JUL 21

That's right, they're giving away their first 500 lights. And it's not a competition either. They don't put your name in a hat or make you sit through a timeshare lecture.

They will, however, pay pretty close attention to who you are. If you're a blogger, work with FEMA or humanitarian organizations, or (and I quote) are "in charge of the US Senate’s oversight committee on incredibly large sums of money for foreign aid and really huge contracts for small businesses" then your chances go up pretty quickly.

These lights, you see, aren't generally meant for home use. A solar flashlight, in general, seems kinda oxymoronic. But there are tens of millions of people who have no electricity in this world. Either because of extreme poverty or because of a crisis. Those people are forced to burn kerosene or, worse, wood for light.

Bringing a solar lamp into a situation like that not only improves the quality of life for those people, it has the potential to reduce pollution and deforestation as well.

Which is why I love them. And it's why SunLight solar flashlights will be "buy one give one" products. People who want one in the developed world will be, in effect, forced to pay for two. One of the lights gets delivered to your house, and one gets delivered to someone who doesn't have an electric light source at all.

A strange but powerful way of making change, I think. Of course, I have no idea how well these lamps work, so I couldn't recommend them to anyone yet. Which is why I just sent my email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , asking them to send a free one my way.

Ahh, the perks of being a blogger.

Comments (5)

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Good flashlights!
written by Christian, July 21, 2008

I bought two of these lights under the BOGO offer--or more properly speaking, bought four, and received two. I gave one to my girlfriend and keep the other one here in the house. It was not expensive, has a very decent beam, and has become the light I grab for first when I need to step out into the dark for an errand. This is simply because I know it will always work--if you just leave the thing sitting around in sunlight, it's going to work. It's simple and wonderful.

I have to mention I am also something an a flashlight aficianado, something which is a legacy of my military service. I have about a dozen flashlights of all descriptions, including powerful "tactical" lights, LED headlamps, and colored low-profile keychain LED lights. But the Sunlight flashlight is the one that gets the most frequent use. I would recommend it heartily even without the good deal for the developing world thrown it.

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Bad concept for us, but good for them.
written by Clinch, July 21, 2008

Personally I don't like gadgets where it seems someone has just stuck a solar panel on it, because unless the gadget is used frequently (which a torch wouldn't be for me), then once it's charged up, it'll just be sitting in the sun, it could potentially create more energy, but as there's nowhere for it to go (because it's fully charged) then the extra electricity is essentially wasted.
If it could be used to charge other gadgets when the torch battery is fully charged, then I might consider buying one, but otherwise, it wont be fulfilling its full potential, and I'd rather have a solar powered battery charger, and use the battery in a torch (and other things).

But for the people who have no electricity, and will probably use the entire days charge in one night, these seem a brilliant idea.

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why go solar when you can crank?
written by brian, July 21, 2008

This just seems like technological overkill to me. Why not just stick with wind-up technologies (e.g., Freeplay, etc.)?

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Used one in Africa
written by RSN, July 21, 2008

My wife and I honeymooned on Zanzibar at an eco-resort. The flashlights worked flawlessly; just leave them propped in the sun during the day and use them to avoid stepping on hermit crabs at night.

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Safe for kids
written by Kathy, July 23, 2008

My mom gave us one for Christmas, and the person who uses it most is our four year old. He can't disassemble it the way he does with our MiniMags, and it's always charged. He keeps it on his windowsill and plays with it under the bed, in the closet, in the basement... And I don't have to always be watching to make sure the baby doesn't eat the batteries or worry that he'll run down the charge - again.

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