1 post tagged “existing products”

I got some existing lighting products to see how they fared as a pathway light for outdoor use.

Initial looking at the units shows that there may be many shortcomings for them.

1 - tiki torch

This requires filling with an oil. There is the possibility of spillage of this when filling onto decks or paths, which may make them slippery and a hazard, and will certainly cause discoloration of them. If spilled onto a lawn then it may cause the grass to die, same for a garden.

There is considerable soot in the flame of them. This means using it under an umbrella or the eaves of  a house may lead to discoloration or that.

There is the fire hazard if they fall over, oil spilling out and a flame may cause an unplanned fire.

The light pattern from them is less then ideal, The body of the lamp makes a large circle of shadow immediately around the lamp.

The bamboo posted design I looked at was fixed in length. The only way to make it lower is to push it deeper into the ground.

The large bamboo post may cause more damage to the ground then is desirable.

Refilling during use is not possible as the oil is put in where the flame is at the top of the canister. As a result the lamp has to be extinguished and allowed to cool before it can be opened.

The wick appears to need adjusting as it burns to the top of the pipe it comes out of. This means opening the canister and handling an oil soaked wick. Oil on your hands is not a good thing to do, particually if its got other stuff in it too.

Might blow out.

Good things -
Stupidly cheap - why buy one when you can have many
Not reliant on electricity.
Bamboo is sustainable material

2 - the $3.50 fake lightbulb lamp

This is powered by 4 standard AA batteries in the base of it. This empowers the user to choose a more sustainable rechargeable option if they choose to.

Light is operated by a pull string to turn on and off. This is awkward one handed.

Light has a small area under it that is dark - much smaller than the tiki torch.

Light is a very cool white/high colour temperatuer which is not pleasing to a lot of people.

Minimal control over the spread of the light, its quite in your face when on a table top.

Lamp is cheap to buy, but without also investing in rechargable cells, whats the ongoing cost going to be? Runtime unknown at this stage.

 
3 - The $3 mini camping light (1,2,3 dollar store)