To be honest, I agreed to test this Micro Lantern from Coghlan's to prove that a two-inch tall LED lantern wouldn't be very useful. Sometimes it's good to be wrong. I knew that having a small light available is a lot better than some of those weighty flashlights, but even when space is precious, a good light is valuable at any size.
Weighing in at one ounce, the water-resistant Micro Lantern is surprisingly bright. It can shine a solid two feet in diameter and it's strong enough to last for 25 hours. My wife has key chains that are bigger and I guarantee they're not as handy. It can easily fit in the smallest of tackle boxes and it retails for less than $8.
When I went to turn it off I realized it also has the emergency strobe feature that flashes up to 50 hours and is great for use in SOS situations. It can easily latch or clip on to anywhere on the boat. I tried it on the boot zipper for my bimini top one night so I could make sure I got everything off the boat before I left it for the night.
As far as ratings, I don't know how you couldn't give it a perfect score for being portable as well as the overall design. The only knock would have to be finding two three-volt batteries when it came time to replace them, but 25 hours is a long time; not to mention batteries are included when you purchase the Micro Lantern.
It may look like a toy or a fancy key chain, but this is a must for any boat.
