Wind up camping torch

[Angilion]

Ive wondered how good these are. Saw one at a carboot new for £5. Do they run on d cell batteries, last 10 minutes and bulbs burn out after 30 minutes?

No.

They don't last as long as 10 minutes.

I bought one because I needed a torch and...a MILLION! Wow! Big number, must buy!

On a full charge, I get full brightness for maybe as long as 30 seconds. It then dims rapidly to a dull glow.

I don't know how long the bulbs would last because the thing is so useless that it doesn't matter.

The wind up torch I bought for a couple of quid somewhere is far more useful because it's much smaller, much lighter and can quickly be charged enough for a minute or so of enough light to be useful in the dark. I have a couple that I use for reading my meters (they're in cupboards and difficult to read without direct light on them) and if there's a power cut or the cut-out trips when a bulb burns out.

 

[Scrutinize]

Maplin do a 300 lumen 3xD cell lantern which is £19.99. It is exactly the same as all the other branded ones which retail for £40-60+. The batteries last for a good week's worth of evenings. My one has been great.

 

[AHarvey]

We bought some £15 wind up lantern while staying in a yurt recently, for the first night it was great, very bright. 12 leds, a high and low option (4 leds), can run on batteries, charged via the car or a 1 min wind lasts for 20 mins.

second night however, i'd wind it for a good 5 mins, it would be very bright for 5 mins before returning to a state of dullness.

I'm going to have a play with it, charge it in the car and try it with batteries.

As it does work well when it has a decent charge, I might just invest in a solar charger for batteries and some more Eneloops.

Ive wondered how good these are. Saw one at a carboot new for £5. Do they run on d cell batteries, last 10 minutes and bulbs burn out after 30 minutes?

We have one somewhere, charges from the mains, lasts about 20 mins. Very bright, but ultimately pointless. Can't find the charger for it either Good fun if you want to make a mini batman sign in the sky or annoy your neighbours.