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15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 A Great Addition to the Black Diamond Lantern Line! Jan 23, 2010
By OrangeCrush
"Still shooting with Film!"
I was really hoping that Black Diamond would make a larger, more powerful addition to their already amazing lantern line. Black Diamond has answered by releasing the Titan. The Titan maintains the same look and feel of their previous lanterns, The Orbit and The Apollo. It also has basically the same design. It has the same frosted plastic sliding hood which greatly reduces the overall size of the lantern when not in use. It also has the same basic controls which consist of a single on button and a dimming switch which allows you to adjust the brightness setting. Last but not least it has a power meter which displays the battery level.
The Titan uses 4 D batteries, has a QuadPower LED that has a maximum output of 250 lumens and is capable of lighting an area 14m (45 feet) in diameter. It stands 9.8 inches high when extended and 7.9 inches when closed. It weights 1 pound 8 oz without batteries. One of the best things about these lights is the quality of light that they provide. Its a very clean white light and the dual reflectors and frosted globe eliminate any sort of glare even when looking directly at it.
The only negative I can think of in regards to this light is that you are forced to use batteries. With the Orbit and Apollo you have the option of buying the rechargeable battery kit which was a huge plus in my book as I hate buying batteries. They don't offer a rechargeable battery kit for the Titan. I understand that this takes 4 D batteries so a rechargeable battery system for this light would be expensive but I for one would have absolutely purchased it had they made one available. Again I hate buying batteries as you wind up spending considerably more over the life of the light. Again I for one would have absolutely purchased a rechargeable battery kit for the Titan regardless of its price as it would still wind up saving you money in the long run. Buying 4 D batteries again and again and again is not a cheap proposition. This light is still relatively new so maybe there is still a chance a rechargeable battery for the Titan will be released.
The bottom line - Black Diamonds lanterns are imo the best portable LED lanterns on the market and the Titan is a welcome addition to this amazing line of lights.
5 Stars!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Quality LED Lantern Mar 13, 2010
By bluebonnets
I purchased the Titan lantern to use if we experience a power outage. The Titan utilizes two metal collapsible hooks that permit secure hanging options. The lantern's top piece is joined to the telescoping globe by three hex-head stainless steel screws that make for a nice, tight fit. The lantern utilizes two reflectors positioned top and bottom to transmit artifact-free white light through a semi-opaque globe that significantly reduces the LED harshness that so many find objectionable. This lantern has variable LED output capability; simply depress the combination on/off/dimmer switch to obtain the desired lumen level. When fully dimmed, the lantern emits 16 lumens for up to 168 hours...enough to illuminate a 16 foot diameter spot. At maximum, the numbers increase to 250 lumens for 24 hours that will illuminate a 45 foot diameter area. The ability to dim up or down...and anywhere in between, makes this lantern extremely practical and useful. Also, just above the on/off/dimmer switch is a momentary battery status indicator. Each time the user powers on the lantern, the indicator light will display either green, yellow or red indicating >50%, 20% to 50% or <20% of battery life remaining respectively. The indicator light then turns off about a minute later to prevent continued battery drain. The four D-cell batteries are housed is a separate battery magazine that slides into the lantern's base. The notched battery magazine is designed to install only one way so no question about correct polarity. Once the battery magazine is inserted, simply screw on the base piece and you now have a firm, positive contact between the battery magazine and the lantern's internal electrical contacts. The base piece that screws onto the lantern has three rubberized footings for added traction and a rubberized O-ring to help prevent moisture intrusion into the battery area. Overall, the Titan is a solid, superbly designed LED lantern from Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 So close but misses he mark Jul 12, 2010
By C. Burns
I had high hopes for this lantern. Our primary use is camping out of our Jeep so weight and size are not really an issue though I like the collapsable feature. I like the specs of 250 lumens and the dimming feature seems ideal. The specs on battery life of the 4D cells are excellent and the design has an elegant look to it that really appeals to me.
As an aside this light was to replace a Coleman Square packaway 8D Flourescent lantern. It had a claimed 390 lumens (and I believe it as it used a 15W Spiral flourescent, which should be equivalent to a 60W incandescent, and it was quite bright). The use of 8 batteries was a minus as was it's battery life of 24 on high and 66 on low (and that is for eight D batteries!). It had a great pattern and coverage. The cost of the lamp is in the 28 to 37 dollar range. The lantern is two years old, on only it's second set of battieries, and the bulb burned out the last time I turned it on. The bulb is only available from Coleman. The bulb cost 10 with shipping of 7! If it had lasted ten years and I could project another ten years of life, or if I could have bought a bulb at Cabaela's, Amazon, Sportmans WH or Ace Hardware for 5 bucks I'd still be using the lantern in spite of its need for 8D's. But not for 17 and two years of bulb life.
I purchased a BD Titan and am disappointed in it's light output. I seriously doubt the actual 250 lumens; it seems much less bright than that. I had previously bought the Cabelas Bug Proof LED lantern that claims 160 lumens and it is brigher than the BD Titan. I could live with the amount of light if the shape of the light output was good it is not. It is a poor area light in that it seems to project light in a downward direction. Lighting a campsite for nighttime activities by sitting it on a table is not very good. If you hang it high enough to negate the poor beam there is a ery large dark spot under it. I think they got a lot right but then failed in reflector design. Maybe the next generation will be acceptable. This one is not. I plan on returning it. As it is about the most expensive LED lantern at 79 I had high hoped for this.
As I see it I have two options. One is to buy another Cabelella's Bug Proof. I returned it because it was pretty tall and the call the BD's 250 lumens got to me. It is cheaper at 49 in the store and 59 online. The light pattern is FAR superior to the Titan. The other option is the newer version of the Coleman 8D packaway which uses a Cree LED bulb. The price is right at about 39, it collapses into a 5.5" by 7.5" recatangular package, has ok claimed battery life and claims 190 lumens. The only problem is that Coleman has no listing for parts for this light and I have no idea what a replacement bulb would cost if one were needed. Is it a Coleman only bulb or is it available generally? I just don't know. I plan on calling Coleman to ask.
Why is it so hard to buy a decent lantern? I'd go back to my old white gas Coleman lanterns but the mantles seem to be of poor qulaity these days and after a day of banging around in the Jeep I end up needing to replace the mantles every day. The old mantles must have been of better quality as I never used to have to do this.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
BD Titan Lantern Apr 03, 2010
By Dennis Brandenburg
"Kilted"
I'll not repeat details others have posted which are comprehensive.
Pros;
Overall quality is excellent. Quality of light is very good with a nice even spread with no artifacts. Light color is at the cooler (blue) end of the spectrum. Unlike other LED lights there are no blue fringes creeping in. Over all it is a very good well made lantern. The light is well controlled in a cone around the lantern with a sharp downward angle. This keeps the lantern light out of your eyes, no glare!!! This is a very good thing as this is a common problem with many LED lanterns. Glare can make a bright lantern unuseable.
Cons:
The downward cone of light does not have enough spread to light up a room. You are always looking for a shelf to place the lantern on to get light on your work. It is a very good table lantern, again slightly elevated to get enough coverage. Once done again no blinding light in the eyes. This is a task light not a room lighter.
I have been using;
AccuEvolution Low Self Discharge NiMH D Cells they can be found on Amazon.
These are about 10,000mah cells and provide a run time of about 8 hours on high with another 4 hours of running down time. This is about right as D-Cell alkaline's are about 20,000mah. These cells are rated for 1000 cycles, more if you charge them at 50% rather than running them dead. This is about equal to 500 sets of alkaline's at about $6 per set about $3,600. Or a set of 4 NiMH cost me $55 shipped in the door, which is only about 10 sets of D-cell's. I have already burned the equivalent of one set doing the first test run.
I have a Maha C808M charger, it is one of the best one's available, fast charger that does not over heat cells;
Maha charger can also be found on Amazon.
NiMH LSD cells = Low Self Discharge. That allows you to put the lantern on a shelf and come back 6 months later and have a useable charge.
One more con;
Shipping from Amazon was poor. Amazon labeled the box USPS and put it on a Fedex truck! That added another 3-5 days to the delivery.
Excellent Quality - Worth the price! Nov 06, 2011
By Sapere Aude
I decided to spend the extra money to get this Black Diamond lantern instead of a cheaper alternative and I'm very glad I did. This lantern is very well designed and high quality.
Great Features:
Split ring on top: Ever had a lantern with a ring on top to hang it and a loop in your tent, with no way to connect them? Not with this! The ring on top is a split ring, which means one side forms a hook one way, the other side the other way so that when they are both up, it is a ring, but you can hook it onto a loop in your tent without further connections. Furthermore, the two parts fold down flat with the top of the lantern when not in use.
Dimmer: You can push the power button once to just turn the lantern on, or push and hold and the lantern will dim and brighten to your desired level.
Collapses: The picture shows the lantern full extended. The top part slides down until the gray ring covers the power button. The lantern can be used in this position, the mirrors in the middle are designed to reflect light even when the top is collapsed.
Weatherproof: I don't know what kind of guarantees the manufacturer makes on this, but the lantern is clearly well designed for being exposed to weather. The gray ring at the base of the lantern shade is made of rubber, helping keep any water out. The power button is rubber as well. The bottom of the lantern (from the bottom up to the first small gray ring you see is all one piece, so the lantern could sit in almost an inch of water without any fear of water leaking in.
Power Efficient: We've taken this lantern on several camping trips and used it for several power failures, we have yet to replace the battery.
Easy on the eyes: LEDs can be painful on the eyes if you look at them directly. This lantern shade has enough obscureness to prevent that, but at the same time clearly lets the maximum amount of light through - its not just plastic which is colored white, its clear plastic with a special either coating or surface on the inside to cause the light to refract enough for comfort.
Bright: This is a very bright lantern! It easily illuminates a campsite at night by itself. Works fabulous hung from the ceiling of our screen house.
I have nothing bad to say about this sucker - I feel like it was money very well spent!
See all 7 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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