Pak-light?

Just wondering how you who own them, like them?

Thinking about making them my "one in each room for emergency light", lights.

Pros, cons? Color preferred? Thanks

Check out the Palights from either Wit here or EDC Depot.
They come in different color LED's.
Everybody around my place loves them.
The blue tint is good for not disturbing people and you have enought light to navigate.
White one bright enough for almost any job.
With magnet and clip, can be used like headliamp of stuck on something metallic.
(Emergency car repairs, etc.)
I gave out more than a dozen for Christmas.

I have the new one with brighter leds,and two basic models,just on and off.All have white leds,I like them as a back up light,seems people around here love or hate these things.They are some what expensive for what it is,but they do what is expected of them.I have quite a few versions of the Palite,a good light also,but some what bigger.You can find the basic Pak-lite on line for as little as $10.

We have a few Palights around the house, they are used as night lights

(OOOooooops - I see your title says "Pak-light" NOT "PALight"...my post is in reference to the "PALights".)

Definitely worthy lights to have stashed around the house & in emergency kits!!

We've got several different models stashed all around the house, on nightstands, & in power outage/emergency kits.

I like the older circuitry of the "Selector" model (hold down the power switch and it cycles 7 levels of brightness from dim to brightest)...however I really like the beam on the newest ones!!

Still any of them are great for what I've described above!

Wits' End is definitely selling them at a good price with the CPF logo on them!

I've had one of these for a couple of months. I have the new brighter model with the glow cap. I have also been a long-time fan of the Palights. The Pak Lite is indeed a simple device, but it is such a good idea that it's hard to beat. Yes, you could build a homemade equivalent (I've made several), but not with a custom molded cap/housing as well as a tiny recessed switch.

The form factor is probably what makes this the most attractive. It is MUCH smaller to carry in your pocket than any of the Palight models. It shares an incredible battery life with the Palight and (on the more expensive model) offers two lighting levels.

You can probably tell that I like the light a lot. It is expensive (if you pay full price) relative to what it probably costs to make, but the end result is a uniquely useful light that is very easy to carry with you.

Mark

Mrs Umbra and I have a few of them. We like them very much. We've also given away a few to techies and friends and they have all just loved them. My favorite is the Original (MIL) model in turquoise. Mrs Umbra uses one of the new SUPER Pak-Lites at work. It's pretty cool since the bright level is twice as bright as the bright Original model but they wisely left the dim level of the SUPERs the same as in the Originals. For dim light lovers it's great as runtime won't change much for those who would normally run it on low anyway -- but the high is still twice as bright as the Original for those times when it's needed. The best of both worlds.

I've never bought a battery for a Pak-Lite. I always remove the new one included with each new Pak-Lite for eventual smoke alarm duty. If you change out your smoke alarm batteries twice a year when the time changes, each unit will give you two 9V batteries for your Pak-Lite. One of Pak-Lite's customers from Brazil wrote them and said that he uses their lights for very frequent power failures. He reported that he still got 125 hours runtime from each used battery pulled from a smoke alarm after six months service.

I used my turquoise Original a great deal in the six week power outage that follower Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. I'm a believer.

All the testimonies and reviews convinced me how great it is, but I can't get over the price. I'm all for small businesses, but paying nearly thirty dollars for something so simple is is nuts. And that's the standard price, I've yet to find a lower one for any model. Umbra's testimonies has me twitching for a turqoise model of any kind, but that price I could get three Photon Freedoms from batteryjunctions in the same color. My Safe-Light has me set for a long blackout, but every time I see a lonely 9V I picture how a Pak-lite would look on it.

I'll agree totally with you Alex!! I sure wish they would offer us a DEAL!! I'm sure they would sell plenty here!

Forget about the price. It's a bit much, I agree, but there's not a smaller light with more runtime available. At least one of these is essential for emergencies, IMHO.

It took me a little while to decide on a Pak-Lite, but once I did, I'm glad I went for it.

Pak-Lite "Super" here, with white LEDs and the black cap.

It's so simple and effective that it has found its way into my EDC bag. $25 is really not that bad for something that will probably outlast any owner. Go for it, you won't regret the purchase.

I too, like Sigman and AlexSchira, would love a Pak-light, but the prices they're sold at seem ridiculous for a little circuit and two LED's. I'd love to see a group buy with heavy discounts.... hint hint.

For that much money, I expect at least an LED shroud of some kind with a lithium battery coming standard. I admire the simplicity and efficiency of the design, but charging so much for circuity and Lexan molding smaller than two sugar cubes is a big enough turnoff that I have to pass on it.

I understand that it's literally a mom and pop business, a family of hikers came up with it and I believe I read that they make the things themselves at their home. This explains the high prices, we're paying for hand-made goods. They try to be as self-depedent as possible, explaining the nature of the product and their business beliefs.

That's great and all, they really lucked out with the military endorsement, but with the Safe-Lights out on the market the Pak-Lite isn't worth the extra cash. As much as I like supporting smaller companies with amazing ideas like this...For twenty five bucks, I could either walk away with two super bright Safe-Lights and two red- Safe-Lights from EDCdepot, or a single white Pak-lite. That's four extremely long-running, durable lights with multiple brightness modes and full warranties versus a single two-stage LED pair that leaves both the power source and LEDs completely unrprotected. That's the better model. The basic model in the same price range of the Safe-light...the company itself has said the switch is defective and it should only be used in emergencies, only the expensive models have the improved switch design.

If they were the same price, I'd buy one of each regardless of the feature comparison because of the Pak-lites sheer simplicity and size, plus the added runtime. But as things stand, I can't bring myself to buy one or recommend some one else to. I doubt a group buy would ever be possible, at this rate we'll never see discounted prices period because of the nature of the company. I'd mention the CPF-Custom Safe-Lights, but I feel bad enough making all these comparisons as it is.

Cute idea, price is ridiculous. Also I don't see any point to a teeny tiny household emergency light that doesn't have to be EDC'd. The getting-to-be-standard 3AA powered resistor limited 4-LED light (e.g. Tektite Trek 40 at the high end, various Chinese models at the cheap end) seems just perfect as a long running household light. For a small light to drop in a BOB, try a Gerber IU or other 1AA or 1AAA light, or some Chinese Photon II clones (these will produce usable light for days nonstop). If you really want a 9V candle and have a soldering iron, just use two leds and a resistor and the battery clip from a spent 9V battery. Cost should be under a dollar, especially if you don't bother with an on-off switch (just unclip it to turn it off).

X-tremegeek.com has the basic model for $10.

AlexSchira said:

...Umbra's testimonies has me twitching for a turqoise model of any kind, but that price I could get three Photon Freedoms from batteryjunctions in the same color...

Click to expand...

That's a pretty compelling price. I stocked up on the NV Green ones from him last year.

Agreed that the PakLights are expensive. Why not try the "Safe-Light"? Same principle - use a normal 9V battery and an LED or two. The Safe-Light has a rubberized case with a magnet, protected LED (bright) with multiple levels, and at a lower cost. I have both styles - they serve different purposes. The Safe-Light is larger though.

For a sample vendor website other than the manufacturer, try here:

http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=291&Page=2

Tim

I've had a Pak-Light for several years (when there was only one model). Makes a GREAT nite light in the "LO" mode. The silly little thing runs FOREVER on a akaline 9v batery.

I own several Safelights and a couple Pak-lights. Although they are both cool, IMHO there is no way to beat the Pak-light. Nevermind the price, it's simplicity makes it worth every cent. The ones I own are the Super, lithium battery and glow cap. I have found that the cap is still glowing well into the morning (plenty bright enough to find it). The Safelight is fine but I find it to be too dim and too bulky. It does make a good travel night light I suppose, but the Pak is still better!

I just came back from doing the laundry and I accidentally ran a Pak-Lite SUPER through a full wash and full dry. The battery was toast. I plugged in another used battery and the light is like new.