The $6.66 Camp Lantern

[sarge]

One of my first videos, and my favorite piece of gear:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKSdbvBO27A

Sunlight's website

Now, you might say that looks like the Luci Light, and you'd be right. There's a nasty disagreement between Luci and Sunlight.

From what I've learned, in the early days of MPowered's existence, it didn't manufacture anything. They were looking for solar powered products to market. They (according to Sunlight) made a deal with the folks at Sunlight (which is headquarted in China), who had invented the light, to produce the light and market it in the US. The popularity of the light took off, and MPowered decided to produce the design in the US and freeze out Sunlight.

So this is apparently a case where a US company ripped off the intellectual property rights of a Chinese company (if you beleive what Sunlight claims). I tend to believe Sunlight as both lanterns are being marketed and the only action MPowered has taken against them is to post that nasty "Ripoff Report" posted above. My opinion is that if MPowered had a case, they would take to a court in the US without hesitation. They have a big bank account, lots of investors, and a lot of lawyers---and they are apparently selling those lights for at least twice as much as the cost of production. Sunlight, OTOH, is a very small company based outside the US and is marketing the lights online at 1/3 the price of a Luci.

This poses an interesting dilemma for some of us. We could pay three times as much for a product made in the US that was ripped off from a Chinese company because its a sort of retribution for the actions of other Chinese firms, or we buy the Sunlight that prices thier product fairly and was ripped off by a big American Corporation.

Me?

I like the dangting, and I especially like the price. I generally order three every year to provide more lighting for the Texas Butt Bake and other group hangs.

[gmcpcs]

But that price though, something may be eveel about that number...