Flashlights

[Rudy]

Well, here they are. There are 55 in the collection. Last year, I had over a hundred. It's scary to think the money I spent on them. A lot of them were given away, sold, or traded. Here are the first four pics.

[Rudy]

Here's a small group I keep in my truck in case of emergency.

[Rudy]

These two, out of the emergency group, are multi functional. The run on four AAA batteries. They have a fluorescent tube in front, a red lense with LED bulb, and an LED flashlight on the end. The were relatively cheap. I think I got them at Walmart. So that I don't have to mark the prices of each flashlight, I'll make a chart now. A=cheap ($5 to $7). B=relatively cheap ($10 to $15). C= mid price ($15 to $25). D= expensive ( $30 to $45). I got a lot of these flashlights from the Cornwell Tool Truck that used to come to the shop every week. Between flashlights and tools that I bought from him, I'm sure I helped send his kids to college.

[Rudy]

Here are two shots of an old flashlight. It has the old fashioned type bulb and uses two AA batteries. Although it is not very bright, it is handy because the head swivels and it has a strong attachment clip. It was cheap. I got this one at the auto parts store.

[Rudy]

Also from the emergency kit are two of my favorite flashlights. I have five of these and keep two in the truck. I usually carry one in my back pocket. They use four AA batteries. They are very bright and run a LONG time. They have the on/off button in the back. They float. I probably have bought a dozen of these and have given many away as gifts. They are made by Streamlight and are expensive.

[Rudy]

More to come. TinyPic is responding very slowly right now. I will be back later with more photos. Rudy

[Rudy]

Last in the emergency kit are these bicycle flashers. They run on two AA batteries and have very bright LEDs that can be seen from far away, even during the day. They have various flashing modes. If I were to put these on my tailgate at night, I would be sure to be seen. They were relatively cheap and are available at most Walmarts and Kmarts in the sports section. They have a clip on the back.

[Rudy]

Here are two lanterns that use four D size batteries each. They use the old fashioned Zenon bulbs, that I find give off a bright, but harsh, light. There is a hook that pops out of the handle so you can hang them up. They last a good while on those big batteries. They are relatively cheap and can be gotten at Walmart in the sports section. The sliding switch on the side of the unit lets you adjust from a spot beam to a lantern style light. A cool feature on these is the yellow LED on the bottom which can be used as a night light.

[Rudy]

This next one is a self charging light that has a crank to supply the power. No batteries in this thing. Just crank it up until your arm is sore,(usually 5 or 6 minutes) and you'll get up to 40 minutes of light. It has three rows of LEDs on top. You can use all three or just one row. It has an AM and FM radio, a port to charge cell phones, an audio input for Ipods or portable CD players, a small LED nightlight, a compass on the top, and a port where you can power it with a 12 volt source. This was a mid priced unit available at department stores.

[Rudy]

This next one is another hand cranking flashlight that doesn't require near the amount of energy from you to keep it going, and it lasts twice as long as the yellow one you just saw. It has three LED bulbs that have a focused lense to provide a spot light. You can use either one LED or all three. The end tilts as well. A cool feature of this unit is the removable four function knife on the bottom. This was a relatively cheap unit available at department stores and auto parts stores.

[Rudy]

These next two were the first LED flashlights that I bought. They were some of the first LED flashlights made. They were made by Lightwave. The cases are rubber. They are heavy and use LEDs that are not very powerful. They are very durable though. One uses three C batteries and the other one uses three D batteries. They were some of the most expensive ones I bought. The new technology, back then, coupled with the fact that I got them from the tool truck made them quite pricey. Although they have fresh batteries in them, I don't really use them.

[Rudy]

Here are my favorites. These are the five that I have left. As mentioned earlier, I have bought at least a dozen of them from the Cornwell tool truck. They use four AA batteries and seem to last forever. They are very bright. LED technology has come a long ways. They are lightweight, and in a pinch, you can hold them between your teeth. They float. I really like the switch being on the back of the flashlight. They are made by Streamlight and are expensive.

[Rudy]

These are some cheap flashlights that have a lot of LEDs, but are not necessarily bright. They use three AAA batteries in a cradle. They do have one cool feature though. Click on the switch once, and you get regular light. Click on it again and the LEDs rotate in a kaleidoscope of colors. I forgot where I got these.

[Rudy]

I'd have to say that these are my second favorites. They have a real bright fluorescent bulb as well as an LED flashlight on the end. They use four AA batteries and last a very long time. I wish I could find more of these. I got them at Kmart. They were mid priced. One of the pictures shows the fluorescent bulbs on. They are made by Eveready.

[Rudy]

This one incorporates LED technology at its best. It is made by Streamlight and it is one of their Tasklight line. It is a Titanium case and uses three AA batteries to power what is known as a Luxeon LED. They are also known as a high flux LED. This is one light that you never want to look into the beam. It is as bright as a normal giant Maglight with the original Zenon bulb. (I'll tell you about my Maglight modification when we get to that one. Well, this little Streamlight flashlight shines objects 150 feet away. Yes, it is expensive.