What is more fun than a colorful small flash light with a brilliant beam of light to play with? You can go out at night in the dark and see where you are going, play flashlight tag or drive your kitten crazy with a dancing beam of light. Brilliant colors, finely machined aluminum bodies and neat features attract buyers of all ages. However beyond being a toy the flashlight is critical to emergency use and protection.
Everybody has come into contact with a flashlight at some time or another. Many years ago a flashlight was a light bulb on top of a battery with a reflector. It was heavy and always seemed that the battery was dead when we needed it most. How many times have you looked for your flashlight and found the batteries dead, only to open the case and find corrosion? In fact the life of most flashlights was based on how long you could own it before battery corrosion destroyed it, not when the batteries needed replacing. Over the years we have seen many changes in our flashlights, from the batteries to the bulbs and physical case containing the batteries and bulbs.
The biggest changes came when we started designing newer batteries that were more leak resistant. However the best battery if exposed to the elements will break down and leak, or cause corrosion. The leakage not only causes the corrosion, but it drains the battery of its power. Bulbs or lamps were the next change we saw in our flashlights. First it was Halogen, then Xenon and Krypton and finally LED or light emitting diodes. The Halogen, Xenon and Krypton use a different filament for intensity and ruggedness of the flashlight beam. With the same power source we can get a brighter light that will take more physical abuse.
The biggest breakthrough in lamps or bulbs was the LED lamp. This bulb doesn't use a breakage prone filament and gives a pure white beam. While limited in candlepower from each LED, they consume so little power that we can cluster together many LEDs in one flashlight to get a very strong and intense beam with a very long battery life.
Now with improved lamps for our flashlights we are still confronted with battery destroying corrosion. This corrosion is caused by humidity or direct contact with water. Mr. Anthony Maglica, president and founder of the Mag Instrument Company, decided in 1955 that better flashlight could be made and it could be manufactured in the United States of America. Since 1955 Mr. Maglica has received over 100 patents for one of the finest flashlights manufactured. Mr. Maglica designed a flashlight with a finely machined hard metal body, that not only could withstand abuse, but he sealed it with gaskets to prevent moisture from getting to the batteries. Also the electrical contacts were improved to prevent electrical leakage so the batteries would retain their full charge until needed.
You could say we came out of the "stone age" to the age of an ultra-bright, long-lasting and rugged flashlight. A flashlight you can depend on that can be light weight and small enough to be carried in your pocket, the Mini Maglite became a standard for people who needed a flashlight that was handy and not in the way of performing their job. The Mini Maglite is now an icon of classic American design, and famous around the world for its brightness, quality, durability, and dependability. While the larger multiple "C" & "D" cell flashlights still have a purpose for wider and more powerful beams of light, small size no longer means weak beam and short battery life. Maglite's XL100 LED Flashlight is small and compact and provides a bright beam and variable intensity control. Finally a new line of rechargeable flashlights were introduced. These rechargeable flashlights can be placed in a recharging station to be brought back to full power for the next use. These flashlights use a NiMH battery pack and a charging cradle that also stores the light when not in use.
Now that we have developed a flashlight that is rugged, reliable and lasts a long time, we can consider the need for this light. The most obvious reason is power failure. We would use the flashlight to navigate our home or business to either exit or find the circuit breaker panel. Hunting and fishing at night, outdoor workers at night, police, firemen and emergency workers all have a need for the flashlight. However I see another need that we should all consider. Even if you have a security system, video surveillance or burglar alarm, you should have a flashlight in your bedroom. If the burglar disables the power to your house the flashlight will enable you to find your phone to call the police. Also the flashlight is a controlled light beam and doesn't illuminate a whole room to divulge your whereabouts. Finally a Maglite "C" or "D" cell flashlight is so rugged it makes a fine weapon if needed.
