Looking for something to fill the stocking this Christmas or perhaps for the emergency go bag? How about a super-bright flashlight. They're great to have around the house and absolutely needed for every prepper. Now, they’re getting smaller and smaller where you no longer need space for three or four C or D batteries to fit inside and their batteries are even rechargeable, too.
One such flashlight available that I recently tried out is the NanoTorch Twist by KeySmart. It fits in the palm of your hand, has a rotating head, shines at up to 600 lumens, and has a rechargeable battery that doesn’t even require a charging base.
The first thing worth mentioning is that rechargeable battery. It is the size of a AA battery. Built into the top side of the battery is a USB charging port. Just connect the provided USB cable to your own USB connector and you can charge the battery. That connector could either be built into the outlet these days, in your laptop, in a power bank, or otherwise, just use the plug provided with your mobile phone. Once fully charged, you will see a green indicator light and get about seven hours of usage from the 750 mAh Li-ion battery. Unable to recharge? In a pinch, you can still use a AA battery. The light just won't be as bright. Turning on the flashlight is just a long press of a button, and you can cycle through three brightness levels. You can even get the flashlight to flash quickly or slowly (strobe and SOS modes), for when you need to get someone’s attention. Beware of seizures with that strobe feature, though. Brightness of a flashlight is measured in lumens and here we have one that can shine up to 600 lumens. For comparison, a typical headlamp produces between 50-100 lumens, while a 100 watt lightbulb produces around 1750. 600 comes in around the equivalent of the brightness of a 40w light bulb. The two lower intensities are at 250 and 100 lumens.
NanoTorch
Not NanoTorch
It is important to point out that the brightness of the flashlight is a very narrow width, and it is rated at 110 meters for distance, or about 360 feet. So, it isn’t good for lighting up a large area but works well when you want a more directed light, like for fixing something under the hood of your car.
The rotating flashlight head helps you with directing that light in any particular direction. With a magnetic base or the metal clip, you can even go hands-free. The NanoTorch is a great flashlight to have around. While you’ll never need to buy it batteries, its compact size allows you to store it practically anywhere. Just remember where you did when you have that next blackout.
When you do buy the flashlight, there is one thing you must do before using it, besides charge the battery that is. There is a small piece of plastic separating the battery and the connector that needs to be removed. If you can't see it, be sure to check in the battery tube as it may slip down it. If the plastic is still there when you try to use, the flashlight will not work since there isn't a closed circuit for the battery. Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions stated are my own and may differ from yours. See my disclosure policy for more information.
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