NO BATTERIES, LED LIGHT YOU SHAKE!!!

[beam_me_up]

Hey everyone, I'm new to these forums and thought I'd show you an article on the new Excalibur Foreverlight....Let me know what you think.
http://www.twomobile.com/content/1080.php

[larry]

thans for the info zerox. i just ordered one
and will compare it to my nightstar when i get it. i will let the forum know how it compares.

[Quickbeam]

Do I smell "RIPOFF"?

http://www.shakelight.com/

[Xenon]

Another link to the same light, just look at the length of the light for a single LED.

Shake

[Steelwolf]

I smell it too. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

But you still have to admit that it is being sold at a lower price. Now NightStar has a competitor, maybe it will not rest on its laurels and come up with an even better product. Always wanted them to make a smaller shakelight (maybe pocket sized and brighter). [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Anyway, it still remains to be seen if the construction is anywhere near as solid as the NightStar. For starters, it looks like Excalibur is using a push button switch. I wonder how well that will hold up. I hope Larry can give us that review soon.

[KenB]

Hmm, it looks differant than the Night Star/shake light. I wonder if it`s brighter...they do say "five minutes of bright light". I`ll look forward to your reveiw Larry.

[beam_me_up]

I didn't know there was another shake light out there, maybe I should have tried shakelight.com hehe. I wonder if the little switch on the Excalibur one is constant? It doesn't really say in the article but it looks like it could be one you have to keep pressed down.....hmm... They also don't say how much light can be stored unless 5 minutes is the maximum... It is still interesting to me

[lightlover]

Welcome aboard zerox.

Nightstar were planning to bring out a second generation shakelight. Don't know when that was supposed to be, (but it's overdue, sort of thing).

lightlover

[TrevorNasko]

they both are ripoffs! why want a light that makes you appear to be -um - well...youknow what it looks like when you charge those suckers [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] and what are you gonna say when a person says"ummm, what are you doing?" ? "jus' [shake] gettin' [shake] charged up[shake shake]!"

and for a light that big i expect it to outshine a photon. if it were pocket size then i would consider it but its
BIG and BULKY!

76.73 cambodian reil is all this post is worth [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[artar]

here is another shake it LEd light :
globetrotter.de

[Roy]

But, remember......no batteries!!

Might be what you to need to store in a storm shelter..never need to worry about the condition of the battery.

[larry]

Aragorn, checkout excaliburelectronics.com/microforeverflashl.html also, look over their basic site, they have some interesting products.

[KenB]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Aragorn:
they both are ripoffs! why want a light that makes you appear to be -um - well...youknow what it looks like when you charge those suckers [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] and what are you gonna say when a person says"ummm, what are you doing?" ? "jus' [shake] gettin' [shake] charged up[shake shake]!"

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Keep arms up when shaking [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[geepondy]

OK, just how dim is the nightstar light? How does it compare to say a photon III in either it's low or medium settings?

The microforever light looks intersting and not too expensive. I'll wait for Larry's comment's when he receives his but it might be a fun light to have without breaking the bank. I wonder if the micro is dimmer then the full sized version.

[TrevorNasko]

p3 dimmest setting with dead batterys

[TrevorNasko]

jus put 6 vibrater pens on next day shipping [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[Quickbeam]

Atar - the shakelight and the NightStar are one and the same...

Brightness: I posted this pic months ago, but there are so many threads now, stuff like this is getting hard to find again. Here you go:



Review of the NightStar (shakelight):
http://thelightsite.cruxial.com/reviews/nightstar.htm

[The_LED_Museum]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Quickbeam:
Atar - the shakelight and the NightStar are one and the same...

Brightness: I posted this pic months ago, but there are so many threads now, stuff like this is getting hard to find again. Here you go:<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's nasty. Not your picture - the feeble glow coming from the Nightstar. If it's really the size of a D cell light, that's an awful high price to pay for an awful dim light.

BUT... a few dozen microwatts of dim white light is a HECK OF A LOT BETTER than total, absolute pitch blackness. All you need to do is isolate yourself in a totally black enviroment for perhaps half an hour, and you'll see how little light you really need to see your way around. So if it came down to having a Nightstar within grappling range, or having a regular flashlight but no hope of getting batteries anytime soon, guess what I'd be reaching for first!

And if my potential rescuer thinks I'm administering corporal punishment to an early stage proto-humanoid life form, then he really doesn't have his mind on the rescue operation, does he? [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[geepondy]

The excaliber electronic versions are much cheaper then the Nightstar models. Are they indeed exactly the same product? The excaliber Forever is $39.95 while the microforever is $29.95. I'm interested if the microforever is as bright as it's bigger sibling. They claim the same thing, 30 minutes of shaking produces five minutes of light.

[Steelwolf]

I would guess that the essential electronics of all these shake lights are the same. After the charging phase, the LED is powered by the same type of 1F 5.5V capacitor. So once the capacitor is charged up, there should be very little difference in performance.

The main questions are build quality, switch quality and ease of use (ie the shaking process). The main use of this light is as an emergency light that you can store practically anywhere for however long it may be, without having to worry about the battery condition or charge. Once the emergency strikes, and you really need light, then just pull it out and start shaking.

With that in mind, one then can understand the need for a good quality build that uses plastics highly resistant to degradation, either through chemical contact or UV reaction. All wires must be properly attached as a break will render the light useless (a very scary thought in an emergency). The switch must also be as robust. The majority of pushbutton switches and slide switches are not protected and can oxidise while in storage, leaving you a torch that is next to useless (you can still use it as a baton [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] )

BTW, the switch in the Excalibur may actually be a slide switch as you can notice a very slight bit of space just behind the button.

I wonder how big the microforeverlight really is. Stupid webpage doesn't say. That's important not just for storage or carry options, but also because of the distance that the oscillating magnet has to travel, which then translates in to how fast one needs to shake the light (frequency). If the required optimal frequency goes too high because the light is too short and the magnet has to change direction of travel too quickly, then it becomes very hard to use.

There are, I believe, quite a number of us flashoholics who have created an almost similar emergency flashlight from that Russian handcrank light. It was a good concept, with a handcranked generator provided power to a PR-bulb, but you had to keep cranking or there would be no light.

So we went one better and replaced the bulb with an LED and put in a couple of memory capacitors, 0.5F 5.5V or 1F 5.5V depending on what we could find. Same result as the shakelight in that some 30-seconds of cranking gave us similar amounts of light for approx. 5min.

What we lacked was the focusing lens found on the shakelight, which serves to collimate the light in to one seriously bright spot. What we gained was that the magnets used in the Russian handcrank light wasn't as strong as those in the shakelight, so we didn't get as many steel objects stuck to out light and didn't erase tapes and diskettes or mess up CRT units like TVs and monitors. The handcrank also meant that as the light dimmed, we could keep it going with occasional cranks of the handle while keeping it trained on where we want the light to shine.

I, myself, keep one shakelight and one handcranked light in my car, where the heat would kill lithium batteries in a month and alkalines in a week. It is still not the best solution as the light is not very bright, but at least I don't have to replace batteries every month. And where the rechargeable batteries in my Everyready Dashlite (emergency light kept recharged in the cigerette lighter socket) has already kicked the bucket, my shakelight and handcranklight are still in perfect condition.

[Quickbeam]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>They claim the same thing, 30 minutes of shaking produces five minutes of light. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

30 seconds. Not minutes. Can you imagine 30 MINUTES of shaking for 5 min light? - YUK!

Also, the Nightstar uses a white LED and a magnetic reed slide switch - no hole in the case for the switch. The switch is made with the blue SrAl Glow in the dark powder, so it glows for 10 hours after charging up in light.

The Forever flashlight has a black slide switch (don't know if it's magnetic or not, doesn't GID) and has a blue LED - lousy for color rendition, which may be necessary in an emergency involving wiring/maps/etc.

[larry]

got my forever light and just finished comparing it to my nightstar. it uses rubber bumpers at the end of the magnet's travel as compared with the nightstar's opposing magnets to repel the the traveling magnet. the switch is mechanical not magnetic like the nightstars. the nightstar has a hot spot which gives its beam more distance and usability. both beams weaken equally during my 4 minute no shake test. remember, both of these flashlights are designed for "last resort" illumination when nothing else will work due to unavailibilty of batteries or bulbs. the nightstar is about 50% more expensive, but everybody may not agree that its worth the extra money.

[Steelwolf]

Maybe because it is meant as a last resort light, I might still be tempted to pay the extra. Those rubber bumpers could melt or crack in this heat, the contact switch could be corroded precisely when I need it. They could have scrimped on the plastics and used an inferior material that doesn't hold up so well?

More testing and comparison is needed. A full "Punishment Zone" treatment may be called for. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[leddite]

sharper image has a "shake light" for $30...

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/ca...html?sku=DK009

looks very similar to the excalibur forever.

hmmmm

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I have one of the nightstar versions, and it is a sealed polycarbonate housing with a magnetic reed switch.I dont think this one will ever have a problem. it is a little pricey though, but it will never fail you.

[hank]

Has anyone built a sealed generator using rotary instead of back-and-forth motion?

Hmmm, imagining the PogoStickLight .....

But would a rotating device be more straightforward than shaking a tube?

I'm envisioning a Hula-Hoop or a Yo-Yo or a Frisbee-powered LED ("get the light where you want it, THROW it there, or have it come back to you .... ) or the LED boomerang, or maybe a simple pull-the-string-powered gyroscope model.

[watt4]

Originally posted by zerox:
They also don't say how much light can be stored........

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I like that way of describing it. Storing Light [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[snake]

Yes! Quickbeam,
30sec for 5min!!.. if your storm just last for overnight.. you will need to shake it quite a lot! a candle will do better.

Sorry we are flashaholic!I shouldn't say candle. An Impact with Li is much better.. no need to shake while you eating, reading or going to toilet .. since most likely we do things more then 5mins..

at that size we can carry many battery... I think if it could reduce to keychain size is very good.. as 5min for keychain light is fine.

[hank]

&gt;coleman sentinel
Nope, that's old technology (grin). I'm thinking of that _sealed_ tube with the magnet and coiled wire sealed inside -- but wrapped around in a circle, maybe with more than one magnet flying around inside if you could keep them spaced out. So to speak. Maybe something like a chaotic pendulum could be used instead, some way to keep the thing charging with rotary motion instead of having to shake it by hand. Oh well, another time.

[Saaby]

[quote]Watt said:
I like that way of describing it. Storing Light

A couple years ago the science teacher let the class debate weather light was matter or not, one of my arguments was that you can stick a hose in a completely sealed box and turn it on but eventually the box will burst, but you can stick a light in a completely sealed box and it will never burst (Light is so much friendlier than water) what's the point of all this? You can't store light [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Anyhew, I have one of those lights where you squeeze a handle and it powers a generator and the light, well, lights. Well I took it apart today because it isn't working (I think it's a bulb issue...) and it's like a tiny generator like the kind that make the power for your house, the crank turns a wheel via a clutch...is this kinda what you have in mind?