Flashlight question-crank/shake models

Geraldo

Geraldo

Joined
Dec 16, 2000
Messages
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Simple question: have any of your gearheads tried out flashlights that do not use traditional batteries, i.e. the crank, squeeze, shake recharge models?

My wife was thinking about adding them to stuff that will be given to a charity for use in Africa, so finding replacement batteries for a regular light will be either difficult or impractical. Specifically, how is the durability (are they junk, gimick, etc)?

Thanks for any info.
 
I've got a couple of alternative power flashlights. I'm not sure that that is the appropriate title for them, but it fits.

One is a shake up type, it's about the size of a 2 cell AA flashlight, glove box sized. It works well as far as holding a charge, but doesn't put out too much light. Of course that might be due to size and brand etc.

The other light is a crank up/rechargeable type. It has 2 lights, one led removable light, approximately the same size as the aforementioned shake-up, a multi brightness (high medium and low) multi-led light, radio, weather radio, siren, compass and storage compartment. You can charge it from wall outlet, cigarette lighter or from the crank. It puts out enough light to get around a darkened house.

They are nice to have, I used the shake-up lite during the ice storm last winter, we were without power for 3 days and it served it's purpose. However, for the amount of output the battery lights beat them hands down.
 
I have a few of them and the only problem I have is the actual brightness of the light, but any light is better than no light. I have 3 of shake charging kinds and they have been reliable for the last few years and they were really cheap. A friend of mine has the cranking kind with 4 or 5 leds and that produces a lot more light then my shake-em up ones. For the money I think they are good to have around the house.
 
I had an LED shake light - it was pretty poor - but then again it was only $5 - please see this thread -

$5 LED Shake Light

The crank light I have is the Black & Decker DFLL1B - and that actually works quite well - much, much better than I expected and certainly miles and miles ahead of the $5 shake light.

I got it for $2 at WalMart - that was probably a pricing mistake - but I wasn't going to argue about it :p
Please take a look at this post over at CPF -

Inexpensive LED lights at WalMart

BDCrankLitePk.jpg


It has 3 LEDs - switches on from "low" with 1 LED, to high with 3 LEDs on (then to off).

Uses Li-Ion rechargeable battery technology - which is very good.

Even with just half a dozen cranks it will give some light albeit short duration on high -
but on low (1 LED) seems to last quite awhile -
and being Li-Ion it keeps its charge -
so will still shine even weeks/months later.

Being three LEDs with strange reflectors - gives out light with good but narrow'ish spot (ie: well converged) but with a strange pattern/side-spill - but who cares - it works well, and gives off light......

Link to DFLL1B at Black & Decker

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Vincent
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My aunt picked up a crank type at Wal-Mart, if I remember correctly it was 20 bucks. Fairly small, but had a cell phone adapter so you could charge your cell on it, plus the radio. Will have to ask her how well it works.
 
Some of the shake type where phony - they actually had a battery. Go for the crank types. There seem to be more and more on the market . www.ccrane.com is a good company to deal with.
 
I have a nightstar shaker, which is probably the best among shaker lights. It's now residing in my basement, because with advance of LED's, I just can't justify carry something as big as 2D mag, that give as much light as a incan minimag.
 
mete said:
Some of the shake type where phony - they actually had a battery.
Click to expand...

Yes, there was a lot of discussion in the thread -

$5 LED Shake Light

but despite the suspiciously low price that $5 shake light was NOT a fake - it was just not very good (I was able to prove this).

Shake lights have to have some form of "accumulator" to store the electricity generated (by shaking) - some use a capacitor (which stores the charge only for a short while), some actually use batteries - NiMH or lithium (for longer term charge storage) - so the use of batteries is NOT a sure way to tell if the light is a fake or not - as it is quite a legitimate use.

--
Vincent
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2006
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2005
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2004
http://clik.to/UnknownVincent
 
The crank lights work way better. I have a $20 shake light, it works but pretty dim as mentioned. I think the capacitor storage is the way to go. Rchargable batteries have a definite life span.
 
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