Light for Arthritis Results

lahjik

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 12, 2004
Messages
83
Location
Western NY
This post is sort of a review, but it also follow a previous thread on here about lights for someone with arthritis. If it should be in the review section, sorry and please move. Thanks!

Now on to the lights. After many comments and suggestions (thanks everyone!) I purchased a number of lights to try and find the perfect light for my wife's grandmother (GM). Said GM turned 90 in December and has pretty bad arthritis in her hands. She also lives alone on the side of a hill out in the middle of nowhere in western NY right on Keuka Lake. During the summer people are around, but in the winter nobody is there and it gets rather dark rather a lot. The challenge was to find a flashlight that she could opperate even with arthritis. Ideally, the light would use a standard battery so a visitor could find a spare and change it, and/or have very nice runtime. The light would need to be small and light (no 2D lights need apply) so she could carry it and acutally have it if she needed it ever. Based on research and recomendations, the following lights were purcahsed and taken for testing by the GM:

NightBuster KlikIt
PrincetonTec EclipseII
PALight Sure
NightCutter 5LED SportLight
EternaLight Derringer


(Sorry for no pics, I will sit down to learn that sometime, but I wanted to get this posted as it had been awhile due to some shipping problems.)

Let me start with the NightBuster KilkIt available from GlowBug. I was lured by the description of a pocket light that didn't require a constant on press (impossible with arthritis) yet ddn't use the standard spring-action switch. The push through is an interesting concept, but hardly "syringe" action like described in the notes. I did some tests to try to guesstimate the lbs of pressure to activate the switches before taking them to GM for her to try. I couldn't find something small enough to balance on the switch but heavy enough to engage it. My estimate is it takes at least 10-15 lbs of pressure to turn it on (a bit less to turn off). No fear of this coming on in the pocket, but oh my aching thumb after trying the switch 3 times in a row! Needless to say, this one didn't even get taken to the big test. Final thought: interesting light, new switch, better do some serious thumb wrestleing to build up the muscles before trying to turn it on!

Next I took a hard look at the PrincetonTec Eclipse II. I actually had purchased mine as part of a gift set from L.L.Bean with the Eclipse and a Leatherman Squirt S4. They are also available from many other retailers. The switch was easier to activate than the KilkIt (about 5lbs of pressure?) and the interface wasn't too difficult if you remembered to wait 2 seconds before you click again to turn it off. The light also has an auto-off feature which is nice for eldery. Upon taking it down to GM, however, she had a hard time holding onto something that small. She also had some difficulty with the switch as it is small, recessed, and was too stiff. On to the next...

In researching on Google, the only light I could find that actually advertised itself as being good for those with arthritis was the PALight. An odd html_template on their site claims that it works nicely for those who "have arthritis or are a senior." Nice claim, but will it stand up in this test? In the end, the light was selected as a possiblitity not because of manufacturer claims, but for the size, shape, battery life, and auto-off feature (on the Sure that I found at GlowBug (on Sale for $14 now). Also, for people who suffer from arthritis, the soft covering and bulky shape can help them maintain a hold. The 9-volt, when replaced with a lithium, would provide plenty of battery life. First the pressure test. From what I could tell, the PAL took about the same ammount of pressure as the Eclipse, but the switch is recessed with a rubber ring around it. I didn't think the switch was near lose enough to require this protection in a casual environment. When I took it to GM to try, she really liked the shape, size, and weight. It is a very easy-holding light. She didn't like the switch, or the beam (this thing really has NO useable sidespill). But wait...I had two more lights to try!

As a bit of a control light, and to check on twisties vs clickies, I brought along my NightCutter 5LED SportLight I recently got from PocketLights. The light pattern is very similar to the Inova X5 though mine is a bit green. The light uses a twisty head though, which makes it not quite an inch shorter and about $15 cheaper. 2xCR123 gives the light very nice runtime, and I could leave spares in case she ever went through 80 hours in the next 10 years. The test would be gripping and turning the head. It turned out that she was not able to easily grip and turn. This light has very subtle knurling that doesn't provide much traction. Gripping the two parts and the turning took movements that were uncomfortable and, to my eyes, very uncoordinated. GM also said that wrapping her hand around the smaller rounded barrel was more difficult than holding the PAL. Well, there was one light left.

Of course, I saved the one I figured would be the winner for last! Many MANY thanks to Doug Owen for his recommendation (And then another with more detail after I questioned it!) of the EternaLight Derringer from TechAss. As soon as I took it out of the package, I knew this would be the one. The light is just the right size to hold comfortably in the palm without having to wrap and grip with the fingers. The single switch is placed in the middle of the light where the thumb naturally rests. It also has a wide slot at the back for a lanyard and is light enough for her to carry around on her neck if needed. The switch on the Derringer was the only one to pass my test (balancing a small statue of about 1lb in weight on the switch). The light uses 3-AAA batteries and has a trapdoor for changing them without unscrewing the case.

I was a bit concerned about the interface to the light, clicks and presses and multiple modes. Even though GM will never use the red led modes, the inclusion of the red led makes the other modes easier to use. I was able to give her a simplified interface:
1) press to get light, stop pressing for dark
2) press until the red light comes on to have it stay on
3) press and hold until it turns off to turn it off
This means the light stays in timer mode in case she turns it on and forgets about it. On a future trip down, I will show her how to go the one step from timer to full on.

So, final recommendation for a light for an eldery person with arthritis, fully tested and endorsed by my wife's 90 year old grandmother, is the EternaLight Derringer.

Thanks for all who offered suggestions and help with this. Please note that links to dealers are simply where I found information on or purcahsed the light. I will have to learn how to post pictures soon so I can show the happy new flashlight owner!

Chris
 
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