Guest Jessica Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 Do wind-up torches actually work? Our children are scared of the dark when camping so we're considering getting a couple of the £30 torches as apparently they should last 5 hours on the lowest setting, and our 6 year old will be able to recharge it if he really feels it necessary, so we could keep one with the kids overnight. We'd use the other one ourselves as more of a latern light for the evenings rather than get through tons of batteries as we did last time we camped. How do these torches actually perform? Anyone have any better ideas to get round taking out shares in batteries? Car rechargable batteries might work but some days we won't use the car so we don't want to risk draining the car battery by recharging our own cells - if that makes sense! Thanks Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 HI Jessica, I bought one of these last year and you get about 5 minutes not hours of use before having to rewind. I bought it for emergencies (when I run out of batteries on my other torches) rather than constant use but, that said, it was a new toy to me so I used it quite a lot initially. I've found it very useful, easy to wind and with 2 beam settings. HTH Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jessica Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Seriously they don't last any length? Ah okay, thanks for that Pete - that's saved me shelling out a lot of money if it isn't going to work! Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anna Posted April 4, 2005 Share Posted April 4, 2005 It might be worth trying the new shake-it torches - much cheaper. Can't think of a manufacturer off-hand but they're found on ebay and in Maplins eg. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=310&item=7146447463&rd=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Posted April 4, 2005 Share Posted April 4, 2005 Good point Anna. You can now also get the 'pump' torches, you just pump a trigger to generate the power, seen them for around £7 but don't know how good they are. To be honest with all the winding, shaking and pumping it's all getting a bit too energetic for me....what happened to just pressing a button??. BRING BACK THE DURACELL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Keith Miller Posted April 5, 2005 Share Posted April 5, 2005 Hiya, The latest generation of batteryless torches use LED's instead of bulbs which consume far less energy than convetional bulbs and give a comparable light output when multiple LED's are used. The advantage of LED's is they have a bulb life 100000 hours so coupled with the generator they are very, very reliable. Some torches work better than others and I will freely admit the shake / squeeze type LED torches are not nearly as good as the wind up types as far as I have seen. My small online shop stock most of the types of generator torches available and I would strongly recommend the LED wind up type. In tests I conducted myself I found that 1 minute of winding lasted in excess of 15 minutes on the highest 3 LED setting. Hope this helps Keith Miller www.bestbuyit.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jessica Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 Thanks for the replies guys. Pete in particular, the wind up torch you have, I'm assuming it can't be one of the Freeplay ones then as this does claim it can last for 5 hours - see: http://www.thetorchshop.co.uk/freeplay_wind_up_torch.html I agree that shaking and pumping sound far too energetic for my liking! I saw a car rechargeable latern in Taunton Leisure the other day which did look good but I'd rather not have to rely on using the car to recharge as I know my son will run out the battery every night so it's a bit of a job. Hmmm tis tricky. I appreciate the input though, thank you! Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Hi Jessica, Correct, mine is one of those freeplay wind-up torches but it sure don't last five hours when switch on. I'll have to have a look at the advertising as mine may be faulty!!!. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Jessica, Checked the advertising and it states the 5 hours is from the battery not the winder... Freeplay Sherpa Wind up Torch This compact wind up torch 8 minutes shine time from flat on a 30 second wind Built in Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable battery 5 hours shine time from battery on normal beam 6V 100ma AC/DC Adapter High-brightness Xenon filled dual filament bulb. High & low beam Size (H) 55mm (L) 160mm (W) 60mm Weight 370g Colour Burgundy or Grey Not tried it on full charge as I use it only for emergencies via the winder but may give it a go via battery on my next trip in May. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jessica Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Thanks for checking Pete. Can you recharge the battery from the car or does it have to be mains? 8 minutes might still be okay in some ways, it's hopefully enough time for my son to go back to sleep should he wake up in the night. It's not like it's hard to wind these things, I've a freeplay windup radio and it's ace (and has a solar panel so normally doesn't need winding anyhow). Thanks! Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 It didn't come with a car adaptor just mains adaptor but that doesn't mean to say you can't purchase one. I'm not an electrical expert so can't comment on the type and safety of the one you'd require. Hopefully someone reading this may be able to advise. Cheers Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dave Posted April 17, 2005 Share Posted April 17, 2005 if its the kiddies at night you want light for then glowsticks are the way to go, you can get 100 (8" ones) for £6 delivered from ebay and they glow all night and into the next day and even come with little connectors to make into wristbands... ideal for the kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jan Posted April 20, 2005 Share Posted April 20, 2005 they had the LED wind-up torches in Aldi last week, two settings, cost was about £7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jessica Posted April 20, 2005 Share Posted April 20, 2005 We use glow sticks in his bedroom at night, got them for £1 a pack in poundland, but we find they don't tend to last the whole night. Although to be fair over the summer it's darker for less time so we might get away with it. I will need to check if the local Aldi has any of the torches in stock though - thanks for the tip! Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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