Wind-Up Flashlights

[mwerner]

I got one of these things for Xmas; looks very much like this:

http://www.flashlightpros.com/Wind-Up-Flashlights/126734/

3 LEDs and a crank. Made in China...

However, so far it seems to work quite well. The first button push gives you one LED, the second all three. Not going to blind an attacker, but perfectly adequate for digging around inside your computer, looking for that lost pair of shoes in the back of a dark closet, and suchlike.
And...No batteries. Kind of thing you could throw in your emergency kit and forget about.

 

[555]

I have one of these too.
It was given to me as a present 2 to 3 years ago.
The only problem that I have with it is, they say to use it you must wind it for 30 to 60 seconds to use.
By that time I've already have used my Maglite and put it away and have more light to work with to boot.
Mine just sits in the kitchen and the kids play with it now and then.
But, it's there for just in case.

 

[UnknownVT]

The only problem that I have with it is, they say to use it you must wind it for 30 to 60 seconds to use.
By that time I've already have used my Maglite and put it away and have more light to work with to boot.

I have this

Black & Decker 3 LED Hand-Crank Rechargeable Flashlight Model # DFLL1B
- that I got at a ridiculously low price from WalMart ($2! - not sure if was a closeout).

But anyway I just tried it - it was so low that I could not see any light - just the glow of the LED - I gave it one revolution on the hand crank and the it lit up and was pretty bright on the single LED mode - on the 3 LED mode it was kind of dim - but that was just a single crank.

Only after about 12 cranks would the 3 LED mode show brighter than the single LED mode - so probably only by then did it have a meaningful charge.

B&D claim "One minute of cranking provides up to 15 minutes of runtime"
although the packaging claims only 10 minutes.

This model uses Li-Ion rechargeable batteries which are quicker to charge and hold their charge well.

Anyway your point of having a flashlight ready with good batteries is very valid - being a flashlight enthusiast I have plenty of those around in the house - many with several tens of hours of runtime - so this is really superfluous.

But at $2 - what kind of flashaholic would I be if I didn't at least try it.
The fact I kept it, as opposed to returning it using WalMart's no fuss returns - shows at least I liked it.

--
Vincent
http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://UnknownVT.Shutterfly.com
http://clik.to/UnknownVincent

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I keep one of those in the glove box of the jeep and one in my wife's car. Generally speaking, I have much better ligthts available. However, Murray and his Law tend to spring up in my life more often that I would care to admit, so having a "foolproof" light readily available is great to have. Sure it takes a few mins to crank up for use, but it puts out more than enough light to read a map, find something that dropped on the floor, or check loose wires under the dash (Jeep is an old CJ with many little charming hiccups to address).

As a side note, since the Jeep rides so rough and bumpy, I have installed a shake light on the rollbar. The constant up and down bounce is more than enough to keep it constantly charged for immediate use. No cranking AND no batteries.:thumbup:

 

[Cougar Allen]

since the Jeep rides so rough and bumpy, I have installed a shake light on the rollbar. The constant up and down bounce is more than enough to keep it constantly charged for immediate use. No cranking AND no batteries.:thumbup:

Boy, if you could only replace the engine with an electric motor and wire it to the shake light....

(Somebody is going to take that suggestion seriously. Just watch, someone will.)

 

[heli-cal]

I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Trevor Bayliss, the engineer inventor of the wind up radio/light.

He is a terrific guy, after the lecture he met with the audience and happily answered every question put to him.

At one point he had worked as a stunt diver and he has hand built his own home, to his own design on an island in the River Thames.

Also set up a project to help new inventors to fully legally protect their ideas, and promote the inventor and their invention.

Just thought I'd share this with you all.

 

[gajinoz]

We've got a good sized one we keep at the back door. About 30 secs of cranking will give you 30 mins of light. The wife uses it if she needs to run out to the stables or whatever at night. No need to worry flat batteries or whatever, you can grab it and crank and get light while you're on your way if you have to.