Back Up Lighting Source

Ever get caught without your EDC in a power failure in a windowless room? Ever have your EDC's batteries fail and need a little light to make the change? (Yes, I know most of us carry multiple lights!)

Many of us already have an alternate light source. We just do not think of it that way. If your cell phone has a display and / or maybe even just a lighted keyboard you can flip it open. It will give you a surprising amount of nice floody light (After your eyes adjust for a few seconds) to get you out of trouble or change those batteries.

Because I may have to make night calls with little warning I always keep the cell phone backlighting in "always on" mode and well charged. The amount of light it gives off was a welcome surprise for me so I thought I would pass the thought along.

Hello Alan,

How old are you? I hear this crap from you youngest son all the time. He tells me that he doesn't need to carry a flashlight because he has his phone.

Actually, the cell phone display is a very good back up light. It is amazing how well you can see with it.

I did get my son to join me in taking an over exposed picture of the sky. I figure if you need a lot of light you can always display that picture.

The purist in me will always grab a flashlight, but it is comforting to know that I have a back up handy.

Tom

<< How old are you? I hear this crap from you youngest son all the time. He tells me that he doesn't need to carry a flashlight because he has his phone. >>

ROFL! Young I am not. I prefer to think of my 49 past years as providing me with a well experienced background. If your son feels that his cell phone is a suitable replacement for a flashlight, he has either VERY good eyes or a VERY bright cell phone!

To be clear for those who may not have one, the light from a cell phone will provide you with very short range flood style illumination......enough light to safely navigate with caution, replace batteries or a burned out incan bulb, read something, etc... I would not want to be caught in a critical situation and have to rely on that small amount of life to get by.

It occurred to me before that the light from your digicam's LCD screen would also serve in an emergency. Most can be adjusted somewhat for brightness and would last for an hour or more.

Geoff

i consider my cell as a backup too but not the screen. there are 2 leds built in for the camera but function. works very well. it even strobes sos.

The lights I EDC are more reliable than my phone, but that is good thinking to use something for other than its intended use, that is a good survival mindset.

I'm embarrassed to say that I have used the light from my ipod in my car a couple of time when I was too lazy to reach in my pocket for my EDC or into the glove box for my car light.

i have one of those PDA/phone combo's, so huge screen, with lots of light (well, compared to other phone's at least). But it also has a sort-of flash thingy built in for the camera, and unlike with most camera's, it can be switched to constant on! It's about as bright as my 7x 5mm LED flashlight.
so no, sadly it's not as bright as a real camera flash thingy (carbon arc?), i suppose it's a LED, but it's definately enough to find your way in a darkened windowless environment (like a large supermarket or mall).

My backup light source:



The phone is the backup backup.

Isn't this the Fauxton keyring lights are made for?

Fauxton tied on to the lanyard on my ever-present folding knife.

--Mike L.

My EDC is the Fenix L1D-CE, if that gets left behind its then my key chain light
Fenix LOD-CE, if the battery dies its then a match

<< The lights I EDC are more reliable than my phone, but that is good thinking to use something for other than its intended use, that is a good survival mindset. >>


Thanx Leukos. That was my basic point. What I was trying to say originally (but really did not do very well) was that many of us carry an alternate light source that we could use in a worst case scenario. The trick is to think of it as a light source, which most people might not.

Hm... my sony ericsson W800i has a 2-LED light on the back that can be switched to constant on for this purpose and it's surprisingly bright, I didn't think of that!

I also have a green tritium vial on my keyring but somehow I doubt I could even get a beamshot...

When I go out, there are always many Chinese Protons clipped to many zippers of my clothes and bags. Also if I am out in the wilderness, I always carry a winder light in addition to my better lights. So, even all else failed I would not be left in the dark. Finger crossed, I never had to use the winder yet.

There are about...ten separate Facebook groups titled 'I use my phone as a flashlight'.
And one 'I use my flashlight as a phone' for the noncomformists.