Cheap Hybrid Light LLC Solar Flashlight

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List Price: $15.95
Sale Price: $14.99
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This flashlight does everything it is supposed to do. The solar cell works well. The battery backup is a large watch battery not rechargeable as one might think. The flashlight did not arrive from the vendor in retail packaging, but was wrapped in bubble wrap in an envelope with no packing slip not a very professional presentation.

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This flashlight is very useful: light weight, concentrated, bright beam, and always ready if you leave it in a place where it can get light. However, there is some misunderstanding about the battery backup. It is what it says: a backup if the solar-charged battery is weak. The flashlight has two CR2032 lithium button-cell batteries for backup. They are not charged by solar, but have a long shelf life (several years), so they should be used only in emergencies. These batteries are cheapest in quantity, so it is a good idea to order a supply and have them on hand.

I don't know if the the solar-charged cell will last 10 hours as claimed, as I have not used it for more than 15 minutes at a time. Solar LED Flashlight

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I bought this unit a couple of weeks ago at Lowes for about $18 not including sales tax. The unit appears to function in large part as advertised, although the yellow and green LED power indicator lights failed after less than an hour of sustained use. Only the red LED, which indicates charging, continues to operate as designed. Since the unit has been used about a dozen times for no more than a few minutes each time, I can't comment substantially on its durability. If the solar cell charges a good quality capacitor, in theory, it should last a long time. If it charges a non-replaceable NiCad or NiMH battery (more likely), the lifespan is likely be much less. Given my earlier experience with multiple Chinese friction charged capacitor/battery flashlights, I suspect a poor quality capacitor or battery (if that is what is being used in solar mode), will start to degrade after a few dozen hours of use. Again, only time will tell. This unit may be better than the other Chinese rechargeable capacitor/battery storage flashlights I've had. They were substantially cheaper, and therefore may have been of lesser quality. If the solar mode functions at the current brightness for a hundred hours, I'll consider it well worth the money.

The unit was intended to replace a US made Mini Maglite. The light is significantly brighter in the solar as opposed to the battery power setting. In solar power mode, the LED bulb provided substantially more light than a two AA cell Mini Maglite. In battery power mode, it is roughly equivalent to the Mini Maglite. Unlike the conventional bulb Mini Maglite, the solar flashlight does not have a focused beam. The solar flashlight white light appears to have a slight bluish tint as opposed to the more yellowish tint associated with the non-LED Mini Maglite.

I suspect the low cost of this flashlight lessens the likelihood that anyone would return the item to the US point of origin for replacement or refund, even were it to fail completely. I've learned over the years that Chinese manufactured products generally tend to be more problematic than those made in the United States, Germany or Japan. Then again, I suppose the quality matches the price, which also tends to be substantially less on Chinese manufactured items. In fairness to the manufacturer, Chinese goods are not uniformly characterized by poor durability and this item may be one of the good ones.

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Grabbed this at the checkout of a local home improvement store to give as a gift. Read reviews before sending it, and I felt pretty confidant. My brother called a few weeks later raving about this flashlight! He hadn't fully appreciated the gift at first, but decided to grab it when he took his dog out for an evening stroll. Now it's a favorite! He liked that it was lightweight, small enough to stash easily, and always ready without worrying about batteries (never keeps batteries in his regular flashlights because they leak and can ruin the light). His favorite thing, though is the beam. He says his Maglites are still better if he wants a spotlight, but he had a hard time keeping up with the dog as he darted around. This beam is wide so he doesn't have to try to keep up with the dog. Much better for safety/security, esp. while camping since this lite leaves no dark hiding places. Excited to buy more!

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I bought three of these flashlights and they certainly seem tough. However as for being able to keep a charge on rechargeable mode for three years that seems very unlikely. I just took one out of the glove compartment of my car where it had been for maybe a month or two. It died within seconds.

I also had my kids manage to hide one in a sports bag in a closet, left on for three days. The main bulb was still burning faintly, but the rechargeable hardly holds a charge for more than a few minutes now so I don't know how it can, as advertised, be left in a drawer for three years and work in an emergency. The website claims 11 years continual use from one bulb but it seems the batteries will die way before that.

Apart from that they're great little flashlights but don't expect to leave it in a drawer or driving compartment for more than a few months and bring it out on the solar power the backups will work fine. The biggest disappointment, I think, is that you have to keep charging the thing to keep it going on solar power, not that it can't be left in a drawer for months. It won't hold a charge very long anymore and that's a big disappointment.

A good price but you get what you pay for and these will not deliver as advertised.