View Full Version : No battiries flashlight
Blue Wolf
12-29-2005, 06:48
Has anyone seen this thing it sells for 5 bucks weighs nothing & all you do is shake it to recharge it?
Lone Wolf
12-29-2005, 09:05
Caveat emptor.
Do you have a link to this light?
C-Stepper
12-29-2005, 09:47
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=39194502
5.3 oz!!! I'd rather carry the batteries and my tikka XP. How bout a headlight that is charged by your walking?? Wait that is a good idea...patent pending patent pending patent pending
icemanat95
12-29-2005, 10:17
5.3 oz!!! I'd rather carry the batteries and my tikka XP. How bout a headlight that is charged by your walking?? Wait that is a good idea...patent pending patent pending patent pending
It's probably not possible (at this time) to develop a motion cranked dynamo that is efficient enough to generate enough power to light an LED for the sort of times that most hikers use their headlamps. But if you've got a couple Mech. and Electrical engineers handy and willing to work on the prospect of eventual compensation, it'd be worth figuring out.
Seriously, this stuff is probably not far out on the horizon. More and more of these shake 'n' light flashlights are coming out all the time, and the more they work on the system, the more efficient they will get it. Sooner or later they will get it figured out to the point that you will be able to re-charge your headlamp by the hiking motion during the day..without adding a quarter pound of extra weight to the system. Hiking is a fairly dynamic motion after all, there is lots of ups and downs and lurches and such. Should be doable.
Photofanatic
12-29-2005, 11:44
I have several amish friends that use these lights for a quick trip to the pot but they have to continually shake it to keep enough light. It is too much work for what it gives out.
I did find an alternative light at Lowes, at about $20.00 it doesn't weigh any more than a mini mag light but it read something along the lines of crank for one minute to get 45 minutes of light. I didn't buy one but would like to know if anyone else has and how it has worked for them.
I've got these all around the house. They live up to all their claims but are too bulky for other than home use. I've thought about dissassembling one and refitting it to a headband.
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=50240&cat=2,40725,45454
Nightwalker
12-29-2005, 12:24
5.3 oz!!! I'd rather carry the batteries and my tikka XP.
I've got one that weighs 3.1 oz. I've also used it pretty much daily for a few weeks with no trouble. It has a bright little focused LED and puts out pretty decent light.
Nightwalker
12-29-2005, 12:26
I have several amish friends that use these lights for a quick trip to the pot but they have to continually shake it to keep enough light. It is too much work for what it gives out.
Must be an older version. Mine goes on-and-on between shaking.
Also, turn it off to shake it. Sometimes the shake-while-on method can kill it.
How bout a headlight that is charged by your walking?? Wait that is a good idea...patent pending patent pending patent pending
Already being worked on: http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/8874/
Too Tall Paul
Those little crank ones are cool. I got one of those goofy flashlight/radio combos with crank, battery, and solar power as a gift. I dismissed it immediately, but took it on a week long canoe trip thinking if it worked it would be nice to have a radio and if it didn't no big deal. Five years later and it's one of my favorite pieces of river gear. The solar charger works like a dream and it's had the crap kicked out of it and kept on ticking.
The current crank (not shake) flashlights often come with a phone jack so you can charge your cell. Someone on here also posted a link where a guy had converted one to charge his iPod. I think it was probably more cranking per minute of music than most people would want, but it'll be interesting to see where this stuff goes.
My patent idea is hooking a battery up to your exercise bike. The companion piece would be a TV that only ran off it. Imagine a world where you had to ride five miles for every hour of TV watched...
Imagine a world where you had to ride five miles for every hour of TV watched...
Americans would either a) stop watching TV or b) become a heck of a lot skinnier.
I have one of those shake-and-light thingys. Supposedly 20 seconds of shaking will give 30 minutes of light. I have never timed it, but I suspect that's a bit conservative. However, it is too heavy to take on a backpacking trip. For that, I use a LED AAA headlamp.
What's the deal on the LED headlamp with the blinking phases? Does anyone actually use those?
What's the deal on the LED headlamp with the blinking phases? Does anyone actually use those?
No
Panzer
I sleep well every night knowing that if I'm mauled by a bear and left for dead, I can fire up my blinking headlamp and the calvary will arrive within minutes.
fiddlehead
12-31-2005, 08:14
It's probably not possible (at this time) to develop a motion cranked dynamo that is efficient enough to generate enough power to light an LED for the sort of times that most hikers use their headlamps. But if you've got a couple Mech. and Electrical engineers handy and willing to work on the prospect of eventual compensation, it'd be worth figuring out.
Seriously, this stuff is probably not far out on the horizon. More and more of these shake 'n' light flashlights are coming out all the time, and the more they work on the system, the more efficient they will get it. Sooner or later they will get it figured out to the point that you will be able to re-charge your headlamp by the hiking motion during the day..without adding a quarter pound of extra weight to the system. Hiking is a fairly dynamic motion after all, there is lots of ups and downs and lurches and such. Should be doable.
Probably not possible??? Have you tried one???
I got one last week for $2. Took it down to Lazee's (eckville shelter here in PA) and we shook it for exactly one minute. We turned it on, it was pretty bright and we left it on for 2 hours. After we 2 hours, we decided to turn it off as we'd seen enough. The only problem was that the batteries can slip out of their holder so we stuck a toothpick in there to make sure it didn't happen.
They are not the lightest weight. but at least as light as any flashlight that would take 2 AAA batteries. Id' still prefer my photon II light as it weighs 1/5 of an ounce and is bright enough for me.
But these shake em flashlights are very impressive. I bought 12 of them and gave them out for christmas presents. Kids love them.
Maybe you should try one before replying iceman.
Twofiddy
01-13-2006, 12:21
Hey get the bio technical engineers to figure out a way to take some of my stored fat and use my bodys own internal combustion as a way to power a headlight... I'll wear 50 of them... I need to do another Thru Hike to loose 60 lbs again!!
mweinstone
01-23-2006, 18:35
you know those fruit lights in science class where you put two wires in a fruit like a orange and it lights up a bulb?well how bout you stick two wires up your nose and .......is this possible?how bout methane powered light?you take a pill that makes you fart and ....never mind.
Preacher Dude
02-04-2006, 20:23
I have one with a crank handle that has 3 halogen bulbs that give off a very bright light. crank it for 1 minute and it stays charged for an hour of continuos burning and it has a push button on/off switch. The drawbacks are that it is 5 1/2 inches long X 2 1/2 inches wide X 2 inches deep and it weighs 7 ounces. I have gone through several head lamps that have all quit working...thus no light regardless of the batteries ....and to preserve the batteries I have carried votive candles....so anything that does not require batteries is well worth it to me since I read a lot at night when I hike. So by the time you add up the wt. of the headlamp and band and the weight of extra batteries plus the weight of the candles....it is just about awash with this light. It is called the "Illuminator" but I don't have the name of the company or a website. My wife who is a teacher bought it from a bookseller and paid $10.00 for it. If I find out more info about it, I'll post it on this thread.
I've got one that weighs 3.1 oz...
Nightwalker -- where did you get yours? at 3.1 oz, that's not much more than many headlamps... Are you still satisfied with it?
-john
Probably not possible??? Have you tried one???
I got one last week for $2. Took it down to Lazee's (eckville shelter here in PA) and we shook it for exactly one minute. We turned it on, it was pretty bright and we left it on for 2 hours. After we 2 hours, we decided to turn it off as we'd seen enough. The only problem was that the batteries can slip out of their holder so we stuck a toothpick in there to make sure it didn't happen.
They are not the lightest weight. but at least as light as any flashlight that would take 2 AAA batteries. Id' still prefer my photon II light as it weighs 1/5 of an ounce and is bright enough for me.
But these shake em flashlights are very impressive. I bought 12 of them and gave them out for christmas presents. Kids love them.
Maybe you should try one before replying iceman.
Be careful - there's a lot of fakes out there apparently. I don't have one but saw this guide on eBay about fakes:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Fake-Shake-lights_W0QQugidZ10000000000791494?ssPageName=BUYGD :CAT:-1:SEARCH:1
- hopefuly that's not what you picked up.
atraildreamer
06-04-2006, 15:48
I bought one of those lights at Wally World a couple of months ago. Cost about $10. It is about 8 inches long and uses a magnet in the case that slides back and forth thru a coil of wire as you rock the thing back and forth (no hand cranking needed). It uses a whiter LED instead of an incadescant bulb. I shook the thing for about 200 back and forths to charge up the light and left it on. It went about 3 hours before starting to get dim, but still produced usable light. It is no lightweight, probably weighs about 5 ounces, but no batteries required. I saw the same thing, on another trip to Wally World, but with a smaller companion light, both for $16, but did not get the set. I tried to get the smaller light working in the store, but without success. I would not put the thing near a compass, or magnetic media, as the magnet in the light is quite strong, and not shielded.
I saw this on the web:
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1513938.html
and thought that it might be adapted for hikers who stay in shelters. :-? Maybe the shelter mice could be bribed with a little food to do some running! :banana
Those little crank ones are cool.
Crankers are more efficient than shakers. WalMart has just started carrying a 3-led crank-to-charge light priced at a few dollars. The switching allows 1 or 3 led illumination and it's fairly lightweight for that sort of thing. I'd get one of those before I got a shaker.
Doug Frost
I have a shaker from Walgreens, $5.00, I shake it for a few minutes, have left it on for 30, jsut to see how long, I just turned it off, didn't wait till it went out.
I may carry it. May not.
Doctari.
Gray Blazer
06-06-2006, 10:44
Not off the subject.....did you all see the Mad TV skit about these shake and shine flashlights? Too funny.......:rolleyes: !
Hana_Hanger
06-06-2006, 14:24
We bought a few of the crank style when Costco carried them. The kind Preacher Dude mentioned above. Out of the 6 purchased all failed in a very short time as far as holding a charge for one hour that is.
Yet in a pinch they will still light up for a few minutes. So we kept them, scattered here and there around the house and cars.
Sad thing is we bought all our children and friends these...thinking great hurricane gifts to have....oh well. Called the company, they agreed they had a problem and the next series out is suppose to be fixed and fuction properly.
For the 6 to 7 ounces they weigh...I guess if no batteries were available at all...the flashlight would be greatly prized.
Right up front, I'll make 2 things clear: I am a flashlight nut and I am NOT a gram weenie. I have purchased flashlights on and off for about 2 years. Most of my purchases have been because of reviews from this website...www.flashlightreviews.com I am fascinated by light in the darkness and what it allows you to do. There are 2 lights that I would NOT be without on any overnite hike. The first is my headlamp - a Petzel Tikka XP. For an LED headlamp for close up work around camp, there is none better. For all other lighting, I carry the Surefire G2 Nitrolen. At 65 lumens and 4.10 ounces, there is none brighter. I have a high-output lamp that goes with this light that ups the lumens to 120 though battery life drops from 1 hour with the regulare lamp to about 15 minutes. Talk about blinding. No need for a knife to protect you from animals... There are various debates about Xenon vs LED, but as you can see, I carry both. Being able to see is a very important part of my camping experience. There are brighter lights and smaller (weight) lights out there - I have many of them - but these two I trust.
One problem I just discovered with my walgreens shaker light. I used it last night doing some backyard camping, for the first time, the case is clear, so the entire flashlight lights up, Very brightly, the problem is: holding the light in front of you, reduces the efectiveness of the "beam" because the light is also shining in your eyes. I am thinking of covering (the top at least) it with duct tape.
I still like it. Yes, it's a bit heavy, but for $5.00 and NEVER having to buy batteries for it, seems a great idea for a thru hike. An option I would love to see on it is: the ability to charge my other electronic stuff, especially my digital camera. Which, come to think of it, besides my flashlight is the only other electronic stuff I carry.
I'll talk to my Bro-in-law see if he can come up w something.
Doctari.
papa john
06-07-2006, 15:01
Has anyone tried out the dehydrated water yet? All you have to do is to add water and away you go...:-?
My wife and I bought a couple of those shaker flashlights for emergencies. We live in Florida in "hurricane alley". We bought them for emergencies only. They weigh 3 3/8 ounces or 96 grams. I'll take it for an overnight with very little hiking, but not for the long haul.
We also have 2 of the radio/light combo with solar/crank charger that Patrick mentioned. Too heavy for hiking, but good for power outages. Don't know how much they weigh, can't find them. (Good thinking during hurricane season, huh?)
blackbishop351
07-30-2006, 13:24
I don't know if there are different brands of the 'shaker' lights out there, but a friend of mine brought one on a hike not long ago and it SUCKED. He had to shake the thing for 5 mins to get any light out of it at all, and then it went out after about 30 seconds.
RockyTrail
07-30-2006, 18:06
One thing to consider with the mechanically powered lights is that they still contain batteries that can wear out or fail. The crank action simply charges a (Ni-MH nickel-metal hydride) battery that is used to power the light. And the cranking generator has a lot of mechanical parts that are also just waiting to fail when you need them. I too have an emergency crank radio/light in my basement, but I don't expect it to work if I really need it.
If you store these lights for extended periods (i.e., several years for emergency use) they may let you down. For example, I have Ni-MH camera batteries that wear out after only a couple of years use. The older Nickel-cadmium batteries (now mostly superceded by Ni-MH) can last 10 years if used regularly but can die if you let them drain down to zero. In contrast, alkaline batteries can stay relatively "fresh" for many years and have no moving parts to break.
I like alkalines for their reliability.:sun
Just something to consider...
atraildreamer
08-06-2006, 07:53
My patent idea is hooking a battery up to your exercise bike. The companion piece would be a TV that only ran off it. Imagine a world where you had to ride five miles for every hour of TV watched...
I read (quite a few years ago) that a guy rigged up a 12 volt TV to a exercise bike that spun an auto generator. He told his (lazy) kids that if they wanted to stay in the house and watch TV, instead of playing and getting some exercise, they would have to pedal to power the TV. :p
I have 2 of the shak-em-up flashlights. The one I got at WallyWorld for $9 works pretty well and goes for about 3 hours when you shake it up about 200 times. :sun
An identical unit that I bought at another store (Ocean State Job Lot) for $5 doesn't hold the charge too well. :(
Quality control seems to be a problem with these lights.
[QUOTE=L. Wolfe]I have several amish friends that use these lights for a quick trip to the pot but they have to continually shake it to keep enough light. It is too much work for what it gives out.
QUOTE]
Maybe they were looking at an Amish Girls Swimsuit Calendar and didn't want to commit sin, so they "shook" the flashlight instead? :eek:
If you're a hiker who also happens to suffer from Parkinson's Disease, think about it-!! You'd never run out of light-!!!!!
Yeah, I know, that was bad... I repent.
soulrebel
08-06-2006, 16:35
If i hear you shaking that thing at 2am for your potty break, I will kick your ass (exception: you are getting whiskey out of your bag) much love. get a .25oz coincell led w/ hatclip, screw petzl they cost more and once again invade upon your whiskey weight...
Time To Fly 97
08-07-2006, 15:48
I read an article (Pop Science?) about a backpack that could generate power for lights, MP3 player, etc. The pack's up and down motion while walking made it gently slide up and down a special frame. This motion powered a small generator. I don't know if this was heavy or could be felt while walking...pretty cool though.
TTF