Sofirn BLF LT1 Beacon
Sofirn BLF LT1 Beacon lantern – a new benchmark in rechargeable LED lantern design. Customer reviews
Together with members of one of the biggest and most active torch forums in the world, Sofirn has just shifted the paradigm on electronic lanterns.
After three years, thousands of forum posts on Budgetlightforum.Com (BLF) and several prototypes, Sofirn – whom I have the honour to represent in SA – has produced the BLF LT1, which makes all other lanterns look like... junk (and it's not just me who says so).
I'm calling it the "Beacon" because it really is a beacon of excellence in an ocean of mediocrity. And it's sweet.
The Beacon's features include:
- a body entirely made of hard-anodised aircraft-grade aluminium, except for the heavy-duty diffuser, giving you a lantern that will shrug off a highveld storm
- eight of Samsung's newest LH351D LEDs delivering 600 lumens of light all night without dimming, which is more than enough for any campsite or home situation
- infinitely variable tint from neutral white (5000K) to warm white (2700K), all with a colour rendering index of 90, making this light suitable for colour-critical applications like photography and romantic dinners!
- a simple yet versatile user interface with infinitely adjustable brightness and special modes such as sunset, beacon, party strobe, candlelight, lightning storm and battery check, and a timer so it can turn itself off after you go to sleep
- "hidden" configuration using the open-source Anduril operating system, so the user interface can be reprogrammed by ner... enthusiasts... but won't confuse the rest of us (and can easily be restored to factory pre-sets)
- single control button with adjustable backlight, so you can find it in the dark, which also tells you when your batteries are charged or need recharging
- a flat bottom to stand on a table and a strong metal loop at the top to hang from a tree, plus two tripod mounts for ultimate versatility (and of course it works equally well in any orientation)
- takes four rechargeable 18650 lithium ion batteries (the most common format, easy to replace every five years or so) but works with one, two or three Li-Ions with reduced runtimes
- rechargeable via a USB-C port (like most cellphones) and can run without batteries from any USB source such as a car or powerbank (including the charger/powerbanks I stock!!)
There's lots more, such as the fact that a hobbyist with a soldering iron can bridge a couple of contacts to increase the brightness (and void their warranty), while still being exquisitely simple for the rest of us.
The Beacon is the kind of lantern you'll carry from your study to the kitchen, dining room and bedroom every night because it's just... better... than any table lamp. You'll leave it on all night to deter burglars, help you get to the loo without treading on the cat, and chase monsters away from your kids' rooms. Then you'll plug it into a cellphone charger or USB adapter the next day and do it all again the next night, and the next.
If you're an outdoors type you'll use the Beacon every night for preparing meals, chatting, doing running repairs to your vehicles, reading and keeping lions away. And every day you'll recharge it from your vehicle's USB port or cigarette lighter. And then take it home and use it every night, for many years to come.
This little lantern is also the perfect illustration of the difference between "price" and "value". In terms of price it's one of the more expensive lights in my lineup at R3,870 with a set of high capacity 3500mAh Li-Ions, after a discount for payment by EFT-on-invoice and including courier delivery to your door.
But in terms of value – it's extraordinary! It is only R200 more than the very successful Q8 Quad torch on which it was originally based but it has twice as many LEDs, a diffuser and internal battery charging, quite apart from the enormous amount of R&D, mostly done by amateurs. Did you know that "amateur" means someone who does something for love, not money?
The love really shows in this lantern. It's a beautiful device, destined to be a classic and the kind of thing your grandkids will ask you to leave to them when you're gone (or, more likely, give to them for their birthdays!) In fact, if you're scratching to find a gift for the person who has everything, you've just found it!
Online reviewers are unanimous in their praise (hardly surprising since their peers designed it!) For example Narmattaru, whose first language is not English, wrote: "Sofirn BLF LT1 leaves me with the most positive impressions... I've met just few model that caused such positive emotions, honestly."
Note that, like all my torches, the Beacon will cost you less if you pay by EFT-on-invoice – just drop me a line and we'll make it happen.
