Review by Michael Smith
I know I have been sitting on this a little bit, having received the light in early Fall, I believe it was, of 2008.
However, I was having some little hiccups with the Bogo SL-2 and SunNight Solar has admitted that there were problems with the pre-production models that some of us were so kindly sent. The one that I got was one of the 1/500 run in blue.
The problem that I was having – and I say was, as it seems to have gotten better with direct light application – is with the proper charging of the light. It would appear that the SL-2, at least the one that I have got here, requires real direct sunlight in comparison to the MKI which was fine with a couple of days - for that too got here a year before that in Fall or such – in the window soaking up the winter daylight.
As I said, the problem that I have been experiencing seems to have been overcome by direct light and as the Winter sun was not that obliging this was the application of light from the desk lamp. It definitely requires more direct daylight/sunlight than the Northern hemisphere can provide in Fall/Winter.
The BOGO Light SL-2 has, in comparison to the MKI, two distinct settings with a number of sub-settings, controlled by simply switching the on/off button a number of times. One of the sets of settings are “flashlight” with sub-settings and the other set of settings is a king of “floodlight”, again with sub-settings. The latter can light out a room better than the old version that was, basically, a beam flashlight.
While I quite like the new light and it will definitely be a great asset to some place I am one of those people that also believes in the KISS principle and the “if it ain't broke don't fix it” one and I find that the original MKI of the light was,more than likely, the better one.
I do know that it is still being made and will continue to me made, I hope and pray, for, as far as I am concerned, it is its simplicity that makes it the ideal thing for places out there.
I also must say that I am not really someone who personally does not like those multi-function light that are controlled just via the one single on/off switch. But, I know, that is a personal preference of mine, I guess. I just find the simple on/off switch and, if there are to be more function, a switch or switches that can switch those one and off, but still have the main on/off doing the on/off switching for the unit.
The sub-settings on the SL-2 are meant to be power saving settings and the idea is a good one it is, just as I said, me and my sort-of dislike for that kind of switching mechanisms and the fact that I want to be able to turn a light on and off directly when I need to have instant dark for whatever reason. This is important to me as a former military man. I do not want to have to go through x-number of switching staged to be able to turn the light off.
Having said all that I do find the SL-2 a nice concept and it may have more uses to some of the recipients than did the SL-1 but I still believe that the original SL-1 light.
The case also, but then the 1/500 was a pre-production range, does not appear to be as nice in the hand as is the one of the SL-1. The one of the latter is a superior plastic and manufacture.
I must say that I, obviously, cannot judge as to the proper production models of the SL-2 having but seen the pre-production run and I should assume that improvements have been made in the meantime.
Now that I have managed to finally get the light properly charged – still lack of sunlight here but a desk lamp has helped here – I have been able to test the light in its workings properly and on that level it is very good indeed.
However, as they say about “horses for courses” I must say that the first model, the SL-1 will remain my favorite, I should think; for the time being at least.
Let me stress that there does not appear to be anything wrong in any way with the new version of the BoGo Light and now that the batteries have gotten the right load the light performs very well indeed. All I am saying is that my personal preference remains with the old version of the BoGo Light, the SL-1; that is all. No more, no less!
Can I recommend the new BoGo Light, the SL-2? Sure I can. Just make sure that it is charged in full direct light – sunlight – for a given number of hours in order for the batteries to receive their full load.
Ratings (compared to SL-1) = 8 out of 10
© M Smith (Veshengro), January 2009
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Bogo Light SL-2 – Product Review
