Help for torch for elederly neighbour.

[conanthewarrior]

Hi people.

My neighobur is 93 years old, and is using a flashlight/torch (Im from england so we say torch ) from the pound shop, which is the equivalent to a dollar store.

The buld has gone on it, and he is going to buy a NEW BULB for it, it will cost more than the torch does, and even in the dark the amount of light it puts out is nothing.

I want to get him something at not as small as the Tank 007, as he saw my mums and really liked it,but he will lose it being that small.

So I was thinking a step up to a AA torch, and I will buy it for him as a surprise with the batteries, when they run out I will charge them for him, but NO LI-ION batteries, he is 93 and it would be an accident waiting to happen.

An ideal torch would be AA powererd, not TOO small, just big enough for the AA batteries. Say a dual AA torch would be perfect size, or if they exist a single would even be OK, as his sight is not actually bad for a 93 year olds, he just wears glasses and has a dark coloured lounge, so something dark and small like the tank could easily get lost for him.

Oh yeah, it HAS TO BE EASY to turn on, as he is 93, if it is difficult he will just use a crappy torch that puts out less light than a candle (Seriously, he thought his torch was great bless him, but it honestly was outputting a few lumens maximum, I want it so he can actually SEE in the dark. I would get him an S2+, but I don't want him using Li-ion's as he is a bit deaf, and probably would over discharge the cell from not listening, or forget due to his age, so thats another pointer to AAA or AA batteries)

If someone could recommend me a CHEAP but OK torch, that provides at least the same amount of power as the Tank 007, that is a similiar price, up to £15, as I will also get batteries for him, that would be fantastic.

i just don't want him wasting his money buying an incandescent bulb when he could have something much better, he is a good friend to us, my mum makes him dinner every day and he, at 93 goes shopping, walking like a 30 year old, he walks faster than ME and I am 25, and bring my mum milk and bread when we are low, and we do the same in return.

Never known a man like him, and never will again, he is a diamond so I want to get him something better than the pound shop/dollar store torch he will waste money on.


Thanks everyone. Conan.

 

[bykfixer]

Woah! That guy was there when the Nazi's occupied your country!
That's aawwwwesome what you're trying to do.


Halfway through this I wanted to reccomend the Lux-Pro LP470 but you mentioned that dark color is a problem.

Do your local hardware stores like Lowes here in the states carry LED Lensers? If so, they make lights that are easy on the wallet, not hard to switch on and hold up well. I've seen several of their model in silver tone on Amazon.

Now the Lux Pro little $5 3-triple a deals with I think 6 LED's have a nice mushy clicker on the tail cap and glow in the dark when the lights go out. As a bonus they come in colors Stevie Wonder can see. They put out a light he'd be familiar with and not cause him to have issues of "holy cow that thing is bright" like todays mega brite lights.

And once you find him a light put some eneloop batteries in it. A little money going in, but they don't leak and hold a charge as well as the alkaline batteries. (About $15 for a charger that comes with 4 aa's, also charges their aaa's)

You're a good neighbor sir!

Get him to tell you stories. Really old people love to tell stories.

 

[Poppy]

conan,
was his last light an AA light? or a 2D cell light?

 

[hyperloop]

What you wish to do for your neighbour is awesome, go check out Gearbest, they seem to have cheap but serviceable lights.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

At 93, I say he's better to stick with a light he already knows and can operate easily. A new bulb for his old incandescent light is probably the best choice. If the bulb only lasts a couple of years, well, at his age, that may be long enough.

Forget the rechargeable battery idea. He's probably not going to do it, and if you're not around to do it for him he's stuck. A set of lithium primaries will last awhile and not leak.

If you choose to go the LED flashlight route, then just get him something equivalent to what he has now, so he won't have to fumble with it. Plenty of cheap choices in the dollar store or local hardware store. The same lithium primary batteries for a cheap LED light will probably outlive him.

 

[bykfixer]

^^ hadn't thought of the store bought lithiums.
Great batteries for that guy.

 

[Str8stroke]

Get them a new version of the Maglite 2 C battery model. Perfect size and easy for weak or unsteady hands.

 

[1DaveN]

Get them a new version of the Maglite 2 C battery model. Perfect size and easy for weak or unsteady hands.

That looks like a great choice. I've been thinking about lights for my 91-year old Dad, and one of the considerations is that he won't remember how to use a complex interface. That Mag with the conventional side switch seems perfect, so thanks for pointing it out.

I was also going to suggest the Rayovac Indestructible 2xAA. It's less expensive than the mag, but the OP's friend might find that the switch requires a fair amount of force, and as a tail switch it's probably not what he's used to.

At Poppy's suggestion here on CPF, we put those Blackout Buddy lights all over the place for my parents - they work as night lights, auto-on power failure lights, and flashlights. IMO they're not the best flashlights, but they work very well for the other two functions.

 

[Poppy]

That looks like a great choice. I've been thinking about lights for my 91-year old Dad, and one of the considerations is that he won't remember how to use a complex interface. That Mag with the conventional side switch seems perfect, so thanks for pointing it out.

I was also going to suggest the Rayovac Indestructible 2xAA. It's less expensive than the mag, but the OP's friend might find that the switch requires a fair amount of force, and as a tail switch it's probably not what he's used to.

At Poppy's suggestion here on CPF, we put those Blackout Buddy lights all over the place for my parents - they work as night lights, auto-on power failure lights, and flashlights. IMO they're not the best flashlights, but they work very well for the other two functions.

If Conan wants to stay with a 2AA format, I might also recommend the Rayovac Indestructible 2AA light. It is a bit larger than the typical 2AA and therefore not as elegant, but the UI is a simple 2 mode with no blinkies, and the groves of the tail cap threads are large and deep so that one does not have to be too careful about cross-threading the cap when replacing batteries.
The problem that I have with the RI lights is that the beam is very narrow and focused, and IMO not a particularly good beam for a "general purpose" around the house light. Other members have made similar comments about it and have put diffusing film, (some have used scotch tape) on the lens to diffuse the beam a bit.

I am thinking that a "dollar store light with a bulb" is probably a 2D cell light.

To my chagrin my wife bought a RED plastic 2D Rayovac LED in the grocery store some time last year. It has five LEDs with a plastic lens that has five aspherical lens/bumps in it. She probably paid about $8 for it. It actually does a pretty good job of focusing the light into a broad pretty evenly illuminated hot-spot, with not too much spill. Like a zoomie set at it's mid range. It is one mode, side switch, push button, on / off. With 2D cells I guess it'll run for about 70 hours. It's not a beam/light that a flashaholic would be proud of, but for a less than $10 light/torch, that is a general purpose, around the house light, it isn't bad.

A couple of years ago, I gave my dad a 3D maglight, he uses it more than any other light that he has, and each year I gift him a four pack of D cells, lol... the big spender that I am It has a pretty tight beam, and the threads are a bit fine, but he manages with it.

I do wonder what that 2D cell RI light would be like. I imagine that it would have course threads, (a plus), but a narrowly focused beam as the other RI lights seem to have.

Dave,
Thanks for once again mentioning the "auto-on power failure lights." You know that I am quite a proponent of such lighting, especially for the elderly, and those with children. :thumbsup:

 

[Str8stroke]

I wouldn't do the Rayovac. Its a good light for most folks.

I got that for a different elderly family member. She has a hard time pushing the rear button. It is kinda stiff and the rubber shroud makes it hard for weak fingers. With arthritis, she wanted a twist action. So, I ended up getting her a AA Maglite Pro. I added small amount of grip tape to the head and body. Clean it with alcohol prior to doing that. The tape will stick much better.

I also added a GITD para cord lanyard with a 2 inch cheap carabiner. She likes to clip it to her robe. She thinks I am a genius and the glow cord is some new space age invention.

 

[reppans]

At 93, I suspect this will only be used indoors at close to medium ranges. I'd personally suggest a floody 2-mode @ 3 and 30 lumens with mode memory (that toggles with half presses).. I just think 2AAs these days are running 200+ lumens, which will be detrimentally bright and painfully glaring indoors, and with short runtimes. A Quark Click QK2A-X can be programmed this way for $53 delivered.

 

[arek98]

Woah! That guy was there when the Nazi's occupied your country!

England was never occupied by Nazi's. They tried hard but closest they got were Channel Islands.

 

[arek98]

How about some rechargeable emergency torch.
One that has a plug in wall outlet and place to put a torch for charging, sometimes also with light build in to find it in the dark.
I don't know what is available in England but you get an idea.

 

[bykfixer]

England was never occupied by Nazi's. They tried hard but closest they got were Channel Islands.

I stand corrected.

 

[skyfire]

My 64 year old mother uses her 2xAA maglite most. Its an older model with 1 brightness at about 40 lumens.
Simple to operate with 2 hands. It seems she finds twisting its bezel much easier than pressing a button.
Her fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be.
Simple interface,its either on of off. 2xAA form makes it easy to hold on to.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I wouldn't do the Rayovac. Its a good light for most folks.

I got that for a different elderly family member. She has a hard time pushing the rear button. It is kinda stiff and the rubber shroud makes it hard for weak fingers. With arthritis, she wanted a twist action. So, I ended up getting her a AA Maglite Pro. I added small amount of grip tape to the head and body. Clean it with alcohol prior to doing that. The tape will stick much better.

I also added a GITD para cord lanyard with a 2 inch cheap carabiner. She likes to clip it to her robe. She thinks I am a genius and the glow cord is some new space age invention.

The AA Maglite Pro is an ideal choice for elderly folks. I got two red ones for my mother-in-law (red is harder to lose than black).

 

[ganymede]

Get them a new version of the Maglite 2 C battery model. Perfect size and easy for weak or unsteady hands.

^This!

I gave a 2D Maglite upgraded with Malkoff led module to my 70 years old dad. Simple UI and uses common battery.