bce1
Ausprep Staff 
Posts: 819 
Likes: 1,581
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Post by bce1 on Oct 31, 2016 12:59:10 GMT 10
I don't generally donate to crowd funding but I have to this group. I have contributed to version 1 and version 2. My second generation light has just arrived and it is really good. They estimate 4-5 years life out of it - so not indefinite. My photographs of it cannot compete with the website. So have a look gravitylight.orgIt currently isn't commercially available, but will be soon. Think it is worth it cheers Craig |
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shinester
Senior Member
China's white trash
Posts: 3,119
Likes: 3,578
Email: shiny@ausprep.org
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Post by shinester on Oct 31, 2016 15:28:57 GMT 10
Might be good in a bunker or going dark. I need a bunker first. I can see some possible uses for preppers in such roles. I briefly saw $5USD for one unit briefly trying to get some specs on it. I'm assuming that's wholesale to the market price? I've commented before on the first one, I think on this forum. At $5 it's pretty close to the retail delivered price of a solar garden light the one below $4. Take out delivery, ebay costs, retailing mark up I bet the wholesale price is about $1 or less. Hook onto your wall near dusk and have a light for a few hours. The unit should last about 5 year with the weakness being the battery which will die by about that. I can see the utility of the gravity light, I can see how it's 'far' better than kerosene lights, I just question when 'charities' have to reinvent the wheel and start to get a little suspicious when a product is out there that does the job as well [better?] for less money. Why not just collect the $5 and send garden lights for 4-5 homes? I suppose at the end of the day, if someone's doing something for lights for the 3rd world, I guess if they're making a few bucks on the manufacturing side, so be it.  |
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bce1
Ausprep Staff
Posts: 819
Likes: 1,581
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Post by bce1 on Nov 1, 2016 19:01:48 GMT 10
Hi. Thought I wrote a reply yesterday, but it disappeared!! Or more likely I forgot to press send.
I think the gravity light vs. solar garden lights wins for two reasons - the light is a clear bright white light and it doesn't fade - it stays bright until it stops - then when you lift the bag again it starts again. For the white light and lack of fade is important as my eyes getting worse as get older!! I haven't been able to find a brand of solar garden lights which are easy to read by and don't fade relatively rapidly.
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Post by ziggysdad on Nov 1, 2016 20:18:05 GMT 10
Interesting idea. I've come across several charities who raise $ to bring renewable light to developing countries. Usually this is a variant of solar, like Watts of Love. They on sell their tech to help underwrite their mission: wattsoflove.myshopify.com |
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blueshoes
Senior Member
Posts: 609
Likes: 700
Location: Regional Dan-istan
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Post by blueshoes on Nov 1, 2016 21:41:48 GMT 10
For some reason, I like this much better than solar - because solar lights and chargers have to be left outside where people can see them. Don't they get pinched sometimes? In a shtf situation, do you really want solar chargers left sitting out in the sun?
A gravity based light like this may be too hard to use for an elderly or very young person who would be able to use solar, but I like the fact that it stays mounted in your house.
I know when you lift the weight on these lights it runs for 20 mins at a time, but how many months or years is the lifetime of the mechanism/light? I couldn't find that info on the site...
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