Lowglow
Newly Enlightened
The very early lights were often made from wood as it was easier to machine and shape than metal - plus the wooden lights took the much more long-lasting box batteries. The wooden lamps made it through to about 1933 in a much simpler form (a basic oak model with small reflector). This is about the light from around the 1920 period.
These are high quality and yet not that expensive today - this one was £4.50. It has a distinct look with the punched reflector and lacquered fruitwood body. Batteries are no longer available but they were 4.5 Volts so I rigged up a battery pack and regulator to preserve the original bulb.
And on powering it up and looking into the reflector you can see the vintage bulb filament and 'fireball' effect that the dimples have.
The switch on the top offers 'lockout', 'momentary', and permanently on. Its quite straightforward but fairly crude. But it works!
So are these lights still useful a century on? Well I say yes...with a couple of reservations. Firstly the beam is soft and wide.
So for walking it's not that good. Better than a mobile phone though!
But it comes to life for tasks. Here the broad beam, carry handle, ability to be stood or hung and absence of rings and holes makes it actually useful in the home like taking the rubbish out.
And indoor dark places like the garage or loft
When I bought my last one the person selling it didn't even know it was a torch! So keep a look out. They are not too expensive and they are a bit of history to boot. I'm using mine a fair bit and in fact have picked up a few types over the summer. Some have a lenses front and some have a matte reflector for an even softer beam. I could put an LED in I suppose but the reflectors are set up for a bulb so it's not optimal.
Hope you enjoyed something a bit different.
These are high quality and yet not that expensive today - this one was £4.50. It has a distinct look with the punched reflector and lacquered fruitwood body. Batteries are no longer available but they were 4.5 Volts so I rigged up a battery pack and regulator to preserve the original bulb.
And on powering it up and looking into the reflector you can see the vintage bulb filament and 'fireball' effect that the dimples have.
The switch on the top offers 'lockout', 'momentary', and permanently on. Its quite straightforward but fairly crude. But it works!
So are these lights still useful a century on? Well I say yes...with a couple of reservations. Firstly the beam is soft and wide.
So for walking it's not that good. Better than a mobile phone though!
But it comes to life for tasks. Here the broad beam, carry handle, ability to be stood or hung and absence of rings and holes makes it actually useful in the home like taking the rubbish out.
And indoor dark places like the garage or loft
When I bought my last one the person selling it didn't even know it was a torch! So keep a look out. They are not too expensive and they are a bit of history to boot. I'm using mine a fair bit and in fact have picked up a few types over the summer. Some have a lenses front and some have a matte reflector for an even softer beam. I could put an LED in I suppose but the reflectors are set up for a bulb so it's not optimal.
Hope you enjoyed something a bit different.
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