Why are they called "flashlights"? Actually that is a popular name used in the United States and Canada. Most of the rest of the world call it a "torch" or an "electric torch". Being called a "torch is understandable since that is the light source it replaced but it could just as well have been called a "candle". It was patented in the U.S. in 1898 by an Englishman (David Misell) and he called it an "Electric Device" a pretty broad term covering a lot of devices including battery powered personal vibrators. We still have those dry cells (usually called flashlight batteries, a misnomer as explained here) around and they are usually the cheapest available. You'll see them a lot around Christmas called "heavy duty" and touted as bargains. They are not bargains. They have poor shelf life and are usually worn out by the day after Christmas. They have a tendency to go bad and ruin whatever device they are left in. When I get a device that has them included I replace them with something a little more reliable. I use the cheapos up in something that I use a lot like my day to day flashlights (yes I have them, especially in winter with failing light. I have old eyes that need a lot of bright light) and in my shop music player and radio. No cell is finished here until it is really used up. When the cheapos are used up I switch to Ni-Mh rechargeable's for these devices. For the occasionally used backup flashlights I use Alkaline cells for their long shelf life which is easily two years. In this damp climate even if they don't leak they are likely to develop corrosion because of the dissimilar metals so at least once a year I have to clean them up inside.
I cleaned one today that the batteries had been in for about two years and used only when the power is out. The batteries measured the same as new under load but the metal contacts were green. Green does not transmit electricity. Works fine now.
Incandescent flashlights. Some are mini bulb and some are standard. From left to right a head lamp, single cell mini, two cell standard, two lantern/flash light combo lights and the old standard two D cell incandescent that I think of as "the Flashlight". That last one is one of two that the plastic case failed and the spring inside pushed the end out. I have had this one 15 years. The other one disassembled itself after about 25 years. The rest are still in use.They use batteries up pretty fast and the bulbs though pretty rugged tend to fail when you need them. I have had flash lights that come with a spare bulb in the end cap so it was a known problem.
I used a relatively expensive rubber encased flashlights as the primary on my boat. Sorry I don't have a picture. These rugged flashlights were a very visible bright yellow and had guts that came out through the lens end. The switch was simple and not made of dissimilar metals so it never corroded. I further waterproofed them by putting a stainless hose clamp around the lens that was the only way in and out. I used these lights under water several times for jobs such as removing rope from the prop and shaft at night. That's another story I'll tell at another time. I kept these flashlights in fresh batteries at all times and stowed them around the boat in clips so that I could get to them if the boat was upside down. At least I would have light while I drowned.
These are the latest generation of flashlights using led and small batteries. They are really bright and unless you do something stupid almost never burn out. I have found the batteries to last an incredibly long time even if left on continuously. I had a three led with three AAA cells on for three days and it was still providing usable light in the aftermath of hurricane Gustav.
The price on these has come down dramatically in the last couple of years. I bought a 3 led for about $10.00 about five years ago and that was the cheapest I could find. The three on the left are 9 led's and they were $2.00 USD a piece at the Family Dollar Store with 3 heavy duty AAA cells. I see that Harbor Freight has them two for $4.99 +shipping and handling ($7.95). They are really bright and I now have them stashed every where I might need them. They are bright enough that at the speed I ride I could use them as a bike light.
The yellow 6 inch rule is for scale.
The red flashlight to the right of the rule is an Energizer and as I wrote in a prior post is an over priced waste of money. If you touch it the batteries are likely to fall out, if it's damp it will quit working all together and the rubber that encased the body rotted away after one year. It has a single led in the end that's good for about 10 feet (3meters). The only good thing is the tiny florescent in the side will run forever I guess on a set of cells (4AA). I had two but I disassembled one that quit working for parts.
The one on the right is the latest and is my primary flashlight now. It's the Ultra Bright 4W LED that is said to last for 100,000 hours. It's a Ray O Vac SE4W3C Sportsman Xtreme. Its water resistant, yields 150 lumens and they use to say the case was titanium. Powered by 3 C-cells Runtime: 100 Hrs. C-cells are a size I avoid because they cost as much as D-cells and don't have near the power. The good thing about this size is it's the same length as AA-cells and by wrapping the AA-cells with tape or cutting strips out of a discarded cereal box to fatten them up a little so they can be used. The performance will be the same just with a shorter life. This flash lite is very bright and will put a spot bright enough to upset a cat several hundred feet away. I believe it is bright enough to damage you eyes if looked at directly at close range.
The only problem I have found is possibly the switch. This flashlight was given to me for parts because it didn't work. The man who gave it to me called the company (Ray-O-Vac) and they sent him a new one. I took it apart to see what the problem was and found the switch melted. After determining that the flashlight was otherwise fine I called the company and they said it has a lifetime guaranty, send it in and we'll send you a new one. So I did. This flashlight retails for about $20.00USD now. The switch is a raised push button and I suspect it was accidentally turned on in a tool bag or suitcase. I'm surprised it didn't cause a fire as it must have gotten very hot.
Flashlights (torches) have been a pain in the ass since their beginning due to a lot of problems. At first it was poor power problems and poor bulbs. Cells leaked but now we have cells that claim not to leak. Don't fall for it they still leak. Cells got better and bulbs got better but other things went bad. In the old days a flashlight (torch) that you kept in the car was a device that you pointed at your flat tire, or engine and it gave no light or if it did it quit when you were half done. Does it sound like I have experience? Cells then had poor shelf life so carrying extra batteries sometimes worked and sometimes not as the backup spares were usually about half dead. Needing reliable light for my old junkers and later my boats I made up a light that worked from the starting battery. Now you can buy them in the auto parts store. I still carry one that plugs into the cigar lighter.
The price on these has come down dramatically in the last couple of years. I bought a 3 led for about $10.00 about five years ago and that was the cheapest I could find. The three on the left are 9 led's and they were $2.00 USD a piece at the Family Dollar Store with 3 heavy duty AAA cells. I see that Harbor Freight has them two for $4.99 +shipping and handling ($7.95). They are really bright and I now have them stashed every where I might need them. They are bright enough that at the speed I ride I could use them as a bike light.
The yellow 6 inch rule is for scale.
The red flashlight to the right of the rule is an Energizer and as I wrote in a prior post is an over priced waste of money. If you touch it the batteries are likely to fall out, if it's damp it will quit working all together and the rubber that encased the body rotted away after one year. It has a single led in the end that's good for about 10 feet (3meters). The only good thing is the tiny florescent in the side will run forever I guess on a set of cells (4AA). I had two but I disassembled one that quit working for parts.
The one on the right is the latest and is my primary flashlight now. It's the Ultra Bright 4W LED that is said to last for 100,000 hours. It's a Ray O Vac SE4W3C Sportsman Xtreme. Its water resistant, yields 150 lumens and they use to say the case was titanium. Powered by 3 C-cells Runtime: 100 Hrs. C-cells are a size I avoid because they cost as much as D-cells and don't have near the power. The good thing about this size is it's the same length as AA-cells and by wrapping the AA-cells with tape or cutting strips out of a discarded cereal box to fatten them up a little so they can be used. The performance will be the same just with a shorter life. This flash lite is very bright and will put a spot bright enough to upset a cat several hundred feet away. I believe it is bright enough to damage you eyes if looked at directly at close range.
The only problem I have found is possibly the switch. This flashlight was given to me for parts because it didn't work. The man who gave it to me called the company (Ray-O-Vac) and they sent him a new one. I took it apart to see what the problem was and found the switch melted. After determining that the flashlight was otherwise fine I called the company and they said it has a lifetime guaranty, send it in and we'll send you a new one. So I did. This flashlight retails for about $20.00USD now. The switch is a raised push button and I suspect it was accidentally turned on in a tool bag or suitcase. I'm surprised it didn't cause a fire as it must have gotten very hot.
Flashlights (torches) have been a pain in the ass since their beginning due to a lot of problems. At first it was poor power problems and poor bulbs. Cells leaked but now we have cells that claim not to leak. Don't fall for it they still leak. Cells got better and bulbs got better but other things went bad. In the old days a flashlight (torch) that you kept in the car was a device that you pointed at your flat tire, or engine and it gave no light or if it did it quit when you were half done. Does it sound like I have experience? Cells then had poor shelf life so carrying extra batteries sometimes worked and sometimes not as the backup spares were usually about half dead. Needing reliable light for my old junkers and later my boats I made up a light that worked from the starting battery. Now you can buy them in the auto parts store. I still carry one that plugs into the cigar lighter.
Later even though the cells improved and the bulbs improved other things were cheapened. Switches became a problem and are the main problem now in my opinion. Flashlights (torches) that seem impossible to make work probably have a bad switch. For some reason cleaning them up doesn't seem to work very well and I don't know why. I have tried contact cleaner and have even resorted to disassembling them and mechanically cleaning them up.
I have experienced failures because of inferior metal. I have had a perfectly good flashlight (torch) refuse to light because the wire or usually a flat piece of metal from the negative side of the battery case (the back of the flashlight) became a resistor instead of a conductor. The ohm meter does not lie. I took one apart that had a flat metal strip from the back end of the light to the switch. I measured over 100, 000 ohms with the meter. I replace it with copper wire and it worked fine. I have had the same problem with the spring and also with the reflector refusing to conduct electricity or at least not very well. At least they refused three volts. No amount of cleaning, sanding or scraping would make them work. I have never talked to any one else that has experienced the same problems but then I don't often talk to people and when I do flashlights don't seem to come up. Besides I think I would need to consult a alchemist with magical powers. I have an obsession with fixing things but these days I pretend that a spell has been cast and I toss them. I pull the pieces I might use in the future and throw the case with the switch in the trash. I am tired of the frustration.
Now with the market being flooded with flashlights with push button switches I expect massive switch failures. They have only so many cycles in them and I have already seen a few failures. I expect that even though the better aluminum cases will hold up better than the plastics and the bulbs will last thousands of hours they are made with a circuit board and I have already seen failures in those.
So it appears that you can buy lots of cheap flashlights expecting failures or you can buy expensive flashlights and be surprised by failures. I myself am going to make a bullet proof, hard wired, multiply 100,000 hour double bulbs and a military battle field switch. I figure it won't be more than two feet long or weigh more than a hundred pounds. It may have to be on wheels.
No hurry I have plenty of cheap ones for now.
I have experienced failures because of inferior metal. I have had a perfectly good flashlight (torch) refuse to light because the wire or usually a flat piece of metal from the negative side of the battery case (the back of the flashlight) became a resistor instead of a conductor. The ohm meter does not lie. I took one apart that had a flat metal strip from the back end of the light to the switch. I measured over 100, 000 ohms with the meter. I replace it with copper wire and it worked fine. I have had the same problem with the spring and also with the reflector refusing to conduct electricity or at least not very well. At least they refused three volts. No amount of cleaning, sanding or scraping would make them work. I have never talked to any one else that has experienced the same problems but then I don't often talk to people and when I do flashlights don't seem to come up. Besides I think I would need to consult a alchemist with magical powers. I have an obsession with fixing things but these days I pretend that a spell has been cast and I toss them. I pull the pieces I might use in the future and throw the case with the switch in the trash. I am tired of the frustration.
Now with the market being flooded with flashlights with push button switches I expect massive switch failures. They have only so many cycles in them and I have already seen a few failures. I expect that even though the better aluminum cases will hold up better than the plastics and the bulbs will last thousands of hours they are made with a circuit board and I have already seen failures in those.
So it appears that you can buy lots of cheap flashlights expecting failures or you can buy expensive flashlights and be surprised by failures. I myself am going to make a bullet proof, hard wired, multiply 100,000 hour double bulbs and a military battle field switch. I figure it won't be more than two feet long or weigh more than a hundred pounds. It may have to be on wheels.
No hurry I have plenty of cheap ones for now.
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3 comments:
Interesting :-)
Curmudgeon. :)
An interesting take on flashlights, batteries (and cells), and the flaky nature of things we expect to light our way on the side of the road, in the rain, at 3 in the morning, a long way from anywhere. I thought I was the only one who suffered thus.
Richard,
I am glad I finally saw this post. I haven't been checking all my favorite blogs recently due to large amounts of work. Excellent job!
My personal favorite torches are Winchester, Pelican, EverReady, and most recently SureFire.
SureFire makes really powerful lights which are compact. They are a bit pricey but they are simply awesome. They are weapon-mountable. I keep them in my overalls!
Did you know about the flashlight museum? http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/
Again, awesome post! I wouldn't expect anything less from you!!
Peace :)
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