When we first laid eyes on the popular Duronic Hurricane 4 in 1 hand-crank LED lantern from those guys over at Duronic we said. “Wow, this looks great, and what a great design!”
We know, two ‘greats‘ in one sentence, we were definitely heading for a disappointment!
From previous experience, we know that this first initial reaction to a new product is often quickly dampened. Particularly when we get an item into our grubby little hands and start to test it out. It is at this point when the usual disappointments start to appear.
Thankfully, this wasn’t the case with this great little lamp from Duronic!
First Impression of the Duronic Hurricane 4 in 1 Lantern
The lantern instantly feels comfortable in your hand and feels really well made. You can tell that a degree of ergonomics has been applied during the design process. This is why the Duronic Hurricane is one of our favorites for both looks and feel.
As much as aesthetics are important, there are two things that really matter when reviewing a hand crank lantern.
- How good the lantern performs in its primary task of illumination.
- How well the hand crank generator works.
Brightness
This lantern has two brightness settings. Surprisingly on the highest setting, the lantern only omits 32 lumens of light. When compared to other lanterns we’ve reviewed this is extremely low. Strangely enough, we could only find positive reviews about the lantern regarding its brightness.
In all honesty, we wholeheartedly agree with those reviewers. Maybe Duronic has got their readings wrong, who knows? We will investigate further and update this review if we uncover any information!
As well as offering the standard illumination expected of a lantern, the Duronic Hurricane also doubles up as a pretty cool spotlight. As shown in the image above.
Charging
The lantern can be charged up with ease using one of three methods.
- Turning the crank handle.
- Connecting the lantern to your PC or laptop with the included USB cable.
- Or you can use an adapter to connect to a wall socket. You will have to provide your own adapter. Duronic does not provide one.
The charge created from one minute of cranking seems to last for an exceptionally long time. Especially when compared to all other lanterns we’ve tested. Perhaps because there is some truth to the 32 lumens maximum brightness mentioned earlier. A lantern producing 32 Lumens of light will require a small amount of power. Meaning the lantern would function much longer on a single charge compared to other, brighter lanterns.
Features
There is also a convenient carrying handle on the top of the lantern. This handle is easy to use and tucks back into place when not needed.
Other notable features are;
- AM/FM radio tuner.
- Emergency alarm siren which is really loud
- SOS red strobe light, which is VERY bright and would come in very handy in an emergency.
The storage capacity of the internal 1000 mAh battery along with the USB port allows the charging of mobile devices. However, you shouldn’t expect to fully charge your phone with the Duronic Hurricane alone. It is certainly good enough to put enough charge in your phone so you can get yourself out of a sticky situation though.
Specs:
- Height – 7.5″ (19 cm)
- Width – 3.5 inches (9 cm)
- Weight – 1 lb (450 grams)
Price:
The Duronic Hurricane 4-in-1 lantern can usually be purchased for around $40. We feel this is about right for this particular lantern/flashlight crossover.
User Feedback: Positive
As already mentioned, users of the Duronic Hurricane are very impressed with the brightness of the lantern. As well as its dual functionality as both a lantern and as a flashlight. Users are equally impressed with the USB cable storage, inside the ergonomically designed, multi-positional handle (pictured above).
The only negative that a few users comment on is an issue with the radio tuner. Although generally happy with the radio tuner, a few people have mentioned that it is not great at picking up weaker signals.
Duronic Hurricane – Our View:
This is an excellent hand crank lantern that doubles as an equally efficient spotlight. It looks great and is very well made.
It may not be as bright as some of the other hand-crank lanterns we’ve looked at, but it certainly isn’t dim.
Although we haven’t tested the actual running time of this lamp it does seem to last a very long time on very little cranking. That in itself is a really big plus.
All in all the Duronic Hurricane 4 in 1 LED Lantern would make a really good addition to anyone’s emergency lighting gear. And for $40 you’ll DEFINITELY be smiling every time you use it!!
