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See the 15 tests

1. In the box
2. Charging input
3. Charging output
4. Indicator lights
5. Light modes
6. Run times
7. Lumen output (lantern)
8. Lumen output (flashlight)
9. Shine distance (lantern)
10. Beam distance (flashlight)
11. Hook
12. IP rating
13. Quality
14. Warranty
15. Portability
16. Pros, cons & recommendations
17. Bonus – MUST read!

In the Box

• The Micro Charge
• A lightweight carabiner

It arrives in demo mode, so the power button cycles through every mode on its own. Plug it into a USB port once and it comes out of demo mode.

Charging Input

• Charging port: Built-in USB-A
• Charge time: 4 hrs 39 minmeasured at 5V, 1A on a USB meter

The built-in plug is a little short, so it won’t reach into a recessed USB port. I had to use a separate head to get it charging on one of mine.

The indicator lights blink while it charges, and all four go solid when it’s full.

Charging Output

• Output port: USB-A
• Output: 5V, 1A
• iPhone 12 charge: 68%17% to 85%, in 1 hr 35 min

I redid this test a few times from roughly the same starting charge, and it landed anywhere between 60% and 70%.

Indicator Lights

Four lights at the top are your only gauge of what’s left, so each one should be worth 25%. Here’s how accurate they were across every test I ran:

Lights	Lantern (High)	Lantern (Low)	Flashlight (High)	Flashlight (Low)	Charging in	Charging out
4/4	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
3/4	65%	56%	60%	55%	68%	79%
2/4	26%	19%	25%	18%	50%	48%
1/4	10%	6%	9%	5%	22%	31%
0/4	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%

On the light modes they’re well off: 3 lights is under two-thirds of the battery, 2 lights is under a quarter, and 1 light is critically low. On the two charging tests they’re pretty much spot on.

The dimmer you run the lights, the further off they get.

Light Modes

• Modes: Flashlight → Full lantern → Half lantern → Off
• Dimming: Press and holdcontinuous, not stepped

One power button runs all of it, and every press moves you along one mode. Press and hold in any mode and the light dims until it blinks, which means you’ve hit the dimmest setting.

The button sits flush with the surface though, so it does take me a while to find it in the dark.

Run Times

I ran every mode down to flat and timed it.

Mode	Brightness	My testing (hours)
Flashlight	High	7.5
Flashlight	Low	239
Lantern (full)	High	7.5
Lantern (full)	Low	229
Lantern (half)	High	14.1
Lantern (half)	Low	274

The cell is only 2,600 mAh, so those low-mode numbers genuinely surprised me.

Lumen Output (Lantern)

I read every mode off a lux meter at a fixed distance, on a full battery. Lumens drop as the battery does, so a full charge is the only fair starting point.

Mode	Brightness	My testing (lumens)
Lantern (full)	High	265
Lantern (full)	Low	0
Lantern (half)	High	242
Lantern (half)	Low	0

Half the LEDs only costs you about 9% of the brightness, which is a cheap way to save battery. Both Low modes are night lights.

Lumen Output (Flashlight)

A ceiling bounce didn’t work on this one, so I bounced it off a wall at a measured distance instead.

Brightness	Bounce distance	Reading (lux)	Estimated output (lumens)
High	19.7in	76	60
Low	2.0in	9	0.07

Note: A bounce test gives only a very rough estimate, not a lab measurement.

Low is a night light rather than a flashlight.

Shine Distance (Lantern)

I hung the lantern on a pole, backed away with the lux meter until it read zero, then measured back to the lantern.

• High (full): 4.31ft
• Low (full): 0.86ft

Beam Distance (Flashlight)

Same method again, with the same lux meter.

• High: 25.4ft
• Low: 3.0ft

Hook

• Hook: Closedclips to either side, not removable

Because it’s a closed hook, it only goes onto open lantern loops. For a closed loop you clip on the carabiner that comes in the box.

IP Rating

• Official rating: IPX6heavy rain and water jets
• My tested rating: IPX5downgraded after the water jets

I started with 30 minutes of heavy rain, and it came through that working perfectly.

Then I gave it 10 minutes of strong water jets.

They sometimes flicker on and off, but mostly they just stay on. It’s slightly defective now, so I rate it IPX5 rather than the IPX6 on the box.

Quality

• Body: High-grade plastic
• Made: Designed in the USA, made in China

I’ve dropped it from hand height plenty of times now. It still works fine and the surface hasn’t even scratched up.

It also does simultaneous recharge and discharge, so you can use the light while it’s charging.

Warranty

• Warranty: 2 years

Portability

• Weight: 3.03oz
• Packed length: 4.4in
• Width: 1.5inacross the top

Pros, Cons & Recommendations

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the Goal Zero Lighthouse Micro Charge?

Pro #1 – Very portable

At 3.03oz it’s compact and easy to hold, and there’s no cable to carry with it.

Pro #2 – Feature-rich

This tiny thing packs a lot in:

• Flashlight and lantern in one
• Battery indicator lights
• Completely adjustable brightness
• A half-lantern mode for conserving battery
• Mobile charging

The one feature it doesn’t have is a memory setting.

Pro #3 – Great run times

The run times on the Low brightness settings are excellent:

Mode	Tested lumens	Tested run-time (hours)
Flashlight (Low)	0	239
Full lantern (Low)	0	229
Half lantern (Low)	0	274

On these low modes the lumen count is zero, but I still found it enough for reading and lounging about.

Goal Zero quotes 100 hrs for the flashlight on Low, 80 for the full lantern and 170 for the half. I got 2.4x, 2.9x and 1.6x those respectively.

Pro #4 – Good charging output

A 2,600 mAh capacity should really only give my iPhone 12 a little over 50%, going by the other lights I’ve tested. I tend to get 60% to 70% out of it instead.

Pro #5 – The lantern beats its own spec

Goal Zero markets the lantern at 150 lumens. On the brightest setting I measured 265, which is almost double.

Con #1 – No memory

The default is always the brightest mode, which can be quite blinding. If you’ve been reading on the dimmest setting, turning it off means cycling back through the brightest one first.

Con #2 – Longer charge time

Goal Zero markets a 3.5 hour charge at 5V and 1A. With the same conditions, mine took 4 hrs 39 min.

Con #3 – The flashlight isn’t strong

Perhaps the biggest con. It isn’t for anyone who wants a serious high-beam, long-distance flashlight, and both UCO lights I tested beat it comfortably:

Lantern flashlight	Lumens	Beam distance
UCO Leschi	517	48.2ft
UCO Pika	148	37.5ft
Goal Zero Micro Charge	60	25.4ft

Goal Zero markets the flashlight at 120 lumens, and I measured 60.

Bonus – MUST Read!

I measured every number on this page myself.