Eric LaMarque survived being stranded in the backcountry around Mammoth Mountain. Aron Ralston survived 127 hours of hell after becoming trapped under a boulder. We’re betting that these and other famous survivalists would recommend LED flashlights for emergencies, for the reasons listed below:
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A big congratulations to Bill L. of LeRoy, Minnesota for winning an all new HP21 High Performance LED flashlight from COAST Products! Bill took a moment to enter our monthly product drawing and turned up a winner!
Each month, COAST Products holds a random drawing to give one lucky person a COAST HP21 LED flashlight. These flashlights have over 1300 lumens of focusable light and a run time on high mode of over 2 hours. This light comes equipped with our Pure Beam™ Focusing Optic System and Speed Focus technology as well.
If you’re shopping for an LED flashlight to take out into the wilderness with you, it’s important to choose a model that can withstand getting a little wet. While many manufacturers may claim their flashlights are waterproof, however, there’s no way to tell whether those assertions have any truth – unless you choose an LED torch that’s been tested according to the voluntary FL1 Standards.
The FL1 Standards provide guidelines for how LED flashlights are tested and rated, so consumers can make accurate comparisons between models. By choosing a torch that has been rated for water resistance according to the FL1 Standards, you can rest assured that the product will deliver on the manufacturer’s claims. If the FL1 Standard logo is missing from your LED flashlight, then it’s impossible to validate how its water resistance was tested.
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ecause LED light technology is developing so rapidly, consumers are hard-pressed to keep up. This leads to many common misconceptions about LED flashlights. For example, earlier LED light bulbs gained a reputation for producing a cold, bluish-white light. While this may have been true a decade or so ago, today’s LED flashlight models are capable of producing a wide variety of hues for various applications.
As anglers and sportsmen discover the benefits of colored LED light for outdoor use, more and more of them are taking advantage of colored LED flashlights. The following is a look at some of the most common LED light colors and how they’re used.
When buying an LED flashlight, people want to know how long they’re going to work. Because LED light bulbs are so durable and energy-efficient, they tend to last much longer than other types of bulbs; some manufacturers claim their LED flashlights have a life span of many thousands of hours. But how far can you really believe such packaging claims?
It helps to understand how a flashlight is tested when determining the life of its LED light bulb. LED flashlights are typically tested in two ways: first to see how long the product works, and then to see how well it works during that time. As a result, LED flashlights typically receive two life span ratings – rated life and lumen-maintenance life.
Shopping for a quality LED flashlight can be difficult. If you’re going to lay down money for a decent torch, you want to make sure you’re getting the best value for your buck. Yet it’s difficult to cut through the clamor of manufacturers’ packaging claims and narrow down which LED flashlights truly do deliver on their promises.
Fortunately, many LED flashlight manufacturers have chosen to adopt the American National Standards Institute’s FL1 Standards for flashlights. These voluntary standards were developed in 2009 to give consumers an accurate and objective basis for comparing different flashlight models. With easy-to-read logos displayed prominently on the flashlights’ packaging, the FL1 Standards allow you to quickly and easily compare flashlights based on several key features.
Run time is an important characteristic to consider when shopping for an LED flashlight or headlamp. Run time describes how long a flashlight or headlamp will operate on the same set of batteries.
Different consumers value run time for different reasons. An avid fisherman, for instance, could buy flashlights based on run time because he doesn’t want to have to change out batteries on one of his weeklong fishing expeditions. Backpackers appreciate long run time as well – after all, who wants to scramble for a new set of batteries in the dark? In general, run time speaks to a flashlight’s efficiency – well-designed models will be able to run longer. (more…)
A bright LED flashlight can be one of your greatest assets in the wilderness. Used inconsiderately, however, it can also be a huge nuisance to those around you. Because flashlights and headlamps are such an integral part of the outdoor experience, every hiking, camping, hunting and fishing enthusiast can benefit from having a basic understanding of how our eyes interact with the light from an LED flashlight.
The following is a look at how the eye operates, as well as an overview of some of the different functions of LED flashlights and headlamps with eye science in mind. You may just learn a better way to use your LED flashlight on your next outdoor adventure. (more…)
