What is the best torch to have on a boat

[Dyertribe]

24 minutes ago, Kendorr said:

Yep, and I notice Dyertribe has posted it also.

Great minds and all that!

[Nightwatch]

As a result of this thread I have bought a LED lamp for my aged Maglite. In the past we have suffered three rechargeable million candle light torches. Numourous led cheaply bought lights/torches (Lidl-Aldi) and the like. The Maglite is still going strong but is a bit greedy when it comes to battery juice. Hopefully the replacement led will perform. Only a £10 investment. Even I can justify that expenditure.

[Sea Dog]

7 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

As a result of this thread I have bought a LED lamp for my aged Maglite. In the past we have suffered three rechargeable million candle light torches. Numourous led cheaply bought lights/torches (Lidl-Aldi) and the like. The Maglite is still going strong but is a bit greedy when it comes to battery juice. Hopefully the replacement led will perform. Only a £10 investment. Even I can justify that expenditure.

I've had my faithful mini maglite 20 years and converted it to led a couple of years or so ago when the (xenon?) lamp blew. What a difference!  The 2 aa batteries now last forever and it out shone my 10 year old nightstick D-cell version until I bought an led lamp for that. They're both so impressive now, and the beam focus facility still works.

13 hours ago, nb Innisfree said:

LED head torch from Poundland, at that price you can buy several. 

You can't just say "at that price" and not tell us how much! 

 

[nbfiresprite]

13 hours ago, Athy said:

So, the same principle as Trevor Bayliss' wind-up radio. In fact, I see on eBay that you can get a wind-up radio which incorporates a torch.

No clockwork inside, just wind the handle to charge the battery within.

[LankyStreak]

On 30/07/2018 at 08:06, nb Innisfree said:

LED head torch from Poundland, at that price you can buy several. 

I'm sorry innisfree I can feel a rant coming on.  

 

There's no question at all that a Poundland LED torch will be the best buy of all providing it works when you need it most i.e. when it's cold and dark, you've just dropped it in a muddy puddle, you haven't checked the batteries for six months, your boat is drifting from the bank and the wind is rising or the current is strong, etc, etc.  The reason why I spend more money on a Maglite or LED Lenser torch isn't because I have money to burn.  I haven't.  But my test of a torch (or any other emergency kit) is: Can I depend on it when I really really need it most?  e.g. when my boat has dragged its pins out of the bank on a windy night and I'm struggling to find the loose mooring line.  Experience has taught me that if I had bought a cheap torch and it let me down at that critical moment I would curse myself for not having paid more for a better torch.  Why do the emergency services pay more for torch brands like LED Lenser?  Why don't they save public money and go to Poundland?  Presumably because they know the more expensive torches don't fail them as often.  We can all congratulate ourselves when we buy a bargain torch but the real test is, can we know it won't let us down when we need it to work?  Part of this is just obvious discipline in checking the batteries regularly but if I have an emergency and my £40 LED Lenser lets me down I shall at least feel that I did all I could to prepare for that unforeseen event.  Sorry, rant over.

[bizzard]

A proper live flaming torch is best. Apart from lighting the way it'll keep you warm and will keep ferocious wild beasts at bay, two extra functions that an electric torch won't do.

[nbfiresprite]

17 minutes ago, bizzard said:

A proper live flaming torch is best. Apart from lighting the way it'll keep you warm and will keep ferocious wild beasts at bay, two extra functions that an electric torch won't do.

Not when looking for a fuel or gas leak. You soon meet with a sad end

[Laurie Booth]

2 minutes ago, nbfiresprite said:

Not when looking for a fuel or gas leak. You soon meet with a sad end

I find a candle excellent for finding gas leaks. Never had any luck with a torch.

[bizzard]

2 minutes ago, nbfiresprite said:

Not when looking for a fuel or gas leak. You soon meet with a sad end

You soon find the leak though, without endless searching for it.

[nb Innisfree]

10 hours ago, LankyStreak said:

I'm sorry innisfree I can feel a rant coming on.  

 

There's no question at all that a Poundland LED torch will be the best buy of all providing it works when you need it most i.e. when it's cold and dark, you've just dropped it in a muddy puddle, you haven't checked the batteries for six months, your boat is drifting from the bank and the wind is rising or the current is strong, etc, etc.  The reason why I spend more money on a Maglite or LED Lenser torch isn't because I have money to burn.  I haven't.  But my test of a torch (or any other emergency kit) is: Can I depend on it when I really really need it most?  e.g. when my boat has dragged its pins out of the bank on a windy night and I'm struggling to find the loose mooring line.  Experience has taught me that if I had bought a cheap torch and it let me down at that critical moment I would curse myself for not having paid more for a better torch.  Why do the emergency services pay more for torch brands like LED Lenser?  Why don't they save public money and go to Poundland?  Presumably because they know the more expensive torches don't fail them as often.  We can all congratulate ourselves when we buy a bargain torch but the real test is, can we know it won't let us down when we need it to work?  Part of this is just obvious discipline in checking the batteries regularly but if I have an emergency and my £40 LED Lenser lets me down I shall at least feel that I did all I could to prepare for that unforeseen event.  Sorry, rant over.

That's OK, no need to be sorry, better out than in eh? 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

13 hours ago, bizzard said:

A proper live flaming torch is best. Apart from lighting the way it'll keep you warm and will keep ferocious wild beasts at bay, two extra functions that an electric torch won't do.

If you have a pitchfork as well, then you have all you need for a traditional peasant uprising.

 

Torches are things that have gone from rubbish to excellent in my lifetime. They used to be dim, heavy things and the batteries would run flat very quickly, if they weren't already flat and fluffy with corrosion when you took it out the draw. Now they are bright enough to vaporise a cow at forty paces and last forever on a couple of batteries.

 

Jen

[system 4-50]

The best is a bright LED head torch which has a reserve battery so that when the first battery runs out after walking for an hour along the muddy towpath (in the wrong direction) you can switch to the new one.  I haven't found anybody who makes one yet.

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, system 4-50 said:

The best is a bright LED head torch which has a reserve battery so that when the first battery runs out after walking for an hour along the muddy towpath (in the wrong direction) you can switch to the new one.  I haven't found anybody who makes one yet.

 

But surely the reserve battery will run out when you get back to the place you started from, leaving you to complete the journey in the right direction in total darkness ? 

[bizzard]

U2 can buy an electric torch like mine.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

2 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

The best is a bright LED head torch which has a reserve battery so that when the first battery runs out after walking for an hour along the muddy towpath (in the wrong direction) you can switch to the new one.  I haven't found anybody who makes one yet.

Wait for a BOGOF (buy one, get one free) deal on LED head torches?

[ronnietucker]

Obviously, it won't be top quality, but Poundland sells a head-mounted torch. Chuck in a pack of 12 batteries and you're good to go for £2.   

[rusty69]

Just got this as an impulse buy. First impressions are,it is good and solid. For 7 quid delivered inc batteries, i am happy (until it needs new batteries).

 

Just need it to get dark now to test it. 

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VARTA-3W-160-Lumen-Output-78-Hour-Runtime-0-29kg-Indestructible-LED-Torch/352393088582?epid=1305157449&hash=item520c43ce46:g:4W0AAOSw899bke0j

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by rusty69

[kingswood]

led lenser