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Led Flashlights: Why They're Recommended By Survivalists

Those who have survived outdoor emergency situations prefer LED flashlights, for the following causes:

1. LED Flashlights Provide Incredibly Bright Light Output

A tool for catching the attention of rescue workers can mean the difference between life and death when a person is lost or stranded in the wilderness. Because they deliver such bright light, LED flashlights are the perfect gadgets for drawing rescuers' eyes.

You may think that your old camping flashlight is strong enough to serve the same purpose. Survivalists would disagree, since LED flashlights can deliver more than 250% more lumens than incandescent torches. You'll want that extra brightness whether you're scaring off an unfriendly animal or desperately seeking the attention of that passing rescue plane.

2. Extended Bulb Life and Run Times

An LED flashlight is highly efficient, especially when compared to its incandescent counterpart. The Edisonian light bulb loses most of its output as heat; LED bulbs, in contrast, create light through a completely different, cool-temperature process that converts energy much more efficiently.

In fact, it's not unusual for an LED flashlight to run on the same set of batteries for hundreds or even thousands of hours. Additionally, the bulbs in LED flashlights generally last far longer than those in incandescent flashlights. To enjoy the highest efficiency from your LED flashlight, use it at the lowest brightness setting possible. (Many LED flashlights may be dimmed or brightened.)

3. Superior Beam Distance

You might think that brightness is the only thing that really matters in flashlight performance, but we beg to differ. Beam distance is another key characteristic. Beam distance describes how far a flashlight can shine. Survivalists favor long beam distance, both for rescue purposes and to give you as much warning as possible of any threatening animals that may be on your path.

LED flashlights generally provide longer beam distances than incandescent flashlights, for two main reasons: LED bulbs are typically much more powerful than other types of flashlight bulbs, and LED flashlights can often be adjusted to provide more narrow, focused light, or more scattered, distributed light. Beam distance is maximized when the light beam is focused to its narrowest beam.

4. Consistent Operation, Regardless of Temperature

Have you ever broken a fragile glass dish with an extreme change in temperature? It is possible - when a cold glass is blasted with very hot water, it might break, since glass does not stretch well in the face of temperature changes. This quality makes certain flashlights dangerous to use in very low temperatures. For instance, just turning on a hot running incandescent bulb in an environment that's below zero degrees Fahrenheit could cause the bulb to break. Should this happen, you not only have to deal with losing your source of light; you might also have to deal with injuries!

On the other hand, LED bulbs do not put out heat as incandescent bulbs do, so they don't cause any contrast between bulb and surrounding temperatures. Basically, an LED flashlight runs cold, so you don't have to worry about running it in cold conditions. Indeed, outdoor types in Alaska have reported that their LED flashlights work in conditions as frigid as -50 degrees Fahrenheit, especially if they are powered with lithium batteries.

Because LED flashlights provide excellent beam distance, brightness, and performance in extreme temperatures, they are ideal for survival situations.

By: Tom F. Huntington

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Sometimes there may be confusion on what makes LED flashlights water resistant or water proof. There are different criteria for making either of these claims. COAST Products, a retailer and distributor of high quality LED flashlights, offers facts to explain the difference between the two. Visit their website at www.CoastPortland.com.

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