Self-Generating Flashlight

Have you seen them on the TV: the shaker flashlights that need no batteries? Lots of people want to buy one. Now here's where that gets tricky.

I have combed thousands of booths at trade shows, specifically looking for the manufacturers of those very flashlights. These durable LED lights run by gently moving a magnet back and forth through a simple copper coil to create electricity. The longer you shake it, the more light you get. But this is gentle movement, so even those with arthritis should have little or no problem. The casings are clear so that you watch them work while you shake them. It's cool retro-back to basics. Old cars used to have those coils for energy. The technology is not at all new, though applying them to everyday flashlights is. Do I love them? Yes and No.

I love the very few I've found that are dependable. I despise the majority I've found that are junk. Out of the several I have found, hefted, shaken and had sent to me as demos, there are only three that I would ever buy or recommend to my customers. But those three are really good products! You can view these on my Web site: www.bereadyinc.com. You can find other versions elsewhere, but you'd be wasting your money.

I've looked carefully, tested many, and found out for myself. Most require too much shaking for too little light, and some were already broken by the time they arrived at my office. I even found that some of the least dependable were selling for the highest price. No thanks!

At Be Ready, Inc., we have three inexpensive self-charging flashlights: the 12", T' and 5". The 12" and 5" flashlights have double coils-the only ones I found that do- and are well-constructed for durability and dependability. But it's the single coil, middle-sized flashlight that has my buyer's heart. We have carried these self- generating flashlights for a year and a half and have never opened a box to demonstrate one to customer that it wasn't already working without our ever even shaking it. I can shine that light up on the IS-foot high ceiling panels next to my fluorescent lights in the middle of the day and still see the light. Only 7" long, this compact no-battery flashlight truly shines among the competition.
Word of caution: do not store self-generating flashlights or any magnets around your computer or appliances with computer chips. You'll have to be careful where you store this one, but not having to ever have batteries for your flashlights again is worth it!

I