# 1950's Tom Thumb lights



## bykfixer (May 20, 2016)

Think the Mag Solitaire is dim? 

Back in the 50's HIPCO and others did what flashlight museum calls Tom Thumb lights.
They were 1aa size lights that rivaled a birthday candle for brightness.

Today we'd call 'em jewel thief or perhaps firefly.






The chrome one at the top.

They were cute little buggars compared to the typical D sized numbers of the time.





SE10 base 222 sized bulb, plastic lens, a fairly dull chrome metal reflector, copper slider switch, and very much end user servicable. 

This one had major tarnish on the copper parts, but 15 minutes of scouring and scrubbing inside the body and the switch parts got it working like new. 





I loved that accordian beam. 
It's a true 2am nature call number that makes the incan solitaire appear a *lot* brighter in comparison.






The bulb is this one puts out a spot that is off center of the bulb.





Don't know if it is just _this_ bulb. But it has a normal spill with a spot off center big time even the bulb is centered nicely. Hmmm.
Oh well it's still a pleasant beam.

It's lights out, you have the midnight munchies but don't want to wake your better half...




Ding, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!!
The Tom Thumb is the retro way to go.


It's a neat-o little spy light that makes a fine addition to a flashlight collection.


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## bykfixer (May 23, 2016)

*Re: HIPCO Tom Thumb light*

Scored a 2nd one.





And have a supply of 112 and 222 bulbs in route.


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## RWT1405 (May 23, 2016)

*Re: HIPCO Tom Thumb light*

Nice find!


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## Beamhead (May 23, 2016)

*Re: HIPCO Tom Thumb light*

Nice, now mod them.


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## bykfixer (May 23, 2016)

*Re: HIPCO Tom Thumb light*



RWT1405 said:


> Nice find!



Thanks.

I like the history behind ones like this one.


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## phosphor22 (May 23, 2016)

*Re: HIPCO Tom Thumb light*

yep, thanks - I like the tiny factor and the history


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## bykfixer (May 25, 2016)

*Re: HIPCO Tom Thumb light*

A second one arrived.




The art deco looks pretty good over the chrome.

The reflector is nice n shiney. Innereds are perfect and best of all a Holland made #112 puts out a spendid beam. No shadow at all.

The chrome one has a new #222 now. That really shows, but still is a nifty little dim light. The #112 is way brighter.




The proper driven bulb is nice.





Perfect circle from the Holland bulb. Football accordian shadow'd beam from the China bulb.
So I have a cache of 1960's #112's enroute. GE's and Chicago Minatures. 20 in all. lol.

So the chrome one remains a jewel thief light via a stockpile of Chinese 222's and the art deco will be the bright one using 112's.


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## bykfixer (Jun 1, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Eveready took a stab at it using their 'big Jim' monicker to name it 'little Jim' circa 1955.

It's a typical Eveready product of the time using time tested parts n pieces.




Mini boat switch gives it a little flare.




This version has what Eveready called 'lens guard' type bezel.
It came with a #112 bulb that casts a banana shaped beam. But for now it has a new one. 


If I had any qualms with this one it's the bulb fastener. It's a twisted slot in the fastener that causes the bulb to achor crooked. With the banana beam it was extremely odd to aim the light at a wall from 2' away and have a Gibralter type S shaped beam a foot above the lights spill. 
But I tweaked it and got it near perfect.




This was the beam of a new bulb pre-tweak




Anti-roll body




Easy to repair slider switch




Scored a whole box of these 112's.




Versus a HIPCO and a microstream.
HIPCO's and Fultons were much nicer made. But the Eveready little Jim is a nifty little dude showing modern processes of things to come.


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## LeanBurn (Jun 1, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

I am glad you put something as a size reference in most of the pics, my mind wants to think of these as full D cell sized every single time...


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## bykfixer (Jun 1, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*



LeanBurn said:


> I am glad you put something as a size reference in most of the pics, my mind wants to think of these as full D cell sized every single time...



Glad you like.

Yeah they look just like the D cell size of the day. 
They're so dang cute though.

When the 'little Captain' arrives that one looks exactly like it's bigger siblings so I'll do some scale pix of that one.




Seller pic

I have some others on the way that never had larger counterparts so they look like 1/2 size pen lights. 
So this thread that began to highlight a HIPCO will showcase several 1aa lights of days gone by.

Edit:
After dealing with the crooked 112 bulb I went back to the 1955 bulb and it's bannana beam for the 'little Jim' light. 





I'll play with it some then install a 1960's GE and use it until..




This bulb has character.


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## GarageBoy (Jun 2, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Same idea - kinda
Ray o Vac 





If anyone wants it, I'll mail it to them for free - I forgot I had this - PM me!
EDIT : Now claimed


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## bykfixer (Jun 2, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

A couple more rolled in unexpectedly.

A genuine silver plated Fulton Tom Thumb, a Rayovac Sportsman Jr and an unbranded lipstick light from the 1930's.




The Fulton.
This one arrived dirty on the inside, dingey on the outside. But soon that little GE #112 will shine like new. 




No lens over the reflector of the Sportsman Jr. But GE bulb burned brightly with a wall of light. Certainly the floodiest so far with at least as much throw. 




The lipstick light is a fun one.
Twist the push'd in tail cap either direction for on/ off and signal when in between.
It has a Holland made #112. Beautiful beam. 




Simple bulb assembly here. No reflector, no lens. Plated brass body makes this one weighty compared to the others shown. 




Here are the 1/2 to 3/4 lumen jewel thief lights next to PK's new 450 lumen one cell offering.


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## bykfixer (Jun 2, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*



GarageBoy said:


> Same idea - kinda
> Ray o Vac
> 
> 
> ...



That's a dandy!!!


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## bykfixer (Jun 4, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Two more jewel thief lights arrived.

First is a switchless brass bodied lipstick sized number that at this point is missing the rear spring. 
Next was the 1aa sized Eveready Comander.




A basic setup where a wire touches the body when tightened and creates flow to the #112.




Simple genious. 




The Eveready.
The lens and reflector are meant to stay inside the head. They can be removed...if ya know how.
The #112 bulb shines like a much brighter light. 
This one is the brightest of the bunch (so far)




New York logo.


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## Burgess (Jun 4, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Very interesting thread !

I remember these little guys quite well.

Their switch was always the " weak link ".



BTW --
the Lens-End bulbs were not intended
to be Interchangeable.

# 112 was for 1-cell AA or AAA flashlights

# 222 was for 2-cell AA or AAA flashlights


The lens end would often allow you
to " Project " the bulb filament onto a 
white surface.


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## bykfixer (Jun 4, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

I have a budding vintage penlight collection started. Hence all those 222's. 

I messed around and clicked on the 'gotalight' web site during a recent buy it now binge. 

Some of the older bulbs have a lot of character. 
But I like the offerings from 'memotronics' as they have a consistency similar to Holland made bulbs I have from the 1970's.

I liked the low output of the 222 that was in the HIPCO so I stuck with one in that one. The rest have 112's.

And yeah that switch is certainly not robust. Seemed like a good idea at the time I suppose.


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## RWT1405 (Jun 18, 2016)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Can't wait to see an update on these!


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## bykfixer (Jun 18, 2016)

Well things are kind of at a standstill on these lately.
A couple of penlights and the brass 1 cell do not light (yet). I acquired a missing spring for the brass one but haven't gotten around to figuring out why it doesn't light.
Same goes for an Underwood penlight. The Burgess penlight is also missing the spring. 




The current lineup.
Penlights top to bottom:
- Eveready of my youth -circa 1976
- Underwood - circa mid 1950's, silver plated
- Burgess - art deco circa 1940's
- Toggle switch Rayovac -circa 1950's to 60's
(Thanks Garageboy.)

TomThumbs L to R:
- Eveready Little Jim - circa 1950's
- Eveready little Commander - circa 1960's
- Fulton Tom Thumb - circa 1950's, silver plated.
- HIPCO Tom Thumb - circa 1950's, silver plated.
- unknown switchless brass lipstick light.
- Rayovac Sportsman Jr - circa 1950's
- unknown silver plated brass art deco lipstick light from unknown era. Art deco was big in the 30's.
- HIPCO Tom Thumb silver plated art Deco - circa 1950's. I have another of those but my wife snatched it for her purse. 

I hope to obtain a 1aa Captain some day. 
And perhaps a "bullet' light by Burgess, Bond, Franco or Winchester. But being they typically go for $100+ I'm in no hurry there.

The Commander Jr was a fluke. It was on my bucket list and a seller listed it as a Little Jim. Not knowing the dif I bought it thinking it was a re-styled Little Jim.


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## GarageBoy (Jun 21, 2016)

Good to see it with it's kind!
Was used by my friend's father, who was an orthodontist


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## bykfixer (Jun 21, 2016)

GarageBoy said:


> Good to see it with it's kind!
> Was used by my friend's father, who was an orthodontist



Great to know the history of that one. Having an old light is cool. But knowing its history makes it way more special.


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## bykfixer (Sep 17, 2016)

I was able to acquire a pre-Fulton, patent pending 1aa Kwik-Lite recently. It arrived in working condition but could use some TLC.




Here it is vs a modern 1aaa light. 




Here it is disassembled.
Plastics were one of the Usoma owned Kwik-Lite innovations in the early days like 1920's and one of the reasons born in 1939 Fulton bought them in the 1940's. 
The copper bulb keeper used a plastic wrapping to stop conductivity inside nickel plated body and the lens is plastic too.




Hopefully these will shine like new soon.





And the current 1960's bulb *has got to go*!





I'll add more later, but this is another fine piece of flashlight history.

I did about an hour of rehab on this little jewel, first with Mothers mag wheel polish.




All oxydation on the nickel plating is gone





Tail cap has a mirror shine now





And the once dull mirror is shiney now

Then I tossed out that poj bulb and swapped in a Chicago Miniature









Stuey head beam but it's nice n straight now. At 2am the shape isn't so noticeable. 

Then some cleaning of the spring and switch took place and no more flicker whatsoever exists now. 




Burns nice n white.


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## snakebite (Jun 27, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

just modded one of these for a neighbor kid.
soldered a 5mm hi cri led into an empty base.
these are fine dd on li-ion.
drop in a 14500.
impressive and 100% reversable.


bykfixer said:


> Eveready took a stab at it using their 'big Jim' monicker to name it 'little Jim' circa 1955.
> 
> It's a typical Eveready product of the time using time tested parts n pieces.
> 
> ...


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## bykfixer (Jul 1, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Another alternative is Teknas L112 for the 1aa lights, their L222 for 2 cell penlights and L233 an older 3x aaaa light. 
Plug n play drop in with no solder required.


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## snakebite (Jul 3, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

got a hipco 1aa headed my way.
a friend sent me a pic of it and he had polished and clearcoated it years ago.
its copper.
he asked where to get a bulb as his kids lost it.and mentioned he was a fool to put work into it for its pathetic performance.
told him if it was mine it would get an led and li-ion conversion.or i can do it for you.
so he gave it to me.
seen lots of this type of light in chrome or even brass but never copper.
looks like photobucket killed all the pics in the thread.


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## bykfixer (Jul 3, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Copper? 
Gotta see that. 

Yeah photobucket... pffft, whutchya gonna do when their goon squad says "pay us $40/mth or else buster?"... 

They are great 2am nature call lights. But I'm glad you are updating them. HIPCO are my favorite in that size, but if you ever stumble across a 1aa Rayovac Sportsman... 
man that thing is much brighter than the Tom Thumbs. Your upgrade would probably rival a modern light.


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## snakebite (Jul 7, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

i will post a good pic when i get it.
i suspect they were never made in large numbers.plenty of pictures out there of brass,nickle,chrome,and art deco types.
none in copper.
most lights of this type were simply tossed at the first problem.most are long gone.


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## bykfixer (Jul 7, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Fulton did the first "Tom Thumb" named lights. But hipco lights are better made with a better switch.... for what it's worth as even those are so-so. 

I suppose many suffered from the same thing as millions upon millions of other battery operated devices... leakage. That and the 1aa of the time was seen as a toy light as it was so dim and not real sturdy but... they served a purpose and served it well for those who didn't want to be spotted by their flashlight. 

Now the switch at times has enough contact to drain the battery but not light the bulb. Especially if you slide it to off with any force. I have one that lights it all the way forward _and_ all the way back.

After 18 months of collecting Tom Thumb sized lights I've never seen a copper one. 
Good score.


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## snakebite (Jul 10, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

i had one when i was 7.
it succumbed to too many drops into creeks and ponds while hunting crawdads.
it had a full reflector.
if i remember the switch seized up and i broke it trying to free it.
wd40 didnt do anything and i must have forced it.


bykfixer said:


> Copper?
> Gotta see that. but if you ever stumble across a 1aa Rayovac Sportsman...
> man that thing is much brighter than the Tom Thumbs. Your upgrade would probably rival a modern light.


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## bykfixer (Jul 10, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*



snakebite said:


> i had one when i was 7.
> it succumbed to too many drops into creeks and ponds while hunting crawdads.
> it had a full reflector.
> if i remember the switch seized up and i broke it trying to free it.
> wd40 didnt do anything and i must have forced it.



Yeah, they aren't as _robust_ as the modern lights, that's for certain. 
I found one on eBay for a great price. It was amazingly bright compared to the Tom Thumbs. After polishing the reflector with Mothers Mag Wheel polish it was even brighter. Brighter than a Solitaire. lol


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## snakebite (Jul 13, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

LOL!
a match is brighter than a solitaire!
unless its one i stuffed a 5mm and 10440 in.


bykfixer said:


> Yeah, they aren't as _robust_ as the modern lights, that's for certain.
> I found one on eBay for a great price. It was amazingly bright compared to the Tom Thumbs. After polishing the reflector with Mothers Mag Wheel polish it was even brighter. Brighter than a Solitaire. lol


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## bykfixer (Nov 26, 2017)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*



snakebite said:


> LOL!
> a match is brighter than a solitaire!
> unless its one i stuffed a 5mm and 10440 in.



A solitaire doesn't blow out when the wind blows. A solitaire doesn't burn your finger or cause gasoline to ignite. And a solitaire still lights after being rained on.


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## scout24 (Mar 11, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Bump...  A new arrival and my fave coffee mug. Some tweaking and cleaning has it running good at the moment. Cool little lights. Interesting to see how far we've come...


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## Nitroz (Mar 11, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*



scout24 said:


> Bump...  A new arrival and my fave coffee mug. Some tweaking and cleaning has it running good at the moment. Cool little lights. Interesting to see how far we've come...



Oh boy! I did not need to see this thread. Now I want one of these thumb lights!


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## scout24 (Mar 11, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Lol, I blame Bykfixer... 😃


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## Nitroz (Mar 11, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*



scout24 said:


> Lol, I blame Bykfixer... 😃



I have to blame you.  You bumped an old thread. lol


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## bykfixer (Mar 11, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

That is a nice example there. Good score! 

Is your beam straight or crooked? On some the threads cause the bulb to sit kinda sideways so you get a beam that is not centered. Bulbs vary also. Some provide a football shaped beam, while some are fairly round. If you can source some, the Norelco bulb made in Holland were pretty good. But if you don't want to stay vintage bulb Radio Shack made some krypton #112's is the 90's. The big bay probably still has some. 

Btw I've stayed stock with mine, warts and all. Oh, and take the battery out when done. Those switches have a really bad parasitic drain.


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## scout24 (Mar 11, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Yup, crooked bulb crooked beam. I'll play with the alignment at some point... Thanks for the bulb tips, I do have some inbound. Made in Holland by Norelco as you recommend according to the seller. Stock is where it's at with these here as well. They're just so cool. Serious with the switch??? I figured mechanical off was off just like my 2C and 2D vintage lights with slider switches... 🤔


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## bykfixer (Mar 12, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

It's not an electronic thing with the little sliders, it's just that in some cases the switch never really breaks contact as it should. I suppose a digital meter could say what's what.


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## scout24 (Mar 12, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Thanks for the tip, I'll break out my meter today. 

I've got a chrome body plastic slider/plastic bezel Union Carbide marked Eveready AA "Commander"on the way to me as of last night. Not a Tom Thumb, but an AA/112 bulb mini that looks just like it's bigger brothers. Maybe I'll do a runtime test and see just how long I could avoid stepping on legos with one of these little gems. I love my modern stuff, but these are so cool...


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## bykfixer (Mar 12, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

That's a neat little light too. Now by the time those were made Eveready had manufacturing lights made of really cheap parts and pieces, yet you'll likely note how much better built the Commander was versus those Tom Thumb lights. 

Edit: corrected previous statement below: 
When I get home I'll take a photo of both versions. See, there was a Little Jim, then two versions of the Commander. A 1960's and a 1970's version. The Little Jim is square at the tail end.
Begin correction; 
In the 1960's was the Little Jim. The commander was introduced in 1976 as an economy light. In 1986 the commander renamed "economy". I have the "commander" and the "economy" in aa format.
End correction edit

Add photos: 





L to R;
- Economy pocket light
- Little Jim
- Comander pocket light
The plastic parts of the economy are near orange compared to the deeper red of the commander. 





From the other end


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## scout24 (Mar 12, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Thank you for the history lesson! Sellers pic, I'll see it in a couple days. Should be like yours on the right with the Eveready Union Carbide writing. My Grandmother worked at Union Carbide in the 70's and this'll be a bit nostalgic for me.  I like your square one, the bezel looks like it has nice spill.


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## snakebite (Mar 14, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

another hotrod tip.
use a https://www.bltdirect.com/mes-lens-end-e10-1-11-watts-3-7-volts?cat=1880
and a 14500 li-ion.
i did this with a similar bulb from my craftsman brite driver.
decent performance and completely reversible.


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## scout24 (Mar 15, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Ha! That's cool, snakebite. An AA sized antique hotwire... oo:


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## snakebite (Mar 15, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

the one from the screwgun is 3.6v 600ma krypton.
looking for a source ....stay tuned!
edit.
the 200ma vacuum bulb is a #246


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## Grijon (Mar 17, 2021)

*Re: Eveready Little Jim*

Never heard of these - they are AWESOME!


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## bykfixer (Jul 7, 2022)

Bumping to show my 2am nature call light. 




It gets the call of duty for about 5 minutes a day using a double A cell. Little by little it gets dimmer, so if I turn it on when the lights are on I can't tell it is on unless shined on my hand but……
When the lights are out and I want to avoid tripping over the dog or navigate through the house it does great at lighting up 10 feet in front of me with a pleasing tint that does not wake anybody. 

Insert a new battery and it really brightens up. About as bright as a birthday candle even. Yet using older, nearly depleted batteries is its charm. At least in my opinion anyway.


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## knucklegary (Jul 7, 2022)

Tom Thumb.. Before marketing as a children's flashlight from Eveready, they were made for bicycles in the late 1800's. Operation required keeping the oil tank full and flint in the starter wheel. All that for only a few lumens..




You could use it to light cigars as well (;


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## konifans (Jul 12, 2022)

Beautiful little lights!


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## bykfixer (Aug 30, 2022)

One with a really, really, really used up battery is an awesome firefly light.
Add a new battery and suddenly it springs to life.


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## snakebite (Sep 6, 2022)

Another reversible mod.
Use a K222 krypton bulb and lifepo4 aa cell.
Works well.


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## bykfixer (Oct 2, 2022)

Finally swapped the battery in my Tom Thumb bed side table light. It still put out enough light to see past the black dog at 2am but I needed to give the light a thwack to get it going. Then it did not put out enough light to see what direction my stream was aimed at those times there was no splashing noise.
Now I can see well.




Old battery





New battery

I'll swap in a new one in about 3 years or so..


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## snakebite (Oct 14, 2022)

How well does a #112 do on a li primary?
Might be a mild bump up if the bulb life is reasonable.


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## bykfixer (Oct 14, 2022)

Don't know. I just replaced the 70-ish year old bulb with a new one and use a rayovac in it. I figure it's a circa 1953 or so light.

For the way I use it a lithium probably wouldn't make much difference because I use it for about 2 minutes at a time. I suppose if I used it for long periods the lack of sag may shorten the bulb life to a suffer.

I just switched to a new battery after about 5 years.....


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