Reviewer: Mark Kristy

This is one of the best flashlights for nights out. My only complaint is that the wind up charging is a total waste. But if you hook it up to your usb port you will be more than satisfied with performance of this little gem.

Reviewer: SPAM

I purchased this because most flashlights waste batteries like it is their (expletive) job!! and it proved to be very useful. I don't have to waste time hunting for batteries. They could have featured a cell phone adapter for my LG. However, this is a must for anybody

Reviewer: John E. Shoffner Jr

Works as advertised with a few extra "bennies". The phone charger DOES work and the flash light can even be powered through your computer's USB! Everything you need is included. This is my second "red" flashlight, and has rapidly become my favorite! I'd recommend it to anyone!

Reviewer: Randy Garrett

The low power setting (3 LEDs ) is still really bright for reading charts. I'd like a setting that was just 1 LED. All 5 LEDs are quite bright -- works well for walking around in the dark. I've been charging mine using the USB port. The hand crank works fine, but this is good for us lazy people. I don't know how long the charge lasts because the flashlight is still working fine after 3 - 4 hours of the intermittent but regular use it gets during an observing session. Overall, I'm quite happy with my purchase.

Reviewer: Richard

It does it job. I like the hand crank that recharges the internal battery. Also the integrated compass in the handle can help you find your direction on a dark nite. The Orion Redbeam Self-powered Flashlight saved me up in the mountains one night on a telescope trip without batteries for my other flashlight. The selectable LED illumination is just right for looking at my star charts and assembling my telescope without loosing my night sight. Overall this is a great flashlight.

Reviewer: Larry Logsdon

I purchased the Orion self powered red flashlight with the anticipation of initially having a light t star parties which was easy to use and didn't require batteries. My excitement was soon a major let down! At the first major star party, with the flashlight being less than 3 weeks old and used less than one hour total, the light was a major failure. Cranking it any number of minutes had little to no bearing on the intensity of the beam, the light would dim to an unusable state in less than two minutes. Bad choice on my part purchasing the light. Next step is notification to Orion.

Reviewer: Eric Roque

Well I won't have to worry about running out of batteries while my astronomy session. The product feels well fitted and easy to hold in my hands... the different light settings and easy access button makes it easy to use. Also winding the power for a minute during the cold nights warms up the arm for a bit. I'm very happy with the product and recomend to anyone looking for small, no batteries red-flash light

Reviewer: Robert Park

The LED's produce light for a long time, but only stay *really* bright for a few minutes. Actually, it illuminates things clearly out past 30 feet when fully charged! This is handy if you have to walk down a trail, etc. After a few minutes, the LED's dim and only shine a few feet, but for a very *long* time. This is perfect for grabbing eyepieces, and checking a star chart without bothering anybody else with your light. Used in this manner you may have to recharge it once or twice over the course of a night. It won't stop working, but the light gets progressively dimmer. I did put a piece of translucent scotch tape over the lens to diffuse the light more evenly. It comes with several cell phone charging adapters, but not a mini USB like Motorolla phones use. However, I used a USB to mini USB cable I already had, and my phone recognized it as a charger. I had to turn the crank a bit faster than normal, but it will work in an emergency. The USB jack on the light is partially covered by the plastic housing. I had to file away part of the light to get a standard USB plug fully inserted. Quirks aside, I'm very pleased with it, and I will recommend its purchase to all my friends (with a few tips for making it even better!).

Reviewer: Eric

It does its job, but with a few problems. - The charging indicator is BRIGHT green! Obviously, it should be red. - It seemed as if I was winding all night. Sure, it may stay lit for one hour (for one min. of winding), but the light starts to fade after just a few minutes. In order to utilize the maximum brightness, I found myself charging every 10 minutes or so (which can be somewhat embarrassing at quiet star parties). - The light comes out in a rather odd and distracting pattern, however, a piece of translucent tape placed over the front can easily solve this. Although it would be nice if Orion use a opaque plastic. - The cell phone charging feature proved useless for my RAZR, as my phone declined to charge, with the message "Unauthorized charger" displayed on the screen. I don't regret this purchase, but in the future I'm sticking with a traditional, battery-operated flashlight.

Reviewer: Frank Vukelich

A wonderful tool to have in your eyepiece case, it easily illuminates your star maps and was perfect for reading a guide in my astronomy magazine on site. You can even see for quite a distance on the high setting!

Reviewer: John

This light is great. It has two brightness settings that are a real plus for doing various tasks at the telescope. The winding function to give it power is well made and very effective. Great product!

Reviewer: Fletcher Gross

i really like this light. It is brighter than other red leds I own but I like that. I have no trouble reading with the low setting contrary to another review and it is easy to secure on a neckxtrap. All in all, my favorite red flashlight (I own 4 others) and it is a real comfort knowing that I don't need to worry about a battery wearing out (which has happened to me in the past--which is the reason for having so many red leds).

Reviewer: K.L.

I saw this product at Orion's site and in their catalog. I decided that I had to have one. I took the RedBeam outside and poke around in my "night" yard, and I was amazed at this products function. The low light gave me a good view of my immediate surroundings...great for fumbling for EPs in dark cases! The high light allowed me to see at fair distance, without harming my dark adaption. I was pleasantly surprised by RedBeam, and it is definitely the best astro light that I have used. In my opinion, this device is a must have for astronomers, hikers, travelers, and anyone who needs a portable, user friendly light that illuminates, but does not irritate.

Reviewer: John Wunderlin

I've wanted a self-powered red light for a while. The Orion is nice, but has a couple of issues: The Good: - Nice size- only slightly larger than my other handheld red lights. - Works as advertised. 60 seconds of generating provided more than an hour of light for me, though the light dims as it runs out of juice. The Bad: - Too bright at the low setting. Wish it had 3 way switch to power 1, 3 or 5 lights. - Annoying bullseye pattern is displayed making it difficult to read by. Luckily there is an easy workaround for this. I found a piece of clear scotch tape over the 3 low power leds diffuses the light nicely. - Wish it had a neck strap- only comes with a wrist strap. - Will not power my blackberry phone. Still, I would purchase this again. 1) The 'low' beam is too bright. Would be nice if it had 3 settings instead of 2. 2) I wish it had a neckstrap.

Reviewer: John Wunderlin

Great idea, but... 'low' beam includes 3 leds which are very bright and they display a distracting pattern when trying to read. If there were 3 settings, with 1 led, 3 and 5 with more diffuse beam it would be really nice. The Cell phone adapter does not include an adapter for my Blackberry A neck strap would be much more convenient than the included wrist strap. This can probably be replaced with some creativity. Still, really nice to never run out of batteries in the field!