Battle of the mini eco-torches : wind-up versus solar

'green' torches seem to be getting more popular (happily), and many are very cheap and meant for a small amount of light (no idea of the amount of lumens. They never usually say, but not much).

In this case I tested an inexpensive Rolson 3 led wind-up torch against a cheap solar 'keyring' 3 led torch available on Amazon or Ebay.

Update Feb 2014
The solar torch bought on ebay/amazon seems to be unable to recharge decently, to the point of being useless now. Either the battery and/or solar panel is not good enough.

I have since bought a solar torch out of Poundworld (UK) which seems to retain power ok. Perhaps they have better Quality Control.  

Conclusion : For me the Solar is the easy winner for brightness and size and practicality and it's cheap.

Update after 2 months : The Solar torch doesn't seem to recharge well. The light is pretty dim. I hope I can sort this out by putting it in strong light for a while    

The details of the 2 torches :

Rolson wind-up torch (comes with wrist strap which I removed):
cost £2/$3.20 (from a shop)

Review of 35w 4700k CFL bulb (and comparing to a 20w bulb)

Review : 35w CFL spiral bulb from Long Life Lamp Company (color temp 4700k)
Cost  : around £6/$10 on amazon

Conclusion : Any CFL under 30w is probably pointless in my opinion. Not enough lumens/brightness (which would seem to most often be the most important thing). For a CFL (compact fluorescent lightbulb) I would go only for 35w or above. This is a 'cool white' at 4700k color temp, which is a nice 'white' light. Instant start. Quite big but the 'starting point' when choosing a CFL bulb in my opinion. A good buy

Marks : 8/10
Marks per value : 9/10

Review : Owl micro wireless electricity energy monitor

Review :  Wireless micro electricity energy monitor (an Owl energy monitor)
Cost : £25 at the time (about 5 years ago)
Marks out of 10 for value (this model and my price) : 10
Marks out of 10 for this model (an older model) : 10
Marks out of ten for the concept of wireless electricity energy monitors : 10

Note : Every home should have an electricity energy monitor of some sort. Preferably wireless with it's own monitor (i.e. you don't need a computer). I think a gas energy monitor would be good too, but I don't know if these exist or are practical for home use.


What you get (if it's a 'micro' energy monitor) :
The monitor (mine requires 2 AAA batteries)
Transmitter (mine requires 2 AAA batteries) with connecting clip (which you clip around the live cable on the home electricity supply unit.)

Power saving electricity energy saver box : Do they work ?

Those Power electricity energy saver boxes you see on Ebay or Amazon.
Do they work ? In my case, NO. It increases consumption by about 40-50 watts !!!
How do I know ? I used an OWL Micro Wireless Electricity Monitor to watch the wattage when I plugged the 'saver' into a plug unit.

I bought one of these 'energy saver boxes' that are supposed to have circuitry that can save perhaps 10% of electricity use in a household due to doing something to the 'power factor' or something. The box is usually sold on Ebay or Amazon as a 'Power electricity energy saving box' or a variation around that term.

The simple way to see if they work is to buy an electricity monitor reader of some sort (I'm using an OWL Micro Wireless Electricity Monitor) then you can view your watt reading all the time. I bought my 'saver box' first and confidently thought I was saving electricity energy and when no electricity was being used it would be zero watts. Then I bought the monitor and found out I was using 40-50 watts all the time until I unplugged the saver ! (that's like 0.96 kw to 1.2 kw a day)

My advice : Every house should have an electricity monitor or smart meter (wireless or otherwise) of some sort so you can see what is going on. Possibly wireless is ideal because you can put it anywhere (such as next to you while you watch TV). And don't buy a power electricity energy saver box until someone can give a good reason !

Amazon USA :
search : 'electricity energy monitor' , search : 'electricity energy monitor wireless'

Amazon UK :
search : 'electricity energy monitor' , search :  'electricity energy monitor wireless'

Note : I am using the OWL Micro Wireless Electricity Monitor but I see now there are newer 'OWL' versions and cheaper alternatives and even the Belkin one that is very cheap may do ok. I will do a video and post about my wireless monitor later. You have a device and a clip around your electricity meter power cord to measure the use (it's easier than it sounds). Then the other part is the wireless monitor which I would suggest should be very portable.

More about the 'power saver box'