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Ultracapacitor LED Flashlight Charges In 90 Seconds

Posted by timothy on from the doubles-as-a-stun-gun dept.

Iddo Genuth writes "The California based company 5.11 Tactical has recently introduced a new innovative flashlight — 'Light For Life' UC3.400. Unlike regular flashlights requiring constant battery changing this new LED torch offers a rechargeable battery that can be recharged in as little as 90 seconds using ultracapacitor technology. Various military and rescue units might benefit from this new development, ensuring them a light source at all times."

3 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. Better be a mighty fine flashlight for $170 by jfengel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    TFA says it's a $170 flashlight. It's got a lifetime warranty, but I always lose flashlights before they fail on me.

    What I want to know is, how quickly does it self-discharge? It doesn't do me any good to have it charge in 90 seconds if I don't need it until the power goes out.

    1. Re:Better be a mighty fine flashlight for $170 by Feanturi · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I paid $10 for a wind-up flashlight that appears to have the same style of 3-LED array as this one. It's nice and bright, requires about 1 minute of winding to provide 15 minutes of full illumination, with less-bright light available after that. Considering that I never need anything other than a working pair of hands to charge it, I think the one I've got is much better for ensuring there will always be light when I need it. In a power outage, or out in a tent somewhere, a 90-second DC charge time doesn't do me any good at all.

  2. Re:90 seconds! by SleptThroughClass · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's actually a myth, the flashlight in Doom 3 is actually grue powered.

    Do they have a small grue on a treadmill, forever running away from the light which it generates?