Mechanically-powered flashlights — be they shake, crank or squeeze varieties — are one of those must-have items for every emergency kit. When a tornado knocks out power, or the Big One hits, it’s nice to know that you won’t be fumbling around in the dark looking for batteries. But you might be surprised to learn that mechanically powered flashlights have been around for nearly a century.
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Are you ready to play everybody’s not-so-favorite guilt game: what was I doing at that age? Ann Makosinski, a tenth grader from Victoria, British Columbia, has created a simple LED flashlight powered by body heat. So instead of having to recharge it or swap in a fresh pair of AAs every so often, you literally just need to hold it in your hand for it to start glowing.
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Similar to the megapixel arms race that digital camera manufacturers got caught up in, flashlight makers are instead hell bent on coaxing as many lumens from a handheld torch as they can. Even if it means massaging the definition of a compact flashlight like NiteCore has done with its portly TM26. More »
Few of us have ever picked up a flashlight and lamented not being able to reprogram it. As long as the batteries aren’t dead and it lights up, we’re happy. But now that HexBright has shown us the advantages of a hackable, open source flashlight, who could ever settle for a locked-down Maglite again? More »
It’s not like they were going anywhere, but it’s kind of surprising to see the same kind of gesture and swipe controls you use on your smartphone now being integrated into something as simple as an LED flashlight. More »
You might think all flashlights are created equal, but don’t tell that to a flashaholic. There are large online communities of flashlight aficionados who take their illumination very seriously, and there’s a good chance even they’ll be impressed by LED Lenser’s new F1 which manages to squeeze a whopping 400 lumens from a single CR123 battery. More »
If you’re on the hunt for a more hands-free lighting solution when you hit the great outdoors, consider Voltaic’s new USB-powered Touchlight as an alternative to your regular flashlight. It swaps a D-cell filled body for a compact waterproof head tethered to a set of swappable USB cables that can be plugged into whatever rechargeable backup battery you happen to be carrying. More »
When a natural disaster strikes in the middle of the night, the last thing you want to do is waste time stumbling around in the dark looking for a flashlight. So a company in Japan, where recent disasters have left the country on high alert, has developed an LED flashlight that automatically lights up when an earthquake hits. More »
When you were a kid you probably clinged to your handlebar grips for dear life while attempting ridiculous stunts on your BMX bike. But now that you’re older and know better, the only reason you’ll need a set of bike grips is in the form of a flashlight used to illuminate your walk to the bathroom several times a night. More »
After the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last year, local companies have been working hard to create products that will be useful in an emergency. Including big corporations like Panasonic, which has created a brilliant LED flashlight that will run on almost any battery you’ve got on hand. More »
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