so in the interest of full disclosure, I am one of those guys that goes to those meetings and stands up to say:
Hi, I'm Martin, and I'm a flashaholic.
With that out of the way, this is amazing.... simply the most useful flashlight to have attached to my keyring. I had heard of these before and for some reason never got one. Wow - what a mistake. The light is simply the brightest light I can find at this size. It's small, it's light and did I mention it's bright?
I ended up purchasing the "upgraded" version of this light - which is about $1.00 more.
It is the brighest when I have a 10440 lithium battery in it. Using lithium battery requires you to know a few things:
a) The best advice is not to use lithium batteries - they pose significant potential risks. This light is *so* small, the potential risk is greater because there is less metal to act as a heat conductor to cool the tiny little LED that is putting out the bright light.
b) no matter what I think about these batteries, I don't recommend them to someone who hasn't taken the time and effort to understand and mitigate the risk. If this include you, then stick to the standard AAA battery - it's the best AAA flashlight I have seen.
c) I don't ever let these batteries short out in a drawer somewhere.... (there are stories about fires in homes because people were careless with their lithium batteries) (and stories about Boeing 787's catching on fire because of issues with their lithium battery)
) I watch the heat level when it is on high and don't let it stay on high for long (the upgraded version has low, medium and high levels)
d) currently, I am unaware of any "protected" 10440 battery. I would guess it is because of the size that they have to fit. An unprotected lithium battery can have bad outcomes if it is over charged or over discharged. The charger I have is designed to safely charge the battery and I'm more than a little compulsive about swapping the battery out when I've been using it for a while to avoid over discharge.
I do a good bit of travel and have always found having a flashlight with me everywhere I go helpful when I'm on the road and in unfamiliar surroundings.
One of the key advantages of this light over other lights that were designed to work only on lithium batteries is that while it's not as bright when it is running on a standard AAA battery, it is still very usable on one. This gives me the flexibility of swapping it out for a AAA if I'm on the road or I don't have one in the charger. Having a charger that supports two batteries means I'm never out of charged batteries at home under normal circumstances. Being able to use AAA batteries and get good performance from them means I'm also able to keep a handfull of those around for situations where I might be out of power for an extended period and can't recharge the lithium version.
I have heard several complaints about the "mode" function. Some of the more expensive (and heavier and less bright) lights in this category remember what level it was on the last time you used it and start at that level the next time you use it. I was a little concerned that this one will always start on "low" - then a quick twist off->on will move it to medium and then one more twist combo to high. My experience with these types of flashlights (twist on/off) is that sometimes (rarely, but sometimes) they come on in my pocket. Having the flashlight always start at "low" turns out to be a great feature for a light that you plan to carry on your key chain - if it were to come on in my pocket, it would come on at low and not get really hot, really(really) quickly.
Summary: It is rumored to handle the higher voltage of a lithium battery and my short experience both supports that argument and makes me eager to see how it goes over time. I don't recommend unprotected lithium battery powered flashlights to anyone because of the potential risk.
| Color | Black |
|---|---|
| Power Source | Battery Powered |
| Light Source Type | LED |
| Material | Aluminum |
| White Brightness | 96 Lumens |
| Included Components | Battery |
| Item Weight | 1 Ounces |
| Brightness | 80 Lumen |
| Finish Type | Aluminum |
| Manufacturer | ITP Light |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 4.3 x 2.6 x 0.7 inches |
| Package Weight | 4.8 ounces |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 2.6 x 0.55 x 0.55 inches |
| Part Number | A3 EOS |
