I did read the site carefully, and my concerns remain. I see this as a poor light to rely on in an emergency. Few people have the discipline to maintain such charging regimens pre-emergency. These will most likely be packed away in the dark for years in emergency kits, and will not be ready for action when a disaster hits.
Worst possible case, the battery may be too-deeply discharged and thus not chargeable after several years of non-use. For 3 ounces, I could carry a full set of AA batteries that have a shelf-life of 10 years. They would power an LED light for a long, long time. On Thu, May 16, 2013 at 3:01 PM, Louise Power <power_lou...@hotmail.com>wrote: > If you read the site carefully, you'll find that 6-7 hours exposure to the > sun will completely recharge the battery for 8 hours use. They also > recommend that before you take it with you or store it that you fully > charge it. Further, they recommend recharging it every 1-2 months to keep > the battery operating in optimum condition. If it were I, I'd leave it > out on a window sill periodically. > > I can see this being used in caves as one of your three light sources. > They only weigh 3 ounces, so take two. That will give you 16 hours of light > assuming you've kept them charged. > > I'm attaching a copy of some information from their website. > > Louise > ------------------------------ > Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 14:01:27 -0500 > Subject: Re: [Texascavers] New light source > From: george.nincehel...@gmail.com > To: power_lou...@hotmail.com > CC: texascavers@texascavers.com; s...@caver.net > > > Interesting idea, but the battery bothers me. > > The battery only holds a charge for 4 months. Unless you have a way to > keep it charged, you might not have light available at the onset of an > emergency. It would, however, be very useful in the recovery period after > a natural disaster. > > I'd like to see one with a small conventional battery that would insure > you would get through an initial period of darkness. > > Personally, I like to keep a good number of chemical lightsticks around. > Granted, they aren't reusable, and they aren't terribly bright, but they > can be a comfort in darkness and are kid-friendly. I just bought a 10-pack > of 12-hour reds for $7 on Amazon. (I chose red to preserve night vision). > > > On Thu, May 16, 2013 at 11:35 AM, Louise Power > <power_lou...@hotmail.com>wrote: > > I'd like to call your attention to an alternate light source I found > online this morning. It's a rechargable, packable source that, when > inflated, will float in water. With everything that's going on weatherwise > lately, it might be a good thing to have. I also thought it might be a good > thing to put in your cave pack in case of emergency. > > Apparently it's being used worldwide in emergency situations, e.g., > Honduras and Japan. They also have a "buy one, give one" program which, > when you buy one for yourself, donates one of the lights to one of their > emergency programs. > > Check this out. They're really inexpensive--less than $20. I think I'm > going to buy at least one for myself since I live in earthquake country. > > http://luminaid.gostorego.com/ > > PLEASE NOTE: Right now, they've gotten so much publicity that they're sold > out, but you can pre-order for shipment in late May to mid June. > > >
