A few weeks ago I purchased a Waka Waka light. I heard about them from one of my TAC med suppliers and the thought of a solar powered light that would throw out 120 lumen for a short period of time and a long regular burn time was intriguing.

I finally needed to re-up one of my medical kits and ordered the light. That actually ended up being the most expensive part of the order.

I got the light in just in time for a quick ATV/ Camping trip with my kid.

I charged the light up while we were out riding after we had set up our hammocks.

The light charges with a built in solar charger and has 4 brightness settings that all work off of one button. Bright for 30 seconds 200% then it kicks down to the next level 100% which runs for 8 hours a reading light that burns for 16 hours and then a night light that runs for 80 hours. If you hold the button for a few seconds it flashes Morse code for SOS.

I tried to use it as a reading light in the hammock and it didn’t hang on the ridge line like I had hoped. It kept falling off and knocking me in the head. It’s a good thing its light at a guestimate of 1.5 ounces.

It’s can be rigged with Para cord or string to be an overhead light and would probably do a stellar job of lighting up a tent or used as a reading light and a flashlight in a pinch. The light doesn’t exactly travel far since there isn’t a reflector but in the dark you can see several yards ahead.


The photos here are just ones i grabbed off the web. I didn't see much added benefit of adding my own. The only difference is one shows the light as being a shiny finish and both the gray and yellow are a matt finish from recycled plastics.




In reality I think this would be an excellent off the grid light or for an emergency kit. I have been using it as a reading light for an hour or two a night and it hasn’t given up the ghost yet which leads me to believe the 16 hour rating. I have messed around with the light inside the house and if you set it on a table or counter and bounce it off a wall or mirror it will light a larger room pretty well. It was light enough to see everything, to do most tasks including cooking etc and reading if you are in the path of the light.

It had a hole in the stand to slip over a water/coke bottle to elevate it for a reading light. I found the 80 hour night light mode was right for me for reading at a desk.




The package is about the size of a deck of card in thickness and height but about 50% wider than the deck of cards. It folds up with its own stand for charging. It has a charge indicator light which lets you adjust it to get the best light. It’s a green flashing light that flashes faster the better the light source.



They claim it will withstand 20 minutes of rain or a quick submersion. It runs off of three replaceable, rechargeable AAA batteries and uses 2 Seoul Semicon .5 watt 120 lumen LEDS.

In many ways I was pretty impressed with this light. If I were still in the Army this thing would be going to the field with me every time. It isn't ruggedized but it looks like it will take reasonable usage.

I will probably buy enough for everyone in the house. That way in the event of an extended power outage everyone has a light for their room, reading and basic safety.

Prices vary from 38 bucks to 32 bucks depending on where you purchase them from. They come in 2 colors gray and yellow. For some reason the gray ones costs more. I have been able to find them online from many retailers (even big box stores) and the best price was $32 with no shipping charges.

I know they have come out with one that is a light and a USB solar charger, in the $60 range which if it is a rugged as this one would make a great addition to an emergency kit. Light and a way to charge up a cell phone in a power outage.

If you have any questions post them up and I will answer them if I can.

i saw this posted in another thread and decided to google it. it looks like a reay fol product and something i would like to pick up at some point. i would most likely go with the one with the charger but at $30 i'm thinking i could just open the regular one and solder a the usb cable i have magic around to one of these.

my only question was about the one that charges. wondered if it was just a solar charged or if it would power items from it's batteries.

Cool MB, and nice review.

Lazi I haven't seen the charger version but I would guess it has to use the batteries for the USB charger.

Its a small solar panel and I don't think ti would ahve enough juice to power a cell phone battery in a reasonable time without using the batteries.

I have a 6 watt panel that works great and it doesn't use batteries but it has at least 6 times the surface area if not more than the Waka Waka.

Looks like a very nice set up and appears to be well thought out I would like a litte more water proofing but hey for 30ish dollars I will take what I can get.

Nice review
Thanks