I keep it on a fairly regular charge, though turn it off as soon as the red light appears. For £10 I think it's already paid for itself as it illuminates things a normal torch doesn't even reach.
Snap !!
Though be careful if you've got horses. They *Really* do have problems with lights this bright.
What seems more useful is the charger and two lead-acid 6V cells in the same package size as a hand lantern 6V battery. Then you can use any torch of your preference.
"G&M" wrote in news:cba3gt$rj6$ snipped-for-privacy@news8.svr.pol.co.uk:
My doctor's got one of them.
(He sticks it in my earhole)
mike
Does sound useful but I can't seem to find it. Any chance of a part number ? Thanks
It depends very much on whether they're designed for 'deep discharge' or not.
OK, a bit of a search and I found the damn things. They only show up on a search via Kelkoo for some reason:
Product Code L42AH 6V charger with 2x4AH lead acid lantern batteries.
I'll leave the rest of my ramblings in below so that you can check alternatives. However the Maplin batteries are the cheapest for the charger + batteries (but among the most expensive for the batteries on their own).
---------- Sorry, I saw the charger and cells in my local Maplin (Southampton) I don't know what the catalogue number is.
The items are 2 x Sonnenschein 6V batteries A506/5.0KS and a Sonnenschein battery charger CHA-LB7.1. But I can't find the entry in Maplin's catalogue either.
There's something similar at Machine Mart
The Machine Mart equivalent to the one at Maplin is
You can buy them here as well:
No, that's something different.
Thanks to all who replied to my enquiry. Decided to let the moths out of my wallet and headed off to Maplins this morning Didn't ask about the 1 Watt LEDs as they had the 10 LED torch mentioned by mr cheerful and Steve on display so bought that and just love it. The 1 Watt LED's don't allow for operation on reduced power but the 10 LED allows for operation on 10 or 3 and this appeals to the skinflint in me. The 10 LEDs gives me all the light I want but even the 3 LEDs give a more than useful amount of light. The light is subdued and quite restful compared to typical bulb light and the torch seems solid and well made. And who can argue with the predicted use of 80 hours (3LED) and 25 hours (10LED) using only 4 AA batteries. It doesn't worry me that LEDs don't have the focusing power of bulbs. Thanks for the pointer to this particular torch guys. Couldn't resist also buying the Rechargeable Quartz lantern (1 million candle power!) at £9.99 mentioned by G&M. It takes 20 hours to charge so will have to wait until tomorrow to frighten the neighbours. Can't think what I'll use it for given you only get 20 minutes of use between charges but it seemed a lot for the money and if the wife can spoil herself why can't I? Incidentally the Lidl site has what looks to be the same lantern on offer tomorrow for £13.
Bill
PS My Maplin's had the 10 LED torch priced at £24.99 but when I pointed out that it was listed at £14.99 on their web site they happily knocked £10 off without even checking :-).
Thanks. Popped in this afternoon before seeing this but sure I'll be back.
M
I've even put one in the wife's car boot as a security measure in case she breaks down. She won't be able to fix the car with it but at least she can see who's coming in the dark.
Remember to top it up about once a month though - if you leave a lead-acid bettery flat for any length of time it will be wrecked. Not sure offhand how quickly lead-acid cells self-discharge, but they will eventually.
Bit of a latecomer to this thread, but my combination at the moment is a 1LED keyring torch by Eclipse which runs on 2xCR-something coin cells, good for a bit of extra light, up a dark path or fumbling for the keyhole, and a Petzl LED/Halogen headlamp for work.
As an electrician I do a lot of work in dark attics and the like, and need both hands. I've tried a few different headlamps and found Petzl's layout of light at front, battery at rear and a strap over the top as well as around the side to be the most comfortable to wear. The battery pack takes 4xAA cells and I use NiMH rechargeables which last maybe a fortnight of normal LED-only use. The LEDs are great for lighting up the work area - arm's reach - and illuminating further if neccessary, but the Halogen goes further when required. The LEDs (five of them) give a bright, even light whereas the Halogen lamp is more of a spotlight and focusable.
The biggest "getting used to it" thing is that the colour balance of the LEDs isn't as white as you think (more blue really) and some things look very different under the two bulbs. It's not a problem if you use the LEDs mainly, but if you switch between the two it can be confusing!
Purchased both torches and batteries from CPC by the way.
Hwyl!
M.
Well for the first 20 mins at least... Also if there is any traffic on the road don't point the lamp at it. You basically have a headlight on a handle any drivers will be severly dazelled.
A better torch for the wifes boot might be a 2 or 3 "D" cell maglight, still plenty bright enough to see around and if it doesn't work a medium weight metal bar. It strikes me that an sensible woman carries a torch at night...
With gel types, *very* slowly. I bought one of those several months ago and have only used it once or twice and it's still got it's charge.
Bought two head torches from Ultraleds to put in the emergency section of the rucksac for walks. Each has 3 AAA batteries and 5 LEDs and can be on, off or flashing (not that I flash of course!) - great illumination and an awesome battery life. Very useful when I was mending a heating boiler a few months ago and again last night for cooking during a power cut. You do need a bit of sticky tape to go over the switch to stop it going on accidentally though. They cost about £6 or £7 and look very much like the Pretzl ones at £20+. Phil
Just checked it last night. After 6 months unattended (and unused) it took
2 minutes to reach full charge on the supplied charger.
If some idiot is going to look into that light for 20 minutes then at least I'll know where to find him if he does get to my wife.
You're welcome.
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