YOU can get a simple torch at very little cost, but if incredible performance and lots of added features seduce you, the new Maglite XL100 is the one for you. Maglite is known worldwide for its aluminium-shelled torches ranging from tiny keylights to the huge jobs wielded by law enforcement officers, but up until now the company has been relatively slow at embracing LED technology.
The XL100 addresses that with a new compact design powered by three AAA alkaline batteries, and an LED light source that belts out 83 lumens with 134 metres range. If you want an idea of how bright that is, suffice to say you wouldn’t want to look straight into it for more than a second. So at its most basic, it’s a very bright torch, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
The orange pushbutton on the end switches it on and off, but hold the button in and a motion sensitive switch comes into play, and depending on how you rotate the torch along its axis, you have a number of different features. The torch itself can be dimmed, and if you then switch off, it will remember the light level the next time you switch on. It also has a variable speed strobe and signalling functions, and a really useful nightlight. Just put the torch down, and the beam powers down to a mere glow, but grab hold of the torch or tap it, and it immediately restores full power.
At £60 it isn’t cheap, but you are getting a very lightweight and bright torch for the size, and while the ingenious user interface provides all those extra gizmos loved by the gadget concious, it doesn’t get in the way of the basic on-off function.
Expect to pay £59.99
Web maglite.com
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Tel 0116 234 4646
This review was published in the December 2010 issue of Camping magazine. Order our latest issue.