Illuminate the night with the power of daylight
Although on the pricier end at $50, the LuminAID Bloomio Twist packs in quite a few features for the price. Enjoy 6-8 hours of portable light with 2-3 hours USB-micro charging or 14-16 hours solar charge, up to 75 Lumens, a floating TPU frame, App Enabled features, Bluetooth connectivity, Smart Control, Light schedules, and a waterproof design. Charge the device via an older USB-Micro tech when available and then turn to the power of the sun if off-grid. Lightweight, portable, waterproof, flotable, and with a free, fun, easy-to-use app experience
- DESIGN
- EASE OF USE
- PORTABILITY
- CHARGING
- COST
- APP FEATURES
Illuminate the darkness with an App-Enabled Solar-charged Bluetooth Lantern from LuminAID.
After the Midwest ice storm of 2009, I knew that I had to embody the Scout’s BSA motto “Be Prepared!” My wife and I made sure to have extra batteries, lights, heating sources, and water sources for emergencies. We purchased a generator, a pop-up outdoor shower booth with propane shower and water bag, a solar water pump, made sure to have gasoline on hand, rotated this out to the cars every few months to keep a fresh stock, and picked up various types of flashlights/solar lights.
Even though we try to keep our emergency gear ready, we have not been put into a situation to use our supplies. Unfortunately, some of our Kentucky friends did not fare as well through the tornados of 2022. I ended up donating my three LuminAID lights, nearly a dozen portable batteries of various sizes, numerous USB-style cables, most of our flashlights, several sets of clothing/blankets, spare water, food rations, and more. I was glad that early preparation was able to help several families in need.
Whether I am camping, spelunking, backpacking, entertaining, or prepping for emergencies, lighting options are always on my mind. I want reliable gear that provides some form of redundancy to try to reduce weight. LuminAID lights have fulfilled several of these needs with their portable, lightweight, flotation-style, hanging lanterns, some of which also serve as battery backups for small electronics. When I heard about the new App enhanced Bloomio Twist, I knew that I wanted to try it out on our upcoming BSA scout campout.
Unboxing/Packaging
The LuminAID Twist Portable Bluetooth Lantern arrived in a sleek 6 1/2 inches wide by 5 1/4 inches tall by 1 5/8 inches thick hexagonal hanging-style package. The left side of the cover panel provided the lumainAID name in grey/lime green font at the top of the panel, the Twist name, Portable Bluetooth Solar Lantern, four product icons (Smart Control, Light Schedules, Bluetooth Enabled, Auto Sunset mode), and a beautiful picture of an illuminated, expanded lantern.
The right side of the cover provided a helpful pentagonal window to visualize the Twist Lantern, the solar panel, and several of the surface features. I appreciated the ability to visualize the lantern directly and prefer this method of presentation over flat images. Each of the 3 1/2 inch length sides contained a sticker seal with the help@luminAID email address, information about the 1-year warranty, and a restocking warning. The top panel had a 5/8 inches wide by 4 1/2 inches long lime green colored nylon carry strap.
Like the front panel, you will find the luminAID name proudly displayed atop the rear panel. Beneath the product name, you will find eight product-defining icons (Hundreds of Color Modes, Cool White & Warm White Settings, Smart control, Light Schedules, Bluetooth Enabled, Auto Sunset Mode, IP67 Waterproof Rating & Floats, Able to Recharge Via Solar Panel & Micro USB INPUT), and four colorful lantern images with descriptors (SET THE MOOD, LIGHT YOUR PATH, SET TIMERS, EASY STORAGE).
The lower segment provided a helpful 3-step set-up instruction panel (download the App, Turn on Bluetooth and tap + Add New Light on the home screen, Customize your lights!”), a QR code, and product manufacturing labels. I liked the vibrant colors, the image contrast against the clean white background, the layout of the panel, and the overall presentation of the device.
Setup
I removed the five lower tabs, opened up the packaging, and reviewed the “How to Set It Up instructions printed on the underside of the cover (same as the back panel). Besides relaying the same information as the rear panel, you will also see a QR code (www.LuminAID.com/ssg-faq), website for FAQ/directions, and the help@luminaid.com email address.
I removed the instruction manual, 44 1/2 inches long white-colored, rounded USB-A to USB-micro cable, and the 7.1-ounce 5 3/4 inches wide by 5 inches tall (3-inch sides) by 1 3/8 inches thick (deflated) hexagonal lantern from the box. I plugged the USB-A end into a standard 5V/2.4A charging brick, opened the rubber stopper from the charging port at the top right of the lantern, and inserted the USB-Micro port. The little red charging LED illuminated while charging.
The instruction manual detailed the initial setup for the Bluetooth, to scan the QR code to download the 4.1* LuminAID App, and then to pair it with your phone’s Bluetooth. I pressed the power button for five seconds and noted that the green LED flashed once to alert me to the active Bluetooth status. When I opened the App, I was greeted by a request to access Bluetooth. I selected “OK,” and then tapped the “+ Add New Light” at the top of the panel.
Within about five seconds, the App displayed an overlay with the Twist 4113 light, a touchable circular button with a “+” icon, and a lower Cancel/Save option. When I tapped the “+” icon, the icon changed from the grey background color to the lime green LuminAID color. I then tapped the “Save” option and was given a Warning “Do you want to rename your lights before saving?” I chose yes, changed the name from Twist 4113 to Nova, and perused the App.
App
The LuminAID App provided a hamburger option at the top left, which provided access to the tutorial, Help Videos & FAQ, Shop, About LuminAID, Inspiration, Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Support) and the company name centered along the top of the panel. The next row allowed me to access the “Lights,” “Groups,” and “Schedule” features of the App. The Light section allowed me to add new lights, power on/off the light, and see helpful battery/solar indicators.
When I swiped left, I was taken to the “Groups” and “Schedule” tabs. The “Groups” tab would have allowed me to control lights as a group but I did not have more than the single Twist light to control. The Schedule tab allowed me to “Add New Timer.” When I tapped the “+” icon, the Smart Solar Garden App asked me to use my location to calculate sunset time. I am often rather leery about the feature but felt that the information would help with the time-setting feature. I chose “Allow While Using the App” and was taken to another panel. I set a simple command to turn my Nova light on at 8:35 PM, to set it to Red color, and then to turn it off after 1 minute.
I was impressed with the connection between the App and the device and how well the process worked. I then set another timer to activate at 8:37 with a green color. I could edit the schedules, create new timers between clock and sunset, dictate when the lights turned on, and when they turned off, selected which lights to activate, and then adjusted the colors. If inclined, you could use this light as a game timer for children.
Turn the device onto a certain color to show the team when to begin, extinguish the light to tell them when to end, and then repeat the process for the other teams. Additionally, the process could be used for a child’s nightlight. Set the light to turn on at a certain time and then activate a sleep function to turn It off after a set amount of time. You can activate the light manually with the included button to cycle through soft white, warm white/pink, red, orange, green, purple, blue, and off.
If you tap on the lantern image from within the “Lights” tab, you will be directed to a large color wheel, a centralized green power button, a lower brightness toggle, and an image of the Lantern color status, a Bluetooth icon, battery widget, and solar %charge. You can set the desired color by tapping the color wheel on white, warm white, or any other hue of the ROYGBV wheel.
I tapped “Patterns” along the top right of the panel, and reviewed the 22 option choices. After testing each of the options, I found “Flame Flicker” was my favorite. If you choose one of the strobe options, you will need to approve the epilepsy warning before proceeding. The strobe option may be a better choice in an emergency than an always-on light. I would love for them to add an SOS feature/pulse to the list of options.
Lantern
When ready to expand the lantern, grip the lower valve and pull it outward and away from the Twist. I gripped the top/bottom panels and pulled outward while rotating the top counterclockwise and the base clockwise. Once the lantern inflated and produced its final puff, I reinserted the lower valve, made sure the USB-micro port was closed, and placed the lantern on my outdoor deck. Fully inflated, you can expect the lantern to stand 5 5/8 inches tall.
The top panel had a 5/16 inches diameter green power button, a 1/4 inches diameter battery indicator button, a bank of four battery indicator LED lights, a red charging indicator, and a 3/8 inches tall by 1 3/8 inches rubber USB-micro cover. The main portion of the panel was devoted to the large six-sided solar array (3 1/8 inches long top, 2 1/4 inches long base, 2 1/2 inches tall). When ready to compress the lantern back to its retracted position, remove the lower plug and compress the top/bottom together while rotating the opposite direction. Replace the plug and store the device for later use.
Charging
The Twist lantern can be charged via USB-A to USB-Micro connection or by placing the lantern into direct sunlight. Even though I would have preferred USB-C charging in 2022, I was pleased with the length and durability of the included USB-A to USB-micro cable. I gripped each of the ends, bent the metal prongs, tugged on the jackets, and pulled on the cable neck segments. The generic USB cable passed each of the tests and plugged securely into the charging port on the top of the lantern.
I found that the lantern fully charged via Micro USB in just at 90 minutes and was able to provide light from sunset until bedtime without concern. I turned the light on about an hour before sunrise and then set it to turn off about an hour later. I placed the solar array into the sun and arranged it a few times throughout the day to best capture the available light. I set the App timer for sunset and was pleased to find that the light illuminated at sunset.
I repeated this process for three straight days and had no issues with the length of charge when using 4-5 hours of light per day (50% brightness through the app). The battery widget noted that the battery got down to about 10% with each nightly use of the lantern. You can expect about six hours of output on the highest white/color setting and up to about 8 hours on the lowest setting.
To fully charge the lantern, you will need a good 14-16 hours of sun exposure. Like many solar charging devices, and USB lights, you can expect a variety of results with testing. Make sure to charge the device via USB if expecting bad weather or if you expect to use the lantern for more than 4 hours. The battery did seem to discharge faster than expected when off. Remember to test/charge the device regularly.
Summary
I have been a fan of the LuminAID design since I learned about the product on Shark Tank and met with the team at the Consumer Electronics Show CES in 2016. The idea of combining the power of solar charging with a waterproof, floating LED light was perfect for emergencies. I liked that some of their tech developed the ability to charge smartphones but did not like that the devices became heavier.
The current Bloomio Twist lantern favored the PackLite Nova light with the smaller size and 1000mAh battery, instead of the bigger Max 2-in1 Phone Charger and its 2000mAh battery. The max 75-lumen output may be on the lower end for some outdoor enthusiasts but I would suggest that it works well for accent lighting.
If I was going to design a Bloomio Twist 2.0, I would modernize the charging cable to USB-C, I would try to increase the battery to a 2000mAh Battery, and I would redesign the carry handle. I loved the idea of the carry handle but the plastic ball/socket design dislodged much too easily. I liked the hexagonal shape, the auto-inflation tech, the solar array, and the placement of the charging port.
Additionally, I felt that the App was easy to use, easy to navigate, and quite responsive. The free app provided useful battery widget, light modes, color flickering features, and a timer. If you are looking to entertain at the pool or beach, consider picking up a few of the devices and linking them into a group. Even though the app does not currently support music sync mode, perhaps this could be a future feature of the Bloomio Twist 2.0 device.
Learn more about the Bloomio Twist from LuminAID
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