LED Flashlights Review

3C ProPolymer
This $30 flashlight uses 10 "ultra bright white" LEDs to illuminate your way. The flashlight needs "C" size batteries and you get a powerful bluish beam in a small form factor. You can flicker the light or turn it on for a constant light stream. The batteries will run the flashlight for up to 336 hours and reportedly lasts 20 times longer than a regular, non-LED, flashlight. I could not figure out how to get the batteries into this light.

I emailed customer support and 24 hours later I had a reply: After removing the lens cowl, tap the LED housing on the table until it pops out. I did that and it worked. I had been trying to unscrew the LED housing and the included instructions never detailed exactly how to get the batteries in the device. This light is a winner even though you must purchase your own batteries. I love it so much I purchased a second one.

4AA ProPolymer This $23.00 flashlight is the smaller, weaker, noisier, middling, brother to the 3C and it has seven "ultra bright white" LEDs rated to last 100,000 hours. The four AA batteries will run the flashlight for up to 155 hours and that, too, is reportedly 20 times longer than a non-LED flashlight is able to run on the same charge. You can blink the light or have a constant-on state. The batteries were easier to install in this version but they do not feel secure in the housing. The batteries rattle in the hollow.

This is not a light for clandestine work where silence is the word of the day because you never know when the batteries will bellow from within the husk. While this flashlight is smaller than the 3C version its light output is similar -- there isn't much difference to the naked eye between 10 LEDs and 7 LEDs. I prefer the 3C and its twice-as-long battery life. The 4AA is a mid-level compromise and doesn't offer much in the way of dynamism or aesthetic effect -- the housing is narrow and oval-shaped to hold the batteries in two columns of two batteries each. The 4AA come bundled with four AA batteries you self-install and a lifetime warranty but for only $7.00 more I'll choose the 3C every time.

Stylus Flashlight
This $13.00 single LED "pen light" is curious because it is a tall and gangly 7 inches and only a marketing person would call it a "stylus" pen light with a straight face. It certainly won't comfortably fit in your pocket and the "pocket clip" feels weak and ill-conceived. This pen light is rated at 100,000 hours of life for the single LED and the three AAAA -- that's right, this monster needs 3 Quadruple "A" batteries -- should last 60 hours and the unique, tiny, batteries come already installed in the pen light. The packaging claims this single LED is "visible from over a mile away" and that may be true in perfect weather.

The pen light is made of "aircraft aluminum" and it has a serial number and a lifetime warranty. I am uncertain why the individual serial number is important. This light is heavy. It has a "glare guard" cowl that you can put over the end of the light to give it "a more focused" beam but that cheap, plastic, cowl will easily be lost. I'm giving it another two days before I never see it again. The cowl cannot be stored on the pen when not in use. This is a great pen to play around with in the dark.

You can blink the light or twist the end to place it in a constant "on" state. It's the perfect flashlight to have on your nightstand but I would not purchase another one of these pen lights. I have seen similar LED pen lights that are smaller and lighter and that provide a better, brighter, beam. I have come to love LED technology and I can't imagine ever going back to an incandescent flashlight in the future. I also look forward to the day when LEDs come into the house proper and become ordinary so they can light us all up an affordable, ultra bright white, way.