Review of Sylvania 72173 PalPODzzz Lady Bug 3-in-1 Children's Night Light

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I am in the process of fitting the whole house with power failure lights. Previously I have already tested the Energizer Weather Ready Compact Rechargeable LED Light and liked it very much. But it was too bright to be used as nightlight. Then I found this item ("Sylvania Childrens 3-in-1 Powerfailure Emergency Back Up Light, Lady Bug") which fits my requirements perfectly.

This product has a base unit (charging station shaped like a leaf) with an AC cord, and a top unit (the 'Lady Bug' flashlight). It is meant to be placed on a nightstand or a desk, instead of like most other nightlights which are plugged in to the wall directly.

As a nightlight, the base unit glows green softly, and the Lady Bug glows red (both lights go out when the room is bright). The illumination is very soothing when used in kid's bedroom, without being overwhelming. Power consumption is measured to be under 0.5W, which is quite amazing.

In case of power failure (or if the base unit is unplugged), the Lady Bug lights up immediately. You can also remove the Lady Bug any time and use it as a flashlight. The size and shape is just right for a child to hold. There is also a push-button on/off switch at the belly of the Lady Bug.

I do have one tiny complaint about the design. The three LEDs are located in the head of the Lady Bug (naturally), and the two eyes painted on the head block out part of the beam. But I suppose if the kid doesn't mind, then that's fine with me.

[Safety-related comment]

One reviewer complained that this PalPODzzz series nightlight is an "Electric shock hazard". But it is important to note that the unit he purchased was the 'Rocket Ship' model. I examined the 'Lady Bug' base unit carefully and cannot see any way it can be broken short of somebody stepping on it. As with any AC-powered electrical appliances, if the case is broken and exposing internal circuit boards, for goodness sake DON'T TOUCH IT!

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I bought this for my 9 year old daughter's room. She doesn't like sleeping with a night light because all the rest are too bright. I insist on a light because she keeps her room as clean as any normal 9 year old. :) This suits us both. It has a gentle glow that doesn't bother her and I can pick up the light to check on her in the middle of the night. And on those trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she can avoid tripping on whatever she has left on the floor. It's perfect! I'm getting them as gifts for friends with small children too.

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We've long had a plug-in power failure light for our kitchen. But after the most recent outage last winter, we realized we needed one in our living room as well. The problem with most power failure lights is that they plug directly into the wall. Their light either shoots straight up the wall or across the floor, not up into the room. And if you're like us, most of your outlets are behind furniture, where plug-mounted power failure lights are useless.

Enter the ladybug. Because she has a cord, she can be placed on a table. Her face (the actual light) points slightly upward to spread emergency light evenly across the room. We did a simulated power failure with our ladybug, turning off all our lights and then unplugging the ladybug. She filled the room with enough light to easily find our way around. Why aren't more power failure lights designed this way?

As a flashlight she is also very handy for late-night excursions around the house. There is an off button on her belly, but I recommend you not use it. If you return her to her charging cradle (the leaf) with the flashlight turned off, it won't come on in an emergency. So just leave it on whenever she's out of her charger just to be safe.

Although she looks like a toy by day, at night her charging cradle lights up in a nice soft green, and her back glows red, making her a very pretty nighttime light sculpture. This product is a winner, and I plan to order more as gifts.

Update: I just knocked one star off my rating, as one of the three white LEDs in the ladybug's face has suddenly gone dead after less than four months. Her light isn't quite as bright now.

Honest reviews on Sylvania 72173 PalPODzzz Lady Bug 3-in-1 Children's Night Light

My daughter got it when she was 3 she is 5 now and she still loves it. Its great that you can use it as night light or as a flash light. When she's scared of something in her room she just picks it up an uses it as a flash light. If she needs to go to the bathroom at night she picks it up too. Its been great. highly recomended.

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This is our second ladybug purchase, we love them. The kids use them at night before they go to sleep so they can read a little. I wish they had a few other animal or insect shapes to choose from but wadda-gonna-do.

If the design of the button mechanism was redesigned I would give the bug 5-stars but as it is if you push the button in on the side instead of right in the middle sometimes it gets stuck and can prove difficult to dislodge.