Power Plus Barracuda LED Solar/Wind-Up Torch

This is a great wind up light with some potential limitations. The item comes in a much larger box that the torch wrapped in a bubble bag. So it does rattle around in transport. The instruction leaflet is multiple languages and the text is very small. Now I need reading glasses but even with these I struggled but being a bloke I do not need these! The size is length in inches 5.75 x 2.5 x 1.75 in cm 14.5 x 6.0 x 4.5 these are the maximum. The weight is 6.2 oz or 175gms. So comfortable in the hand, mine is medium/ large size glove, and not too heavy. The instructions say it's waterproof to 5 meters and it looks like that could well be the case. The charge time in full sun is 8 hours that will give 6 hours with 1 LED and 4.5 hours with 3 LED. Winding the crank will give 80mins 1 LED and 60 mins 3 LED and 120 mins 'flashing'. To crank the handle does take a little effort and has to be rotated at 3 revs per second that's 180 rpm. Now that might be a limitation for many as cranking the handle at that speed may not seem difficult but it does take effort and for some with older hands or dexterity issues this might prove difficult. However, there is the option to leave it in the sun for most of the year. In use it gives a blue white beam and fully charged it's visible across a 16 foot room in daylight with just the one bulb. In the dark, my loft, it's a very bright directional light. The flashing, 3 LED's is quite usefull if your out doors at night the flashing giving a good indication of your presence but still enough light to see you path. For me it's a recommend product.

I must admit I love this torch, I have always kept a torch in my car and one in the house in case of emergencies and you can bet your bottom dollar when you need it the batteries are dead... well not with this little beauty give it a few turns and you have light. It is easy to turn and it seems to store the light for some time. It has three setting a one bulb setting a three bulb obviously brighter then a flashing setting I guess could come in handy as a warning light if your car breaks down. I haven't used it on solar yet but i would assume it would be good for camping, leave it in the sun all day then its ready to use at night, job done. I now carry this in my backpack, its small and lightweight very well made and was worth every penny, I have purchased this based on the previous good reviews and I must admit I agree, it definitely one of the better items I have bought without being already aware of the brand.

I really like this little torch, it does fit in the pocket of my work trousers but would be a bit bulky for others being that it is around 5.5 inches long and 2.5 inches at its widest point (reflector), solidly made, it would put up with a few knocks. The front and back ends if the torch are enclosed in a soft grip plastic additional to the main plastic body, with a strip running down each side making it very comfortable in the hand plus providing extra protection in the event of it being dropped. The solar panel is slightly recessed making it safe from most accidents, i have not tried it out as yes due to the time of year (Winter) but no doubt it will charge as specfied when the sun does eventually shine again. One thing which would be useful is a foldaway stand for the torch, maybe the manufacturers could change the design of the generator handle to be used both ways. Food for thought possibly. Battery seems excellent, i have used this every evening since purchase and only wound the charging handle once so far. You do not need to use much effort to charge the unit, the generator handle is also solidly constructed and will probably out last the torch battery, it also tucks away quite well. One thing that is a slight negative in my opinion is the three position switch, i have had other torches with a flashing light but never ever used it, so it seems a bit pointless to me and makes for an additional press on the switch before you can turn the torch off, which annoys me slightly. For a LED torch the beam is not bad but you cannot compare it to a filament bulb, for instance, if you have two objects one black and one white the beam will only pick out the white one and not the other, whereas a filament bulb will pick out both. This is just due to the caracteristics of the led bulb which tends to produce an even light over a given area rather than a concentrated beam as with a filament bulb, but the manufacturers have designed the reflectors well so as to concentrate the beam of the bulbs as much as possible. When using the light on the low setting you have just enough light to illuminate a small piece of ground in front of you when walking but the second press of the switch does illuminate the ground for qute a large area, so it is acceptable. All in all its a good torch and if it lasts well i would probably buy another. 20-10-2012 Just thought i would update this review as it has been sometime since i first purchased it. For some reason. out of the various torches and hand lamps i own, this is the one i always pick up if i need to use a torch, the battery has proved excellent and although i tend to forget to charge it during summertime, there is always enough power to do what i want with it on dark winter evenings when it probably gets its first charge for some months, the winding handle is still attached proving how well it has been manufactured. Although the makers tell you to chuck the torch away when the battery eventually fails, i have done a bit of research and batteries are available on the net, so it look like this little gem will be with me for years to come. The other nice thing is that the makers even give you instructions on how to remove the battery before disposal so even if you are not techie minded, battery replacement is a straightforward job.

I had slight doubts about this torch when I bought it but I have found it to be a really useful item. It is very quick & easy to recharge although I have only had to do it once so far. The solar battery is a great improvement on older versions of the wind-up torch & helps to keep it topped up. I don't think it would be powerful enough to light up a wide field of vision but it is ideal for closer use. The LED lights are bright & very clear. I bought this torch as a standby for my torch that has to be recharged by electricity but now I use this one all the time. Worth every penny it cost.

Brilliant little torch. Charges itself up in 3 different ways. 1) battery 2) wind up 3) Solar. Note you would find it very difficult to wind up to fully charge the torch from dead, also the wind up handle is quite stiff to turn. Must admit, I put batteries in, so I am cannot comment how efficient it is with only wind up or solar charge. But as a small torch it has great light and I like the idea I could charge it up different ways.

Buoni materiali, la luce è discreta non tantissima, ma sufficiente in caso di emergenza in auto, sembra robusto e durevole

Cette lampe on sent que c'est de la qualité ! elle vaut son prix, ce n'est pas un gadget, elle éclaire bien mais n'est pas super puissante, pour se déplacer sans encombre dans le noir c'est largement suffisant, elle a une assez longue portée quand même, l'option clignotante est très bien en cas d'alerte à donner..... ce qui est fantastique c'est son autonomie de dingue. En tournant la manivelle pendant environ 4 min vous avez 1h d'autonomie facile et même plus. J'en suis ravie, j'en ai toujours une sur ma table de nuit pour ne réveiller personne quand je me lève la nuit et j'en ai acheté une autre pour la mettre dans la boite à gants de ma voiture car en cas de panne la nuit sur la route c'est indispensable. Très bonne lampe, foncez !!

PARECE BUENO NO LO HE PROBADO BIEN

Ficklampan laddar bra i solen och den är lätt att veva med. Funkar bra till torpet när man behöver lyse på natten.

les éléments de spécifications sont respectés, cette lampe éclaire suffisamment et le principe de recharge solaire et par dynamo est vraiment pratique. Plus besoin de piles !