My best torch

Sailingsaves said:
I have one of those. Horses for courses.

You need a special battery and charger for the one you link to (and i have found the batteries do not last long even though the Chinese state they are 4000mAh _ Hah!)

(Mine uses 4 AA cells _ alkaline or rechargeable) or it takes C sized cells too.

Mine uses the better U3 cree instead of U2 Cree. Mine has more heat sinks so torch does not get hot and therefore my LED should not fail owing to overheating (haven't had the cheap chinese one long enough to see if the LED fails with time owing to overheating).

I have tweaked mine to make it a lot brighter than the one you show.

Mine lasts a lot longer too.

The cheap one is good for short periods. I have it by my front door.

Mine is good for its intended purpose as a light, pistol grip spot light to REALLY see a lot at night, easy to hold, easy to find, not roll under a cushion and not heavy.

Polycarbonate lens too, (they use polycarbonate in bullet proof windows). I believe my torch is better than the Clu-Briter in many ways and that costs £52 +vat.

I design stuff to attempt to last forever (aim for perfection and achieve something close). I don't make large profit margins though. It is really just a hobby. I hark back to the days when my Grandfather told me they used to mend alternators (generators), rewind the wires etc. Nowadays some mechanics simply bin an alternator and fit a new one. If that doesn't fix the problem, they'll fit another part and see if that fixes the car. (Bit of a generalisation _ my local mechanic is top notch and would not do that).

I have fixed my washing machine 3 times (a 7pence resistor). When under warranty it was fixed and the chap replaced the whole circuit board whilst pointing out the burnt out resistor (he told me it would have cost me £150 if it wasn't still under warranty). The failures after warranty were the 7pence repair jobs by me. Very chuffed I was.

Mother-in-law was about to throw her lawnmower away when I pointed out that it was just a drive belt that had gone. Fixed within a day for a fiver_she would have bought a new mower otherwise.

I give lifetime warranty on anything I make.

But it is my inventions that I really want to concentrate upon and the upcoming Gadget Show at NEC will hopefully net me some partners / contacts. That is where I really am a numpty and prime example of "it is not what you know but who you know". It was a recent contact that put me in touch with the contest to win a free stand.

Then I can buy a little cruiser again maybe and be able to afford beer again and such luxuries. Being made redundant could be the best thing that happened to me...maybe. I don't want to be rich _ just comfortable and do it via honest hard work _ I like using my hands and being practical.
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Torch arrived today. Wow its bright! Just what I was after but do feel bad you don't make any money from them. What else do you have in the pipeline?
 
Hi sailingsaves. I have a RYOBI CML-180M 18V ONE PLUS CORDLESS SPOTLIGHT. It would be amazing if it could be converted to Cree led, could this be easily achieved? The beauty of these is the robust design, and it uses ryobi battery packs so plenty of battery capacity.
 
2copplane said:
Hi sailingsaves. I have a RYOBI CML-180M 18V ONE PLUS CORDLESS SPOTLIGHT. It would be amazing if it could be converted to Cree led, could this be easily achieved? The beauty of these is the robust design, and it uses ryobi battery packs so plenty of battery capacity.
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Not replying to anyone in particular, but I have ordered quite a few torches,chargers and batteries from Banggood.com - actually I ve oredered quite alot from them. Takes between 1-2 weeks normally. Given delivery is free,I find them very good.
Will it burn your house down or sink your boat ? Dont know, but for a few quid I have found the small torches excellent.
 
chaktoura said:
Torch arrived today. Wow its bright! Just what I was after but do feel bad you don't make any money from them. What else do you have in the pipeline?
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Many thanks.

£1 profit is good enough for me. To know product has worked for other people is satisfying too.

I am only preparing the ground for if / when I launch my inventions.

If I ever do, then at least some sailors / press would see that I have turned out good products before.

Now just got to do the Gadget Show, find a business partner, launch a single invention and then use that money to launch the other 50......

Trouble is, as I live and dream sailing, most of my inventions are to do with sailing.

Home products and toys would be a better market apparently.
 
2copplane said:
Hi sailingsaves. I have a RYOBI CML-180M 18V ONE PLUS CORDLESS SPOTLIGHT. It would be amazing if it could be converted to Cree led, could this be easily achieved? The beauty of these is the robust design, and it uses ryobi battery packs so plenty of battery capacity.
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Could be achieved, but depends upon how easy to take apart.

180 lumens is not that bright and halogens suck the juice.
 
gjgm said:
Not replying to anyone in particular, but I have ordered quite a few torches,chargers and batteries from Banggood.com - actually I ve oredered quite alot from them. Takes between 1-2 weeks normally. Given delivery is free,I find them very good.
Will it burn your house down or sink your boat ? Dont know, but for a few quid I have found the small torches excellent.
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Absolutely.

Have bought a lot of theirs for comparison (and to use as torches). Very good they are too for the money.

Building something better for myself gives me satisfaction.

1min 53sec into this vid shows a few I have of theirs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmi3sh9P-Og

As another poster stated, torches have a fascination for some of us. My fascination also began as a youngster (I asked the tooth fairy to deliver a chieftain tank into my garden and received a torch instead). Disappointed. But when I realised the torch had a rotating bezel to change colours I was hooked. One of my favourite (all be it poor) torches was a French WWII right angled torch with filters stored in base (bought from a flea market whilst on holiday as a boy to France) . Good design. Sadly the rubber perished as I grew older (and before I had heard of Seal Saver).
 
Sailingsaves

Have a Fenik and P7 but would like more of a focused spotlight.

Prefer to use standard batteries - easy to keep stock on board.

Do you have anything like that - small is good but if it has to be a spotlight size - so be it.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Just arrived today - boy is it bright! I thought it could take AA or C? Mine just takes Cs.
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Sorry, I was sticking in plastic adapters as a freebie but ran out of them and must have forgotten to put the cover note in the box to tell you about them. (Been rushed off my feet trying to get them made and dispatched in less than 24 hours).

They can be run on AA batteries using these adapters:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/aa-battery-converter-4-pack-l63aq

or just found them on ebay here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-X-Fameart-AA-C-Cell-Battery-Adaptor-Converter-/141058534094

They used to be much more expensive.

I haven't been able to get into town for a while.
When I bought them from Maplins they were £2.69 in store, but I think if I place my order online to pick up in store I should get them for the cheaper £2.19

I will order a load and try to get into town.

I run my torch on NiMetal Hydrides and even at 1.2 /1.3Volts each, the torch is blooming bright. Sold another to a famous sailing couple although I think they may be intending on using it as a weapon rather than an illumination device.
 
Sailfree said:
Sailingsaves

Have a Fenik and P7 but would like more of a focused spotlight.

Prefer to use standard batteries - easy to keep stock on board.

Do you have anything like that - small is good but if it has to be a spotlight size - so be it.
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Sorry, not at moment. I would make you one but I only have a few weeks to put together a stand at the NEC on a shoestring budget (will be sleeping in my car to save hotel bills - even the Premier Inn is too expensive - no deals on near the NEC). The amount of forms to fill in is incredible and that is before I ensure I have perfect prototypes built and posters printed etc.
 
Sailingsaves said:
Sorry, not at moment. I would make you one but I only have a few weeks to put together a stand at the NEC on a shoestring budget (will be sleeping in my car to save hotel bills - even the Premier Inn is too expensive - no deals on near the NEC). The amount of forms to fill in is incredible and that is before I ensure I have perfect prototypes built and posters printed etc.
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Let me know when you can do one please.
 
What happened to that inventor Baylis, I think his name was. I bought one if his expensive rechargeable torches, absolute rubbish, lasted less than 6 months. He was producing rechargeable radios for the third world about ten years ago but he and his products seem to have vanished!

I use those little silver £5 wind up rechargeable torches - they are brilliant and bomb proof :encouragement:
 
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I don't know about Trevor Baylis OBE, but I have a reasonably early model of his radio - it has a small solar panel too which does surprisingly well even in Blighty - and it still works fine, but is a bit clunky and emits a loud whir.

Have a few torches of his as well, all as Plan Z now we have LED torches, but as I'm a radio addict I have the assurance that at least no matter what I have T.B.'s rather wonderful invention.

Your comment prompted me to look up Trevor Baylis - a sad example of Bitish treatment of genius it seems; well I take my hat off to him anyway.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/...is-Ive-wound-up-broke-despite-inventions.html
 
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Seajet said:
I don't know about Trevor Baylis OBE, but I have a reasonably early model of his radio - it has a small solar panel too which does surprisingly well even in Blighty - and it still works fine, but is a bit clunky and emits a loud whir.

Have a few torches of his as well, all as Plan Z now we have LED torches, but as I'm a radio addict I have the assurance that at least no matter what I have T.B.'s rather wonderful invention.

Your comment prompted me to look up Trevor Baylis - a sad example of Bitish treatment of genius it seems; well I take my hat off to him anyway.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/...is-Ive-wound-up-broke-despite-inventions.html
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Poor chap. Did National Service, led to stunt diving, was a diving pool designer / builder. Started off inventing for disabled people. He was ripped off. Launched radio on Blue Peter - -made £40k per year. Suffers from Chron's disease.

Best off to sell IP and move on to next idea maybe.

One of Dyson's first inventions was a BOAT. Then the wheel barrow with ball as wheel. Now blooming cleaners made in Malaysia. And they break a lot (at least the one we were given for a wedding present did and I was repairing it for many years) until the wheels fell off - literally - so I turned some new wheels out of tougher nylon.

Now we have a Hoover !
 
Sailingsaves said:
Poor chap. Did National Service, led to stunt diving, was a diving pool designer / builder. Started off inventing for disabled people. He was ripped off. Launched radio on Blue Peter - -made £40k per year. Suffers from Chron's disease.

Best off to sell IP and move on to next idea maybe.

One of Dyson's first inventions was a BOAT. Then the wheel barrow with ball as wheel. Now blooming cleaners made in Malaysia. And they break a lot (at least the one we were given for a wedding present did and I was repairing it for many years) until the wheels fell off - literally - so I turned some new wheels out of tougher nylon.

Now we have a Hoover !
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the dump is always a good place to go top assess the reliability of stuff - loads of them there about two years after they were made.

Barry did a test on his torch - it ran for ten hours before he gave up and decided that the batteries were immortal

D
 
dylanwinter said:
the dump is always a good place to go top assess the reliability of stuff - loads of them there about two years after they were made.

Barry did a test on his torch - it ran for ten hours before he gave up and decided that the batteries were immortal

D
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Not bad at all, I fell asleep when I tried to do a battery longevity test.

I have been tweaking and managed to squeeze a bit more brightness out of it; just for fun.

Wife moans: "will you STOP flashing those lights around" as she is trying to go to sleep and I have LEDS and things blinking all over the place. I grow older but I don't grow up.

Got a matchbox sized thing in the garden _ just flashes a very quick strobe white as burglar deterrent. Been running on a single AAA 1.2V Metal Hydride for over 3 weeks night and day come wind or rain - I'm amazed - keep thinking someone is replacing the battery or something.

Anyone looking in my garden would think aliens had landed with all the 'experiments' going on. (Neighbours have said they don't mind !)

Good bloke that Barry isn't he.
 
richardabeattie said:
ACHTUNG: THREAD DRIFT

Not quite torches but near enough. When cars started to be fitted with reversing lights way back in the late middle of the last century they came on when you engaged reverse gear and you could see where you were going in reverse. That may be why they were given the catchy name of reversing lights. But nowadays they are much dimmer and all they do is to indicate to other drivers that you are reversing. Why is this thus? What would happen if one could find and fit higher wattage bulbs?
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Old post but what the hell! I have a 2004 Shogun, the reversing lights throw out more light than the headlights on the landrover I drive at work, or so it seems! As for the Shogun headlights, the best I have had yet. (No, the Shogun lights are all standard issue, not uprated). I still don't understand the modern pennypinching which results in many cars having only onle reversing light and one foglight, like you I like to see behind me when reversing in the dark.
 
And a back on thread reply;
Last year I discovered the delights of CREE led torches, bought a three LED torch, ridiculously bright torch, runs on 18650 batteries * 2. The batteries last well, the torch is well made (apart from one contact, but it works without flickering). It doesn't seem to run hot so I reckon the LEDs will last for ages.
However, I wanted more, went back to Amazon, ordered a Trustfire 7 CREE LED torch. This one takes three of the larger 26650 batteries and again has a great battery life. The head is one large aluminium heatsink and does get warm, but there seems to be enough of a heatsink, the torch has never overheated (I have heard of LED torches which get too hot and turn themselves down to prevent burnout), mine doesn't. The torch can be used with the thinner batteries (it comes with liners for the battery tube) but as I have bought the highest current large cells I could find I don't bother with the smaller batteries.
The brightness from this thing is incredible, the range and throw of the spotlight beam is better than any other beam I have seen, also unlike a maglite there is still loads of light left over for a diffuse spread of light which is also incredibly bright. Las year I used it to try and find my mooring in the middle of the night, one downside of this type of torch is that the spread part of the beam on a white GRP boat is so bright that it is too bright, a tighter beam without the spread would be better for onboard use when trying to spot things at long distances. Also the torch may be LED powered, but if you put it down near something dark the beam will actually burn or partially melt it. I put it down with a piece of paper over the lens and managed to create smoke!, not from the heat of the heatsink, but from the heat of the beam.
I have found one drawback with this torch, it can take two or three attempts to "start" it when it is cold. It will flash and shut off as if the batteries are flat, two or three attempts and it will "catch" and work properly.
 
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