Lord Muzzy
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2014
- Messages
- 94
I was a flashlight fan ever since I can remember (although we called 'em torches where I come from..) There was always an old disused railway tunnel or air raid shelter to explore, :candle: or a Dandy or Beano comic to read under the bed sheets, or just for a camp out in someones back garden..
The trouble was the torches/flashlights available at the time were not that much better than a candle or a traditional burning torch (a stick with cloth and scavenged pieces of plastic or anything else we could find which would burn and give off a few lumens and of course toxic fumes :sick2 plus any torches owned were pretty much redundant after the first outing due to lack of funds for replacement batteries..
Then came LED's... Every new LED torch that came out I would buy off online auction sites with 6... then 9... 12... 16 LED's!!! They looked so cool and were advertised as for 'emergency services' and 'law enforcement' and made of 'military grade aluminium' (whatever that is?!)
Again though, a traditional burning torch (see above) had more throw. So although blinding to look directly at, they could only just about light your feet up. :thumbsdow
Then one day in a gadget shop in Scarborough (Yorkshire, UK) I came across a single emitter Luxeon LED flashlight 3 watt with 80 lumens (didn't understand the tech detail but sounded promising..) reduced to £10 only in a sale I had to have it...
Fitted the single AA battery when I got home and waited for dark.. Darkness eventually fell and... It actually lit up the corner of my garden nearly 20 foot away!!!
I was hooked and ever since then have been following all the forums waiting for the latest and greatest LED's/torches/flashlights to be revealed for my dark busting pleasure..
This is my first 'real' LED light and is still in active service on standby in the kitchen drawer with a fresh AA and will be for as long as it still works.
The trouble was the torches/flashlights available at the time were not that much better than a candle or a traditional burning torch (a stick with cloth and scavenged pieces of plastic or anything else we could find which would burn and give off a few lumens and of course toxic fumes :sick2 plus any torches owned were pretty much redundant after the first outing due to lack of funds for replacement batteries..
Then came LED's... Every new LED torch that came out I would buy off online auction sites with 6... then 9... 12... 16 LED's!!! They looked so cool and were advertised as for 'emergency services' and 'law enforcement' and made of 'military grade aluminium' (whatever that is?!)
Again though, a traditional burning torch (see above) had more throw. So although blinding to look directly at, they could only just about light your feet up. :thumbsdow
Then one day in a gadget shop in Scarborough (Yorkshire, UK) I came across a single emitter Luxeon LED flashlight 3 watt with 80 lumens (didn't understand the tech detail but sounded promising..) reduced to £10 only in a sale I had to have it...
Fitted the single AA battery when I got home and waited for dark.. Darkness eventually fell and... It actually lit up the corner of my garden nearly 20 foot away!!!
I was hooked and ever since then have been following all the forums waiting for the latest and greatest LED's/torches/flashlights to be revealed for my dark busting pleasure..
This is my first 'real' LED light and is still in active service on standby in the kitchen drawer with a fresh AA and will be for as long as it still works.
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