More extreme flashlight videos for the nay-sayers

Ok, so I got all kinds of comments on my last video about not wearing shoes, not making the video believable enough, "It's not possible", and many more colorful phrases which I'll not post here.

The point is, many don't believe that this flashlight will light things on fire. So, I set out to make a few more videos to try to quiet down those that are clamoring for more videos.

This first video is me showing some of the flashlight, that it really is a flashlight, it really does shine, and it really does light the paper on fire from a few inches away (rather than being right on top of the paper, and getting a "whoosh!" of fire right away).



The second video, below, shows me lighting another ball of paper on fire, and I'm trying to make it as believable as possible. I'm not sure what else I can do, but at least I'm wearing shoes in this one!



The Extreme Muscle Car videos will be coming soon. It's been raining here lately and as you can imagine, it's hard to showcase 900 horsepower on wet pavement...

The Fire starter flashlight, part II

So many people have emailed me saying "How do I get one", "How do I make one", or "I don't believe it, I need more proof". Ok, I'll try to answer all three of those.

First, more details about what makes this flashlight unique. Yes, it is a real flashlight, there's no trickery, no hidden matches or lighters, and it's not touching something hot, and it really is bright. Here's a shot of the flashlight disassembled to the point of batteries being out:


And here's a closer-up shot of the business end of the light. You can see the bulb sitting inside the non-stock reflector.


As far as how to get one of these lights for yourself, Mac's Customs is where I got mine, and Mac is a regular on CandlePowerForums.com. He can make you one of these lights if you ask him nicely...

If you want to build one for yourself, it is possible, but I would highly suggest doing some reading over at CPF before attempting this. There's a lot of subtleties, and a lot of mistakes could be made that you can avoid by reading CPF.

Lastly, I'm happy to do more videos to show the awesome power of this light. Post a comment here with what you think would make a believable video and I'll go ahead and make a video gallery.

And the 900 horsepower musclecar ride is still coming...so keep checking back!

The Fire starter flashlight

What says Extreme more than a handheld, unassuming flashlight that will light things on fire?

No, this isn't your average MagLight - although it was built from some MagLight parts. Instead, it is indeed a very high powered flashlight, capable of lighting things on fire, roasting marshmallows, or blinding your would-be attacker.

If you don't believe it, take a gander at this video...

Flashlight video

Ok, so now you believe it. What makes this flashlight so powerful? A few things. First, there's some batteries. And not just a few, but 12 1.2V NiMH (rechargable) batteries capable of sustained 10 amp draws. They're in a nice, heavy duty battery carrier that can withstand the load as well.

Then there's the bulb. It's an Osram HLX 64623. This is a 12V bulb which is being overdriven to 14+V, to about 140 watts, with an estimated light output of about 4000 lumens. Compare that to a regular 2D MagLight, which is much, much less than 50 lumens.

There's also a metal reflector, as the stock MagLight reflector would melt almost instantly from the heat of the Osram.

The stock MagLight switch would also melt under the current load, so that's also been replaced with a switch capable of switching the load.

There aren't many handheld flashlights that have this kind of power. This one was built by Mac's Customs.

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of fun here on Extreme-Geek. The next issue will take you for a ride in a 900 horsepower muscle car...