Thumbs Up:
LED technology is long lasting and energy efficient. The single LED on each individual light puts out a surprising amount of light.
When the three lights are put together, any of the on/off buttons on the individual lights controls all lights. The beam of the 3-in-1 is very bright.
The tripod legs of the 3-in-1 are actually held by a small magnet in the center holder; when you push the button, the metal leg parts disconnect from the center and the legs pop out. Actually, they don't all pop out; I invariably had to manually move one leg. But the concept is cool.
Each individual flashlight has a head that can swivel 90 degrees, which might be useful to someone using a tool belt.
The individual flashlights are bright enough to use at close range; I would say within 10 feet or so. The combined 3-in-1 is probably good to 20 feet or possibly further, though the combined beam is not as focused as a custom made large flashlight.
The tripod is a nifty idea, and this would make a nice workspace light in a dark area, where you could set the light down, angle one light towards the work area, and use the other two lights to illuminate the general area.
When working with the tripod, you can remove one light while the other two provide illumination of the work in progress.
Thumbs not-so-up:
Since the individual flashlights are self contained, and the center holder is a separate piece, the 3-in-1 flashlight is heavier and bulkier than a custom built large flashlight. It is a bit bigger around than a 3 X D cell flashlight, and about as heavy, but not as sturdy (see below).
The individual flashlights are molded to fit the center piece, not your hand. So while each individual one is light weight, they do not feel as comfortable as a custom made 2 X AA battery LED flashlight.
The three individual lights slide out of the center piece. This is the whole point of the flashlight, but the unit as a whole is not rock solid. Nor are the individual lights particularly sturdy by themselves. I would not recommend this as a light to carry around on patrol. I would say that this flashlight would best as a work light rather than a "carry around" light.
I realize that some compromises are inevitable in a device like this, but I was disappointed that it was not possible to turn off two of the task lights while the unit was on the tripod. This feature would have made for a lot longer lasting task light; one could have just used a new flashlight when the batteries went dim on the one in use. I think it might be possible to get this to happen if one put a bit of electrical tape on the metal contact of one or more of the lights, but I didn't try it. But it is worth a shot if you want it strictly as a task light and want only one light. Of course, you could remove the two lights not being used and get the same effect, though you would have to put those two lights somewhere and then remember where later!
Conclusion:
A good task light with great features. If you need a light to perform light maintenance around the house, this fits the bill quite nicely.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The major selling point of this flashlight is that it can break apart into 3 separate flashlights. I am comparing it to Stanley MaxLife 369 Tripod LED Flashlight #95-112S, which I own, although there is also Stanley MaxLife 369 6-LED Flashlight #95-369.Pros:
1) breaks into 3 lights GREAT for CAMPING!, power outages, etc...
2) 3 lights independently can be turned ~120 deg so you can have 1 pointed at the ground and 1 pointed in front of you (also great for camping)
3) when snapped into tripod, only have to use 1 of the 3 power buttons to control all 3 flashlights
4) very bright (despite 1 of my 3 being defective spot in center)
5) tripod is very handy
6) very light
Cons:
1) Tripod is flimsy there are little springs holding the thin plastic legs on under regular or hard use, these do not appear durable in the least esp compared to the Stanley Max Life lights
2) cannot point all 3 lights in one direction so only get the power of 1 light pointed at your project when using the tripod (unless you want to work on the ceiling) again we have the 369, so this is a hard-to-give-up feature
3) Cannot turn off 1 or 2 lights without removing them from tripod when using lights at an angle (conceivably though 2 could point in the general direction, at an angle) so either you have the extra light on pointing wherever burning down the batteries or you have to take it out of the tripod to turn it off
4) Flashlights have a very small diameter (measure less than 1" across) when out of the tripod they feel very small in my little hands I could not imagine my husband would feel particularly comfortable if he had to carry only 1 around but this is really, really minor and may be a plus for camping if kids are carrying them
5) No low battery indicator? Appears this feature was also omitted, limiting its usefulness for emergency kits
Overall I am docking stars because the tripod is just disappointing the quality is not what I would expect from Stanley and seems a step-down compared to their previous Max Life products, which are very reasonably priced. Additionally, I find the angles the flashlights turn in a bit limiting. However, the brightness is really impressive and it only requires 6 batteries compared to the 9 (can use 3,6, or 9) in the Max Life. Most of my applications are garage or craft table related, so I need the angle. I don't want to have 2 flashlights on and pointing at the ceiling, so not being able to independently turn them off is a slight inconvenience. If your application is more like camping with light use I would highly recommend this. Heavy use again I just wouldn't expect much longevity from the tripod. I would not recommend this for garage jobs for the same reason.
Update 12/2009: After over a year, just want to say it is still working with light use (since I was worried about the longevity), and I'm still frustrated with the viewing angles. :-)
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This essentially crosses 3 flashlights together in a nice stand, which turns it into a work lamp. All three flashlights are very bright, and when combined and pointing in the same direction, are very very bright. When in the tripod base, any one of the on/off switches will control all three flashlights.Few comments about this.
-Initial impression coming out of the package is that it felt pretty light and "plasticky". However after putting 6(!) AA batteries in it (2 in each flashlight) it feels very stable on the tripod (which has nice rubber protectors to prevent scratching)
The lights themselves have a yellow tinge around the outside of the beam, with a purplish inside.
One of the lights is flickering, but I think that's because the batteries I have in it are nearly run down (also using NiMH which may be the cause of the above yellow fringing).
Overall it's a nice lamp, you can even set it on the ground and point each light downward and it forms a nice area light (although not as good as a lantern style light would)
Update: The tripod aspect of it, is supposed to be released by a button on the bottom of the flashlight (that's awkward to get to), but it doesn't work very well, and the legs seem to easily release on their own. It feels like the clasps may eventually break, and then I won't be able to compact it down. Even though it probably won't be that big of a deal, because of it's size you probably would never use all three combined as one flashlight anyways, it's much better suited to a work lamp.
Honest reviews on Stanley 95-155 3-in-1 Tripod LED Flashlight
I purchased three Stanley® 3-in-1 Tripod LED Flashlights last Christmas to give as gifts to my daughter, son, and husband. One arrived broken and was replaced. Now, of the 3 only 1 is still working. One of them has only 1 light working. A second one has one light working, one flashing, and one not working at all. These flash lights have hardly been used. I am very disappointed in the quality of this product. I would not recommend this product.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Stanley 95-155 3-in-1 Tripod LED Flashlight
My husband drives a crude oil tanker & finds himself in virtually utter darkness a lot. He adores this 3 in 1 light, as he can point one light at his tanker, another at the tank & another at his fittings, etc.He's said it's been a lifesaver on many occasions & the fact that the tripod is sturdy is another benefit when he has to set it on gravel or dirt work areas.
He has poor eyesight, so if he says it's plenty bright, it is. He's quite the flashlight 'junkie' and this is by far his favorite.
This light in combination with the 5 led clipon for his cap make working at night much safer for him.
Kudos to Stanley!
Followup July 17 2009
The flashlight is still going strong after months of 6-day-a-week heavy use. Hubby works at least 3 to 4 hours daily in darkness, so the fact that this flashlight hasn't fallen apart is a biggie!
Followup August 2010:
This flashlight has lasted longer than my marriage did. He's still using it and it hasn't failed once.
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