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(More customer reviews)LED's are simply amazing and they have caused nothing short of a revolution in the lighting sector. Just go to any lighting store on the internet and browse some of the new LED lights and you will quickly understand what I mean by revolution. Some of the lights now available are just downright amazing. Lighting has never been this much fun. While LED lights for camping aren't quite as exciting or revolutionary as some of the stuff being introduced in the home lines, its still worthy of excitement especially for people that are used to old school candle lanterns.
Black Diamond released 2 different versions for thier portable lantern line, the Apollo and the Orbit. While IMO the Apollo is definitely the better of the 2, the Orbit still has its advantages and I still highly recommend it. I actually own 3 of both models as I use them for emergency lighting in my house and not just for camping.
Overall the biggest difference between the 2 is the overall size and light output. The Orbit is roughly half the size of the Apollo and it only has a 1 watt light as opposed to the 3 watt light in the Apollo. The Orbit is actually perfect for 2 man tents or if your going solo in a 1 man tent. I have even used an orbit in a bivy sack for reading. If your going to be in a 3 person or 4 person tent then you definitely want to move up to the Apollo. Another big difference is that the Orbit doesn't have any legs. It has the same slide up frosted top, it just doesn't have the 3 fold down legs that the Apollo has. Overall this effects the stability of the lantern the most. Its still very stable even without the legs, its just not as stable as the Apollo. If you usually hang your lanterns then this is a non issue.
The Orbit is a 1 watt light which can achieve a light intensity of 45 lumens. It weighs 4.5 ounces, sits at 4 inches closed and extends to 5.5" when open. It takes 4 AAA batteries or you can purchase the NRG rechargeable battery kit which I HIGHLY recommend. Like the Apollo the Orbit has a dimmer switch to provide adjustable brightness which can really help save battery power when you don't need the full brightness setting. It has a metal ring on the top which makes hanging it extremely easy. The design, with its frosted globe and dual reflectors, eliminates any sort of glare even when your looking right at it. Last but not least it comes in 2 different colors, white or black.
The Orbit actually just recently won a 2009 Backpacker Magazine's Editor's Choice Award! This is no small feat as backpacker magazine does extensive testing on equipment and only the best of the best gets a nomination yet alone actually winning an award. Backpacker magazine is one of the most respected outdoors magazines and the people that do the testing know what they are talking about. In all honesty this award by itself should tell you all you need to know about the quality of this light.
As I stated in my Apollo review, these lights can be used for more than just camping. I purchased 3 of the Apollo and 3 of the Orbit lights to use as emergency lighting in our house. We usually lose power in our house at least 2-3 times a year, usually due to storms knocking out the power. These lanterns are absolutely perfect for such occasions and are much safer than candles. We use the orbits to light up our main hallways and use the Apollo's for our main rooms and bedrooms. We have already had to use them twice for such occasions and they were vastly superior to what we have used in the past.
Bottom line - these are outstanding lights. They are designed extremely well, put out plenty of light, are lightweight and are easy to carry around. The optional rechargeable battery is a huge plus as I for one HATE wasting money on batteries. IMO, both the Apollo and the Orbit are the best camping lights on the market.
5 stars and then some!!
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Black Diamond Orbit LanternProduct Description: Designed for long-distance trekkers and backpackers, the Black Diamond Orbit lantern stands a mere 4 inches tall when compacted, making it ideal for anyone who wants to shave a few grams off their load. The Orbit is equipped with a DoublePower LED bulb with 45 lumens intensity (max setting) enclosed inside a frosted globe.
The Orbit lantern is small enough to fit inside a pack's front or side pocket. The resulting light is bright yet non-glaring, making it a good choice for reading or cooking in the dark. The light also includes a dual reflector system that captures and maximizes light output, along with a unique dimming switch that provides adjustable brightness. Best of all, the light is tinier than most other lanterns, with a lightweight housing that can easily fit in one of your pack's front or side pockets. The Orbit--which operates on an NRG2 rechargeable battery kit or four AAA alkaline batteries--extends as tall as 5.5 inches and weighs 0.3 ounces. It also includes a collapsible hanging loop so you can suspend the lantern from a tree branch or tent pole.
About Black Diamond What began with a backyard anvil and a hammer has grown into a global company with offices on three continents. Black Diamond's roots extend to 1957, when an 18-year-old Yvon Chouinard started pounding out hand-forged pitons. To support his climbing habit, Chouinard traveled to Yosemite National Park and sold gear from the trunk of his car. His intelligent designs were quickly recognized by climbers as among the best available. By 1958, when Warren Harding completed the first ascent of the Nose on Yosemite's El Capitan, Chouinard's chrome-poly steel pitons had become an integral part of his rack. Chouinard Equipment, located in Ventura, California, was born shortly thereafter.
Through the years, the company introduced such innovative gear as redesigned carabiners, the world's first rigid crampon, the first curved-pick ice axes, and the XCD binding, a strong, heat-treated aluminum telemark binding that stood out compared to the flimsier bindings of the time. In December 1989, the company became the first employee-owned entity in the climbing industry and rechristened itself as Black Diamond. The company is now based in Salt Lake City, Utah--within minutes of great rock climbing, ice climbing, and backcountry skiing--and includes offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company continues to release award-winning products as Black Diamond, including the world's first plastic telemark ski boot, AvaLung packs that allowed the user to breathe when buried in snow, carbon-fiber ice axes, and the HotWire, the world's first wire-gate carabiner.
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