Garrity Power Lite 3 LED Crank Light
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List Price: Our Price: $15.95 Category: Sports See more product details |
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Description of Garrity Power Lite 3 LED Crank Light
A proven necessity for hurricane preparedness, the Garrity Power Lite lets you crank up the power with a few turns of the handle. This go-anywhere, anytime light is always ready, no matter how long it's been between uses. Just press on the power button, crank the handle, and light up the power. The Power Lite includes three super-bright LED bulbs that provide up to one hour of bright light for every minute of cranking. In addition, the light's rechargeable NiMH battery never needs to be replaced. Other features include a magnifying lens that casts a bright beam, a rubberized grip, and a compact housing. The lightweight, compact LED flashlight is also terrific for weekends at the cabin, traveling, stashing in the glove box, and standard power outages. The Power Lite carries a lifetime warranty (applies to the fixture only, not bulbs or batteries).
Sports reviews of Garrity Power Lite 3 LED Crank Light
Customer Review: A better wind-up flashlight than The Illuminator
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
[Note: This is a re-upload of my original review which was first written on Jan 22, 2007]
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 is, charging at 4X), but there are no chargers that can do 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]
Warning: Don't crank the handle virgorously when you have just the middle LED turned on. This is because the voltage across three NiMH cells can be as high as 4.5V when being charged. At this voltage, excessive current can flow through the LED and burn it out - as I have found out for myself. Luckily I was able to replace the middle one with an ultra-bright greeen LED. (It looks really cool, too.)
[Update on Nov 6, 2007]
Please check out my review on Duracell Crank Light 3 in 1, 3 LED Flashlight, Radio, Charger. I feel it is even better designed than the Garrity.
[Update on Dec 24, 2008]
I should add that all three Illuminator crank lights I bought two years ago are nearly useless now (batteries can't hold any charge). The two Garrity crank lights are still going well.
Customer Review: Good value in an always ready emergency light
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
The advent of LEDs that consume little power but offer bright light is a technological marvel with practical implications.
Since we had a couple of power outages this past summer, I involuntarily inventoried our household flashlights. Do I have to tell you that the batteries in most were deader than a doornail or close to it?
I bought this one because it was inexpensive and seemed to offer what I want: 30 minutes of light for a minute of cranking is a fair trade; three diodes should provide enough light and no batteries to worry about.
The Garrity Power Lite 3 LED Crank Light pretty well fits the bill. It is relatively small, but big enough to grip comfortably, which is important when you are cranking. The crank itself is amply sized, another advantage when cranking. There are cosmetic grooves on the side which may help in holding the unit when your hands are damp or gloved. There is also a punchout for a lanyerd, although I would use it for a carbiner clip or something similar.
There are three LEDs. The switch turns on one LED first which provides a usable amount of illumination. The pattern is entirely circular. When you switch on all three LEDs, the pattern is still circular, but brighter. The reflector design is not very good. This is not a light you'd want to use for detailed work, for example. For finding your way in a darkened home or along a path, it is fine.
Keeping several of these around the home in fixed locations so you know where to find them, would be a good idea. You never need to worry about batteries with them: a minute of cranking and you're good to go. Another in the car is also a sound idea. These units are not the smallest ones available, but you'll definitely enjoy the advantages of the larger crank when the need arises.
Good value.
Jerry
Customer Review: About as big as a 2-D flashlight
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
I cranked the handle for one minute and got 4 hours of visible light. The light was useable only for about an hour, but I wanted to test how long any light would be produced. The Chinese are really kicking our backsides when it comes to designing and producing solar and hand-generated power.
The picture of the flashlight is deceiving, because it looks very small. This flashlight is just a little smaller than a standard flashlight that takes 2 D batteries. It's very comfortable in the hand, but maybe not something I want to trek with 20 miles into the backcountry.
I would have liked a lanyard included, since the end of the flashlight has a loop for a lanyard. It would help to hang from a hook or tent support. None was included.
It also would be great to have a power outlet, in order to charge a cell phone (like other similar dynamo products), but I did not deduct any stars for this.
The dynamo itself seems very solid, not flimsy.
I am recommending the Garrity to my friends, because it is a great light.
Customer Review: Use it for quick everyday tasks. Over and Over again.
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
I bought this 3 years ago the technology in LED lights has improved in quality and quantity. But for a pocket flashlight that never needs batteries it's pretty cool. I use it almost everyday and its works as good as day one. I would have preferred a rounder shape with more lights, since the design is flattish - the lights seem to line up in a row which give the light a wide disbursement but not a very tall or high up so you will have to end up moving it around in order to see in everything you need to in the dark. Works best for indoor tasks, behind equipment, dark sock drawers, closets, dark corners, when looking for something. If you forget it on, the lite goes out but the batteries are sealed and don't leak acid all over like conventional lights. It's durable and easy to crank for 20 seconds if you need a few minutes of illumination. Today I use LED lights in my shower-head that change color with the temperature of the water, on my bike spokes for crazy patterns at night and now in my HDTV. LED is here to stay.Customer Review: Not bad
Sport shop rating: 4 Stars
Not a bad little light. Not as bright as a battery model but a nice light to put in a easy reach draw of your house. The light is all plastic and you would not want to use it on a job site or in the rain It does not look water proof. I have used it a few times with out ant trouble