Best LED Flashlight

The advantages LEDs offer extend well beyond flashlights. LED lighting is an advanced technology that produces light in a unique way and makes LEDs superior for all kinds of lighting.

Incandescent bulbs
Until recently, lighting was dominated by incandescent bulbs. They work by running an electric current through a tungsten filament. To keep the filament from overheating, they contain a special gas mixture inside of the bulb. As this gas leaks out over time, the bulbs eventually burn out.

The main problem with incandescent bulbs comes from the fact that they are a very old and inefficient technology. The heat they give off is wasted energy and only around 5% of the energy they consume is turned into useful lighting.

Compact florescent bulbs
A compact florescent bulb does not use a filament but produces light when electricity runs through a tube containing argon and a small amount of mercury vapor. While the light generated by this is an invisible ultraviolet light, this light excites a florescent coating inside of the tube to produce a visible light.

Although they are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs, they do have some drawbacks. Most cannot be used with a dimmer switch, and CFLs take 15-30 seconds to get near their maximum brightness.

Solid state LEDs
LEDs are solid-state lighting because they use solid matter, a semiconductor, to produce light. The semiconductor consists of both positively and negatively charged components. The positive layer has small openings for the free electrons from the negative component to pass through. When an electric charge is applied to the semiconductor, a flow of excited electrons passing through the holes emit light.

As with other electrical products, solid state offers many advantages. Solid state makes the bulbs much more durable, a great feature in LED flashlights, and they can potentially last for decades.

They only use about one tenth as much electricity as traditional bulbs and thus offer great energy savings while being environmentally friendly. Furthermore, not producing much heat, they can also save on cooling costs in the summer.

Since they are mercury free, come on instantly and can be used with dimmer switches, they do not have the disadvantages of florescent bulbs either. 

The only major drawback with LED bulbs now is the cost. While longer life and energy savings make them cheaper overall, their purchase price is still high when compared to other types of lighting. While costs are coming down, they will likely have to come down more before LEDs gain wide acceptance for home use.

The durability, efficiency and long life span of LEDs make them superior to any other lighting technology currently on the market. Be it the best LED flashlight or something else, they are likely to dominate lighting in the future.