flashlights

Tektite flashlights rock!Radiant Imaging

WHERE LED FLASHLIGHTS & UTILITY LIGHTS COME TO DIE
(If you want Regular flashlights, go here!!)

Have you ever bought a flashlight, only to accidentally drop it and watch it explode into hundreds of little pieces all over the floor? Or have you been caught in a storm only to find your flashlight filled up with water faster than the roadside ditch did? Maybe you knocked one over and *PING!* there goes the damn bulb, leaving YOU in the dark.

On this site, LED flashlights are put to the test, in real-world conditions a real flashlight must endure. Flashlights may be dropped, kicked, "accidentally" left on, carried in a rainstorm, "accidentally" stepped on, dropped in a full sink of water, run over with a motorized wheelchair, and more.

How difficult is the switch to find or operate in the dark?
Can the batteries be changed in the dark?
How long do those batteries *really* last, anyway?
Will the manufacturer fix or replace it if I break it?
These kinds of questions and more will be answered here.

Other types of LED-based lights (ie. lanterns, theatre fixtures, area lights, etc.) which were never intended for this kind of punishment won't be given it; however they will be tested for everyday bumps & bruises, battery life (where applicable), ease or difficulty of use, and water resistance (where applicable).



TESTING METHODOLOGY

Testing of flashlights for The Punishment Zone consists of a number of discrete steps, each designed to place the sample in an abusive environment, to measure it using known physical parameters, and to determine how usable the unit might be once it ends up in the hands of a real consumer.

These steps are:
  • Examine the light and the packaging it came in. Note any difficulties I had in removing the light or any of its accessories from the package. Note whether or not it came with batteries.
    At this time, I've already opened a template and begun constructing the flashlight's web page.

  • Install the batteries, and attempt to operate the light without referring to any instructions
    first. This determines how much difficulty a typical consumer might have if they also fail to
    read the instructions, or if the instructions are disposed of, fall in the toilet, or become lost.

    Loose accessories included in the same package, such as split rings or lanyards, are
    also installed at this point, and note is taken of any difficulties I had beyond the ordinary.
    If the unit turns into a pile of loose parts when opened, this is also noted.
    When possible, the packaging is preserved for future reference.

  • The steps needed for correct battery installation are recorded for future reference, and for the benefit of website visitors.

  • Measure the light output while the batteries are still new. This is done by holding or mounting the light so the LEDs are aligned with a precalibrated bar located exactly 12" from the face of the light sensor, and recording the resulting figure(s). A Tektronix J-16 photometer is used to take this measurement.

  • Take the flashlight's picture. Say cheese!!
    Typically, this would include one photo of the flashlight itself, and a second shot of the light in my hand, which is usable as a general reference to its physical size.

  • Photograph the light's radiation field on a precalibrated test target. Most lights tested need only one picture of this; however if there are any unusual beam characteristics, I'll adjust the camera exposure to a lower value and take another picture so these artifacts can be seen in the photograph.

  • Mount the light to a carrier and fire up the ProMetric beam profile analyzer and start taking readings. This analysis will display all aspects of the light's beam, highlighting various defects, rings, and other artifacts. This instrument is also capable of taking more standard photometric measurements as well, which will be posted with the ProMetric's chart on each light's page. This will not eliminate the need to take the measurement with the Tektronix photometer; but is intended to agument it. The ProMetric will also not replace the traditional beam photograph, as it records its images in black & white and/or false color; while the traditional picture will be used to show how you might see the beam with your own eyes.

    A seperate computer system will be running specifically for the ProMetric and for a recording meter that gets used later on in testing.

  • Closely examine the sample(s). This examination is to note the overall fit & finish, and to note any features like split ring attachment points, knurling or texturing, note how the switch operates, the material(s) the flashlight is made from, note the LED lamp (to see if there's anything different about it than in other products), examine the reflector and note whether or not it is actually useful, examine the battery contacts, check for the presence or absence of a catalyst pellet, and to examine it for anything else that would be deemed noteworthy.

    Unusual characteristics or special features are noted and/or photgraphed at this point for inclusion on the web page.

  • Conduct the first series of drop tests. The first test is from chest high onto tight loop carpet (0.1" thick) with no padding over a linoleum floor. Then the unit is dropped from the same height onto bare linoleum, and any breakage is noted. Finally, the unit is dropped from approximately 7 feet onto bare linoleum; again any breakage is noted.

    For "consumer level" testing I will wander around the test area with the lit flashlight in hand and purposely run into doors or corners, being sure the flashlight is knocked to the floor. Lights with belt holsters are mounted, and then I purposefully get jammed in a metal framed doorway so the flashlight takes the brunt of the "accident". If the unit tears away or becomes broken, that is noted on the web page

    Appropriate lights are also "carelessly" tossed into a fairly full metal toolbox a number of times. Sometimes I throw them right in, other times I do a "lay up" against the opened lid, tossing the light in from five or six feet away. (Maybe I should install a miniature basketball hoop on my toolbox).
    Smaller to medium sized flashlights may also be left on chairs and then "accidentally" sat on.

    If it happens to a flashlight in real life, I try to recreate the same type of occurance here.

  • Next comes the real abuse. I start by holding the light near the bottom of the barrel, and strike the head or bezel assembly against a 1" by 30" rod of par steel, and note any breakage. I then hold it by the bezel, and strike the barrel against the same target. The force used is "moderate", something a bit more than might be achieved by sombody spinning around in alarm and whapping their light against a rock face, metal doorway, car door, or other hard surface. The test is repeated until each part of the light has been struck five times, or until breakage occurs.

    Flashlights marketed specifically as being "extremely tough" (Mag Lites, Tektite, Princeton Tec, etc.) may also be subject to an even more brutal version of this test, where I swing the light like a ball peen hammer and strike the steel rod. They may also be run over with a 400 pound motorized wheelchair, or intentionally stomped on. Smaller metal lights tend to do well with this particular test.

  • Now, assuming I haven't destroyed the test sample (and very few actually are totally ruined by this), I turn the light on and immerse it in a tank of water for a period of time. This can be anywhere from 20 minutes to several days, depending on manufacturer's claims of water resistance. Lights that are *clearly not* water resistant generally aren't dunked, unless I am specifically asked to do that test.
    When possible, lights are turned on and off while still submerged.

  • Now I wait until darkness falls, and then try to use the flashlight for as many situations as I can get myself into. Such situations can include:

    • Checking on / playing with / feeding the pets at night.
    • Raiding the refrigerator; making a simple snack (sandwich, etc.) using only the flashlight.
    • Reading a paper or reading a magazine.
    • Using the bathroom.
    • Wandering around the house without stubbing toes or breaking lamps.
    • Unclogging a sink or toliet (or pretending to do that) at 4am with only the test light.
    • Looking for various objects (TV remote, other flashlights, cigarettes, etc.)
    • From bed: Groping for the flashlight on the nightstand or floor and turning it on as quickly as possible. Note how easy or hard this is to do in total darkness.
    • Attempting to change the unit's batteries in total darkness.
    • Checking the breaker panel.

  • Some of the brightest lights are also tested by being mounted to the steering arm of my wheelchair and then going out at night to see how well they perform outdoors as a headlight.

  • Finally, many of the units will be "adopted" as a daily carry light, and then used in any situation calling for the use of a flashlight. This can go on for several months, and any breakage or malfunction that crops up would be noted in the "Updates" section of that light's web page.

  • Lights which are "loaners" are not subject to some of these tests, particularly those which could result in breakage. Most people who loan their lights for testing on this website want them returned in working order. These lights are shown in the pick list with (No longer have) in red lettering. Please do not e-mail me asking me to compare one of those to some other light - there is no way for me to re-test or compare what I don't have anymore.

  • When time and instrument availability permits, run-time tests are performed at this point. This determines how long the batteries last if the unit were used in a full-time situation, such as the admittedly extreme case of nuclear winter or the slightly more likely scenario of being trapped someplace dark after a natural disaster.

  • All lights which aren't "loaners" are kept available for both future testing and to use for comparisons with other lights when somebody e-mails me asking to perform such a comparison. No test units are sold or given away, as doing so would eliminate the possibility of doing future comparisons with that sample.





    For a quick and dirty comparison of *some* of these lights, click on one of these light bulbs.






    NEW!! Click Here to see Reference Photos of various lights as compared side-by-side with a C.C. Expedition (Trek-7) white LED flashlight.

    Currently Available LED Product Reviews
    New reviews or updates to existing reviews indicated as necessary
    No hyperlink indicates testing in progress or testing not yet conducted.

    A bold green "(G)" next to the product name indicates a battery depletion graph has been (or is being) made for that light, and a bold orange "(B)" next to the product indicates a chart from Radiant Imaging's ProMetric beam profile analyzer system has been made for that light.
    For those who like regular flashlights, find them here.
    New lights with LINKS in this section are or will soon be available from the upper pull-down menu as well.
    All product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

    Remember, that even though this site is predominantly for LEDs, a seperate section has been made for incandescent and fluorescent lights because of their continued popularity and utility.
    Once an incandescent or fluorescent in the above listing is under review, it will disappear here and be moved exclusively to that section. Listing them here is only so that you know what's coming up.
List of product ratings with 'last updated' dates are farther down the page.
Not all products are in this drop-down menu yet... newer products are available below.
Use the BACK button on your browser to return to this page if you want to choose more lights.




control target
Target used for beam tests. All photos are unretouched - not even color corrected; and were taken from the same distance (16.5" to 17.0" from lens to target). Flashlights tested after July 10, 2000 were priveledged to be photographed with a new camera. Lights showing "(no longer have)" in their above listing cannot be rephotographed; the remainder will be over time.
The camera renders some LED colors badly; this is most evident with the turquoise Photon's beam photo.

compare and save
NEED BATTERIES FOR ALL THOSE FLASHLIGHTS?

 CheapBatteries.com (http://www.cheapbatteries.com) sells virtually any battery you might need for flashlights reviewed on this site. Prices are fair, and even better if you can buy a bunch of them at once. However, it appears you can only buy here if you own a credit card. No provisions for paying by cash or checks was listed anywhere on the site.

WWW.CHEAPBATTERIES.COM

Do you manufacture or sell an LED flashlight, task light, utility light, or module of some kind? Want to see it tested by a real person, under real working conditions? Do you then want to see how your light did? If you have a sample available for this type of real-world, real-time testing, please contact me at ledmuseum@worldnet.att.net or send your potential victim to:

Craig Johnson
c/o LED Museum
1531 1st Ave #305
Seattle WA. 98101-1557
ph. 1-206-351-3602 (keep it short, this costs me fifty cents a minute).

Unsolicited flashlights appearing in the mail are welcome, and it will automatically be assumed that you sent it in order to have it tested and evaluated for this site.
Be sure to include contact info or your company website's URL so visitors here will know where to purchase your product.


        It doesn't really matter where you go
        It makes no difference baby who you know
        This thing has gotten way out of control

        Hey!

        It doesn't really matter who you are
        You might as well be a super star
        Cause everything has gone way too far

        It's the strangest thing

        It's getting stranger and then
        It's getting harder to win
        There was a flashlight and then
        It starts happening all over again

        		 I'm heading off on an LED trip
        And that's what I plan to do
        I'm goin' away to a luminous plain
        And I ain't comin' back real soon

        The whole thing is electrical
        It's running through my veins
        And everything's connectable

        Hey, digital!
        Hey, digital!
        World...

        I'm goin' digital
        Completely digital
        Now I'm invincable
        Let's all get digital



Never Forget... never forget...
September 11, 2001.
A day that will be forever remembered.
Never forget the victims of the World Trade Center,
the Pentagon, and the passengers on the four lost flights.







WHITE 5500-6500K InGaN+phosphor 
ULTRAVIOLET 370-390nm GaN 
BLUE 430nm GaN+SiC
BLUE 450 and 473nm InGaN
BLUE Silicon Carbide
TURQUOISE 495-505nm InGaN
GREEN 525nm InGaN 
YELLOW-GREEN 555-575mn GaAsP & related
YELLOW 585-595nm
AMBER 595-605nm
ORANGE 605-620nm
ORANGISH-RED 620-635nm
RED 640-700nm
INFRARED 700-1300nm
True RGB Full Color LED
Spider (Pirrahna) LEDs
SMD LEDs
True violet (400-418nm) LEDs
Agilent Barracuda & Prometheus LEDs
Oddball & Miscellaneous LEDs
Programmable RGB LED modules / fixtures
Where to buy these LEDs 
Links to other LED-related websites
The World's First Virtual LED Museum
The Punishment Zone - Where Flashlights Go to Die
Legal horse puckey, etc.
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