So my kids enjoy using their flashlights close to bed time, but fall asleep with them on, and we go through a lot of batteries. I thought about getting them each a shake light and got one of the Everlast lights that WM sells to test it out. Beam was narrow and not very bright...and the best part...shake for two minutes to get three minutes of light!

After I returned it, I found a crank light at WM. Cost about half the price...has three LED bulbs, can use just one or all three bulbs at once. It says it will last for an hour at best...they're awkward and not very sturdy...but I have a feeling my battery cost will go down!

Not impressed anymore with shake lights .

My kids do that same thing and I bought a set of those "as seen on tv" (That's a good thing?!?) shaker lights for this Christmas.

In this case, "shake for two minutes to get three minutes of light" is a desirable feature. Kids have virtually unlimited energy, especially when they are supposed to be getting to sleep.

I ruled out any type of crank light as the ones I've seen are pretty noisy.

A cranked generator and a linearly moving magnet both work on the same Faraday principle.

The wire in the shaker lights doesn't store the energy. (Yes inductors do store energy but not enough to run an LED for minutes.) There must be a small rechargeable battery or capacitor in there.

When (not if) my kids break these I'll do thorough analysis.

actually the better "shakelight" is VERY good for an emergency kit (keep them away from your compass) the faraday coil charges a capacitor which in turn supplies current to the led (the better lights use a better cap.). Yes, the do only give aprox. three minutes of light, but this is better than no light at all.

Mostly. I think there is a context that makes sense: The third world. If I had no resources and batteries were unobtainable, a light that was nearly indistructable and worked basically forever and didn't cost anything to run would be valuable indeed. One that you could pass down to your children.

On the other hand, flashlights have come a LONG ways recently, and it is possible to get lights that are very cheap to run, or can be stored long term.



The first light that comes to mind is the Princeton Tech Attitude. It has 3 x 5mm LEDs and runs on 4 AAA cells. It outputs a resonable amount of light for close work like reading, is waterproof, simple and nearly bomb proof. And it even comes in semi-translucent colors! :-)

Other posibilities are the Gerber Infinity Ultra with a white LED. This light has one 5mm LED and runs on a single AA battery. While it outputs less light, it still outputs enough to be useful and has a long runtime. This light is also waterproof and nearly indistructable. The main downside is it would be a lot easier to lose.

If the kids are a bit older and can be trusted to take care of things a bit more, a Mini Maglite with an Opalec Newbeam bulb replacement is very nice. While only 3 x 5mm LEDs, it outputs a reasonable amount of light and transforms the Mini Mag into a very sophisticated beast. The best part is that it has a regulator to maintain constaint output for about 10 hours. This light is very efficent and can run from very cheapo batteries.

Good luck!

-john


EDIT: I'd also suggest you avoid lithium powered lights for kids. They can be dangerous if damaged.

I don't know, but I found a place where I could get the smaller sized shake lights for $5 for 3 of the lights. I was thinking about getting some for nieces/nephews as well as a couple to put in BOB or storage.

Theres a valid performance and monetary reason for many gear items. A Mora knife for your first survival seminar until you can afford and know what knife will be your primary blade is an example. Then there is the 'gee wizz' stuff that seems to hold an advantage such as shaking, solar or cranking power sources. 3 minutes give you the advantage of seeing your spaceblanket shred in winds better faced with a cheap surplus blanket and a old D cell flashlight at minimum.

I've got one of those Gerbers and like it. Actually the battery LEDs that my kids use are smaller than that...Dorcy AAA. And yes, there have been many a night when I've turned over a spare light because one kid or the other couldn't find theirs...

They actually lost one of those big crank lights for a few days! While keeping track of the AAA lights!

I look forward to building a house in the next year or two, so each child can have their own room...two in the same room now is a clutter nightmare!

It seems that many/most brands of shake light are quite fragile and are basically toys. The Nightstar brand seems to actually be a decently made product from what I've read, although I've never handled one. That said, would I consider them a joke? Well, the cheap ones, definitely yes. The good ones--well, it's hard to find a good use for them. Their beams are narrow and quite dim and they don't run very long. In spite of their advantages, those disadvantages make them pretty useless for most situations unless you were Tom Hanks on Castaway or something like that.

But, for a child that likes playing with flashlights and who will tend to leave them on accidentally, why not? Then again, how about just using rechargeables in the flashlights they might play with?

Don't remember just how small your kids are, but we've got two kinds of auto shutoff lights for our 4yo and almost 3yo. The first doesn't mention the shutoff feature on the web page, but it's quiet (see #2) and has three colored lens filters: auto shutoff kid light . The second (little tikes) you can find at wallyworld - squeezing the handle opens the animal's mouth (dinosaur, tiger, etc...), turns on the light and - most annoyingly, makes it roar. Over and over and over and over....

No, not hard core or even soft core CPF material here. But they are kid friendly, easy on batteries and a source of entertainment and morale for the little ones (and not so little ones). We tried one of the shake lights from Sportsman's Warehouse - they liked it, but the novelty wore off pretty quick. It's in the bottom of my go bag, not a great light, but it's a light source and I never have to worry about having batteries of any size, shape or voltage. That's the biggest draw for me: no matter what (almost), I've got a light.

(edit) Don't remember the brand of our shake light, but our guys gave it the kid tested seal of approval last Christmas - beat the daylights out of it and it survived short dunks in the toilet and the tub. If anyone wants to let my guys test their favorite $200.00 torch under these conditions, let me know...