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published: 10/27/2006 last updated: 10/27/2006   LED as light source are the big new trend. You can find LED in lights, new cars or in the True Utility TrueLite flashlight I am testing below today. The advantages of LEDs are the low power consumption and the longevity. The disadvantage was for a long time that the brightness was not good enough. New LEDs start to change that. Read the review to find out if the TrueLite LED flashlight is a good example for LED light technology.

Overview

The pocket size LED torch features 21 LED lights generating 5 lumens. True Utility highlights that the light comes on in 0.01 seconds compared to 0.1 seconds of a normal light bulb. I am really not sure who would need this speed, but it does not hurt either. The 3 AAA batteries keep the 21 LEDs giving light for 30 hours. That is pretty nice. Also you can forget about waiting that one of the LEDs fails. They have a lifetime of over 100,000 hours. The light has the typical cold white color generated by LED light sources.
The TrueLite is a very cute form factor. It measures 100x36x36mm and fits in your pocket. It is not much longer than my Nokia N80.

The on and off switch is on the backend of the flashlight. The body is made from aircraft grade machined aluminum finished in dark chrome. The choice of material gives the TrueLite an exceptional solid feel, but still is rather light. The manufacturing quality on this flashlight is great.

This compact flashlight is water resistant, but not water proof. To change the batteries you just need to screw off the backside cover.

The TrueLite is great for short distances. What is missing is the ability to focus the light with a lens as you can do with Mag Instrument Flashlights.

Verdict

True Utility made a very nice compact flashlight. It's looks raise every gadget lover's desire to want to own one of these. The 21 LEDs in the TrueLite are bright enough to replace any conventional flashlight. If you want to be able to change the light beam as you can do on MagLites, than this cute flashlight is not for you. Besides the form factor the battery life and the longevity of the LEDs are the reasons to by the TrueLite from True  Utility.

How To Buy
True Utility is based in the UK. The TrueLite sells for £19.99 on the TrueTools site. If you want to find out more about True Utility products or want to buy stock for your shop visit the True Utility site.