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See the 20 tests

1. In the box
2. Battery
3. Hooks
4. USB input
5. Charging time
6. USB output
7. 3-in-1 button
8. Battery indicator lights
9. Light modes
10. Lumen output
11. Run times
12. Shine distance
13. Glowing ring
14. Light quality
15. Lock mode
16. Magnetic base
17. IP rating & waterproofing
18. Drop testing
19. Warranty
20. Portability
21. Pros, cons, recommendations
22. Bonus – MUST read!

In the Box

I bought my Ledlenser ML6 brand new from Amazon. I got the standard version, not the ML6 Warm or the ML Connect.

Here’s everything you get out of the box:

• Lantern itself
• Charging wire
• Warranty info
• Carry case
• Separate lantern base
• Removable battery

Battery

The bottom of the ML6 is removable, revealing the rechargeable lithium-ion battery compartment.

Hooks

The ML6 has 2 hooks. The top one is removable rubber, but it’s on the bigger side and may not fit your tent’s lantern loop.

The alternative is a thin metal hook on the removable base, which slips into any circular loop — the more convenient of the two.

USB Input

Remove the top rubber hook and you’ll find 2 plugs. One is the micro-USB input, and Ledlenser provides the cable.

Charging Time

• Full charge 4 to 4.5 hrs

When the battery is completely flat, the ML6 flashes once and goes dead.

Note This lantern charges via USB only. For one that charges by solar, see my LuminAID PackLite Titan review.

USB Output

The other plug is the USB output, so the ML6 doubles as a power bank. Here’s what I got with my iPhone 12:

• Capacity 3,000 mAh
• Total charge 59% (from 14% to 73%)
• Time taken 1 hr 35 min
• Remaining in lantern 76.5 hrs of low lightI used low brightness to preserve as much battery as possible

3-in-1 Button

There’s a single button that you can press in three places — the middle, the plus, and the minus.

Battery Indicator Lights

That same button doubles as the battery indicator. Hold the on button for just over a second to read it:

• Green Full charge, about 70–100%
• Yellow 50–70% remaining
• Red 25% remaining

Those percentages are from my own tests and may differ slightly from Ledlenser’s. While charging the light stays red, turning green only when full.

Light Modes

• White (adjustable dim to bright)
• Red (adjustable dim to bright)
• White blink
• Red blink
• Boost mode (extra bright white/red for 1 minute)
• Strobe white/red
• Breathe white/red
• SOS white/red

There’s also a memory setting, so it remembers the last mode you used.

Lumen Output

• Dim 0 lumens
• Bright 497 lumens
• Boost 720 lumens

The min and max are very close to the marketed specs.

Run Times

• Dim 269 hrs
• Bright 4 hrs
• Boost 1 min

Shine Distance

Bright mode had a shine distance of 7.8 feet / 93 inches — equivalent to a 12-person tent.

Glowing Ring

Even switched off, a glow-in-the-dark ring at the bottom lights the optic structure so you can find the lantern in the dark.

Light Quality

The ML6 uses micro-prism technology, and the quality is very high. The LEDs sit at the top so they never shine into your eyes, and the optic structure reflects light outward like a prism. This glare-reducing lens is ingenious.

Lock Mode

• Lock Hold plus and minus together for over a secondthe lantern blinks three times quickly
• Unlock Do the same again

Magnetic Base

The magnetic base is super strong — it sticks to metal surfaces like cars easily, and I could hang it sideways or even upside down.

In the middle of the base there’s also a standard tripod thread to get it off the ground.

IP Rating & Waterproofing

The ML6 is rated IP66 — protected against 10 minutes of powerful water jets, but not full immersion.

I tested it with my water hose. A little water got around the ports, but it still worked perfectly.

Drop Testing

I dropped it from about hand height and it kept working — no scratches, no issues at all.

Warranty

The ML6 comes with a whopping 7-year warranty, the longest I’ve ever seen on a lantern.

Portability

• Weight 10.6 oz
• Packed size 2.25 x 2.5 x 7.25 in

Pros, Cons, Recommendations

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the Ledlenser ML6?

Feature-rich

The ML6 has every feature I can think of, and I don’t think it’s missing one:

• 2 hooks
• Magnetic base
• Tripod thread
• Glow-in-the-dark ring
• Completely adjustable brightness

Many light modes

It comes with 16 lighting modes and fully adjustable brightness. The strobe white is the best emergency mode I’ve seen on a camping light.

Removable battery

Very few rechargeable lanterns let you swap the battery — most want you to buy a whole new lantern once capacity drops.

IP66 rating

One of the highest ratings of any lantern I own, and I could put it through any kind of rain.

7-year warranty

At 7 years, this is the most generous warranty of any lantern I’ve tested.

Compact

It’s a surprisingly powerful light for such a tiny lantern.

Very detailed

I love the small details too — the glowing ring, and the carry case (my only lantern that comes with one). The shape fits my hand nicely and is easy to carry.

Expensive

The MSRP is a whopping $90. But it should last 7 years, so the cost per year isn’t too bad.

White is separate from Warm

You have to buy the white and warm versions separately — and both are separate again from the Connect option with Bluetooth. So strange!

Overheats on Boost

The aluminum housing overheats on Boost, which is why that mode can’t run longer than a minute.

Bonus – MUST Read!

Every figure above is from my own testing — measured by hand, bought with my own money.