Shake Flashlights

Anybody have em'? I ordered a couple for really cheap on EBAY, but does anybody have any experience with them?

If you are talking about the kind you shake to get power...They are a very weak LED and don't last all that long. They are what they are though...I wouldn't expect anything more...They are fine for emergency lighting to see your toolbox contents...

You can see reviews for a couple of different models at www.flashlightreviews.com

brad cook

It's the Faraday model that I was referring to. I can't find reviews on it, but by the advertisement on TV, it seems pretty bright. I also know from their website that they make at least three models, all with varying power/length of operating time before a recharge is needed.

A buddy of mine sells a cheap chinese version that I've handled. He finds that there are a couple of defectives per hundred and tosses them out. The rest will run anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes on a couple of minutes shake. While the light output doesn't compare to a Streamlight it's certainly enough to use for tasks when no light is available.

Honestly, I'd prefer something like a Pelican L1. It's tiny, no shaking needed, inexpensive, very bright for its size, and its light can last over 80 hours on the batteries which come with the unit...

John

John,

I think the shake flashlights have a very important role to play in the mix of keychain LED and Surefire Combat lights. Consider that they never need batteries and can be left for years without attention and then put into use.

They're primarily an emergency/backup type light or a convenience light for tasks that don't require a lot of light. I would consider them to be essential for hikers or outdoorsmen since they could sit in bag until needed without regard to charge.

Be careful of what you buy.
There are version that use flat watch type batteries with a small coil in them to mimic the Faraday lights.
They will stay lit continuously for about two days and then go dead never to be resurrected.
Shaking them while they're on will give a very slight surge in the light giving you the false impression that they are actually Faradays

3 years ago I bought one for 5 dollars at a nearby mall. Granted, I almost never use it because I go absolutely nowhere without my 6P, but I have used it quite a bit around the house, and for 5 bucks I got a pretty good deal.

Mike,

I see your point. Then again, for most of the last 6 years or so, I've usually had between 2 and 4 lights on my person and/or in my vehicle.

You pays your money, and you takes your chances. Personally, I'd rather have 3 very effective small LEDs for the same space penalty that 1 shaker takes.

Then again, I'm a light geek.

John, flashlight and large bladed weapon geek

Riot nerds of the world, unite! :D

The best use ever for shake flashlights is to give them to kids. I've got a five year old son and a seven year old son. They LOVE flashlights... but they are also notorious for leaving them turned on and draining the batteries. The shake lights are fun to play with and provide enough light to keep them amused (reading after "lights out" or playing when I set up a tent in their room).

For my own use, I prefer a small LED (Photon Microlight) on my keychain, Maglights in the house and cars, and a Surefire (Aviator) with my hunting gear.

You pays your money, and you takes your chances. Personally, I'd rather have 3 very effective small LEDs for the same space penalty that 1 shaker takes.

Yes but look at it this way:

Even though it wouldn't be my primary, I'd definitely buy an adequate but cheapo gun... if it magically never ran out of ammo!

;)

I've got one.

It's not a very bright light at all.

However, it is plenty bright to allow me to navigate a totally darkened house without tripping over stuff.

If I dropped something in a totally darkened house, I could find it again with this flashlight.

Not a very bright light.

But hey, it never needs batteries...ever.

I think it's perfect for a true, realistic emergency flashlight. I think every storm cellar should have one. I think one should be in every first aid kit or SHTF bag or stash.

In any situation where you might not have enough batteries, a not-very-bright light that works without batteries always beats a really bright light that requires batteries.

hillbilly

Link to the shake lights.
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews_index/reviews_index_selfpower.htm

It's a coil of wire, strong magnet, super capacitor and an LED. Some are reall good some are crap.

Anybody have em'? I ordered a couple for really cheap on EBAY, but does anybody have any experience with them?

I got one for my birthday last year, ended up giving it to my son.

I agree with John...Get a LED flashlight that uses lithium 123s...such as the Inova X5. You can leave it somewhere for 10 years and the batteries will work. 10 year shelf life is awesome.

What happens when you need it come 10 years + 1 day? :p

Every plan or kit needs a contingency, and I think these self powered lights fit the bill quite nicely, especially if you can get them for $5.

I agree with John...Get a LED flashlight that uses lithium 123s...such as the Inova X5. You can leave it somewhere for 10 years and the batteries will work. 10 year shelf life is awesome.

Shelf life is great, but whether fresh from the store or 9 years and 364 days later, when you break out the flashlight the battery life is counting down to zero. Once they are drained, you need to have fresh ones to have light. Depending on the severity of the situation, fresh ones may not be available.

The shake and dynamo flashlights work without needing batteries. I'd get a quality battery flashlight and one that needs no batteries to work to support it.

(I was personally sold on self-sufficient electronic items when I used a solar/dynamo powered radio for 3 days when we were without power.)

.

I'm not against the shakers; I just carry too many lights a lot of the time, anyway. For most people, they might be a fine choice.

I've noticed there are different kinds out there, like ones that different companies make. One is so strong, that you can't leave it near any electronics because of the magnetic field. The ones that I ordered are the kind they show on TV

I had one of the mini "Forever Flashlights" that thinkgeek.com sells (I got mine by redeeming "geek points", score!). It was fine and dandy until I lost it.

What the others said about it being weak is absolutely true. You can shake it from here 'till kingdom come, but the spot it produces is about the same as a 2AA Maglite on its widest setting (though a little more even). It's way nifty, though, and handy if your eyes are accustomed to the dark (once, on a lark, I used it as the only light in the bathroom while I took a shower; put beam-down on an edge on the white tub, it lit up the whole area reasonably enough, thanks to the fact that the body is translucent, and diffuses the light pretty well).

The Forever Flashlight I had was pretty tough, too. I'd dropped it seven or eight times pretty good, stepped on it or otherwise done it no good, and it was still going strong and working perfectly, last time I used it.

Ooh, and it's waterproof, too.

~GnSx

I got one for xmas and its pretty neat. like already said it has its place as an emergency tool.

once, on a lark, I used it as the only light in the bathroom while I took a shower;

I used my streamlight m3 that mounts under my glock for shower illumination once. The electricity went out one morning and I had no windows in my bathroom but I did have hot water.

That light bouncing off 2 mirrors lit up the bathroom really well.

I agree that a bug-out bag or cache should include a battery-less light, though. We've got one.

i remember one time having a pump flashlight that out did the shake ones you mention. you pumped a lever on the grip and it turned a motor to produce the power the more you pumped the more light you got and it did verry verry well and was quite heavy duty. down side was if you quit pumping the light went out but for finding your way to the bathroom when camping it did verry well. if you could install a capicator or somthing that store a resuidual charge it would have been even better. i lost the pump light and replaced it with a crank radio flashlight combo thing its solar, crank, ac, and battery powered the radio works like a dream the light is crap. oh well live and learn i guess. just my two cents worth and if anybody knows where i can find a new pump light let me know.

I bought a flashlight very similar to this one (http://www.afinerclass.com/afinerproduct/tools/roadpro-rpkl501-grip-power-led-flashlight/157). My Roadpro Grip Power light has only one LED, all of the ones that I found online had 3(perhaps mine is an older model). Pumping it charges a NiCad battery for the LEDs. Like the shaker lights, mine is adequately bright for not tripping over things. I don't know how bright the 3-LED model is.

elmer close but not quite the old one i had used a traditional bulb but i might pick one up to see how good it is in quality and how bright it is thanks.

I have a Nightstar CS that I keep in my bug out bag. It's definately better and brighter than the cheaper shake lights out there. It gets a good review on the Flashlight Reviews site as well. Target has started carrying them.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/ait_nightstar_cs.htm

I got my flashlights in the mail. After an 8 hour test revealed that the light was not only still on, but not even dimmed, it occurred to me that these (I've only removed one from the box) have to be the knockoffs. So I proceeded to take one apart. Success! The lense cover unscrews, and you can pull the magnetic coil assembly out. I discovered two flat cell batteries in place. At first, I was unable to budge them. Then I noticed a small slot behind the batteries and was able to easily push them out with a center punch tool. I reassembled the flashlight. This is where it gets interesting: Upon reassembly, I flipped the switch, expecting nothing, but there was light! It was dimmer, and didn't last very long. Shaking the light made it both brighter and last longer. I guess my $16 investment in these two flashlights was not in vain. I think the batteries are there as a supplement, but the light does definintely work without them. Do y'all think I should go back to the batteries, or use at a "shake-only"?

Perhaps the batteries are there to store the energy from shaking. Are they generic watch-type batteries, or some sort of rechargeable batteries? Could regular batteries be recharged by the shaker coil?

the batteries are Lithium Cell CR2032 3volt

Shake flashlights should have a capacitor which holds the charge from shaking(Faraday's Law of Inductance) the magnet thru the coil. It's unlikely but possible that the batteries are being recharged. Most likely you do have a knockoff with a poor capacitor, but if it works, use it.