Light – without it – the world shuts down at dark. When you can’t see, you can’t study, work or play. We take it for granted at home; but when backpacking, off the grid, or during storms, that can be a precious commodity. D.light is a company that can provide that light whenever and wherever you need it.
The line of d.light products covers everything from a book light to lighting for a small building. I recently had occasion to test two of their products and was extremely impressed with the quantity and quality of light provided. And the battery life was outstanding.
d.light S2 Solar LED task light
Smallest of the units is their [easyazon_link asin=”B00BJF86A6″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”thetra03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]S2 Solar LED task light[/easyazon_link]. The front of the light has the LED bulb that easily provides enough illumination to work at a table or desk. The bright light it provides is rated for four hours, but I left mine going and it was still providing a small amount of illumination 12 hours later.
The back of the unit has a small round solar panel that will charge the unit each day. You can also recharge the light using a Nokia AC charger.
d.light D20 – Solar Home System
The [easyazon_link asin=”B00G7NKH7A” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”thetra03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]D20 Solar Home System[/easyazon_link] is the largest of their systems and as the name suggests, it’s capable of providing light for an entire small home (think two room cabin.) A large solar panel (9”x12”) is available to mount outside your home, pole barn, garden barn, tent, whatever. The systems come with an abundant amount of cable (19 feet) to tie it to a portable storage unit which in turn powers two LED light fixtures. Each lamp has a separate switch which provides two levels of illumination.
The power pack has a digital readout to tell you how much power is left. It can power up to four lights, but only two come with the standard D20 system. I was amazed that the lights were still providing good light for over 24 hours from one charge after the solar panel was disconnected.
The storage unit also has a standard USB port so you could use it to recharge your cellphone, MP3 player or portable speaker. It also recharges the portable light that comes with the system.
This is perfect for that storage shed that is too far to stretch a power cord to, a utility trailer that you occasionally use at night or any camping activity that’s off the grid.
But there’s more…
d.light also makes a [easyazon_link asin=”B00BJELHS0″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”thetra03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]S20 solar powered portable lantern[/easyazon_link] as well as the [easyazon_link asin=”B00BJE7K18″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”thetra03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]D300 solar LED lantern[/easyazon_link] and cell phone charger combination.
Doing well by doing good
Sometimes the biggest and best companies aren’t the ones whose names pop to mind. Sometimes they unfortunately fly under the radar because they are more about their mission than themselves. D.light is one such company – a solar power provider with a strong social justice commitment. Ten percent of all their net proceeds go into providing solar powered light to the developing world that has no access to electricity.
As of March 2014, they’ve calculated that they’ve:
- Impacted over 31-million lives
- Provided solar lighting for almost 8 million students
- Provided almost 11 billion additional productive hours for work and study
Check out their whole line of products at http://dlightdesign.com/ as well as their social story.
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DougBardwell.com awards their Senior Citizen’s Thumbs-Up rating for this item. Easy to set up and easy to use, this item is something that would make an excellent gift for that special senior on your gift list. See other “Recommended for Seniors” products on our special Seniors page.