FLASHLIGHT/LASER/PEN/POINTER
Flashlight/Laser/Pen/Pointer, retail $5.68 ()
Manufactured by (Unknown)
Last updated 12-08-12
This is a 4-way device that has the following functions:
- White LED flashlight
- Red laser pointer
- Ballpoint pen
- Mechanical pointer
It comes in an all-metal body, operates from three AG3 button cells, and has a ballpoint pen & mechanical pointer that both operate regardless of the batteries' State of Euphoria - er - uh - state of discharge (there I go thinking about the heavy metal band Anthrax again!!!).
This product can really be called a "pointer" not just because the laser falls within CDRH Class IIIa limitations, but because it has a mechanical pointer that extends via a telescoping section built into it.
Measures 5.75" (retracted) and 20.60" (extended).
SIZE
To use the pen, unscrew & remove the rounded tip, and set it somewhere where you can't lose or step on it.
Write.
Write some more.
Put some "A"s, "B"s, and "F"s on those report cards.
When finished, screw the cap back on.
To use the mechanical pointer, hold the product in one hand near or over the pocket clip, and use the other hand to grasp the rounded cap at the bottom and pull them apart. Pull straight out until the unit no longer extends.
Point.
To retract the pointer when finished, grasp the unit by the pocket clip with one hand, and push the telescoping pieces back into the unit with the other hand, widest first. Here, since this can probably best explained with a photograph, let's go grab one...snap...click...and it's off to the Fotomat we go...
To use the LED, press the lower button on the barrel and hold it in to turn it on; release the button to turn it off.
To use the laser, press the upper button on the barrel and hold it in to turn it on; release the button to turn it off.
This instrument comes with a pocket clip, allowing you to carry it clipped into a shirt or pants pocket, reducing the chance that you'll lose it when carried that way.
To change the batteries in your Flashlight/Laser/Pen/Pointer, unscrew the unit just below the pocket clip until it comes off, then dump out the dead batteries. Dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.
Drop three new AG3 button cells into the barrel, button-end (-) negative first, and then screw the pen/pointer section back on.
Alternately, stack the cells on a table flat-end (+) positive down, lower the barrel of the light over them, then pinch it off with your finger while picking the light up so the batteries don't fall out. Then screw the pen/pointer portion back on. Many button cell lights and other products powered with button cells are prone to having cells go in cockeyed; this is one way to avoid that.
Unable to measure current due to how the product was constructed.
Eventually, you'll need to change the pen refill.
To do this, unscrew the rounded end cap as if you wanted to write. Unscrew and remove the pen tip itself (this is a collar that comes off, not the actual pen). Tip out the used pen refill, and insert a new one, pen tip facing outward. Screw the collar & end cap back on.
Directly below, is a photograph showing the end collar, the pen refill itself, and the end of the pointer itself.
The pen refill measures ~2.15" long, and has a shaft diameter of ~1/10th of an inch (2.5mm).
I do not know what type or model pen refill this is, so please do not ask.
This instrument is reasonably durable, but because it has a laser in it, I won't do the smack test on it. I know you love to see me break things, but it "ain't" "gonna" happen today, folks. 
Water-resistance is minimal at best. When the business-end was suctioned, air had no problems whatsoever passing through it.
So please try not to drop it in creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, oceansides, docksides, puddles of siamese cat pee (what - no plastic cat toilet (litter box)?), slush piles, mud puddles, tubs, toilet bowls, cisterns, sinks, fishtanks, dog water dishes, or other places where water or water-like liquids might be found.
If it fell in water and you suspect it got flooded, disassemble it as you would for a battery change, dump out the water if necessary, and set the parts in a warm dry place for a day or so just to be sure it's completely dry inside before you reassemble and use it again.
If it fell into seawater or if somebody or something peed on it, douche all the parts out with fresh water before setting them out to dry. You don't want your Flashlight/Laser/Pen/Pointer to smell like seaweed or piss when you go to use it next. Besides, salt (from seawater or wee-wee) can't be very good for the insides.
The ballpoint pen portion writes in black ink; and has the writing quality of a very good disposable.
Beam photograph (LED) on the test target at 12".
Measures 7,150mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.
Beam photograph (laser) on the test target at 12".
The beam artifacts shown in this photograph really do exist.
Measures 2.20473mW on a laser power meter.
Beam photograph of the laser on a wall at ~10'.
Those rectangular graphic things near the top are marquees from:
Midway ''Omega Race''
Sega ''Star Trek''
Williams ''Joust''
Venture Line ''Looping''
Universal ''Mr. Do!'s Castle''
Jaleco ''Exerion''
Gremlin/Sega ''Astro Blaster''
Atari ''Tempest''
Gottlieb ''Q*bert''
upright coin-op arcade video games from the 1980s.
Beam photograph of the laser on a door at ~30'.
The camera's zoom was set to 4.0x for this photograph.
The mechanical pointer being used to point out the element "indium" on a periodic table.
Spectrographic analysis of the LED in this product.
Same as above; newer software & settings used.
Spectrographic analysis of the laser in this product.
Same as above; newer software & settings used.
Same as above; spectrometer's response narrowed to a range of 645nm to 665nm.
Same as above; well under lasing threshold this time.
Same as above; well under lasing threshold this time. Spectrometer's response narrowed to a range of 620nm to 680nm.
USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.
TEST NOTES:
Product was purchased on Ebay on 01-30-07, and was received on the afternoon of 02-08-07.
UPDATE: 02-11-07
O NO!!! 
I've already destroyed the test unit, and I never even manhandled it.
The end with the mechanical pointer & ballpoint pen no longer stays together; the threaded collet that holds the end cap on and the pen refill in place does not stay attached to the rest of the unit. I *MAY* be able to repair it with glue (epoxy or super glue), but I do not have any handy at the moment. Figure early-March at the soonest I can obtain any.
Because the unit ***SHOULD NOT HAVE*** failed in this manner, I'll deem it a "feline flagellated stool sample female parent screwer" (toliet words replaced with innocous ones - the correct acronym is PWPOSMF) and issue that much coveted {cough, sputter, sound of a wall-mounted porcelain urinator flushing} "0 Stars - Whip Out Your {vulgar term for inseminator - rhymes with "wrecker"} or Sit on the Commode and Uranate On It" rating. 
UPDATE: 02-12-07
I have made a *VERY* temporary repair with tape; this should be permanent enough that I won't lose any of the parts while waiting until I can afford to purchase some glue.
UPDATE: 05-01-07
I have repaired the unit with super glue; now we'll just see how the repair job holds up over the long term.
The "0 Stars - Whip Out Your {vulgar term for inseminator - rhymes with "wrecker"} or Sit on the Commode and Urinate On It" rating I gave it on 02-11-07 still stands, as the product should *NOT* have become broken in the manner it did.
PROS:
CONS:
MANUFACTURER: Unknown
PRODUCT TYPE: Flashlight/laser pointer/pen/mechanical pointer
LAMP TYPE: 5mm white LED, laser diode
No. OF LAMPS: 2 (1 LED, 1 laser)
BEAM TYPE: (LED) Medium spot w/soft fall-off to perimeter. (Laser) Very narrow spot
SWITCH TYPE: Momentary on/off pushbuttons on barrel
CASE MATERIAL: Metal
BEZEL: Metal; LED & laser recessed into hosels for them
BATTERY: 3x AG3 button cells
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
WATER- AND PEE-RESISTANT: Splatter-resistant at maximum
SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!
ACCESSORIES: 3x AG3 button cells
WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated
PRODUCT RATING:
Flashlight/Laser/Pen/Pointer *
Do you manufacture or sell an LED flashlight, task light, utility light, or module of some kind?
Want to see it tested by a real person, under real working conditions? Do you then want to see how your light did? If you have a sample available for this type of
real-world, real-time testing, please contact me at ledmuseum@gmail.com.
Please visit this web page for contact information.
Unsolicited flashlights, LEDs, and other products appearing in the mail are welcome, and it will automatically be assumed that you sent it in order to have it tested and evaluated for this site.
Be sure to include contact info or your company website's URL so visitors here will know where to purchase your product.
This page is a frame from a website.
If you arrived on this page through an outside link,you can get the "full meal deal" by clicking here.