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The Solar LST-04 is a 10 LED flashlight powered by
rechargeable cells. The cells are charged via a solar
panel built into the side of the light.
Body: The body of the LST-04 is anodized aluminum.
On the side is a set of solar cells covered by a plastic
curved shell to maintain the contour of the body. The
body tube is checkered all the way around from one edge
of the plastic window to the other in order to improve
grip. The head has ridges around its circumference and
the tail has a drilled taper for the attachment of a
lanyard.
Bezel/Head: The head contains a plastic lens
with three rings of little convex-lens-like bumps around
the outer edge. Inside are 10 white LEDs in a smooth
plastic reflector.
Output: The white light produced by the LEDs
is a high color temperature and produces good color
rendition weighted toward the blue end of the spectrum.
A slight purplish/bluish tint is detectable. The beam
is a smooth directional flood of light.
Beam at one meter at target center
Runtime Plot: The runtime plot was a bit of
a surprise and I'm going to run it again as soon as
conditions permit. This runtime was completed after
the light sat for a full day in the sun to collect energy
for the batteries.
More
information on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch: The switch is a rubber covered reverse-type
clickie. Click for on, then press gently for blink or
click again for off. The switch sits in a dimple on
the side of the body for protection.
Seals / Water Resistance: Rubber seals protect
the bezel and the switch, but there appears to be no
other seals. I'm not too confident of the water resistance
of the plastic window covering the solar cells either.
I'd have to call it splashable at most.
If it gets wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible
without tools and let it dry before using again.
Ergonomics: It is surprisingly lightweight since
you would normally expect to feel the weight of C or
D cells, but instead the battery pack consists of what
appears to be 3 AA rechargeable cells. The body checkering
is sufficiently "grippy" for everyday tasks
and the switch is easy to operate.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries: A three cell rechargeable pack powers
the light. Recharge the cells by placing the light in
the sun with the solar panels exposed at an optimal
angle for collecting sunlight. The package states that
6 hours of charging in the sun will provide 8 hours
of light.
Accessories: No accessories were included.
What I Liked: Free power from the
sun! Nice even beam.
What I Didn't Like: Water resistance
is very suspect, Short runtime, Construction quality
is not that great.
Picky Little Things: Manufacturer's
runtime listing on the box is very exaggerated.
Conclusions: OK in a pinch, but
I would not use this light as my primary flashlight.
Perhaps if you left it on your dashboard so that it
was constantly charging in the sun it would be acceptable
for use in the car, but runtime is seriously lacking.
I think that with proper seals and a larger battery
pack, this light could be quite good. As-is, I'm afraid
it seems like more of a novelty than a proper flashlight.
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