The New 2000-Hour Flashlight

This book contains MUCH more than simply how to 'hack' a flashlight. The author provides the most useful information about the best types of flashlight and batteries to use (and lookouts for possible pitfalls when purchasing them), and the microstep by microstep (no pun!) instructions (for three popular brand flashlight models) can be understood and followed by the bloodiest layperson! Good job!The author also describes the basics to set up a low VDC home light system with items that are available at any discount department or hardware store. Obviously a lot of homework has been done. Everything has been tested and proven true; so reading through this little book (it is straight forward and reads in a couple hours) will save the reader a lot of 'learning curve' and hassle - read: time and money. The Kindle edition is well made, and the pictures are clearly visible even on a 'basic' Kindle. I live in South Florida and wish I had had this information when after Hurricane Wilma we were 3 weeks without electricity! It's never late, though :-)

Four stars for style and content. Not five because while the concept is technically sound, and the doing an interesting and useful project, the concept and practical value falls a bit short. I'm a engineer and a gadget person, so things like this are right up my alley. The idea of a useful 2000 hour flashlight is definitely appealing, and the making of one not too difficult for anyone. The concept is a bit lacking in these ways: Firstly, this concept suggests you'd have a very long lasting flash-lantern when a crisis needs one - unfortunately this project depends on D-cells, and good ones that have perhaps 10,000mAH capacity, but while Alkaline cells are better every decade, we still tend to find them leaky and corroding the contacts and innards of whatever they've been in all that while - we long for using Lithium Iron AA's even if they only have 1/3 the capacity... a few hundred hours of light when you need it most is pretty Ok. Secondly, the dimming due to discharge of the Alkaline means the brightness is pretty low; again a Lithium Iron AA (and a good NiMH low self-discharge rechargeable) has a very flat discharge curve, giving much more stable brightness throughout discharge. So, then this booklet is an EXCELLENT idea provoker to build upon - Think about an Eveready LED weatherproof flashlight (for a good reflector) with 2 Lithium Iron AA's instead of Alkaline - about 120 run hours at 11 Lumens throughout, no modifications. Or build this flashlight-lantern as described but use Lithium Iron AA's in D-Size collars for about that same brightness but all throughout the perhaps 500 plus run time that the 3,000 ma Lithium AA's will give versus the 10,000 ma of the best D's. In any case this is an inspirational booklet for any gadget person.

This is a wonderful book. The information is presented with an ease and humor that makes it incredibly easy to read and understand.I had enjoyed the first edition, and bought the second edition the instant it came out.I have followed the instructions on the upgraded flashlights, and can attest to the fact that the information is accurate and the lights absolutely go on and on, as predicted in the book's title.What about light in the house running of a 12volt car battery for 5 years!!It's all in this book.Kudos to Ron Brown!!

FYI. The Rayovac 6 volt alkaline battery seems to come in two models:Model 808A uses the F cell setup mentioned in the book and says "ULTRA LONG-LASTING" on the battery label (right above the LANTERN BATTERY text.Model 806 uses 4 D cell batteries and doesn't have the "ULTRA LONG-LASTING" on the label but everything else seems the same on the labelUPDATE: In the store they were selling model 808 but at the Rayovac web site they are only listing models 808A and 806 for sell. Change is constant!

Easy , concise well illustrated and explained. Great information regarding batteries and what to look for.

Very usefull.

I live in tornado country and found the information very useful. There are some very basic items that need to go into a safe room or shelter and with a little planing this can be done without a lot of money.

A simple method of making emergency lighting, worth reading!