Freeplay A206-SLE-YL2-0000-FP Sherpa LED Torch Flashlight Yellow/Black, Up to 18 Hours of Continuous Shine Time, Single LED with 100000 Hour Life, Splash Resistant, Non-slip Rubber Grip

This light is everything I hoped it would be. I have taken it hunting, camping, and pretty much keep it in my backpack or by my nightstand all the time. Pros - Solid construction - I don't think you could run it over with your car, but if you drop it in the woods, or lose it in the bottom of your pack, it's not going to break without effort. not waterpoof but - It worked perfectly in heavy rain. Wind up recharge and USB - Being recharged by winding OR USB lets you charge it how you need it. Need just a brief charge? Crank it for 20 seconds and it will provide you with light for a few minutes. Plug it in and it's good for much longer and charges fast. Bright color - Easy to find even in low light. It really helps when you need it. Bright enough light - I suppose it's not "tactical bright." you won't be blinding anyone. But it throws more than enough light for pretty much any purpose. Cons - None so far. I suppose it could be improved it if was waterproof, or had some way to clip it to my clothes or something to make it hands-free, but really those are not negative marks against it, rather things I'd want if someone asked how to improve it.

I have had a Freeplay Sherpa X-Ray LED crank flashlight for years. I charge it with the included wall A/C adapter whenever the batteries are dead & in an emergency crank it. Recently I had need for a second one & the X-ray model is apparently no longer made. I found the Freeplay Sherpa. It arrived today. I am disappointed in this product & the company & at first wanted to just return it & buy a much less expensive crank flashlight fron a different manufacturer. Reasons: 1) No product manual included. (Is 1 piece of paper to much for Freeplay to provide?) I found it online & saved as a PDF. While they saved the cost of a single piece of paper, it came at the expense of MY TIME. Very annoying. 2) No charger cord provided! I still may return it due to this failure to provide a cord. I had to spend considerable time on Freeplay website with the FAQ to learn about USB A to mini-USB B 5 pin cords. Then I had to search for a cord that MIGHT be right. I found one that was included with my Harmony 890 Universal remote from 2009. I use it to connect the Harmony remote to my Mac to transfer data back & forth for programing updates. I don’t know the specs of that cable. I don’t know that it conforms to the USB 5V spec. I assume it does. They state the capacity in mA is not critical. Does that mean the charging time will vary depending on just that? I think the mA capacity is in the USB port specs & not in the cord but not being an expert on USB or charging cords, I am unsure. I have USB 2.0 ports I am using to charge (I hope) the new Sherpa. The Harmony cord fits & the Sherpa green light is on but, I don’t know if that means it is charging. Instructions say “The Sherpa is equipped with a LED charge level indicator” all I see is one green light. How do I read the state of charge; 25%, 50% 45% or 100% fully charged? Instructions state 4 hrs. to fully charge & DO NOT charge more than 5 hours! Also the FAQ say this but I think it is when using an A/C adapter, which I am not using since it was not supplied. I am attempting to charge via my computer USB port. I suspect this changes the 4 hour number. The FAQ also state: “Can I leave it plugged in all the time? Yes; the charging current is designed to be low enough to be non-damaging if left on charge continuously. “ Well, which is correct? Do not charge for > 5 hrs., or OK to leave it plugged in all the time? I used to plug my old X-ray in overnight & not worry about damage due to overcharging. But that was using their supplied A/C wall adapter. I do not know if I can leave it charging in my computer overnight or if I must monitor so as to not exceed 5 hours! I plugged Sherpa into a USB port on the side of my keyboard since the other ones are being used for other devices. I looked up my (2007) iMac/ System Report/ Hardware/USB information as the Sherpa is “charging” & it says: Keyboard Hub: Current Available (mA): 500 Current Required (mA): 300 Keyboard Hub/Apple Keyboard: Current Available (mA): 100 Current Required (mA): 20 I do not know if I have 500mA available to the Sherpa & it is using 300mA or if I only have 100mA available & Sherpa is using only 20mA. Again, I’m not an expert. I have no idea if it is or is not charging, how long I should charge it to be @ 100% & if I will ruin it by leaving overnight or not. I looked up price of what I think is the correct cable & it ranges from under $1 To under $10.00 $40 for this flashlight. Probably the most expensive crank flashlight on the market yet, Freeplay cannot include instructions & a very cheap cable? They force their customers to search online for the manual & to either reuse an existing cable they may or may not have or go & buy one. Not good. I’m not happy. I emailed the company & will see if they reply with some answers.

This is the real deal. Freeplay wind up mechanism is a solid system.... top of the line quality. The cheaper ones break within a year..... I've had mine for 5 years..... still going strong. Recommend the optional charger unit to avoid a lot of winding between emergencies. When you need this...... it will be there for you.

great product

I've had one of these FreePlay Sherpa flashlights for a couple of years. The light is still bright and the batteries still stay charged. I'm using it in a rural environment where I need it to work, and it does. The bright setting produces a strong, bright beam, the less-bright setting is plenty for things like looking for something in the house at night - but outdoors the bright light is really useful. What can I say... I'm ordering another one today. And not because the first one's any less useful, but because I've got a second location where I want to have an emergency light available. I keep this light charged by plugging it in rather than cranking it, though the crank works fine. Plugging it in makes maxing out the battery easy. AND it charges with my phone charger and a usb-to-usb-mini cable that I have for my camera. No need to remember or carry an extra charger around. The somewhat-rubbery-soft exterior makes handling the light easy. Buttons are well placed. Charging crank stays out of the way when not in use and feels very sturdy when being used. LEDs mean just about zero worry about needing spare bulbs (the "where the heck did I put them.. oh, I forgot to buy them" problem). Overall, an excellent product.