What's so special about Dolphin torches?

Lately my local Kmarts, Big W's and Coles stores have pulled Maglites from their shelves and replaced them with these stupid Dolphin torches. What's so special about them? My dad has one and the darn thing puts out barely enough lumens on a fresh set of batteries to compete with an incan Maglite Solitaire.

As far as I know, these are torches that are native to Australia as my American friends have not heard of it. They are basically these big ugly things and they sell for $20-30.

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Dolphins do seem pretty good in regards to doing their intended purpose, which is to be a safety/emergency/camping torch. It's got a bright yellow finish so it's easy to find, it can take a beating/being dropped, and it floats in water, but what I don't understand is how it takes a whopping big battery yet is still duller than a Mag Solitaire?

I believe someone here once put a Seoul P7 in one of these, sounds like an interesting idea.

They float and are shallow water submersible... can't do that with a mag.
The dolphin in some rendition has been around since the early 80s (IIRC).

thats all I can think of, having never actually owned one.

James Miller said:

My dad has one and the darn thing puts out barely enough lumens
on a fresh set of batteries to compete with an incan Maglite Solitaire.

. . . . but what I don't understand is how it takes a whopping big battery yet is still duller than a Mag Solitaire?

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I musta' told you A MILLION TIMES . . . .

Don't exaggerate so much ! ! !


_

James Miller said:

Lately my local Kmarts, Big W's and Coles stores have pulled Maglites from their shelves and replaced them with these stupid Dolphin torches. What's so special about them? ... what I don't understand is how it takes a whopping big battery yet is still duller than a Mag Solitaire?

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I believe Dolphin torches and Maglites have been measured as having exactly the same intelligence, therefore can be accurately said to be just as stupid as each other. Dophins are rugged, waterproof and float. Some come with little stands so they can be placed on the ground or a bench and aimed where light is needed. They don't serve the same purpose as Maglites so I don't see why they would be replaced unless the Maglites just weren't selling well and the shelf space was wanted for something that would.

There is no torch duller than a Maglite Solitaire. :sick2:

James Miller said:

As far as I know, these are torches that are native to Australia as my American friends have not heard of it.

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kramer5150 said:

The dolphin in some rendition has been around since the early 80s (IIRC).

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Strangely enough they started in the USA, way back in 1965. http://www.dhub.org/object/112367,product+design

A variation is sold here in the US as the Energizer Weather Ready Floating Lantern.

James Miller said:

Dolphins do seem pretty good in regards to doing their intended purpose, which is to be a safety/emergency/camping torch.

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Wait a minute, I do not own a Dolphin, but from what I thought I have read around here, don't they have great "throw"?

Isn't that what they are known for?


But if you are comparing it to a Mag Solitare, I am obviously wrong?? The Solitare has only a 12 inch throw.

They actually have EXCELLENT throw, I've lit objects as far as 400 metres away with one, but they're somewhat poorly made (Pretty hard to screw back the threads after opening, my one's bulb is misaligned with the reflector, etc.

kramer5150 said:

They float and are shallow water submersible... can't do that with a mag.

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Actually, you can fully submerge a Mag when all o-rings are lubriated. It is true that they can't float though.

James Miller said:

Lately my local Kmarts, Big W's and Coles stores have pulled Maglites from their shelves and replaced them with these stupid Dolphin torches. What's so special about them?

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do some research into the arrangements and deals that suppliers make to get their product onto the shelves of the top five major chain stores in Australia and you'll see that decisions to stock one over the other have absolutely nothing at all to do with whether one product is "better" than another.

From a personal perspective, I have had a maglite since the early eighties but also had a couple of dolphins for much longer and I find the dolphin is a far more useful torch. You can set it down on something without it rolling off and smashing to the ground, it takes a single battery, it won't necessarily break anything it hits up against, it's far less likely to get stolen from the back of your ute, it's brightly coloured so it's easy to find when you put it down and can't remember where, it's got a nice little inbuilt handle and isn't slippery when wet like the maglite, it's made of impact absorbent plastic so is less likely to break a globe when dropped, it floats, it looks like a torch not like a policeman's baton and all sorts of other good things in its favour etc etc blah blah blah.

Backpacker Light said:

Wait a minute, I do not own a Dolphin, but from what I thought I have read around here, don't they have great "throw"?

Isn't that what they are known for?

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Depends how well we look after them, but yes, they "throw" quite nicely. For a large reflector they have a reasonably compact design, and have an appreciable effect when they hit their target, even from a distance. Having a easy to grip handle means one's aim can be very good. Good batteries for "throwing" have F cells in them, which have more capacity and are heavier than D cells.

Joe Average uses his lights for 15 mins a year, so does not notice how crappy and expensive to run them on regular basis such superbright lights really are.
During these 10 mins, the throw is great.
they are a nice color
they are cheap

that a three finger sized 18650 light smokes them (for being around always, running longer, cheaper, more rugged, ...) is something they dont understand or even need!
at least those "fancy small lights are way too expensive and the bigger the light, the brighter it must be"

. .,

yellow said:

that a three finger sized 18650 light smokes them (for being around always, running longer, cheaper, more rugged, ...) is something they dont understand or even need!

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It wasn't that many months ago I found out that a 3x AAA light throws as well as my 100 W incandescent spotlight. oo:

I'm now feeling inclined to get a Dolphin.

Any Aussies out there able to point me in the direction of where I can get one cheap? I've seen them ranging from $20-50.

James Miller said:

I'm now feeling inclined to get a Dolphin.

Any Aussies out there able to point me in the direction of where I can get one cheap? I've seen them ranging from $20-50.

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You could try your local Kmart, Big W or Coles, they seem to be cheap there. Maybe even ask your father for a loan of his, that would be real cheap

James Miller said:

Lately my local Kmarts, Big W's and Coles stores have pulled Maglites from their shelves and replaced them with these stupid Dolphin torches. ................ My dad has one

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garden said:

Actually, you can fully submerge a Mag when all o-rings are lubriated. It is true that they can't float though.

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No way.
The switch boot cover has almost no seal and certainly is not water tight. I can remove mine with a fingernail pinch and light pull force. If you submerged yours, it was merely a matter of luck or limited time exposure that it didn't take in water.

IMHO they are rain / splash resistant, but submersible... no.

kramer5150 said:

No way.
The switch boot cover has almost no seal and certainly is not water tight. I can remove mine with a fingernail pinch and light pull force. If you submerged yours, it was merely a matter of luck or limited time exposure that it didn't take in water.

IMHO they are rain / splash resistant, but submersible... no.

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+1 I don't see a Mag being able to take submersion and still work

mrartillery said:

+1 I don't see a Mag being able to take submersion and still work

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Well I've showered with my Maglite 4D before and it's still the most reliable mag I've had out of my 2AA mini, Solitaire, etc. (This was during a period in which we were experiencing nonstop blackouts every hour or so for about 2 hours each, it lasted a week before Energy Australia finally got their bloody act into gear.) There was a malfunctioning breaker at the powerstation or something that kept kabooming.

James Miller said:

I'm now feeling inclined to get a Dolphin.

Any Aussies out there able to point me in the direction of where I can get one cheap? I've seen them ranging from $20-50.

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Coles has them for around $14 AUS. Although I have a shed load of custom/high end torches, a plain jane red dolphin torch is what I use in the boat. It is true that they stay put when you place them down in a rolling sea. Run time is poor though and they do tend to self discharge their cells when not in use.

James....

Oh man! I LOVE dolphins. They always bring back memories of beach trips and spearfishing. They're great lights, and they last forever. Sure, they're not the most powerful, but what they lack in lumens :candle: they more than make up for with utility.
Awesome lights. You can also try Bunnings Warehouse and other hardware shops.