Review of a shake flaslight

[kev]

This is a review of a shake flashlight from ReadyPro.org.

verall, I was impressed with how bright the light is. But it might have been brighter if there was a reflector dish behind the bulb. This is a LED light, so you will probably never have to replace the bulb.

Shake and hand crank flashlights are something that I recommend that everyone have on hand. You do not have to worry about the batteries going dead, you just shake up the light, and its ready to go.

YouTube - Hybrid Shake Flashlight Review

[alergyfree]

I have three in various places as a last resort for some kind of light.
I painted one black because the light shines through the handles and messes what your trying to see. Haven't done the other yet.
Got all three at the thrift store for under $3.00 each.
Not a lot of light but if you have nothing else and it's pitch dark....
Every time I pick them up they work so
I know magnets naturally demagnetize over time so I done know about the forever thing. Course that may not be an issue in my lifetime.
Just my nickel

[Jeep]

I have used these from different manufactures and some are good, some not so good.
The best one I currently own is a NightStar 3 and it seems as far as durability and length of light to be my favorite.
I agree that one should be on hand. I have a few in different kits and the vehicles. the ones I don't like I gave to the grandkids to play with.

[Dirt Fisher]

Very nice.
i see they have improved since I first saw them...
odd there isn't a reflectore dish..

And where is Jasper?
;-)

[gerrygprs]

I got one like 7 years ago. I still have it and still use it. I never had to replace anything. Very good emergency flashlight.

[LSCamel]

I got one about 3 years ago for Christmas and have it around in case of emergencies as well. After sitting for some time you may need to shake it for a full 2 minutes or so to recharge it, but mine has held up great and overall has served it's purpose well.

[superkaz661]

I will try to say this as respectfully as possible....I think you may have been taken. I wont guarantee it 100%, but it looks as if there are two nickle cell batteries behind the switch area. I think those are what are powering the bulb, not the "shaking mechanism"

If you want to test, hold the "shaking" slug near a piece of ferrous metal. If it strongly attracts, I may be wrong. If it doesn't, its likely a slug of inanimate metal, which wont generate a current as it passes through the coils. (Its fun physics---pass a magnet through a conductive coil and you get a current, pass a current through a conductive coil and you get a magnet)

Only reason I suspect this isnt a working "shake" flashlight is I bought several nearly identical ones of ebay several years ago, suspected something was fishy, took them apart and found this to be the answer. There was no capacitor to hold the charge--hell, the copper coil lead wasnt even attached to the led circuit.

I hope that I'm wrong, and that I just looked like an arse, but I tend to think I'm not.

[alergyfree]

Originally Posted by superkaz661

I will try to say this as respectfully as possible....I think you may have been taken. I wont guarantee it 100%, but it looks as if there are two nickle cell batteries behind the switch area. I think those are what are powering the bulb, not the "shaking mechanism"

If you want to test, hold the "shaking" slug near a piece of ferrous metal. If it strongly attracts, I may be wrong. If it doesn't, its likely a slug of inanimate metal, which wont generate a current as it passes through the coils. (Its fun physics---pass a magnet through a conductive coil and you get a current, pass a current through a conductive coil and you get a magnet)

Only reason I suspect this isnt a working "shake" flashlight is I bought several nearly identical ones of ebay several years ago, suspected something was fishy, took them apart and found this to be the answer. There was no capacitor to hold the charge--hell, the copper coil lead wasnt even attached to the led circuit.

I hope that I'm wrong, and that I just looked like an arse, but I tend to think I'm not.

Yup bought one of those too,a cheapy, had two Cr-2032 batteries in it. when i got it I thought cool I'll see how long it stays lit. Four hours later I'm thinking something is fishy and take it apart. The coil and magnet seemed to work also, I guess maybe they figured it would keep the batteries topped off. Though I'm pretty sure that's not something that would work.
So if you want to get one it's pretty easy to see the batteries if your looking for them.
I'd be passing on those kind.
The true shake lite seems to work fine though.

[ljh824]

i got one as part of a bundled kit I bought. At first I threw it aside thinking it was crap, then one night I decided to give it a try. Like others have said, it's not the brightest light in the world but after a minute or two of shaking, it put out a sustained "bright enough" light. If anything, I'm going to keep a few of these on hand for an "in between battery change" light. In a true long-term SHTF scenario, this may be the only light that will come through for you.

[Crutch]

Hey I have one of those! Its a complete piece of garbage. Holds a bright charge for about 10 seconds then quickly dims to unusable light.


A better design would be one you didn't shake up and down, but in a hammer motion. Maybe when I was 14 I would have been better, but, that was a long time ago. LOL

Maybe yours will be different. I hate mine.

[TANSTAF1]

I just got a NightStar CS2 for $22 at REI. It works. There are no batteries. It is not very bright, but it is enough for you walk a trail or a campsite.

Here is a link to a review on CandlePowerForums:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...d.php?t=215271

[nightfall]

I've got three of these... slider and not push button though. I was thinking about making a reflector behind the bulb for mine but never got around to it and forgot. It does seem that there is some wasted light that goes into the flashlight that can be used if sent forward by a reflector.

I know mine don't have batteries in them.
I've taken them apart before. That's kinda how I am. Gotta nosey into them.

[ljh824]

Originally Posted by nightfall

I've got three of these... slider and not push button though. I was thinking about making a reflector behind the bulb for mine but never got around to it and forgot. It does seem that there is some wasted light that goes into the flashlight that can be used if sent forward by a reflector.

I know mine don't have batteries in them.
I've taken them apart before. That's kinda how I am. Gotta nosey into them.

Nightfall. Love the avatar!!! Lucy is yum.

[Chewy1]

Not a shake light, but I wanted to put a plug in for the crank style flashlights. I got a set for my two kids last Christmas because of how many batteries they were going for. Those work great!

[SgtBooker44]

These are awesome lights.

I have a couple. One in my flight bag and another in my GHB.

I just wish they were a little more quiet.

[SurviveIt]

Originally Posted by superkaz661

I will try to say this as respectfully as possible....I think you may have been taken. I wont guarantee it 100%, but it looks as if there are two nickle cell batteries behind the switch area. I think those are what are powering the bulb, not the "shaking mechanism"

If you want to test, hold the "shaking" slug near a piece of ferrous metal. If it strongly attracts, I may be wrong. If it doesn't, its likely a slug of inanimate metal, which wont generate a current as it passes through the coils. (Its fun physics---pass a magnet through a conductive coil and you get a current, pass a current through a conductive coil and you get a magnet)

Only reason I suspect this isnt a working "shake" flashlight is I bought several nearly identical ones of ebay several years ago, suspected something was fishy, took them apart and found this to be the answer. There was no capacitor to hold the charge--hell, the copper coil lead wasnt even attached to the led circuit.

I hope that I'm wrong, and that I just looked like an arse, but I tend to think I'm not.

SuperK,

You should try harder the next time you are being respectiable! J/K.

The hybrid lights now out are just that, a cross between Capacitor and Battery. Get it ..... HY --- BRID? Ok, that was fun. So what does that mean to you? From a customer standpoint, the reason why a Hybrid light is better than a shake flash light is .... (drum roll please) ..... You get the best of a Standard Capacitor shake flashlight (which means they are always available and the capacitor never gives up - you simply shake more to charge it back up) PLUS, the long charge time of a battery, up to 12 hours on a single charge. No rip off here, and certainly nobody is being taken. Battery lights last a really long time when they have a full charge, but the problem is that they eventually go out. Which is why you can replace the batteries. But, if the batteries do go out, you still have the capacitor function to run the light.

Hopefully that sheds some light on the subject of the Shake Hybrid Light.

Mark

[SurviveIt]

Also, just wanted to point out one other thing, the reason why it does not have a reflector is a very good one. If you notice that the flashlight itself is clear plastic. When the LED is on, light radiates and lights up the entire top half of the flashlight. If there was a reflector, that top half of the flashlight would not light up. This means it doubles as a low intensity lantern simply by standing the light upwards, light from the main body of the flashlight will light up the entire area around it.

[ken]

There is some truth to all the comments added above, but most of you are discussing different "shake light" products, they are not all the same. There are some very high end shake lights, and there are some that are simply a P.O.S. Shake lights make a great temporary light to find another (longer term) source of light, to locate a lantern, or to reset a circuit breaker etc. You should not depend on any single type (technology) light, each has advantages and disadvantages, you decide what works for you in your particular application.

The "Hybrid" in the products name, in this case, means it is actually dual powered, it does contain two, CR-2032 batteries, and is also shake powered (read on).

I too purchased some cheap imitation shake-lights, only to find there was a fake magnet inside, none of the wires were connected, ha, and it simply had a coin cell battery wired to produce the light. When I returned the lights, the store manager refused to remove the fake shake lights he had on display, even when he was shown they were fake, go figure. I did get my money back just the same. My advice, beware of those deals that seem too good to be true.

I have several of the exact, "Hybrid Shake Lights" being reviewed in this post, but keep in mind, there may be more than one Chinese manufacture labeling them as such, so do your own research.

My hybrid shakelight flashlight has three push button settings. The first position is off, the shake light will still charge the internal capacitor in this position. In the second position, two CR-2032 batteries are connected to the single LED. The CR-2032 batteries are not recharged by shaking, they are non-rechargeable lithium type. You will have to eventually replace the coin batteries if you want to use that feature. In the third position, the LED is being illuminated by energy stored in the internal capacitor, by shaking. You can unscrew the top of the flashlight to have access to the coin cells for replacement.

Some shake lights are permanently (hermetically) sealed, and do not have batteries, thus can be completely immersed in water. I would call the flashlight in this review "water resistant" (not water proof). I would have no problem using it in the rain, but would not go swimming with it, ha.

I too recommend this type flashlight especially for use in your vehicle, where the high summer temperatures will make short work of regular alkaline batteries. Keep in mind a rechargeable battery (NiCad or NiMh) will lose between 1-3 percent of its charge each day, faster when they are hot. In Texas, the interior of a vehicle can easily get to 165 degrees in summer time, baking your batteries and electronics, beware. Temperature considerations alone make the vehicle a great place for either a shake light or crank type flashlight. This shake light seems pretty durable, as Kev said, again it will probably hold up well in the higher vibration environment of vehicle storage, better than say, a flashlight with a filament type bulb, if anyone still has those. For a single LED flashlight it is pretty bright, it has a very focused beam, thus it is not very useful for area lighting. Another good application would be to keep one by your main circuit breaker panel. Keep in mind there is a very strong magnet inside, so don't store it with magnetic media etc.

[SurviveIt]

Originally Posted by ken

There is some truth to all the comments added above, but most of you are discussing different "shake light" products, they are not all the same. There are some very high end shake lights, and there are some that are simply a P.O.S. Shake lights make a great temporary light to find another (longer term) source of light, to locate a lantern, or to reset a circuit breaker etc. You should not depend on any single type (technology) light, each has advantages and disadvantages, you decide what works for you in your particular application.

The "Hybrid" in the products name, in this case, means it is actually dual powered, it does contain two, CR-2032 batteries, and is also shake powered (read on).

I too purchased some cheap imitation shake-lights, only to find there was a fake magnet inside, none of the wires were connected, ha, and it simply had a coin cell battery wired to produce the light. When I returned the lights, the store manager refused to remove the fake shake lights he had on display, even when he was shown they were fake, go figure. I did get my money back just the same. My advice, beware of those deals that seem too good to be true.

I have several of the exact, "Hybrid Shake Lights" being reviewed in this post, but keep in mind, there may be more than one Chinese manufacture labeling them as such, so do your own research.

My hybrid shakelight flashlight has three push button settings. The first position is off, the shake light will still charge the internal capacitor in this position. In the second position, two CR-2032 batteries are connected to the single LED. The CR-2032 batteries are not recharged by shaking, they are non-rechargeable lithium type. You will have to eventually replace the coin batteries if you want to use that feature. In the third position, the LED is being illuminated by energy stored in the internal capacitor, by shaking. You can unscrew the top of the flashlight to have access to the coin cells for replacement.

Some shake lights are permanently (hermetically) sealed, and do not have batteries, thus can be completely immersed in water. I would call the flashlight in this review "water resistant" (not water proof). I would have no problem using it in the rain, but would not go swimming with it, ha.

I too recommend this type flashlight especially for use in your vehicle, where the high summer temperatures will make short work of regular alkaline batteries. Keep in mind a rechargeable battery (NiCad or NiMh) will lose between 1-3 percent of its charge each day, faster when they are hot. In Texas, the interior of a vehicle can easily get to 165 degrees in summer time, baking your batteries and electronics, beware. Temperature considerations alone make the vehicle a great place for either a shake light or crank type flashlight. This shake light seems pretty durable, as Kev said, again it will probably hold up well in the higher vibration environment of vehicle storage, better than say, a flashlight with a filament type bulb, if anyone still has those. For a single LED flashlight it is pretty bright, it has a very focused beam, thus it is not very useful for area lighting. Another good application would be to keep one by your main circuit breaker panel. Keep in mind there is a very strong magnet inside, so don't store it with magnetic media etc.

Ken,

Just an FYI, your model is different than the one that was shipped from ReadyPRO to Kev. Although, I do like your review of that flashlight, it, however is not the same one. Just an FYI.

The main difference is that there is a much simpler "one click" design that Hybrid Light does not make available to the general public. Its more automatic and it does indeed charge the batteries by shaking. I know because I've owned and operated them for over a year.

I do also have your "double click" flashlight and decided that for most people, the "single click" design would be easier when a natural disaster strikes. There is nothing worse than clicking your flashlight with a dead capacitor when you need light. Just my own personal opinion and the reason why I carry that particular one.

However, I am glad that you were able to post about the quality of that brand. Once someone has had a bad experience with a shake flashlight, they tend to think all of them are bad. They are not.

Mark

[BlightedJosh]

Shake lights are junk.