I think many people have flashlights, here in the US, but I'd also say that many of those flashlight owners have flashlights with dead or low batteries. I was very happy one time to actually have a flashlight in my car. I was thirty miles away from home, late a night, and for some reason I couldn't drive with my lights on. I got my flashlight out and used so I could see the road by holding it out the window. Whenever there was an oncoming car, I would temporarily turn the headlights on, then turn them back off.
I also remember another time previous to that when the sky was cloudy, and it was late. There wasn't a light anywhere around. I had to change a flat literally by feel. A blind man probably could have done it faster. I sure wished I had a flashlight then. It was one of the main reasons I kept one in the car, later. You never know when you will need a flashlight!
BTW, I didn't know lithium batteries were rechargeable. That's one good thing in its favor. I imagine I'll still keep the cheapy shake light, just the same. But it would not have worked in the situation I mentioned earlier, with such a puny light.
Years later, I got pretty wise about flashlights. For awhile, I worked for a security company as a guard. I was not happy with the brightness and spot quality with many flashlights. I went to a nice customer-friendly store where the owner allowed me to test flashlights for the qualities I wanted and got a very nice flashlight which I was completely happy with. It produced a nice smooth spot and I could shine it at a building half a city block away and see what I wanted to see. Sadly, I lost it and don't remember what the brand name was.
