Advice on Emergency LED flaslight please

Does anyone know of a flashlight that has the features listed below?

-Must use one or more white LED's
-Must be solar and/or hand powered
-Must be waterproof
-Must float in water

I'm trying to find a flashlight to include in my emergency kit. The only flashlight that comes to mind is the Nightstar. Anyone know of a less expensive alternative, other than Shake Lights or Forever Lights?

Thanks
StayInTheLight

Skip the solar/hand powered and use lithium instead. Many more options available then. Lithiums store about 10 years and withstand cold and heat very well.

How about the Freelights? Or is it called Swisslight? Countycomm has them for about $15 a pop I think... not sure about whether its waterproof or not though.

But PhotonBoy is right, lithium lights make for good backup lights, I'd suggest a twistie type with as little rubber parts as possible. Only reason I say that is that in hot weather like over here, rubber parts deteriorate faster somehow... Something like a X5t maybe? Its got long runtime and is water resistant...

Oh and I forgot.. something smaller would be a Infinity Ultra/Ultra G or Arc AA with Lithium batts would probably do the trick as well...

Thanks for the reply PhotonBoy. I'm considering all the options available for emergency lighting. Solar/hand powered is one option I am exploring. I'm looking for a light that I do not have to replace batteries in over and over again.

Stanley,

I like the Swisslight. The only thing is, as you mentioned, it may not be waterproof or float. The other issue is the lack of a constant on switch.

Try the Tek-tite Trek Lithium. I'm not sure whether it floats, but it's very tough and waterproof, and can run for something like two hundred hours on a special battery with 20 year shelf life. It's probably the most extreme light of this type that you can find.

In more practical terms, though, I'd say use a more conventional light, attach a lanyard and a float to it if you feel you need to, and check the battery once a year when you check your emergency kit.

A solar powered light in an emergency kit is kind of a silly idea. It's going to be stored in the dark for years, so you'll have to charge it up before you can use it, and if it's a bad-weather type of emergency, you won't have much sunlight.

I think the Eternalight Marine with Lithiums will float and with its adjustable output should last a very, very long time on lithiums. Should be great for this use. EternaLight Marine

I'm not aware of any other LEDs that float.

I think paulr makes a valid point about maintaining charge in an emergency light. The variable power lights have a rechargeable battery, usually charged by hand, solar or DC, or a combination of the three. It would be a major task to top off this emergency light regularly, and from no charge, it would be a pain to hand crank it up, in the dark.

Also, having multiple power generating sources, especially redundant ones (I have one from Sharper Image that has hand crank, solar panel and DC transformer) will make it heavy and mechanically/electronically complicated. This light I have will never float, nor will that Grundig with the hand crank (it's not solar). The regular eternalights only float with lightweight lithiums in them, and those are pretty light torches to start with.

So, it seems for most situations, long-lasting lithiums might be the best solution, paired with an LED. While the Marine is designed for boaters, the Ergo Xray has more features, like the locator flash function. Just have a goodly supply of batteries on hand!

daloosh

If you do decide that Lithiums are an alternative to your stated requirements, I can suggest the Inova 24/7. I have one in my emergency kit, and I think (I have not actually tested it) that it meets all of your requirements except for the one stipulating solar power / hand power. In my opinion it is an excellent multi purpose light that not only has a long run time (depending on which function is used, an extremely long run time), but will also store well for long periods due to its compact size and the nature of the single lithium battery that powers it. It also gives off a credible amount of usable light, and it gives a diverse array of lighting options (which in my opinion is always handy when thinking in terms of an emergency light)

You can also try a bag of keychain lights from www.countycomm.com
These are about $20 for 20 of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
These come with lithium coin cells and can be kept in a variety of places. (one or more has gotta still work when the going gets tuff) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

StayInThe Light
Your question is Very Relevant but the Requirements may be a little Dubious.This might help you.
I took an EM course last year and came away with the conclusion that the best emergency tool is not the same as the best survival tool.The contexts are different, even as they are overlaping.
Here are the emergency tool requirements:
EM tool...
1)At hand when an emergency occurs- allowing for near instant response
2)Withstands the emmediate challenges of the specific emergency (Flood, Fire, etc..)
3)Takes the longest forecast emergency duration into consideration.
Now here are the survival tool requirements
1) Ensures total independence from outside assistance
3)Takes longest forecasted survival duration into consideration
4) Assumes a generic context or specific context depending on the survivor. In other words, what are you trying to survive?
In your case, my guessed predicament would be a flood or boating incident requiring a long period on open water or near open water without assistance from rescue or infrastructure.
The Solar Multi-Purpose Flashlight Warning Light & Charger- Special Sale: $19.95 http://store.sundancesolar.com/inhanpowflas.html
or...Micro Forever LED Flashlight $24.95 http://store.sundancesolar.com/mifoledflnob.html seem to fit the bill. My money would go into the Micro Forever since it doesn't require sunshine at all-a welcome feature if you've been trapped in a cave and are treading water for days on end with no sunshine in sight! For those extended open air survival or camping excursions, you might consider a Luxeon 2AA or 3AA flashlight ( of which there are many to choose from) and a flexible Solar Panel Charger.$39.95 No floatability here, but hey...you can easily make anything float if you stick into the right container, or attach a chunk of expanded polyeurethane or other floatable to a lanyard.
http://store.sundancesolar.com/flsobachfor4.html
Just so you know, I have both EM & Survival Plans as well as EDC 'tools'. My EM tools are response specific. My Survival Gear changes based on my context and forecast. I sometimes move gear from one category to another but each 'Go/Jump' bad and Survival stash has dedicated tools as well. Probably my most versatile Go/Jump kit is a 'Photojournalist or Safari Vest that is loaded to go at Tier 1- my bedroom. I can live out of that vest in any situation for 4 days and light my way for 7 nights.Tier 2 is my car, Tier 3 my basement and Tier 4- is Unspecified.FYI- The web is full of excellent resources, including CPF for answering all your EM & Survival question. Obviously, much of it is opinion related but keep an eye on FEMA.gov and related sites.
Good Luck and stay safe!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

Any flashlight will float if it's inside a clear waterproof container of some sort, (plastic ziplock baggie with some air in it, clear plastic sealed tube, a pill jar with waterproof cap, even a clean plastic peanut butter jar may work. Just add some kind of stuffing inside to hold the little bugger still and to keep from rattling around inside.
good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

ps;
If you make sure the stuffing inside can absorb condensation( gauz, bathroom tissue, cleanex, cotton balls, etc), you will be even closer to your goal

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

www.ledmuseum.net just reviewed a solar rechargeable flashlight with 6 leds in it.
Check his whats new column 3-25-04.
It was reportedly not really waterproof, but looked small enough to go inside a clear, clean plastic peanut butter jar of some kind.
With the plastic jar it's rechargeable, solar powered, floats and waterproof.
There ya go! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. You all bring up some valid points about emergency flashlights that I will surely be considering.

If I go with a flashlight that needs batteries I will go with lithiums.

I think I'll remove the requirement that it float. As paulr, Aten Imago and 3rd shift stated, nearly any flashlight can be made to float with little modification.

I think I'll also remove the requirement that it be solar.
daloosh mentioned that it will make the flashlight heavier to have both solar and hand powered. I agree.
paulr and Aten Imago mentioned that one cannot always have a solar flashlight charged and ready for immediate (and constant) use in an emergency. I agree. However, as far as I can tell a "one hand opereated" hand powered flashlight can still at least be charged on the spot for immediate use and charged over and over for continual use i.e. a Nightstar. I say "one hand operated" because I agree with daloosh that it would be a pain to crank a "two hand operated" hand powered flashlight from zero charge in the dark and in an emergency.

Keep 'em comin'

Thanks
StayInTheLight

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

I perfer two emergency lights. One with good throw and one with long life. You may need the second to find or change batteries in the first. Emergencies are seldom predictable. You may need to see far under the house in a flood, or across an attic after an earthquake. You may need to walk around quite a while in a power outage.

Of course, if there's an emergency at my house I have a mix of lights available... in every room.

Daniel

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

While not meeting the solar/crank requirement, I have the UK 2L in all cars, survival kits and emergency kits. Adding the UK eLED to it would give you a very small, waterproof, ten year shelf life LED light. However, mine sinks like a rock; something that might be acceptable with an easily attached lanyard or leash.

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

You might want to check out the Elecktrolumens Blaster-1R or Anglelux. I doubt either will float since they use heavy D-cells, but they get 24 hours of good light from a 1W Luxeon off of one pair of batteries. A spare set of D-cells should be enough to last you through most emergencies.

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

For this purpose I really Like the Elite x-Ray. It comes with lithium batteries, it floats and is very flexable. (It has a night-light feature that is very helpfull) The run time can be quite long as you can pick from many power settings.

It still may be on Sale at: Here

Re: Advice on Emergency LED flashlight please

http://flashlightreviews1.home.att.net/reviews/ait_nightstar2.htm