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Different Types of Flashlights

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Flashlights are one of the most familiar and useful household items. Whether you need to provide light during a power outage, go hiking at night, or do some home or car maintenance in a shadowy area, a flashlight is the tool you need. As the wide variety of flashlights on the market suggests, however, flashlights are not a “one size fits all” item. Depending on your purpose in purchasing a flashlight, you will want to choose between one of the following flashlights or alternatives to flashlights:

• Tube Flashlight: The tube-shaped flashlight is the traditional form of the flashlight. These flashlights vary greatly in their length, weight, and power, but they are all battery-powered and can be held in one hand.

• Pocket Flashlights: If you want a very small flashlight to attach to your key chain or to carry in your pocket, look for pocket flashlights.

• LED Flashlight: This relatively new innovation has no batteries or bulbs. Instead, it provides light using a light emitting diode (LED). All you have to do is shake the flashlight for thirty seconds, and it will provide light for several minutes. As you might expect, however, these are more expensive than are standard tube flashlights.

• Headlamp: A headlamp frees up your hands because you don’t have to hold the flashlight. Spelunkers use headlamps to explore caves, but headlamps are also great to use for working or reading in the dark.

• Lantern: Though lanterns come in all sizes, they are traditionally larger and brighter than flashlights. Consequently, you can use a lantern to light an entire room. Generally, lanterns have some sort of handle and a flat base, which allows you to hang them, or to set them on the ground.

In each category, you can purchase flashlights of different qualities and powers. Some tube flashlights, for example, run on lantern batteries and provide extremely powerful beams, while other flashlights are convertible into lanterns. Of course, you can always go the traditional route and light up rooms using a candle, but candles provide light that is less focused and more dangerous than a flashlight’s beam.

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