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We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. ~ Hilaire Belloc |
Hybrid Light - Solar Powered Flashlight One of the things I hate the most is being in need of a light, grabbing it and finding out the batteries have died. This seems like Murphy's Law for me and luckily hasn't resulted in any mishaps due to finding out my dilemma in the need of an emergency. We recently found a product we thought we'd try and have fallen in love with it very quickly, this item is The Hybrid Light Solar Powered Flashlight. This little beauty is about the size of a 2 D Cell Maglite, yet is much lighter and easier to carry around. It could easily be left in a purse or backpack and forgotten about till the need arises; it's just that light in weight. One of the best features, and another reason we got them was when we read a tidbit of info that stated some findings by the EPA, "Over 3 billion batteries are dumped into landfills each year!" And, what if we told you that an average of 1.7 billion of those batteries come from flashlights alone? Sort of makes you stop and think about that ancient flashlight you have lying in the camper. You know the one that takes 3 or 4 batteries and seems to burn through them like crazy. The Hybrid Light comes with a rechargeable battery that charges itself with a small solar panel built into the handle. Once the Solar Powered Flashlight is fully charged, the battery holds its charge for 3 years and claims to have a shelf life of 7 years! So the flashlight doesn't need to be stored in direct sunlight to stay charged and no need in having a full supply of costly and heavy backup batteries on hand. We all know the sun is going to come up tomorrow to recharge this flashlight. The light the Hybrid Light emits is bright enough to use around the campsite, or perfect for looking through a storage bin late at night trying to find the extra blanket. It's easily as bright as my heavy Maglite and lighter than the multiple batteries the Maglite needs to run. Compared to a Surefire flashlight, the Hybrid Light lacks some brightness, but that's easily understandable compared to the cost between the two lights. Nothing compares to the Surefire's brightness, but then again the beam this flame thrower emits only lasts for an hour and eats up expensive, specialty batteries like Cookie Monster in a bakery. Each model has its place and the Hybrid Light can burn all night long on a single charge. Ideal for those nights around the campsite when the kids want to go off exploring the outer reaches of the woods and you know the flashlight is never going to be turned off. Each light came with an adjustable lanyard attached to the rubber base that makes it comfortable to latch onto your wrist. The Hybrid Light also came with a fully charged battery, so it was ready to go right out of the box. The Hybrid Light claims to be waterproof up to 80 feet, but I highly doubt any of us will actually test that statistic....LOL Best of all, the light floats! I mean, could you ask for a flashlight stocked with more user friendly options than this well thought out package? After a few days of using it and testing it around the house, the only complaint I could think of is the fact that the bulb cant be focused or widened. It comes with a fixed spot beam, but we did find this to be a good width and didn't really have any need to try and widen it. It is just one of those options I have on a few of my other flashlights and noticed this light lacked the option. The Hybrid Light does have two fixed settings with one of them being a wider beam. You just cant adjust the width of the beam yourself. To go to the wider beam, you hit the button once and have the pencil beam, hit the button a second time and you have a wider beam. The wider beam is perfect for sitting in bed reading or for use inside the camper. Cindy and I ended up getting two of these Solar Powered flashlights to keep with us on our adventure. One to keep in the truck and one to keep in the RV. Hopefully we're doing our part to keep toxic batteries out of the landfills and helping Mother Nature recover from our dastardly deeds of the past, not to mention the amount of money these lights will save us in the long run from not having to purchase any more batteries. To order one for yourself or a friend, check out Hybrid Light's website
Earth First! We can Mine the Other Planets Later
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