CCrane "Flickering Electric Candle"

Anybody have any experience with this light?

Flickering Candle

Is it as realistic as Ccrane depicts?

At $250 for 6 of those electric "candles," I'd need a really good reason not to use good old-fashioned regular wax candles.

It doesn't seem realistic to me. The description says you don't have to worry about smoke or fire. Sounds to me like it simulates a candle that ain't on fire. A flashlight with dead batteries could do that. I'd put a smiley here, but I'm inept.

Years ago in a hobby electronics magazine there was an article for a "realistic bolier fire simulator" for model steam trains. Using two yellow, one red and one amber LED, plus some simple electronickery, it supposedly flickered and looked like the real thing. Cost under a tenner to make, plus a little extra for a battery if you weren`t going to hook it to the power inside your model train.

So why so expensive? Gotta be the rechargeable power system. If you`ve met a Mathmos Bubble you`ll know how much extra a rechargeable power system can add to a fun novelty. 3 inch silicone glob wiht a few LEDs inside that costs more than a SureFire E2 does. And it doesn`t even pretend to be anything! Just a glowing glob.

I can see where those things might be used - restaurants, etc. No fire risk, no liability issues, totally reusable night after night with no wear and tear.
Maybe in quake-prone areas where gas supplies might get ruptured. The last thing you want is a room full of burning wax things when a gas main fails.....

But still too pricey.

Haz NE1 scene won of these kool things:

http://www.norexbuydirect.com/candle.htm

Theese are lectronical candels thst look pretty kule.

Eye have know experience with them, but they certainly rised up my curiousness, sew two speak.

Buy the weigh, they are more cheeper to.

e-

Also useful for people with cats that insist on knocking everything remotely breakable I put out...

I'm less interested in the rechargeable action of them though, how about ones that just plug into wall worts? Perhaps their regular candles that take AAA batts for only $18 could be adapted.

Ah, so many projects

EDIT: I knew I had seen a similar circuit somewhere, for the die hard do-it-yourselfers try this:

http://www.fiberopticillumination.com/flame.htm

Well, cheaper than a house fire, and maybe more attractive than a lava lamp. I kinda like the idea, wish somebody made a fake fireplace.