Best lantern in lanterns and power banks
A 600-lumen room lantern that runs up to 320 hours on low, tops up a phone, and recharges from USB, a small solar panel or its hand crank.
Our score: 7.6/10 out of 10Researched, not lab-tested
- Brightness
- 600 lm
- Runtime (maker's claim)
- 320 h
- Battery capacity
- 18.98 Wh
- Light type
- Lantern
Is it right for you?
Pros
- Up to 600 lumens of warm 3,500 K light
- Up to 320 hours on one side at low power
- Hand crank: 1 minute gives about 10 minutes of low light
- USB port tops up a phone from its 18.98 Wh battery
Cons
- USB output is only 7.5 W: slow for phones, no laptops
- About 6 hours to recharge from USB or a Nomad 10 panel
- Rated for 0 to 40 °C only: not for a cold garage or car
- Best for
- A main room light for multi-day outages that can top up a phone and be wound back to life without power.
- Not for
- Charging laptops or tablets, or storage in an unheated garage or car (rated 0 to 40 °C).
Our verdict
The Lighthouse 600 is the room light for a long outage. Two warm-white 3,500 K LEDs give up to 600 lumens, and you can light one side or both. On one side at low power, Goal Zero rates it at up to 320 hours; on full brightness, about 5 hours one side or 2.5 hours both. That range is the point: low and long for a living room over several nights, high when you need to see what you are doing.
It also charges a phone from its 18.98 Wh battery through a USB port, and when every other source is gone, a minute of cranking gives about ten minutes of low light. The USB output is only 7.5 W, though, so it tops up a phone slowly and won’t charge a laptop, and it takes about six hours to recharge itself from USB or a small solar panel. For phones and laptops, pair it with a power bank such as the Anker 25K.
Setup and use
Charging. It recharges in about six hours from a 5 V, 1 A USB source or a Goal Zero Nomad 10 solar panel, and it can charge and run at the same time, so it can sit on a charger as a lamp. The hand crank works at about 120 turns a minute for its ten-minutes-per-minute figure.
Storage. Goal Zero asks you to charge it every three to six months while it waits in the kit. It is rated for use between 0 and 40 °C (32 to 104 °F), so keep it indoors rather than in an unheated garage or car through winter.
Use it instead of candles. CPSC advises flashlights and lanterns rather than candles during outages, and a lantern like this is how you follow that advice for a whole evening. For the moment the power drops, a plug-in light such as the Eton Blackout Buddy Color covers the hallway. See everything in our lights and power banks hub.
Specs
Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Lantern & USB Power Hub
Light
| Brightness | 600 lm |
|---|---|
| Runtime (maker's claim) | 320 h |
| Light type | Lantern |
Battery
| Battery capacity | 18.98 Wh |
|---|---|
| Capacity (mAh) | 5,200 mAh |
Charging
| USB-C output (one port) | 0 W |
|---|---|
| Hand crank | Yes |
| Total output | 7.5 W |
Other details
| Weight | 1.1 lb |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 2 years |
Maker’s figures, checked 3 Nov 2026.
Lighthouse 600 questions
How long does the Lighthouse 600 last on one charge?
From about 2.5 hours to 320 hours, depending on brightness. Goal Zero rates one side at low power at up to 320 hours and both sides at low at 180 hours; at full brightness it is about 5 hours on one side and 2.5 hours on both. Most outage evenings need the low settings.
Can it charge a phone?
Yes, slowly. Its USB port gives up to 7.5 W (5 V, 1.5 A) from an 18.98 Wh battery, and every phone top-up shortens how long the light runs. It is a lantern that can rescue a phone, not a power bank; for several phones or a laptop, a dedicated power bank does better.
Does the hand crank really work?
It works as a fallback. Goal Zero says one minute of cranking at about 120 turns a minute gives roughly ten minutes of low light. That is useful when the battery is flat and there is no sun or USB, but USB or a solar panel is how you keep it charged day to day.
Can I keep it in the garage or car?
Not through a cold winter. Goal Zero rates it for use between 0 and 40 °C (32 to 104 °F). Keep it in a cupboard indoors with the rest of your outage kit, and charge it every three to six months so it is full when you need it.