I bought a cheap solar lantern for $15 and it was a total waste

I picked up one of those foldable solar lanterns from a discount store before a trip to the Red River Gorge. It charged fine in the sun, but the first night out, the light was so dim I could barely see my hands. The plastic felt flimsy and the switch got stuck after turning it on twice. I ended up using my headlamp the whole time and the lantern just took up space in my pack. For the same price, I could have gotten a much better battery powered light. It really showed me that with some gear, the lowest price point is just throwing money away. Has anyone found a good solar light that actually works well for under $30?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade6181mo ago

See this happen all the time with cheap tech, where the specs look okay but the actual build is junk. It feels like companies bank on you not testing it until it's too late to return. That initial bargain price just ends up being a lesson.

stella_shah8919d ago

Jade618, you're making it sound like a bigger deal than it really is. Most cheap tech works fine for what it costs, just don't expect it to last forever. You get what you pay for, but that doesn't mean every budget gadget is a scam. If someone buys a fifty dollar tablet and expects it to run like a flagship, that's on them. I've grabbed plenty of no name electronics that did the job for a few years with no issues. Not everything needs to be a premium brand to be useful.

angela_wilson781mo ago

Ugh, I always check the return window first thing now... learned that the hard way.