21 December 2018 is Flashlight Day.
I’m afraid this is another of those ‘wandering’ days, not guaranteed/set to fall on the same day every year.
This day fall on the winter solstice, which will 22 December next year, 2019.
(The winter solstice, hibernal solstice, or midwinter, is the longest night of the year, or shortest day, depending on your preference for having a glass that is half full, or half empty.)
The flashlight is described as a portable, battery-powered light source, called a torch outside North America.
While I like ‘flashlight’, it’s come to have an unfortunate similarity to the name of another er… ‘product’ in recent years, and torch could become a safer term.
It seems that workable dry cells and suitable small glass bulbs just managed to bring this useful tool into being before the turn of the 20th century, around 1899. Not my research, but seems fair.
To be honest, I never rated the torch with dry cells and an incandescent light bulb as even remotely useful.
The light was terrible, little more than a candle in reality, and any attempts to replace the silly little bulb with anything useful meant the batteries’ life was realistically measured in minutes, as the voltage fell rapidly, meaning the brightness failed soon after.
The only decent torches of this type I ever owned had rechargeable lead-acid gel batteries, and tiny halogen bulbs – they were great, but didn’t slip into a pocket, and needed an overnight charge before use. NiCads didn’t cut it due to the intermittent nature of their use, and died due to being trickle charged for too long, or were flat if not left on charge, due to self-discharge if not used.
That said, it seems that NiMh batteries have a chemistry that means they can live long and prosper if trickle charged at a low level.
Life is much better now, with LEDs producing more than enough light from the super efficient operation, and newer LiPo batteries always being ready for use thanks to their improved characteristics.
Even NiCd and NiMh batteries work well, since LED torches are so good they get used all the time, so it’s not a chore to keep them ready for use.
I now have a ridiculous collection of assorted LED torches (sorry, flashlights), and another box of LED lights for use on my bike, where even the cheap types I buy are more than capable of blinding/dazzling if carelessly aimed at the front, and even the lesser rear red LED lights can be more danger than help for the rider, if they are flashing insanely like strobes, or so bright they dazzle following drivers.
Since the last Flashlight Day, I’ve had a proper year of regular use of my LED cycle lights, and can say it really is fun to be able speed through deserted parks and unused walkways, while the super power of LEDs cuts through the dark, unlike the ‘asthmatic’ light which incandescent lighting failed miserably to pierce. There were decent mini-halogen and sealed lead-acid batteries, but they were HUGE and inefficient.
The last tor flashlight I bought was in a sale, a Cree T6, able to zoom and illuminate a whole wall, or focus to reach far into the distance. It also can be set to flash, strobe, or even generate SOS Morse, and be set to three different power levels to extend battery life.
Cree T6 LED Torch/Flashlight
Secret Scotland 