myTorch from NEXTORCH – A Very Bright Idea!
Independent Review by Peter Brett
When I was a kid a torch was a simple cheap instrument renowned for its unreliability, dodgy switching and batteries that ran out when you needed them most. Fast forward more years than I care to admit to and torches are now high tech instruments that are bright, powerful, lightweight and weatherproof – and they cost a lot more. But, they are very desirable and usually well designed and now, with the advent of myTorch, computer programmable. Why programmable you may ask? Well maybe just because it’s possible via the internet, but also just because new technology generally creates new products that often create a whole lot of new and interesting applications. Just looking at the myTorch will convince you that it is beautifully made. I would describe it as being “crafted” from alloy where the fit and tolerances are excellent. To get started, you have to load the three AAA batteries into the body (on the 3AAA model I tested). Although these are tiny, they fit into a battery case that slides beautifully into the main body. The tail cap can then be screwed on, well past the O-ring weather-
sealing gasket. A luminous push switch on the end of the tail cap controls the pre-setbuilt-in modes of the torch, namely off, on (full), on (half) and strobe. One of the reasons why many high-end modern torches are so good is the invention of LED bulbs. These are bright and intense and use much less power than the old types of bulbs. (in this case you will get 330 minutes out of the three AAA cells on maximum output before the torch loses 20% of its maximum light, up to an impressive 93 hours use at a constant 7 lumens low-light). LEDs enable a powerful and sometimes focusable beam to shine forth and have been used by police and other emergency services, and we ordinary consumers, to great effect. To give you an idea of just how powerful this torch is, the official specs say that it has a maximum output of 150 Lumens and a beam distance of 170 metres. I shone it out of my back window one dark country night and was able to pick out the fencing on the school playing field over 200 metres away. LED Torches also use much smaller batteries therefore they are much more compact & lightweight in design, plus the LED light chips are guaranteed for 100,000 hours of use or 11 years of constant use, which is a massive difference to the expected life-span of an incandescent torch bulb, which are regularly replaced when they burn-out in normal use, or are often damaged by dropping.
The torch is also waterproof to a depth of 1 meter and will also be able to survive a drop onto a hard surface from 1 metre. I guess that this is because the body is made from aerospace grade aluminium with a hard black anodized finish. But probably the most interesting feature of myTorch is that it is the Worlds first torch that can be programmed by connecting it to the internet. Firstly, you have to download the torch software from
www.nextorch. Then you unscrew the torch head a bit and it will reveal a small USB connection. Switch on the torch, insert the USB cord provided and connect the other end to your PC (sadly for me not a Mac –yet?) and you are ready to start customizing the operation of the torch. When the software is downloaded and the interface has changed from black to white the connection has now been made and you are ready to start programming. The first option is to be able to set the desired luminance. A simple bar indicator that goes from 0 to 100 % is set by dragging the arrow to the required number.
Clearly, not everyone will need the luminance to send a beam 170 metres into the dark. For example, an AA repairman may actually be blinded by such a bright light working at close quarters under a car bonnet. And there is the advantage that with fewer lumens goes increased battery life. Also you can decide several different ‘light steps’ and also what order you want these to be placed in? The next parameter is the strobe frequency. And you choose it by simply clicking with the mouse. To some people this may seem to be a bit of a fancy feature with no practical use, but a sharp pulsating light is a very good way of warning other road users if your car is broken down for example. I won’t suggest that it may also make a good travelling disco light – but I imagine that an innovative photographer could use it to good effect. The strobe mode is set in HZ and can be set numerically or by dragging the indicator along the bar. The frequency of the light flashes can also be set in milliseconds. For instance a slow strobe produces a traditional ‘flashing beacon signal’, whereas a fast strobe produces a self-defence light for personal protection in case of intruders or fear of personal attack.
The strobe mode always uses 100% brightness so that it can perform its function of a warning light.
Another useful setting to those who may go Hiking, Mountaineering, or Boating is the facility to add an SOS signal, or again this can just be something added “just in case” it might be needed?
When the final customization has been done, you can test the settings and then download them to your myTorch. Once done you are set and your customization will stay on the torch. The myTorch software can be kept in a file on your PC and used again and again whenever you want to change the settings on your myTorch, or keep different settings for Home, Work or Hobbies? I guess some people may say that an ordinary LED torch will do for many tasks, and they may be right. But, the thing about innovation is that it creates new opportunities and uses, and the myTorch is packed with innovation. I heard about an independent filmmaker that made an award-winning short film on his mobile phone. Now I am sure that nobody expected that a phone camera would be used that way – but good ideas have a way of getting out there. The makers state that “even if you don’t use the programmability, the torch is still a very high specification, multi-mode LED Torch with a Super-Bright Beam and a useful glow-in-the dark tailcap”….The rest is a bonus and allows you to set the torch up, exactly to your needs and your preference. Also we live ever more active lives and have ever more varied pursuits and hobbies, so you can never tell exactly what might be useful or needed for different people! Secondly, the myTorch is of such fine quality and build that it is actually a satisfying object to own. It will cost more than a conventional torch even though the makers claim they are priced considerably below other leading LED brands, but then good ideas don’t usually come cheap and it will last for years and be able to withstand a fair few knocks and some water. It certainly is a long way from the torches of my youth…….and that is progress!
Models available begin from the myTorch AA at £24.95 including VAT Reply No. 210 10 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
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