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 enlarge | Brand: Dynamo
Category: CE
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $6.40
You Save: $18.55 (74%)
New (9) from $6.40
Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 1008
Color: Silver
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: Yes
Size: 5.25 x 2 x 1.75
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6 x 3 x 3
MPN: ILL
Model: ILL
UPC: 789683002173
EAN: 0789683002173
ASIN: B0009H50OA
Release Date: September 29, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Failed when needed August 27, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It seemed like a great item. When the power went out, it was charged and worked great. It lasted about 3 hours with one LED. I cranked to charge it and after about two minutes of cranking, it started cranking real easy. Wouldn't charge the battery. I've had it for a a little over a year. Surprise.... there was no warranty info with it. I took it apart and checked everything - it was the dynamo, the commutator brushes broke off inside. Good Idea, but didn't last too long. I paid $29.95 for it and am shopping for a better one..
 Wind-up flashlight May 14, 2007
A great idea! Works well! A few winds and you have light! No hunting for batteries.
Product arrived quickly, in good shape.
Self-powered flashlight May 11, 2007
This is a great flashlight for camping, or put one into your car, it doesn't need the batteries, and no bulbs to warry about, that means you don't have a battery to waste, this helps environmentally, and it can be fun to dermonstate it to your child how things work. Great product.
 I love that you don't need batteries! light strength not really bright though. April 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I think this flashlight is worth every penny, but before you buy keep in mind the light is provided by one or three LEDs (two settings) directed by some reflective mirrors. It will not be as bright as a standard flash light but works very well for my purposes. You simply crank the handle around and you have light. I like the sustainability aspect of it. Although I am expecting the battery life to fade over time so far I only use it for short spurts of only a few minutes at a time.
 Consider the Garrity Power Lite instead January 22, 2007
89 out of 89 found this review helpful
I own both the Garrity Power Lite and the ILLUMINATOR wind-up flashlights. They have the same basic design, but with the following differences:
1. Size: The Illuminator is about the size of a man's electric shaver. It is easier to hold and to crank. The Garrity is bulkier, mainly because of the extra plastic lenses in front. It is also less comfortable to hold because rubber grips on the sides are shorter (see my Customer Image for size comparison)
2. Ease of Cranking: The Illuminator's handle takes very little effort to crank. However, you need to turn it virgorously (2-3 turns per second) in order to charge up the battery. The Garrity's cranking presents more resistence and is noisier. But the good news is that you only need to turn it at around one turn per second to charge up the battery.
3. Light Output: Both flashlights use 3 white LEDs, and have the option to turn on either one or all three. As far as I can tell, the LEDs are identical. The main differnce is that the Illuminator's light output is diffused, while the Garrity added three plastic lenses in front to produce a well-focused beam.
4. Light Duration: When fully charged up, the Illuminator gives out brighter light initially. However, its light dimmed down within a few minutes. After ten minutes, the light becomes barely visible (see my Customer Image above). The Garrity, on the other hand, produces fairly consistent light output for at least one hour!
Based on longer light duration, I would recommend the Garrity over the Illuminator. The Garrity is also cheaper when you order it with free super-saver shipping. (Be carefull when ordering The Illuminator, because some places offer the flashlight for $8-10, but charge another $8 in shipping!)
[The following Info for geeks only]:
Why does the Garrity produce much longer light duration than the Illuminator?
The Illuminator uses one 3.6V Lithium-ion rechargeable button cell (capacity unknown, probably around 30mAh). The Garrity uses 3x 1.25V NiMH cells rated at 80mAh. In my opinion as an electrical engineer, the NiMH design is much better because:
1. Each white LED needs about 20-40mA at 3.6V to produce sufficient light output. Three NiMH cells provide a consistent 3.75V throughout most of the discharge period. The Li-ion cell may provide up to 4V when fully charged, but its voltage drops quickly during discharge to 3.6V and below. This explains why the Illuminator produces a brighter light initially, but dims down much faster.
2. NiMH cells are more robust and can withstand over-charging better than Lithium-ion cells can. Think about it: there are chargers that can fully charge up NiMH cells in 15 minutes (that means charging at 4X), but nothing can charge Li-ion cells in less than one hour. In this case, since you can charge up the battery in one minute and then use it for up to one hour, that means the battery is being charged at 60X! This kind of abuse is not recommended even for NiMH, and it can be murderous for Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.
[Update on April 9, 2007]
The Lithium-ion rechargeable battery in my Illuminator probably was already damaged (from over-charging) when I did the comparison above. It has deteriorated further since then, and can hardly sustain five minutes of light now.
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