Coleman CPX 6

Review Score

Our Score: 7.5/10

We've given the Coleman CPX 6 the Thumbs Up award.

The good

• Bright light.
• Built-in torch.

The not so good

• Heavy as uses four D-Sized batteries.

This was a hands-on product review. The product was supplied to us to test and conduct the review.

Price Guide

Coleman CPX 6 Videos

Coleman CPX 6 Photos

Our Review

The Coleman CPX 6 range of lanterns are extremely innovative - but are they any good or just a gimmick?

We've got through our fair share of camping lanterns:

• Battery powered: we never seemed to have enough batteries
• Wind-up: you needed to wind more and more to have a light last more than a minute
• Solar Powered (this also had wind-up): never got a good enough charge
• Re-chargeable: held charge less and less, and had to be charged over winter to keep battery good

All of our previous lanterns were very disappointing.

However, Coleman has introduced their CPX 6 range of products with some features that could ultimately deliver a lantern ideal for family camping.

What is Coleman CPX 6?

The Coleman CPX 6 system uses an interchangeable battery pack across a range of products.

Each Coleman CPX 6 product has a regular battery pack, which takes four D size batteries.

However, you can buy a rechargeable battery pack that will work in any CPX 6 product, giving you more flexibility than many other lanterns.

The lanterns also use modern bright LEDs, which consume much less power (see how long each product is expected to last in the table below).

Here's a video from Coleman showing the battery pack.

Are they any good?

The Coleman CPX 6 system really caught my attention when it was a finalist in the Camping Equipment Category at the Outdoor Trade Show. In fact, it was the Coleman CPX 6 Hybrid Lantern that made it as a finalist, and that's the one we've reviewed ;-)

Coleman CPX 6 Hybrid Lantern Review

So far we have been very impressed with this lantern. Despite hours of use, we've not changed the batteries yet!

This lantern comes with a small torch, which docks into the lantern to recharge.

This is a great addition to the lantern, and means we always have a torch to hand.

Being part of the Coleman CPX 6 range, it has an interchangeable battery pack that's used by all the CPX 6 products.

This is the regular Coleman CPX 6 battery pack, which takes four size D batteries

You get a regular battery pack with the lantern, which takes four D sized batteries. However, you can upgrade to a rechargeable battery pack. This rechargeable battery pack comes with a 12V adapter so you can recharge your battery pack in the car (note, you don't need to take the lantern to the car, just the battery pack).

The Hybrid Lantern has a couple of brightness modes, from a soft 'night light' type of mode, through to a very bright 'I need to see everything' mode.

The pop-out torch is a neat addition to this lantern. The torch docks into the top of the lantern. It lasts for a few hours and gets recharged by the lantern.

The torch is very bright. If you have the lantern lighting up your tent but need to find something in a bag, simply pop out the torch to help search through the bag.  The lantern will continue to operate without the torch.

The Coleman CPX 6 Hybrid Lantern hanging in our tent (the Coleman Da Gama 6)

The Coleman CPX 6 Hybrid Lantern will also hang in a tent if you have a lantern hanging point.

You should note though that it does have a large battery pack so your tent poles need to be strong enough to hold it (we have it hanging in our Coleman Da Gama 6, which is steel framed).

If you don't have a hanging point, look at the Coleman CPX 6 Easy Hanging Lantern.

Coleman CPX 6 Choice of Products

If the Coleman CPX 6 Hybrid Lantern doesn't meet what you are after, there are many different lanterns to choose from.

The table below compares brightness, beam distance, and how long the batteries should last in each of the lanterns in the CPX 6 range.

Lantern/Light	Brightness	Distance	Runtime
	243 lumens (125 lumens - torch)	9 metres (81 metres - torch)	56 hours (2 hours - torch)
	216 lumens	10 metres	56 hours
	115 lumens	7 metres	85 hours
	141 lumens	8 metres	65 hours
	81 lumens	5 metres	107 hours
	273 lumens	403 metres	50 hours
	158 lumens	241 metres	82 hours
	172 lumens	347 metres	94 hours

Don't forget the rechargeable power pack, which includes a 12V adaptor so that you can recharge it in the car.

Coleman CPX Mobile Device Charger

There's also this CPX Mobile Device charger. Simply slot in a CPX 6 battery pack (either regular or rechargeable), and use this device to charge your phone.

Coleman CPX Hanging Lantern

The Coleman CPX 6 Hanging Lantern is designed with one purpose in mind: to make it easy to hang up somewhere.

It comes with a velcro strap that you can loop around a tent pole if you don't have a lantern hook.

The Coleman CPX 6 Hanging Lantern, but hanging horizontal for better light distribution

Another neat trick with this lantern is that the velcro strap can be fastened to the bottom of the lantern, so that it hangs parallel to the floor, just as you would hang a normal strip light in order to light up the area as best it can.

The lantern uses bright LEDs, which use less power than conventional light bulbs, making your batteries go further.

Coleman CPX Table Lantern

If you'd rather more homely feel when camping, then this lantern could be right up your street.

With a diffused shade it provides a softer glow than regular camping lanterns.

Of course, unlike normal table lamps, this is also a lantern and comes with a carry handle.

This lantern uses LEDs so your batteries will last longer.

Coleman CPX Duo Lantern

The Coleman CPX 6 Duo LED Lantern is a great piece of design for family camping.

You don't just get one lantern, but two, as the two sides of the lantern separate. Each side can be carried or stood up using the fold out stand.

In 2014 Coleman added to their range with a Quad lantern. You can read our review here.

Coleman CPX Mobile Device Charger

The Coleman CPX Portable Electronics Charger is ideal for charging your phone or MP3 player if you are away camping and don't have access to power.

It comes with both a USB and DC connection.

The mobile device charger uses power pack from your CPX powered lantern - so you can use just one set of batteries to power a lantern at night, and when not using the lantern, us the same power pack to recharge your phone.

Will the Coleman CPX Charger work with Tablets?

Coleman CPX Engerypack for recharging phones and mp3 player

Some people have reported no problems charging their iPad with the Coleman CPX Charger. However, different devices use different amounts of power to recharge, and some tablets can't be recharged without a high power USB connection provide by the mains. Please check the requirements of your tablet or portable device.

The output of the Coleman unit is 5V and up to 500mA.

As it says on the front...

For use charging only small devices such as MP3 plays and mobile phones

You should also remember that charging phones or other devices from this battery pack may be slower than charging from the main power supply. This is because you charge one battery with another, which will have less power than some main chargers.

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