Caframo JOI Candle Heat Powered, Weatherproof LED Lamp for Indoor Outdoor Use

This lantern is a rare find. From the technical aspect as well the quality of construction and ingenuity of the design make it an amazing piece of equipment, at the campground as well as anywhere else where you would dare to lighten a tea candle. In fact, this lantern is a lot safer than a tea light. In case of excessive flame due to debris in the candle it turns itself off by shutting off the air supply. The lantern makes use of thermoelectric energy, a concept developed in 1821 by Seebeck and newest technology with LED lights. It is the conversion of temperature differences that create enough electricity to make the 9 LEDs lighten up. You can choose from a super warm and cozy ginger house style light to a nice reading lantern by extending the SS arms to which the "roof" of the lantern is fastened and it's movable in any angle. "Starting" the lamp requires a bit more feel and patients than flipping a switch. You have to create the right enviroment inside the lantern before the candle continues to burn - well described in the manual though. Once you got the hang of it, it's a less than 60 second procedure. Makes the nicest X-mas present! You get what you pay for - and more.

When I first saw this my feeling was I could probably just build this for a fraction of the cost. That said sometimes the quality/beauty of something already created is worth it. It is. The JOI both looks great, functions great and does what it claims. Sure it doesn't put out a flood light of illumination but it sure gives enough light to work in the kitchen or make your way around a room when the power goes out. And the reality is, the light is coming from a tea light. We purchased Richland Unscented Tealight Candles, 125 of them for 11 bucks and that's roughly 500 hours of light. Uuse the good tea lights, there really is a difference. We got about 2.5 hours from some cheap ones and 4+ from better quality candles. For those who claim gaining the same illumination from the tea light vs the light put out from this lamp, I call bs. You can position this lamp in a variety of positions for varying tasks, try doing that with a tea light. We improved illumination by adding chrome tape to the area where the LED's are located and using the same or a mirror beneath the lamp reflects more light. We do the same with our Aladdin kerosene lamps. Yeah there are other options for off grid lighting, maybe some better, but this is a really interesting, functional and unique option which is a value add in our home.

Works as advertised. It was surprisingly bright. And it lasted about 4 hours or more. I could easily read by it and it'd light up a small table for cards very well. I'd love to bring it along when I go camping. Could use it to eat dinner by or to fillet fish or prepare a meal to cook, etc. And the top of it doesn't really get too hot either.About the only negative I've had with mine is that the lid doesn't like to latch closed very easily. I have to make sure to push the lid all the way in and push the latch back up so it locks in place, otherwise it doesn't want to properly latch and wants to come open.One other thing of note, make sure your tea lights aren't one iota over 1.5" in diameter. I had some tea lights I thought I'd try inside of it. They were 1/16" larger than 1 1/2" due to a plastic rim. And that was just enough so they wouldn't fit. However, I was able to push the candles out of the plastic holders and put them in the metal ones that came with the unit and they worked fine.It does take a little longer than the company's video shows. They show about 1 minute. It probably took me about 4-5 minutes. But it does get as bright as shown on the video.

The idea is great and it will light up a room inside so you can see where you are going and get what you need. I wish it would give off a little brighter light, but it will definitely do for an emergency of for use on a patio.Added later: PS: I also buy my 6 to 7 hour candles on here: Stonebriar Long Burning Tealight Candles, 6 to 7 Hour Extended Burn Time, Bulk 200-Pack. I don't see the shorter burning time candles that I got and am also very happy with. Have two to three different candles that burn only so long. It is not recommended to stop a candle from burning and then reuse it again. Hard to light for one. Choose the amount of time you want it to burn and then choose the appropriate candle. And yes I just put another one in my basket. Greg

This tea light works great. Much brighter than I thought. My husband wants another one.Great product.

I got two. But the light panel on both developed shortages.

Pros: If you’ve got a gas stove, dinner prep will be possible with the power out. It lights up enough of the counter for prep and reading. It also keeps getting brighter for the first hour. I measured. I’m an engineer and this design is quite remarkable. I’ve designed TEG devices powered by candles before and this one is the best I’ve seen. 768mW after an hour (I unscrewed one telescopic leg and measured current… 2.919V at .263A at its peak.) Nice work!Cons: First time running, it outgases a chemical smell that gives me a headache. Hopefully that will fade. Also, the light it gives off is akin to office fluorescent bulbs. They could have chosen softer yellower LEDs that are more homey. The blue-white color is good for reading, though. After using it for some hours and blowing it out: Make sure the candle has solidified completely before removing it. There are no instructions for cleaning up spilled wax inside and believe me, it’s not easy. If you spill wax inside let it solidify before you try to clean it. I used a plastic knife to break chunks free.