As wonderful as these are, they do have their limits...but I think they are pretty minor. For one thing, you have to remove the light from the wall to replace the batteries but it DOES restick (just as the package says it does).
Because of this, I would NOT use this someplace where I needed everyday task lighting. I'd be inclined to get inexpensive rope or under-cabinet lighting for areas that needed lighting for everyday cooking or meal prep.
But it is wonderful in areas that are used infrequently, perhaps once or twice a month. It would also be fine for a dark area of a closet, as long as you turned it on just long enough to get the item you needed and then turned it off. That way, you could limit the number of times you remove the light from the wall and maintain battery life for as long as possible. Think of this as similar to a "pay as you go" phone something that is convenient when you need it but not something you want to use for hours at a time. We have one near our water heater and our furnace (so we can change the filter without holding a flashlight).
I've also put mine in a winter closet, my regular clothes closet, an unlit coat closet (which came without a built-in light, so the stick on light was far cheaper than hiring an electrician to put in an electrical fixture), a cabinet that holds "special occasion" dishes and accessories and in other places where I wouldn't be likely to use it all the time but do need light on a regular basis...but not every hour of the day. As noted above, some are in places I don't even use every day. So far, so good...nearly a year and still going strong.
So far, I've changed the batteries in my lights at least 3 times and they have all adhered to the wall again and stayed there. I figure I've gotten nearly 300 hours of use out of each one for about 10 bucks apiece (not counting the cost of 2 battery changes). The convenience and the ability to have TWO free hands and not having to hold a flashlight makes this well worth the 10 bucks. Admittedly, you could get one of those clip-on lights that attach to a hat or on a special band that goes around your head...but I always hated to have to retrieve those from the storage cloest, garage or whatever area we had them. We do have those as well as the clip-on lights and each has their uses.
By the way, if the adhesive on these lights eventually does stop sticking, there are plenty of tapes and products that could solve this problem, so it isn't a major inconvenience, just something to be aware of.
I do hope a less expensive version comes out, one where the batteries can be changed without removing the light from the wall. But for now, this is as good as it gets as far as I'm concerned.
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I found one of these in my stocking this Xmas. Once I saw it, I was surprised that nobody had thought of it before. The light is like a miniature version of the "tap lights" that were sold on late-night TV a few years ago. The concept is the same, but this one's a lot smaller -approximately the same size as a roll of electrical tape or a can of chewing tobacco. Press on the clear dome to turn it on; press again to turn it off. The light is provided by a trio of LED bulbs like the ones that have started showing up in keychains, forehead-mounted flashlights, etc. They're surprisingly bright and are rated to run a surprising 100 hours on a set of batteries. LEDs are clearly much more efficient than old-fashioned flashlight bulbs.One issue that could cause problems: to replace the batteries, you need to remove the light from whatever you've stuck it on, and then remove the 3 Phillips screws on the back. I would have been happier if there were some way to remove the light without unsticking it (like you can do with a smoke alarm). However, the lights use a special "reusable" adhesive from 3M that's supposed to stick over and over. I was skeptical, but I tried sticking it to the wall, removing it, and re-sticking it a half-dozen times, and it seems to stick as well now as it did the first time. Time will tell.
For the low price, I was surprised at the high quality of construction. Sooner or later, I imagine some competitor will come out with a knock-off model for less, but I think it will be difficult for someone to make something of this quality for a lower price.
Now I just need to figure out the best place to stick it...under the hood of my car? In the trunk? In my closet? In that deep cupboard in the kitchen? Too bad they don't sell a multi-pack.
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Our neighborhood suffers short, frequent power outages and we never seem to have a flashlight in the right place at the right time. I bought several of these to stick underneath cabinets in a couple of places so we will *always* know where we have temporary lighting the next time the power goes out (and, yes, I know that I could also do a better job of keeping track of our flashlights but it seems to me that all flashlights that enter our home are pre-destined to disappear within 10 days, along with scissors, scotch tape, postage stamps, one glove from each pair, etc.)These lights really fit the bill -they give out just enough light in our kitchen to allow us to root around for flashlights, batteries, candles, matches, etc. I also put one in a dark corner of our garage where I can never see my tools, and I imagine they would work well in closets, storage areas, etc. For the price, they're well made and extremely handy.
One note -some other reviewers here have noted that their lights didn't work out of the box. There is a little plastic tab (more like a piece of tape) protruding from the bottom of the light that is marked something like 'remove before using.' The tab has to be removed before the light will work; the tab appears to be a mechanism for preventing the lights from getting turned on during shipping and handling, but it's not obvious when you open the case that you have to remove the little tab.
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