I never realized how many people were enamored with flashlights until I started researching them. It's a flashlight, right?

Well, given that we live in a time of manufactured crap, it should come as no surprise that a small Maglight was a defective product. Of course, it was a surprise to me, because I want everything to work. I have two Maglights, a big and small. The small one was powered by two AA batteries. Within six months of using it, it wouldn't come on, and I couldn't get the batteries out. These were Duracell alkaline. My neighbor, who has a degree in chemistry and runs a metal shop, told me he has had the same problem with small Maglights, compelling him to throw them away. He said you can't get the batteries out because they swell. He also said the batteries leak. I doubted my batteries were old enough to leak. But I don't know. Something happened. They were stored in a kitchen cabinet.

So I'm done with Maglights and decided to find batteries for long term use that won't leak. According to current wisdom, Energizer Ultimate Lithium is the way to go (they don't leak and they last long), so I ordered some with a flashlight. I have wondered for some time why flashlights are black. They ought to be white, so you can find them in the dark. Same with pull chains. I didn't find any white flashlights that appealed to me, but I did find one made by Pelican from Batteries Junction that glows in the dark. We'll see.

I don't use batteries very often, though a lot of people seem to. It's a terrible waste. For my book light, I use rechargeable Eneloops. For power outages and everyday use, I need to have a reliable flashlight or a few. It doesn't have to be blinding or qualify as a weapon. It simply has to work.