Lantern flashlights · Review
UCO Leschi LED Lantern Review (Bought & Tested!)
I bought this lantern flashlight with my own money and put it through 14 hands-on tests.
- Power 1x AA
- Lantern 125 lumens
- Flashlight 517 lumens
- Run-time 11 hrs

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Test scorecard · scored against lantern flashlights
I tested 7 lantern flashlights, and the UCO Leschi LED Lantern came out as my best budget pick. It’s very inexpensive, the flashlight punches well above its size, and you get as much value as what you paid for.
- Very inexpensive
- Tiny and light
- Strong beam for its size
- Weak as a lantern
- Very few features
- Brightness drops fast
If you prefer watching to reading, check out my video here instead.
See the 14 tests
In the Box
I bought the Leschi from Amazon. Here’s what I got:
- The lantern flashlight
- A user guide
Power Source
- Battery: 1 x AAnot included
The compartment is at the bottom. Unscrew it, drop the battery in, and screw it back on.

Light Modes
One button does everything. A firm press turns it on and off, and a light press cycles the modes.
- Modes: Strobe → Low → High
The memory setting is a strange one. Turn it off on Low and it comes back on High. Turn it off on High and it comes back on Strobe. It always jumps one mode ahead, which isn’t very useful.


Run Times
I timed each mode on Eneloop batteries that are already a few years old. I stopped the clock once the light started dimming and flickering, so the second column is how much longer it kept going in that state.
| Mode | Run time | Then dim & flickering |
|---|---|---|
| High | 4 hrs | +2.5 hrs |
| Low | 11 hrs | +2 hrs |
| Strobe | 3 hrs | +2.5 hrs |
Lumen Output (Lantern)
I set the Leschi to its lantern setting and read each mode with a lux meter at a fixed distance.
- High: 125 lumens
- Low: 33 lumens

Lumen Output (Flashlight)
UCO publishes no flashlight figure, so I used a ceiling bounce test instead.
- High: 517 lumens21 lux – ceiling bounce test
- Low: 49 lumens2 lux – ceiling bounce test
Note: A ceiling bounce gives only a rough estimate, not a lab measurement. Mine was taken under a 9.2ft ceiling, over 265.12 sq ft of floor area.
Shine Distance (Lantern)
I set the lantern on a pole, then backed away with the lux meter until it read zero, and measured back to the lantern.
- High: 2.58ft
- Low: 1.94ft

Beam Distance (Flashlight)
Same method on a trail, with the flashlight on the ground.
- High: 48.2ft
- Low: 24.1ft
UCO markets 279ft on high. My meter cuts off at a zero-lumen reading and theirs measures out to full-moon lighting, so the two numbers aren’t describing the same thing.

Hook & Strap
- Strap: shock-cord
- Fits around: up to 1.5in diameter

IP Rating
- Tested: IPX5moderate rain
I left it out in 25 minutes of moderate to heavy rain, then ran every mode again.

Everything still worked and the battery compartment stayed dry. Only the lantern housing got damp.

Drop Testing
It takes drops from hand height and holds up fine.
Materials
- Body & lighting housing: high-grade plastic
- Battery housing: aluminum
Warranty
- Warranty: 1 year
Portability
- Weight (with battery): 2.57oz
- Weight (no battery): 1.62oz
- Packed size: 3.9 x 1.25in
- Extended length: 5.15in

Pros, Cons & Recommendations
Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the UCO Leschi LED Lantern?
Pro #1 – Inexpensive
It’s a very inexpensive lantern flashlight, about as cheap as a 2-in-1 gets.
Pro #2 – Portable
At 2.57oz it’s small, light, and it hangs off almost anything.
Pro #3 – Good beam distance
48.2ft on high is genuinely impressive for a flashlight this size, and it was more than enough to camp with.
Con #1 – Low shine distance
As a lantern it lights up a 1 to 2-person tent at most, and High is barely better than Low.
Con #2 – Not feature-rich
At this price a lot is missing. There’s:
- No proper memory setting
- No battery indicator lights
- No mobile charging
- No magnetic base
Con #3 – Inconsistent run-times
The run-times were inconsistent. Sometimes they came in under what I measured here, sometimes over, which made this testing difficult to pin down.
Con #4 – Inconsistent high brightness
Those lumen figures are on completely fresh batteries. About an hour in, brightness drops by 30% or more, down to roughly 75 lumens, and it keeps falling from there. Even at full charge, High flickers occasionally.
Overall recommendation
If you want a lantern and flashlight combo that’s very inexpensive, the UCO Leschi LED Lantern is one of the very few out there, and it’s a great pick for casual camping. Just don’t expect too much of it.
Bonus – MUST Read!
To find out how the Leschi compares to more expensive lantern flashlights, check out my 7 Best Lantern Flashlights article (TBA).
I measured every number on this page myself.