Is this a really stupid idea of mine for protecting your flashlight or not!

Phil Ament

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I have recently heard several stories about people losing their flashlights (some very expensive) by accidentally dropping them in to the water when they were either fishing or doing something similar that involved being around deep water, and in fact there is even a very recent thread in this forum about this very same situation. Anyway after reading through it I had remembered all of a sudden about a mini automatic flotation device that I had previously seen on television (here), and that not only lit up and was visible from a distance of up to 250 meters (820 feet to all you imperial guys/gals) but it was also capable of lifting any items that were up to one kilogram (2.2 pounds) in weight. Now whilst I do realise that it may not be the most fashionable item to be attaching to your favourite beloved flashlight, I also thought that under certain circumstances it might just be considered extremely appropriate, mainly due to it's rather low cost when compared to the relatively high cost of the item that it may be saving at the time.

Just as I have said in the thread title it may have been a really stupid idea of mine just to even mention it here, however by doing so I thought that I may be able to get some form of feedback on the idea, or at the very least I would be able to make some people actually aware of it's existence. Well I am just about to hit the "Submit New Thread" button and from which point there is no going back, so I am now fully prepared for any ridicule however any positive feedback would be very good as well, so please tell me what you think!




P.S. Only naturally it can also be used for potentially saving many other items as well, and NO I am not affiliated with this product in any way shape or form!
 
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yliu

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Re: Is this a really stupid idea or not!

Never heard of this thing! Thanks for posting it, I can be quite useful if you just attach it to a lanyard ring before taking off to your journey.
 

Phil Ament

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Re: Is this a really stupid idea or not!

Never heard of this thing! Thanks for posting it, I can be quite useful if you just attach it to a lanyard ring before taking off to your journey.

yliu

Thanks for the reply, and I had also thought that it would be extremely handy too, and that quite possibly there would be many people that were not actually aware of it. Apparently it is available all over the world, and here in Australia where I am it is only around $14 and so if you just attach it only whenever it is necessary it would of course be reusable time and time again, unless of course that it has gone overboard and done it's job and saved your much loved and valuable flashlight and so then you would have to buy a new one.
 

ScaryFatKidGT

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Re: Is this a really stupid idea or not!

Seems like a good idea

hmmm how many would I need on my TN31? haha
 

Vortus

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Re: Is this a really stupid idea or not!

Don't have them on lights. Do have similar version for our boats keys though.
 

biglights

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Re: Is this a really stupid idea or not!

Nice find Phil, looks like a must have the fishermen.
 

Phil Ament

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Re: Is this a really stupid idea or not!

Seems like a good idea

hmmm how many would I need on my TN31? haha

ScaryFatKidGT


Well just to answer your question according to the Thrunite website the TN31 weighs 452.80 grams without batteries, and Panasonic says that their 3100mAh NCR18650A battery weighs 45.5 grams. Now seeing as though the TN31 takes 3 x 18650's, the total weight of a fully loaded TN31 would be only 583.90 grams or just over half a kilogram, which would also then mean that you would only need to use one of the Waterbuoys because your TN31 with batteries included would be only 58.39% of the total lifting weight limit of one kilogram! Generally speaking I would have to say that most handheld flashlights would tend to be under 1 kilogram (most are well under) except for when it comes to some of the much larger type of lights like an Olight SR90 Intimidator for example, which weighs in at a whopping 1580 grams including battery pack and so you would therefore need to use 2 Waterbouys, however as I am quite certain that you will agree something like the SR90 is extraordinary large for this style of light and so it is also more of an exception to the rule. Keeping that in mind I would have to say that the large majority of flashlights would therefore require the use of only just one Waterbouy. Hope that this all helps just a little!
 
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jorn

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Re: Is this a really stupid idea or not!

ScaryFatKidGT


Well just to answer your question according to the Thrunite website the TN31 weighs 452.80 grams without batteries, and Panasonic says that their 3100mAh NCR18650A battery weighs 45.5 grams.
Not so simple. It's all about the densety of the thing you want to float. I dont need a 1000 liter airballon to make a 1000kg treestump float :) If i had a cube that messures 10x10x10 cm that weighs 1,1 kg. Then we only need 0,1 kg+ lift to make it "float" in freshwater. If You fasten your 1 kg light to a scale and put just the light under water, it prob wont pull 1 kg on the scale :) Under water i can lift boulders that even superman would have problems with moving, because when under water, a kubick meter big rock "weighs 1000 kg less" that it would on land :)
 

ScaryFatKidGT

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Re: Is this a really stupid idea or not!

Not so simple. It's all about the densety of the thing you want to float. I dont need a 1000 liter airballon to make a 1000kg treestump float :) If i had a cube that messures 10x10x10 cm that weighs 1,1 kg. Then we only need 0,1 kg+ lift to make it "float" in freshwater. If You fasten your 1 kg light to a scale and put just the light under water, it prob wont pull 1 kg on the scale :) Under water i can lift boulders that even superman would have problems with moving, because when under water, a kubick meter big rock "weighs 1000 kg less" that it would on land :)
Haha so either way the answer is 1. $15 to protect $200 im down.
 

Bigpal

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I don't think anybody should be ridiculed for any posts they make. That's where the wide range of variety comes from, different people finding different things.

This seems like an entirely reasonable option for anybody who might want to protect their flashlight near water.
 

cland72

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I think it's a great idea. Definitely worth $10-15 to protect your investement (most of my lights are worth over $100). I would hate to drop my light, and lanyards aren't always going to be workable depending on how you're using the light.
 

Phil Ament

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I am very glad to see that it appears as though quite a lot of people also think that it is a very good idea. As far as lanyards go and just like somebody has already mentioned, they are not always workable in some situations. I would also imagine that it could be quite common that when somebody has finished using their light for that particular moment and so they have detached the lanyard and then placed the light down somewhere, that this could be the time when it could be accidentally knocked, kicked or dropped in to the water, and then this would be the scenario when the Waterbuoy method would shine.
 

Phil Ament

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Out of curiosity, when would a lanyard not be workable, but a flotation aid would?

In this particular scenario here, and other similar ones too. Also for when more than one person may be using the light and so it is being passed between them. Yes they could be extremely careful and make sure that the lanyard is also swapped from one person to the other, however that doesn't always happen. Once the Waterbouy was attached to the light it would be a relatively failsafe method, unlike with a lanyard when it is momentarily untethered whilst it is being passed from one person to another, or being moved from one position/location to another. The Waterbuoy method would also only require that you attached it just the one time at the start of your outing or whatever, whereas the lanyard may need to be unattached and reattached on numerous different occasions during that period, which is something that could very easily be overlooked or forgotten!
 

fiberguy

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Phil,

I agree completely that the lanyard would be much less convenient than this device. I actually passed by this post a few times and I'm glad I grabbed on and read it. These things are cheap and will make great gifts for a few individuals I know. You could really buy several at that price then have spares once one is used. The only thing I didn't like about it was a youtube video. If you go on youtube and search the product name, you will find a video where it fails :drool: I'd trust this device in the event of an accident, but I wouldn't go buying 10 of 'em and showing how they operate to everyone I know...I mean, if I did, I'd use a string for backup.

Thanks for the idea though, I know some people who will find this wrapped up real pretty coming soon..
 
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