The heart of the new torch: a Luxeon STAR/O 1W ultrabright LED.

Our new LED torch uses the Luxeon STAR/O 1W white LED which comes with its own collimating lens assembly.

We previewed the Luxeon 1W and the truly awesome 5W version in the May 2003 issue and this torch is the first of a series of drive circuits for the 1W version.

In the last 12 months LED torches have finally arrived. This white LED torch provides a similar light output to its incandescent bulb counterpart yet uses far less current from the battery. It gives a beautifully soft light beam which maintains a constant colour and similar brightness over the whole battery life. And the LED should never need replacing.

Compared with a typical conventional torch, this LED torch has a much wider and more evenly distributed beam. Torch bulbs typically have a very small bright spot with weak diffuse light surrounding it.

The white LED torch provides a beautifully even distribution of light which can light up a fence gate (or whatever) at more than 15m. At this distance the beam is about 5m in diameter.

Apart from its sheer light output, this LED torch provides produces a natural white light instead of the yellowish light from torch bulbs.

And it continues to produce this constant white light regardless of the battery condition, until they are virtually flat.