Shaker flash lights

upnorth

upnorth

Joined
Nov 25, 2006
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I got one of those cheap plastic transparent shaker flash lights 2-3 years ago expecting it to fall apart quickly. However, much to my surprise the darn thing just keeps on running like the Ever ready rabbit! I see that Wallmart now sells them in a slightly larger size. Anyone have experience with these things also? Is it still holding up after extended use? I know that they don't toss a lot of light, but for 5-7 bucks I'm not complaining. I think that my main concern is reliability. Has your light stood the test of time and use? If most of them are crap I'm not going to bother getting/packing another one.
 
I haven't owned one myself, but i know a few other people who have. The one guy i know actually really liked his, but the other ones light broke. Every time you were to shake it, it would only give one little pulse of light, it wouldn't charge up anymore.

I like the idea though, but they just seem a little gimmicky for my tastes. I think they should make a more reliable high end version, like a Surefire shaker, i'd be all over it.
 
Shaker flashlights are a fad and not very useful. They rely on a button cell battery also. If that goes bad, it will only throw its tiny amount of light while shaking, making it unusable. So if you have to rely on a battery anyway, might as well get a photon style micro keychain led. They throw off much more light and are like 1/30 the size and weight. You can get them for like $1 each too.

That said, I’d rather keep one each on my keychain, car, truck, boat, dirt bike, street bike, zipper pull of each jacket, etc., etc.

My degree is in electronics engineering. LED & Lithium battery technology has essentially solved flashlight troubles. From here, we can only improve in small increments (feel free to question me on this…). They last extremely long, are highly efficient, and cheap (depending on the specs of the led).

I would argue that a quality LED is just as durable and reliable as any piece of equipment you carry.
 
digispam said:
Shaker flashlights are a fad and not very useful. They rely on a button cell battery also.

My degree is in electronics engineering.
Click to expand...

I'm no Electrical Engineer.. (I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night though..)

However.. I can look inside mine, and there is no button battery. IT DOES, however, have a large CAPACITOR.

digispam said:
I would argue that a quality LED is just as durable and reliable as any piece of equipment you carry.
Click to expand...


Although mine doesn't keep that stored energy very long, it does hold it for a day or 2, and I can always shake it some more.. And you're right.. The LED's are a cheap easy way to go!!

Shake it.. Shake it good!
 
Two years now and still kicking. I can put it in a drawer, and pick it up a few weeks later and it'll still light. I bought three and gave one each to my two sons and kept one for myself. They were on sale at an outfitters store in Ely for about $12.00 I think with the normal sticker at $19.00 (hey, it's an outfitter in Ely fer cryin' out loud!)(they have to get the tourist's buck somehow). All three are still going strong too. They seem to be fairly sturdy. Not a real bright light though. But good when you have to grab something for messing around.
 
True enough, some have a cap - but those perform even worse and are not very shock resistant. I have one crank style and one shake style and both have button cells. Upon review online (just now) it seems some have caps. An obvious alternative, but still not comparable to a decent led with a lithium batt.

Now of course, there is certainly room for improvement. But micro LEDs have reached the point that you can task light just about anything you could need in a tiny, durable, efficient, cheap, long lasting product.

At the end of the day, lithium powered LEDs are so good now that they outperform Faraday styles in almost every conceivable way. Man, it would have to be some set of circumstances to get to the point that a shaker style is preferable - like being locked in a cave for a year by yourself or some such totally implausible event. Remember, to equal the size and weight of a shaker light you could have literally dozens of micro lights and batteries.
 
I'd take a windup ,especially a Freeplay, over a shake and light .
 
Hmmm, very interesting comments. It's good to have a diversity of views brought forth, bringing the possibility of alternative options. I sure as heck don't know it all and I appreciate the insight/experience of others.
 
I know the ones that are homhardware of 5 bucks aren't the best, but for around 20 bucks you can get very well made ones.
 
I agree That Leds have made these somewhat of a novelty but at the same time they have made them more usefull. I mean I have an old Dynamo flashlight radio with a solar pannel that was great as an emergencey radio but the light died so fast as to make it somewhat pointless. With an LED light this would be a far more utilitarian emergency tool.


By the way I have had pretty good luck with a few of the shake lights. I am not about to throw away my Surefire or any of my rescue lights but as a back up or a survival pack item they are pretty good.

:jerkit: and as it was pointed out to me by a freind the motion to activate is far more engrained in male muscle memory than cranking.
 
Digispam, You are so right on the money about the little LEDs. I love those things. I have them all over the place. One clipped in my back just do I have light to see whats in there. One in my sock draw so I don't have to wake the boss in the morning. I keep 1 on me all the time. Great for reading menus in dark restaurants. I' bought about 20 of them and never has 1 failed me.

In my psk I have about 4 ways to make fire and 6 of these things. They are way more handy in the woods then fire in my opinion. Of course we are not talking survival situation here.

Anyway I don't think there is a better light for the money in the world.
 
Hmmm, consensus appears to be cheap shaker is 50/50 ok, but back it up with at least a lithium batteried LED light. Sounds good to me. I'm packing a slow burn candle also.

Fonly, were did you see the higher end shakers? I've never seen them, but then, I've never really looked either.
 
I have seen them at canadiantire, and some at homehardware. Like I said there around $20, and the price can very, like they were more expenzive in NS, as in around $30, But when you look at it, just mak sure the wire coming from the coil go's dirctly to the led board thingy, in other words make sure there arn't any battries. I know I have one that was $5 and it works fine. I dont really know how long it will last, but for now it works good.
 
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