Streamlight 44931 Siege 540-Lumen Compact D Alkaline Outdoor Hand Lantern/Flashlight Combo, Coyote

First of all I now own six of the Streamlight Siege and four of the Rayovac SE3DLN...I keep extras for my kids and their families if they need them.Points favoring the Streamlight Siege:1. The Siege has stronger top/bottom spring 'D' clips with retainers.2. The Siege top handle has enough tension to stay upright even at an angle whereas the (SE3DLN) will not.This comes in very handy in darkness when trying to lift the light.3. The Siege has 3 white modes and 2 red. The (SE3DLN) has 3 white modes, no red mode, and has no 30 lumen mode for super long use of 295 hours.The SOS mode on the Siege is red, whereas on the (SE3DLN) it is white.4. The Siege on/off button lights up when in use and also indicates the battery life that is left.5. The bottom cover is MUCH easier to re-install after changing batteries as you simply line up the large single triangle shaped shaft, push downand twist. Whereas with the (SE3DLN) one must line up 2 small 1/16" wide notches and then push down and twist. Anyone owning both lights canquickly determine the Siege can easily be reloaded in complete darkness by simple feel, whereas the (SE3DLN) cannot. Even though I've heard ofpeople marking the notches on the (SE3DLN) with a glow in the dark material to help.5. The Siege is rated at a full non-ANSI 340 lumens with the over off, whereas the (SE3DLN) is now ANSI 240, whereas it used to be non-ANSI 300. I'm not sure if the 240is with top on or off. Either way the Siege is clearly brighter when lighting up a room or an outdoor area. The Siege is not ANSI rated as of yet.6. The on/off button on the Siege does not blink when not in use to run the batteries down, whereas the (SE3DLN) does.Some like the (SE3DLN) blinking as it make it easier to find the light in total darkness and others like myself do not.Points favoring the (SE3DLN):1. The (SE3DLN) costs around $25, whereas the Siege is around $40.2. The (SE3DLN) has a limited lifetime warranty on the entire light, whereas the Siege has only a 2 year warranty on the electronics and switches.They both have the option not to cover is misuse or abuse is determined.Even though I really like my older Rayovac (SE3DLN) lights and they have served me well, I much prefer the newer Streamlight Siege. The primary reasons are the ease of changing batteries and the 295 hour low light mode. I can change batteries on the Siege in total darkness without my glasses, whereas with the (SE3DLN) I need my glasses and some light.For me the extra features on the Siege are easily worth the extra $15 price tag.As some others have noted, I can't find anything on the Siege I don't like and honestly can't think on any improvements within reason I would make.Both are excellent lights and you can't go wrong with either, but the Siege is the clear winner for my needs.Buy the Streamlight Siege and you'll see what myself and others have been raving about.*****Update 10-24-2013:I have discovered the Siege is NOT ANSI rated so I've changed the review above. Also, I've tested 4 different sets of alkaline and rechargeable batteries from 4 different companies and they run only 15 continuous hours on high, rather than the advertised 30 hours. The 15 hours runtime was until the red light came on and not until it went completely dim. All of the lights I've tested, including the Rayovac SE3DLN, way over state the runtimes so I guess they do this to not look inferior to their competitors, hoping nobody will actually check.Overall, I still rate the Siege as a solid "5"*****Update 10-28-2013:I emailed Streamlight with questions about the ANSI rating and the 30 hour runtime. Here is their response:The ANSI standard is for "directional lighting" and doesn't really cover lanterns like the Siege. Therefore we can't use the ANSI symbols in our claims.However, ANSI procedures were used to take the measurements that were used for our advertising claims.340 lumens (our HIGH mode claim) is a totally valid measurement taken in one of our calibrated integrating spheres that is also used for ANSI-rated products.The 30 hour run time on HIGH also conforms to ANSI protocols. ANSI run time starts 30 seconds into a run with new batteries (which is where the lumen claim is taken) and the ANSI run time ends when the lumen output falls to 10% of the initial 30 second reading. (In the case of the Siege on HIGH, end of run time to ANSI protocols occurs when the output drops to 34 lumens.) I realize that you may take exception to the 10% figure, but it is according to the ANSI standard.I have attached the Product Fact Sheet for the Siege. These sheets are readily available to customers, for all products, under the "Docs/Info" tab on the individual product pages of our website. The Runtime section of the Siege Fact Sheet states "to 10% of initial lumen output."Charlie CraftCharles W. Craft, BSMETChief EngineerISO Management Representativekd

While describing this product, I feel as though I should be saying this in a overly-excited, 15 year old girl’s voice, “Like oh my god, this is my favorite thing ever!”Because it just about is. Period.I own a ton of lighting products now. Mostly flashlights. This is my only LED lantern, or any lantern really. I never felt obligated to buy another lantern, or even a larger lantern for possibly different scenarios.This lantern, along with the small, simple, yet effective Fenix E12 flashlight are my favorite lighting products I own so far.Some notes on the POSITIVES:-The quality this thing bodes is impossible for the price and its size.-The light modes are really useful and BRIGHT!-The construction is top-notch-The thought that went into this lantern is readily apparent upon first holding it and usage too.-The features are handy and easy to understand upon first usage-Waterproofing is so great!-This lantern just feel indestructible in my hands, as though I could chuck it to the ground as hard as I could and it would never break, although it probably would...at least the plastic housing around the LED. Or run it over with any car, or better yet a tank and it feels as if it would survive...but of course it wouldn’t, at least not for a tank! (NOTE: I didn’t try this idea and I don’t recommend you run it over with your vehicle, or illegally-acquired tank, unless you want a 'most likely’ broken unit.)-The magnet, bottom clip and swinging handle on top make this lantern “nearly” universally mountable anywhere you can think of...nearly.NEGATIVES: Only 2 in my opinion-The only “minor” criticism I have is the alignment of the 3 AA battery compartment as others have mentioned. 2 batteries have to have the negative (-) face up and the other battery on the plus (+) side up.So, what if you need to change batteries in the dark? As much as I have thought about that, it’s actually not that big of a deal! Either get used to changing the batteries countless of times so that you know the type of sound the batteries create when the battery hits the bottom of the battery compartment (which both sound quite unique and discernible) so as to know if its - or +. Or, maybe they have night-vision highlighter writing pens out there to mark the - and + on the plastic so to read them at night. Maybe I’ll try that haha!It’ll be simple for those who need to be one with their survival gear, such as weapons of any type. Get to know your lantern, and hardly any surprises should keep you from enjoying life.-The only “main” criticism I have is from the 3 bottom round magnets.The magnets can make a loud “thud” upon placing the Siege AA lantern on any non-magnetic surface if a user forgets to gently set the lantern down.I wish there was more rubber around the magnets so there isn’t this constant magnet “grating” sound against any surface which may lead to possible scratches depending on the surface. I haven’t noticed any scratches as I have been keeping the lantern in one spot mostly since I bought it early 2019...and haven’t really been looking for any scratches anyway.That’s it! Just put more rubber or some kind of protection around the 3 magnet of the ‘Yellow color magnet’ version of this AA lantern, Streamlight, to allow for a far better experience of laying down the lantern. Do this without hampering the effectiveness of the 3 magnets and this LED lantern is nearly flawless!!!—Thank you Streamlight for making this product possible