You might think all torches are created equal, but don’t tell that to a flashaholic. There are large online communities of torch aficionados who take their illumination very seriously, and there’s a good chance even they will be impressed by LED Lenser’s new F1, which manages to squeeze a whopping 400 lumens from a single CR123 battery.
It’s true that CR123 batteries aren’t as easy to find in stores as regular old AAs, but it’s a fair trade-off. What you sacrifice in convenience, you gain in longer runtimes and greater illumination. CR123 batteries use a lithium-cell inside instead of alkaline, and output three volts instead of the 1.5 volts from a AA battery. So it allows torches like the F1 to blast an impressive 400 lumens while still boasting excellent battery life.
Of course you don’t have to run the F1 at full power. You can extend its battery life even further by dimming its LED bulb to its lowest setting. But if you’re going to drop $US80 on it, you might as well go big or go home. [LED Lenser]