The 9/11 Commission’s recommendation struck me as particularly sensible. I was in Foley Square and watched the first plane as it passed behind the Federal Building, work in a high-rise near Ground Zero, take the NYC subway system to and from work, as does the Girl From Kansas. And almost everyone else we know and care about in the neighborhood – with the rare exception of people who work at home, or work within walking distance of home. As a community, we have numerous opportunities, every workday, to be stuck in an unlit space in the event of any power interruption. Thus began the search for the ideal pocket light, based on the following assumptions and criteria:

• All other things being equal, it would be best if all of us – including friends and neighbors – used the same device, for a number of reasons – the same reasons that armies standardize equipment:

1. it’s cheaper to buy things in bulk;
2. easier to maintain supplies of spare batteries
3. to the extent that there’s any learning needed – better to have everyone using the same equipment. (Flashlights being relatively simple, this wasn’t too big a deal; but it did occur to me).

• Because people – especially me – can’t be trusted to regularly check batteries, it had to consume little enough power that, if needed, there would be a high probability that it would work as intended

• Rugged enough to be maltreated routinely but still work

• Small enough that it wouldn’t be left behind the first time the purse or bag felt too heavy (“I never use this thing anyway;” “nothing will happen today“)

The need for robustness and economical power consumption eliminated anything with an incandescent bulb. So I started shopping for a compact LED flashlight, sturdy, cheap and compact.

Thus far we’ve purchased and tested the following pocket lights; there are certainly other makes and models worth testing, but, since this has all been done out-of-pocket, we haven’t been able to test everything we’d like. We
The Streamlight Stylus was quite effective, but, for present purposes, two limitations: first, at 6.2 inches, it turned out to be slightly too long to be easily carried in a pocket or attached to a keychain. We’ve had good experiences with other Streamlight models, and suspect that several of their other small lights might be ideal for carrying every day (More on other types of flashlights, including Streamlight’s, to come. New Yorkers who care about such things may know that Streamlights are favored by our Fire Department; our police officers, who purchase their own flashlights, seem to gravitate towards other brands).

The Gerber Infinity fit our criteria, and the Girl From Kansas  has one on her keyring, and we’ve given a couple to friends: pretty bright, LED, uses a single AA.  But “on/off” and “unscrew to replace battery” is just a matter of extra turns, and strikes me as an opportunity for things to go wrong in the dark. You can see a much more detailed review

at the excellent Flashlight Reviews

Two other makers have produced lights that – so far, at any rate – lead the pack: the Pak-Lite and the Safe-Light. Both are excellent – we’ve bought and given away over a dozen of each, and they’ll be discussed in the next post.