No battery flashlight

[snakeytail]

Yay first post! Just poking around the forums and learning all I can, first Europe trip probably won't be for at least another year.

Anyway, just thought I'd post this little tidbit that I thought would be useful. I got a flashlight in my Xmas stocking last year that requires no batteries, you just shake it and some kind of magnetic field provides the light. I thought this would be a good item to take on a backpacking trip, since you wouldn't have to worry about bringing/buying extra batteries!

[herrbert]

Hi and welcome Snakeytail.

I have seen them, and they seem quite handy. Only my telephone has a flashlight build in, so it won't be something I need, but keep them coming ... (your posts/suggestions)

[magnav0x]

snakeytail said:

you just shake it and some kind of magnetic field provides the light.

Essentially a large magnet that passes through a coil as you shake it to generate electricity. ;D They are pretty cool, but I never use mine, because you have to shake it for 5 minutes to get 1 minute of good light.

[ryannorris]

I actually bought one to take on the trip. I didn't want to take extra batteries so I thought it would be useful. It came in handy a couple of times when I needed to scrounge in my bag while everyone was sleeping in the hostel room. I ended up giving it to my British cousin right before I went home. He loves "torches", but had a bad habit of wasting batteries by continuously turning them on and off. I was like a saint to his parents when I gave him mine haha. Oh btw, the magnet inside of the copper coil is basically the way all electricity is produced.