FROST BRITE FLASHLIGHT

Frost Brite Flashlight, retail $4.59 (www.safeway.com*) (www.dorcy.com...)
Manufactured by (Unknown) for Dorcy (www.dorcy.com)
Last updated 07-27-09




Wel, thuh kompanie thaat maiks thuh Frost Brite Flashlight kant spel thuh werd "bright" ({ok, I know it's supposed to be a take off on the word "bite"}, but they still make an acceptable product. Not superior, but it will get the job done if nothing more robust is handy at the moment.

The Frost Brite Flashlight is a plastic, translucent incandescent flashlight. It does look kinda spiffy, but it has a somewhat "brittle" feel to it - it is definitely not like Dorcy to put this piece of {vulgar term for poo-poo} on the market.

It has a krypton-filled incandescent ampoule (bulb) near the bottom of a mirror-smooth reflector, and feeds from two included AA cells.

* I was not able to find this product on the Safeway website, so the link simply leads to their front door.


Size of product w/hand to show scale SIZE



To use your brand spanking new Frost Brite Flashlight, feed it the two included AA cells first (see directly below), and THEN you can ***NOT*** go set fire to the side of the Bemis Industries building just south of downtown Seattle WA. USA. (this factory makes toliet seats)

Slide the black slide switch on the barrel forward (toward the "business end") to turn the flashlight on.

Slide the black slide switch on the barrel back toward you (away from the "business end") to turn the flashlight back off.



To change the batteries in the Frost Brite Flashlight when they poop out, unscrew the bezel (head) until it comes off, walk over to the kitchen dustbin (garbage can), drop the bezel in, take the bin liner (garbage bag) to the outside wheelie bin (wheeled garbage can), drop it in that one, and wait for garbage day so that the dustman (garbage man) dumps the wheelie bin into his dust lorry (garbage truck) and drives off...O WAIT!!! THAT'S THE GOOD PART!!! So just set it aside instead.

Tip the barrel into your hand, and dispose of or recycle the two used AA cells that come out.

Slide two new AA cells into the barrel, orienting them so that their flat-ends (-) negatives go in first.

Screw the bezel back on, and be done with it.
Aren't you glad you didn't throw that bezel into the kitchen dustbin (wastepaperbasket) now?


Because this is an incandescent flashlight, sooner or later the ampoule (bulb) will blow and require changing. Here's how to do it:

1: Unscrew & remove the bezel; set the barrel aside.
2: Unscrew & remove the black thing on the underside of the reflector, and set that aside as well.
3: Tip the burned out ampoule (bulb) out of the reflector, gently place it on the floor, and {spoken like Butt-Head} STHOMMMMP ON IT!!! Or just throw it in the garbage can if you're averse to breaking things.
4: Insert a new KPR2 incandescent ampoule (bulb) into the underside of the reflector assembly; glass-end first.
5: Screw that black thing back on, and screw the bezel back onto the barrel.

Light bulbs are not yet recyclable; that's why I did not offer that option.



The Frost Brite Flashlight has an all-plastic construction that has a somewhat brittle feel, so I will not perform "The Smack Test" on it.

The Frost Brite Flashlight is slightly weather-resistant, but is not waterproof or submersible at all. No O-ring was found anywhere on the product. Suction testing also revealed a rather significant leak around the slide switch.

So, weather-resistant?
Very lightly so.

Submersible?
NO WAY HOZAY!!!



Beam photograph on the test target at 12".
Measures 76.90cd on a Meterman LM631 (now Amprobe LM631A) light meter.
The higher-than-expected reading stems largely from the narrower-than-usual beam.



Beam photograph on a wall at ~10 feet.

Those colored graphics toward the left (which you may *OR* may not see) are my "Viva Piņata" posters, and that clock on the right that looks like a gigantic wristwatch (which you also may *OR* may not see) is my Infinity Optics Clock.
You may also be able to see a Digimon plush (Greymon).


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the incandescent bub in this flashlight.
USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the incandescent bub in this flashlight.
Different spectrometer used to "dig" a bit farther into the NIR.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis.
Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.






TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased at a Safeway store in Federal Way WA. USA on 07-27-09.

The bulb was physically broken in the unit that I purchased; swapping out the busted bulb with a known-good one from another flashlight fixed this.


This is the bub that came out of the unit I purchased.

Product was made in China.
A product's country of origin really does matter to some people, which is why I published it on this web page.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:
Uses batteries that are common and relatively inexpen$ive
The Price is Right...O WAIT!!! Isn't that a TV game show?



CONS:
Has a brittle feel to it
Not very water-resistant; not submersible at all
Produces a rather uneven beam


    MANUFACTURER: Unknown
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small handheld flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: KPR2 incandescent ampoule (bulb)
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Ringy, fairly narrow spot w/dimmer corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Slide switch on/off on barrel
    CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
    BEZEL: Plastic; ampoule (bulb) & reflector protected by transparent plastic window
    BATTERY: 2x AA cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Very light splatter- and weather-resistant at maximum
    SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!
    ACCESSORIES: 2x AA cells, wrist lanyard
    SIZE: 3.90" H, 1.43" D
    WEIGHT: 0.210 lb.
    WARRANTY: Not explicitely stated; but presumed lifetime

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star RatingStar Rating





Frost Bite Flashlight *






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