SolarLite Hybrid Flashlight Review
I started to give this review to one of the other ToolSkool writers, Brad Staggs, because he loves flashlights, but he’s more interested in how bright it is, and though this particular flashlight puts out some light, that’s not it’s most important feature. So, here’s the skinny on the SolarLite Flashlight. It’s a hybrid flashlight that is charged when light hits the solar panels, but it has a battery backup.
One of the first things you’ll notice when you see the package is that there are a lot of claims on there, so I set out to see if I could prove or disprove any, or all of them. Now, the first claim I see is that it holds a charge for over 3 years and I can’t verify that to be certain, as I’ve only had the SolarLite for a few months. But, I will say this, I got this flashlight at a trade show last year, stuck it in a box of products to look over, forgot I had it, and when I got it out again months later, it had held its charge, so that’s a good sign.
The next claim on the package is that it provides 10 hours of light on one full charge. So, I turned it on a couple of hours before I went to bed one night, let it run (no lights on in the room, because that would charge it), and when I woke up the next morning, it was still shining! In my experience it ran at least 10 hours.
SolarLite Flashlights are certainly easy to spot on a job site.
SolarLite Brightness
The brightness of the flashlight is not bad. It’s not the most powerful flashlight out there, but it’s also not the most expensive, and it has some other features that others don’t. Like, it floats; and yes, I tested it in my kitchen sink for hours and it never took on any water or sunk. This is particularly useful for boating or for storm and hurricane prone areas. You can use any light source to charge it. I charged it in a window with the sun shining in on it, or under a standard light bulb and it charged equally under either condition.
When you look at the flashlight, you’ll notice 3 indicator lights and a switch to turn the flashlight on and off. From the off position, you click it once and the yellow light will show that it’s running on solar power. If you click it again the green light comes on, indicating that it’s running on battery power. When the flashlight is off and it’s lying under a light source with the solar panels in the handle facing up, then the red light is illuminated indicating charge mode.
It comes in different colors, and since it’s a hybrid flashlight, you don’t have to keep replacing the batteries. In fact, you never replace them. I think it’s a nice flashlight to keep in your car, on your boat, in an emergency kit, or to keep in the kitchen window in case of a power outage in the house.
Check price/availability at Amazon: CLICK HERE
Read more about the Lifetime Guarantee at: www.hybridlite.com.
Beth Knott
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