Compact Flashlight

Every once in a while, I run into a product that deserves to be mentioned, and now is one of those times.

A flashlight is one of the important pieces of equipment that can not only be convenient on a dark and stormy night, but also can save your life. Everyone should have a flashlight beside their bed, so they can find their way out of a dark house (or hotel room) in an emergency. And everyone should carry a flashlight in pocket or purse at all times — because you never know when you'll need one.

The problems with many flashlights is that they're:

• too bulky
• too heavy
• uses exotic batteries that may be hard to find
• cheaply constructed
• too costly

But along comes the new miniature Nightfire, made by River Rock Designs (www.riverrocklights.com) that is not too bulky (only 3" long), not too heavy (1 oz including battery), runs on a single AAA battery, is ruggedly built of anodized aluminum alloy, and costs just $30 with the battery included. Shorter than a 30.06 round, and not much fatter (5/8"), the Nightfire can be easily clipped in a pocket for quick and easy access. Entry points are sealed with O-rings for water resistance.

Not only that, but this tiny LED flashlight blasts out 100 lumens — enough to show you the way out of a collapsed building, or to blind an attacker when you shove the working end of the light into his eyes. LEDs are noted for their long life (having no filament to break) and their bright output, as well as low battery draw. Nightfire offers a constant run time of 1 hour on a single battery, so it would be prudent to carry spares.

Good flashlight. Good price. Worth looking into. Next time you're caught in the dark, you'll wish you had something like this.