Rechargeable lanterns · Review
Goal Zero Lighthouse Core Lantern Review (Bought & Tested!)
I bought this lantern with my own money and put it through 15 hands-on tests.
- Brightness 382 lm
- Shine distance 6.5 ft
- Run-time 259 hrs
- Battery 4,400 mAh
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Test scorecard
The Goal Zero Lighthouse Core is a simple and perfectly functional lantern, but it certainly didn’t perform up to my expectations, and it’s one of the weaker camping lanterns I have. Its battery life and durability are not as impressive as other Goal Zero models.
- Functional and simple
- Adjustable brightness
- Accurate lumen output
- Warm color
- Not many light modes
- Doesn’t throw light well
- Glaring up close
- Overstated capacity/run times
- No water resistance
If you prefer watching to reading, check out my video here instead.
See the 15 tests
In the Box
The box holds just the lantern and a user guide. It arrives in demo mode — plug it into a powered USB port to wake it up.
Handle
The top handle is nicely sized and fits my hands perfectly. It’s fully detachable, though stiff to remove.
Brightness Dial
Turn the top dial left for half the lantern, right for the full lantern, and back to the middle to switch it off.
Lumen Output
Goal Zero claims about 430 lumens. My lux meter came in lower:
- Maximum lumen output 382 lumensmarketed 430 lumens
- Minimum lumen output 0 lumens
Shine Radius
Shine radius measured 6.5 ft .
Color Temperature
- Color temperature 3,500 KelvinGoal Zero’s figure — I didn’t measure this one
Run Times
- Brightest mode (full lantern) 3.5 hrs
- Dimmest mode (half lantern) 259 hrs
Battery Indicator Lights
The battery lights weren’t the most accurate across my tests. Once they drop to one light, that usually means critically low.
Charge Time
- Claimed charge time 5 hrs
- My charge time 3 hrs 45 min
Mobile Charging
I tested the USB charge-out function of the power bank:
- iPhone 12 charge 18% to 94% (total of 76%)
- Duration 1 hr 37 min
- Leftover lighting 40 hrsdimmest mode, 2 sides lit
- Output 1A / 5Wphones and small devices only
Magnetic Base
Four small magnets sit on the base. Not the strongest, but enough to stick the Core to a metal railing or the side of a car.
Portability
- Weight 12.7 oz
- Packed size 4.3 x 4.3 x 4.8 in
Waterproofing
The Core has no IPX rating, and water gets in two ways:
- The USB cable’s pre-attached and completely exposed.
- The USB port is also completely exposed.
After heavy rain, water had leaked inside the lantern itself.
Drop Testing
I dropped it from hand height multiple times, and it held up fine every time.
Warranty
Goal Zero gives a 2-year warranty on the Lighthouse Core.
Pros, Cons, Recommendation
Here are all my pros on the Lighthouse Core:
- Simple, functional lantern
- Completely adjustable brightness
- Accurate lumen output
- Warm light color
- Lightweight
- Compact design
And here are all my cons:
- Not a lot of light modes
- Doesn’t throw light very well
- Kind of glaring close-up
- Less than expected charging
- Overstated run times
- Battery indicator lights are whack
- No water resistance
- Not well rated
Overall recommendation
Overall, there are quite a few more cons than pros to this lantern, so I guess I don’t really recommend it. I have all of Goal Zero’s lanterns (including the Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 and the Lighthouse Mini), and this Lighthouse Core is probably one of the worse ones I’ve come across so far.
Bonus – MUST Read!
To check out these other Goal Zero lanterns, have a look at this post where I bought and tested 12 of the best rechargeable camping lights.
Every figure above is from my own testing — measured by hand, bought with my own money.
