8, D-cell batteries, and it's probably best not to use "ordinary" D-cell batteries with lower capacities, as they won't last long. I use nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries with a capacity of 10,000 mAh; that's about as much capacity as fairly expensive, name brand alkaline batteries. Even so, with 8 fully-charged batteries, the Ray-O-Vac only gives 7-8 hours of light on its brightest setting. That, and the light is dimming significantly by the last hour. In other words, battery life, and the cost of the batteries you'd need to keep the lantern going for even just several evenings, means you'd be a fool to use non-rechargeable batteries of any sort. Would you want to pay $5 - $10 a day just to run one lantern? Go camping, and take 2 or 3 lanterns, and you could blow $60 or $70 on batteries in a couple weeks.

Now, the advantages. First, the lantern is very sturdy for something made of plastic. If you drop it or knock it over, chances are slim to none it will break. However, the bulbs may break. The solution is simple, though; leave the bulbs out of the lantern until you need to use it.

Another advantage is the lantern's light output. It's good, though you'd never use it as a substitute for a 150-Watt incandescent bulb. The lantern has 2, 9-Watt fluorescent tubes, for a total of 18 Watts when both are lit. That approaches the light given off by a 75-Watt incandescent bulb. But, using both bulbs cuts battery life (as I've noted). You can set the lantern so only 1 bulb is lit, and extend the battery life, but the light is then fairly dim.

An additional advantage for the lantern is its weight with 8 batteries; it will be fairly heavy, and have a low center of gravity (most of its weight is close to its bottom), so it won't be easily blown over by gusts of wind or someone accidentally bumping the table that it's on.

The replacement bulbs are not hard to find, and like other compact fluorescent bulbs, are rated with a long life-time. And, like other compact fluorescent bulbs, they don't make nearly as much heat as incandescent bulbs, or propane lanterns. The Ray-O-Vac battery lantern can also be used indoors; something the propane lanterns were not supposed to be used for (they gave off toxic gases).

If you shop, you can get the lanterns for about $25 each, including delivery (though I bought a case of 12 to get that price).

Recommended:
Yes