Need a LED light that doesn't lock on

My 4 and 2 year old kids love flashlights, probably since I'm addicted to lumens or something.

The problem with little kids is that they click them on, drop them, and leave them. Or just leave them on and sleep all night.

I'm sick of replacing batteries constanly, so I need help.

I am looking for a <$20 LED light that only has a momentary switch. You have to hold the button to have it on. As soon as you let go, I want the light to shut off. Cheaper the better since they'll probably lose them eventually. AA or AAA batteries preferred, and brightness isn't an issue. I don't care if it is 5 lumens, we're going for runtime here.

Please let me know if ANYONE makes cheap lights that DON'T lock on.

Thank you for your help everyone!

DD

I'm sure you could modify the switch on a DX light or some other light that you might own that have a clicky.

Get a MiniMag and put a Nite-Ize IQ tailcap switch on it. It automatically turns off after 14 minutes if not reactivated.

Get a Nightstar shake light. Powered by shaking, no batteries, sealed shut so no parts to swallow.

paulr said:

Get a Nightstar shake light. Powered by shaking, no batteries, sealed shut so no parts to swallow.

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LOL! They will be shaking all night and never go to sleep.

No no it's powered by a capacitor and has an on/off switch like a regular flashlight. You shake it up and down to charge the capacitor. 30 seconds of shaking will run the light for 5-10 minutes. Very well made light, a friend of mine has one. There are also cheaper imitations that might suffice though they're relative junk.

paulr said:

No no it's powered by a capacitor and has an on/off switch like a regular flashlight. You shake it up and down to charge the capacitor. 30 seconds of shaking will run the light for 5-10 minutes. Very well made light, a friend of mine has one. There are also cheaper imitations that might suffice though they're relative junk.

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That sounds like that would work well for what he wants.

I've tried shake lights, but I think the ones we had were generic junk. They stopped working after a few months of kid use.

I tell ya, if you ever want to test the durability of something, tell your kids to "have at it."

How about cheap squeeze lights that don't stay on and that I can replace the batteries in? Any decent little lights that are usually for keychain use?

How about a dynamo squeeze light?

The only suitable coin light I can think of is the CMG O-4 momentary version that might be hard to find by now. It is squeeze only, and you can only replace the cells by taking it apart with a jewelers' screwdriver. There is also the Photon 1, but that has a battery cover that can be popped off with a fingernail if you're persistent. If a 2 year old somehow gets the batteries out of a coin light, s/he will eat them, not a good idea.

I'd say your best bet is a long running AA light, powered by a rechargeable. If they leave it on all night, so what, just charge them up again. Something like an xnova (Chinese 1aa light with five 5mm leds, I got mine for about $3) would probably be fine.

Fauxtons?

Google for:

"shake light" fake

Info on identifying the fakes and on salvaging materials from them,
Ebay bulletins, state consumer agency bulletins, blog warnings, etc.

A lot of fakes were sold that were built with a cheap little coin cell battery and a LED, and a lump of nothing in the tube. No magnet (that's a clue) and nothing connected to the spiral of wire or string or whatever was embedded in the plastic case. Utter fraudulent crap.

The real ones worked and are a good idea.

I haven't seen them in a while but Dorcy made/makes 1AA and 2AA lights SIMILAR to the 1AAA at Walmart.

Something like that with a screw to lock the cap in place?

Nightstars are great quality, both build and component. But they are pretty dim, even charged up it's more like moonlight than flashlight.

How about a surefire 6P or pelican M6? The tail cap doesn't allow the light to click on. I know it has constant on when you twist the tail cap but maybe your kids won't figure that out.

Ducati said:

How about a surefire 6P or pelican M6? The tail cap doesn't allow the light to click on. I know it has constant on when you twist the tail cap but maybe your kids won't figure that out.

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A 2x123 powered tactical incandescent for a 2 year old??!!!! Interesting idea .

Why not just use rechargable batteries?

paulr said:

. If a 2 year old somehow gets the batteries out of a coin light, s/he will eat them, not a good idea.
.

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Or get choked on the small light altogether. Stick with bigger lights for kids.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/119148

I've got a bunch of these lights and most have been updated with LEDs. Fades off when not squeezed.

paulr said:

I'd say your best bet is a long running AA light, powered by a rechargeable. If they leave it on all night, so what, just charge them up again. Something like an xnova (Chinese 1aa light with five 5mm leds, I got mine for about $3) would probably be fine.

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That's a good idea. I hadn't considered going rechargable.