Fuze Bug Review 2023: Pros, Cons, FAQ & Verdict
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Review Summary
We give Fuze Bug a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Introduction
Fuze Bug is the flagship and namesake product of the company FuzeBug. It is a rechargeable lantern and bug zapper combination. The Fuze Bug aims to be your all-in-one outdoor solution for a number of problems. It is designed to lure in bugs with bright LED lights while keeping your porch, campsite, or tent lit after dark. The zapper then kills the bugs on contact. The whole system is free of chemicals or repellents and can cover an area of up to 250 square feet. All of this comes in a very small package that is highly portable and easy to use. That all sounds great on paper, and it is when it works.
The problem with the Fuze Bug is that it has some concerning quality control and effectiveness issues. When everything works, this is not a bad product for an okay price. However, something always seems to be wrong with the Fuze Bug. It either doesn’t charge properly or the zapper seems to be underpowered. Sometimes the product shows up damaged and other times, the product shuts off and never comes back on. The worst part is when the zapper isn’t working, the lantern only serves to attract bugs instead of killing them.
Fuze Bug – A Quick Look
- Extremely small and portable
- Bright light can serve as a lantern
- Easy to clean
- Adjustable brightness
- Rechargeable battery
- Humane way to kill flying insects without chemicals
- Quality control issues
- Zapper is not highly effective
- If the zapper isn’t working, the light can serve as a mosquito attractor
Specifications
| Weight | 7 ounces |
| Dimensions | 6.8” x 3.5” |
| Coverage Area | 250 sq. ft. |
| Zapper | Electric coil |
| Light | LED |
| Battery life | 20 hours |
| Bulb life | 10,000 hours |
Chemical-Free Bug Killer
One thing that the Fuze Bug touts is its ability to be a portable bug zapper that kills pesky mosquitoes without having to use any sort of chemicals. Some people are sensitive to bug sprays or bug repellents, and they can’t use them. This solves that problem by giving you something you can carry with you to zap bugs without having to resort to anything that is going to set off your allergies. The zapper also humanely kills the insects by delivering a fatal dose of electricity that kills them instantly.
There are no chemicals, no repellents, no stinky plant-based oils or pastes. This product works on the same simple electricity that powers your phone.
A Mediocre Hybrid
The crux of the issue with the Fuze Bug is the fact that it tries to combine two things, and as a result, it doesn’t do either one especially well. There are better bug zappers on the market, and there are better camping lanterns on the market. For the price of a Fuze Bug, you can usually get one of each that is better. Sure, they won’t be combined into one unit, but how many people are really clamoring for a bug zapper lantern combination? It is kind of neat that they managed to put a small zapper into a portable camping lantern, but it doesn’t kill bugs very well (more on that in a bit), and it is not a great lantern. The combination is novel, but it doesn’t feel like it adds much to the market.
Easy To Use and Clean
It has to be said that this product is easy to use and easy to clean. It has simple knobs that control the LED lights and the zapper. It charges with a simple USB charger. If you do get any bugs in the screen, it is easy to open up to wipe them out. Bug screens have to be cleared out periodically to remove the charred remains of the mosquitos that fell into the zapper. Some bug zappers have obtuse cages that are nearly impossible to clean out, especially since you usually don’t want to use water on something that gets plugged into an outlet. Fuze Bug doesn’t have that problem.
Uneven Bug Killing Results
The worst part of the Fuze Bug is that it has uneven bug zapping results. The bug zapper is the most important part of this entire product. It is in the name. The product bills itself as a bug zapper first and a lantern second. The problem is, it is a better lantern than it is a bug zapper. Perhaps if they marketed it as a great camping lantern with a bug zapper included as a bonus, it would make more sense, but that is not the case. When the zapper isn’t working, this lantern only attracts bugs. Mosquitos can sometimes swarm the Fuze Bug, and it doesn’t seem to zap anything. That is the worst-case scenario. Instead of killing bugs, it is bringing them in and then not doing anything about it.
One of the problems with the zapper is that this unit doesn’t hold very much power. When the battery starts running down, the zapper just doesn’t have enough power to kill bugs. There is a reason the vast majority of highly rated bug zappers are units that you have to plug into an outlet. It takes juice to kill bugs. Fuze Bug just doesn’t have that much juice.
FAQ
Where Does the Fuze Bug Work the Best?
Fuze Bug works best in outside settings where there are no outlets nearby. It is perfect for trips to the beach or lakeshore after dark. It functions great as a camping accessory. It works well on porches where there aren’t any other lights or outlets nearby. You can set it on a table or on the ground, or you can hang it up over an area with a hook. It is very versatile and can be very useful after sunset.
How Is the Fuze Bug’s Pricing?
Fuze Bug’s pricing is confusing. The products are sold in packs of one, two, three, or four, but the pricing is all over the place. The items are always on sale, which makes it sound like you are getting a great deal, but the price never seems to return to its presale levels. Even on sale, the price feels a little steep for what you get, especially since you can get similar products for the same price that are better rated. The pricing doesn’t feel like a scam or overly expensive, it just feels like you are paying just a little too much.
Where Is the Fuze Bug Sold?
Fuze Bug is primarily sold on the company’s website. You can browse their selection and make a purchase directly from the company. If you are interested in purchasing a Fuze Bug, buying directly from their site is probably the best bet, as they do not operate an official Amazon storefront.
Where Is the Fuze Bug Based?
Fuze Bug is located at 2345 Vauxhall Rd, Union, NJ 07083. It is an American company that distributes all of its products out of its own warehouses in New Jersey. Their distribution center is located outside of busy Newark, and they ship everything in the United States from this central location. That way, you get your order in a timely fashion and should also receive Stateside customer service.
What the Users Say
Fuze Bug has a couple of official reviews posted on their website. Obviously, their highlighted reviews are all positive. The positive reviews focus on the product’s effectiveness. People say they’ve used Fuze Bug in their tents, on their boats, and in their outdoor sleeping bags. The happy users report that the bulbs are bright, the zappers are effective, and they were spared from the bites of mosquitoes and gnats.
Other reviewers are not so upbeat. Negative reviews focus on two central themes: effectiveness and quality. Many unhappy buyers report that the zapper simply doesn’t work. Without the zapper, as we pointed out, the lights simply serve to attract annoying insects without any way to kill them. The result is a lantern that will draw mosquitos in and then do absolutely nothing about it. That can be frustrating, especially if you purchased the unit to kill bugs. If it doesn’t kill bugs, it is no surprise it is getting dragged online.
The second issue is quality. Quality control seems to be lacking. Some buyers claimed to have bought multiple units only to have multiple units not work out of the box. Some of them wouldn’t charge. Others simply wouldn’t turn on. Most people said it wasn’t even worth dealing with the runaround of getting a refund and simply discarded the product.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that when Fuze Bug works, it works well. When the zapper is running full blast, when the battery is working properly, and the sun is down, this little lantern can indeed attract and zap bugs as advertised. The problem is that it doesn’t ever seem to want to pull it all together. Sometimes the battery doesn’t hold a charge. Other times, it won’t turn on, and more often than not, the zapper seems to not have enough juice to get the job done. If you risk running into one of these issues, you will be disappointed, but the price isn’t going to break your heart if something goes wrong. When everything goes right, you get a small, portable, and novel bug zapper lantern combination.
Featured Image Credit: Fuze Bug, Amazon
