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Discontinued: The UCO Pika 3-in-1 Lantern has been discontinued, so there’s nothing left to link to. I’m keeping this review up as a record of how it tested. It would have been my budget pick of the 7 lantern flashlights I tested, so if you want something similar now, the UCO Leschi is the one I’d go for instead.

See the 15 tests

1. In the box
2. Rechargeable battery
3. Indicator light
4. Power bank
5. Light modes
6. Run times
7. Lumen output (lantern)
8. Lumen output (flashlight)
9. Shine distance (lantern)
10. Beam distance (flashlight)
11. Handle
12. IP rating
13. Drop testing
14. Warranty
15. Portability
16. Pros, cons & recommendations
17. Bonus – MUST read!

In the Box

I bought the Pika from Amazon. Here’s what I got:

• The lantern flashlight
• A user guide
• A USB-A to micro-USB cable

Rechargeable Battery

• Battery: 1,800 mAhbuilt in
• Input: Micro-USBunder the charging flap
• Charge time: 3.75 to 4.75 hrs

The power button blinks the whole time it’s charging, then holds solid green once it’s full.

Indicator Light

The green power button doubles as a battery gauge when it isn’t charging.

• Solid green: Decent charge
• Blinking: About 10% left

Power Bank

• Output: USB-Aunder the mobile charging flap
• iPhone 12 charge: 39%12% to 51%, in 1 hr 40 min

It’s on the slow side, and the Pika runs itself flat doing it, so there’s no charge left over for the light.

Light Modes

One button does everything on the Pika.

• Firm press: On / off
• Press and hold: High down to Low, then strobecontinuously dimmable in between
• Memory setting: Noneit always comes back on High

The cycle stops at strobe, so you have to switch it off and on again to start over.

Push the base into the housing until it clicks and a single beam comes out the front. Pull it back out and it’s a lantern again.

Run Times

I ran each mode down to flat and timed it.

Mode	My testing (hours)	My range (hours)
High	4	3.9 to 4.1
Low	61	60 to 61
Strobe	8.5	8 to 9

Every mode landed somewhere inside that range rather than on the same figure twice, so the middle column is the average of my readings.

Lumen Output (Lantern)

I set the Pika to its lantern setting and read each mode with a lux meter at a fixed distance.

• High: 171 lumens
• Low: 5 lumens

There are no fixed steps in between. The brightness dims continuously, so you can stop it anywhere in that range.

Lumen Output (Flashlight)

UCO publishes no flashlight figure, so I used a ceiling bounce test instead.

• High: 148 lumens6 lux – ceiling bounce test
• Low: About 3 lumensmeasured on a second, closer bounce

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.

On Low the full-height bounce read nothing at all, so I ran a second one from closer in.

Shine Distance (Lantern)

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

• High: 4.3ft
• Low: 0.86ft

That lights up about a 4-person tent, and not much more.

Beam Distance (Flashlight)

Same method on a trail, with the flashlight on the ground.

• High: 37.5ft
• Low: 10.9ft

UCO markets 164ft 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.

Handle

• Handle: D-ringat the top

IP Rating

• Official rating: IPX5moderate rain
• My tested rating: IPX5it passed

I left it out in moderate rain, and every mode still worked afterwards.

Water did work its way past the black seal around the ports and get inside. Some got into the lantern housing too, and that took a while to dry out.

Drop Testing

I’ve dropped it from hand height many times and it’s held up fine.

Warranty

• Warranty: 1 year

Portability

• Weight: 4.2oz
• Packed size: 4.5 x 2.0inflashlight mode
• Extended length: 6.3inlantern mode

Pros, Cons & Recommendations

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the UCO Pika 3-in-1 Lantern?

Pro #1 – Inexpensive

It’s a very inexpensive lantern flashlight, and it sat right at the budget end of everything I tested.

Pro #2 – 3-in-1 functions

That’s great value for money once you count what it actually does. You get:

• A lantern
• A flashlight
• A mobile charger

Pro #3 – Adjustable brightness

The brightness is fully adjustable, from 171 lumens on High down to about 5. The UCO Leschi from the same brand only gives you High and Low, with nothing in between.

Con #1 – Run times aren’t consistent

The run times weren’t the most consistent, especially on Low and on strobe. Low landed anywhere from 60 to 61 hours, and strobe from 8 to 9.

UCO quotes 80 hours on low and 120 on strobe, so strobe in particular is nowhere near the claim.

Con #2 – Charge time isn’t consistent either

The charge time moved around just as much, anywhere from 3.75 to 4.75 hours, which I thought was a bit strange.

Con #3 – Beam distance isn’t far

After testing the Leschi from the same brand, the Pika’s flashlight just isn’t as powerful. The Pika is the brighter of the two as a lantern, but as a flashlight it puts out about three and a half times less, and the beam doesn’t reach as far:

Gear	Lantern (lumens)	Flashlight (lumens)	Beam distance
Leschi (High)	125	517	48.2ft
Pika (High)	171	148	37.5ft

Bonus – MUST Read!

I measured every number on this page myself.