Let there be light

     Flashlights, They sure have come a long way from your dads old standby.


      20 years ago a flashlight to me was nothing more than a tube of plastic with batteries and a light bulb and a switch, it was pretty benign, Boy have things changed. We now have whole stores and isles devoted to them and they have grown in into a multi function tool that is now cool to own. We have gone from a simple 2D cell 2 dollar simple as can be flashlight to a flashlight, radio, air compressor to alarm clock and more. For me one of my favorite and most used flashlights is a good Maglite® in either 3D or 4D and while not the lightest or smallest it is a heavy duty tool that won't let you down. One of the best upgrades to this and many other flashlights is the edition of LED technology, These super bright and durable ( no more broken light bulbs ) retrofit kits have added new life to an old tool. The best benefit or LED technology is the improved battery life that you now get and that is s good thing. The other benefit is that LED's are just about unbreakable, they will break but you have to work at it to do it.

     Multifunction flashlights, radios, clocks and other things that can be combined into one unit can be a way to save space and cut down on having a lot of individual items but there is a trade off in that they may not be as good as an individual flashlight or whatever tool it is trying to imitate so take a look at what you have and how you use it and see what works for you. Keep in mind though that having spares of any of your items is a good thing, it gives you flexibility and to use the best tool for what you need....Scott