Value Rating: 10
Overall Rating: 10
Location of Test: Home with 3 kids
Duration of Test: Every night
Product Name: SunLight
Product Brand: BioLite
Best Use: Camp party light
The Full Review:
Triple thumbs up on this NEW light. WE ARE IN LOVE WITH THIS LIGHT.
For the record we as a family have used all of the small portable solar lamps available, admittedly we have some of the solar inflatable lights and have faithfully used them for years in the outdoors and around the house. But I have fallen in love with another light.
Everything I have loved about my inflatable solar lights and so much more is packed into this amazing little light. The BioLite SunLight is a small option packed simple to use light. Upon opening the package and turning the light on for the first time I smiled ear to ear. Everything I disliked about my other solar light options has been addressed and overcome with this little light.
The number one thing I loved about my other solar lights is that they are solar charged and that gives me a great feeling inside to be a little Greener. Now my biggest gripe about solar powered lights is also that they are solar powered and very dependent upon the UV intensity of the Sun. Using solar power in the summer is super easy and available all day every day, but once Fall time sets in the Sun goes away and the UV intensity drops leaving solar powered lights hungry for power. The BioLite SunLight has fixed this 6-month long issue by making the SunLight Micro USB rechargeable.
YES, this solar-powered light is also USB rechargeable making it a true year-round light that will always be ready and charged for whatever your needed use is.
Turning the light on is as easy as finding the one button and pushing 1,2,3 times for different functions. 1 push and you are on the dim-able white light, 2 pushes get you to a Red Blue Green (RBG) light that you can choose and the options are any color in the rainbow, 3 clicks gets the light into PARTY mode and the color rolls through the RBG rainbow.
Cool feature to make note of is when turning the light off it will flash green, yellow, or red to indicate how much remaining power is left in the light battery. So, you know when to charge either by Sun or USB.
The metal wire 360-degree kickstand is solid and simple to use while charging and allows the best angle to capture the suns energy and provides a hanging hook for the light to suspend from a tent or tree branch. If you wrap a rubber band around the light and use that on the 360 kickstand you can hang the light with even more options.
Travel PRO tip is to position the wire kickstand over the on/off button to prevent the light from turning on in a bag or while traveling.
BioLite has even included a super simple and easy way to see if the light is facing the Sun with the right angle by placing a little peephole in the corner and you will see a white dot when positioned into the sun properly. None of my other solar powered lights give this option, I sort of guess the best angle and hope it works.
One thing to note, the only thing I did not like about the SunLight and was frustrated with I soon learned was the second coolest thing this company has put into this little light. While charging either by the Sun or USB the light flashes a color indicator (red, yellow, green). This flashing was enough for me to notice and wonder why and actually I needed to flip the light over while charging inside on the kitchen counter via USB. What I soon learned was this flashing is on purpose, this allows the user to see that the light is actually charging while in the sun. Brilliant and now I love the little flash to let me know how my light is charging in the Sun.
What I will tell everybody this season. If you have anybody on your list that is a Gearhead and you don’t buy them one or 2 of these lights you are blowing it.
This light will sell out...................buy 3 while you can. 1 for a friend, 1 for the emergency kit, and one to use at your next holiday camp out dance party.
The Good
USB rechargeable solar light
Multiple light options
Easy to use kickstand
Small pocket size
Sprinkle proof
The Bad:
Nothing yet
The Bottom Line:
Buy it before it sells out. Nobody will be disappointed.