The Torch flashlight: why illuminate when you can incinerate?

Sure, there's always the pukelight for good times around the house, but sometimes you've just got to do some damage -- which is where The Torch from Wicked Lasers comes in. The 4100-lumen flashlight is being considered for the Guinness Book of World Records, and can ignite paper, light cigarettes, melt plastic, and even fry an egg -- but only has a fifteen minute battery life. Check a video of The Torch taking out a pile of plastic bags after the break, and hit the read link for even more high-candlepower destruction.

[Via I4U News]

[retro77 @ Jan 28th 2008 1:34PM]

I want it!!!

[LondonConsultant @ Jan 28th 2008 2:09PM]

This is all that's left of the US's Strategic Defence Initiative...

[Ellianth @ Jan 28th 2008 3:36PM]

hax!

I want one of those. Then I can go down to the local grade school and impress those chumps who use magnifying glasses to burn ants.

[Joe_Templeman @ Jan 28th 2008 1:39PM]

Gotta love Wicked Lasers!

[LukeA @ Jan 28th 2008 5:02PM]

Too bad it's a ripoff of a series of custom lights made over a year ago by an individual.

Plus Wicked Lasers overrates their lasers in terms of power.

[Eric @ Jan 28th 2008 8:41PM]

It can quickly light stuff on fire. How does one overrate that?

[Nex @ Jan 28th 2008 1:40PM]

This is Wicked Lasers we're talking about. They're widely considered by enthusiasts to be one of the most crooked companies out there (with by far the best and slickest marketing team). There are better, more reliable options out there. Do some research.

[venk @ Jan 28th 2008 1:47PM]

Flashlights have enthusiasts?

[Nex @ Jan 28th 2008 1:55PM]

Actually, yes. But that's not what I was referring to. Wicked Lasers, as you may have guessed, has been a laser company up to this point. They're based in China (as are most laser manufacturers), but they have little interest in quality control and/or customer service. I'll be curious to see how this thing performs in reality vs. a unit that was hand-picked for a demo.

[Big John @ Jan 28th 2008 3:12PM]

So are you going to source your argument or just keep repeating it?

[Josh Warner @ Jan 28th 2008 3:50PM]

Refer us to some alternative options which have better quality control / reputation please.

[Jagster @ Jan 28th 2008 4:23PM]

"There are better, more reliable options out there"

Matches.

[Nex @ Jan 28th 2008 5:29PM]

As for other options, there are several for lasers (I'm not a shill, but Optotronics or Laser Glow are good places to start). As for this light, there was a guy on candlepowerforums who was manufacturing something markedly similar (4,100 lumens, could start fires, called - no joke - "The Torch") back in 2006, but it appears he got overwhelmed by customer demand. Mayhap Wicked licensed the name/tech from that guy, but I'd wager they didn't given their track record. Wicked's site isn't up yet, but I'd be very, very surprised if this thing comes in anywhere close to the $200 range that the original designer was charging.

[Prokanda @ Jan 28th 2008 1:40PM]

oh the things that could be done......

[farfisa @ Jan 28th 2008 1:40PM]

That's going to cause some real confusion in the UK...

[Toadlet @ Jan 28th 2008 1:45PM]

When that thing burns your retinas, you can actually smell it happening.

Maybe with the next model I'll be able to write my name on the moon...

[DorianGray @ Jan 29th 2008 1:42PM]

Cha

For those not in on the joke -- Chairface Chippendale. Wikipedia it.

[Scott @ Jan 28th 2008 1:46PM]

Why is light hot?

[Semantix @ Jan 28th 2008 1:59PM]

I think I see where you are going here...

I would assume that it uses a very "inefficient" lamp that emits more in the IR portion of the spectrum and an elliptical reflector to focus the radiation at a single point.

Can't check the site.. looks like it may have been engadgeted? (engadged?)

[Scott @ Jan 28th 2008 2:02PM]

Actually, I wasn't "going" anywhere with my question... I actually wondered why intense light is hot, thus explaining how this torch works, I would assume.

I tried Googling and got one (1) result only. And it didn't explain.

And yes, it seems the page is down...

[FireStar @ Jan 28th 2008 2:38PM]

Because light is energy and energy can easily be converted to heat. Light mainly happens because an electron goes from a higher level of energy to a lower level of energy..i.e. it loses energy. One of the byproducts of that is light. Therefore, it if it loses energy, you can guess where it goes. That's how light bulbs work...they're so hot (i.e. have so much energy on a small wire) they give off light. Of course that's old school lightbulbs, not LEDs and whatnot.

[w00t @ Jan 28th 2008 2:15PM]

Light is electromagnetic radiation, and with enough energy it will generate heat when absorbed by matter as that energy is transferred.

Much in the same way high power radio waves generate heat.

[david @ Jan 28th 2008 2:18PM]

Actually, from the image, the bulb is at the focal point for that reflector geometry: a parabola. Reflectors like that are designed to take rays emitted from a single point, and project them into more or less a column (plus divergence, so you don't have too much of a spotlight. Plus, if you did have some kind of focusing device on that thing, it had better be changeable so you can actually burn stuff at different distances, rather than some preset factory kill zone. Good times.

[bobartig @ Jan 28th 2008 3:02PM]

@Scott, Semantix has the correct answer. The IR portion of the light being emitted is absorbed by matter, which is then re-radiated as heat. Most incandescent light sources generate a lot of light in the IR spectrum, along with visible light. Any light can be absorbed and radiated as heat, but IR light is more likely to do so with most matter.

This is referred to as "black body radiation", if you want to google it. If you didn't take a year or two of physics or calculus in college, most of the search results may be somewhat daunting.

[Mr. Ralph @ Jan 28th 2008 11:56PM]

Light is quantized into little packets of energy called photons. A source which produces white light is actually giving off many different energies of photons.

One of the readers referenced 'IR' or Infra-Red wavelength light(wavelength is related to amount of energy in a photon). Infra-Red light has a tendency to excite molecules it hits producing heat energy. This is very similar to how water molecules are excited when Microwaves (a lower energy light) hit them.

Dont be fooled however, IR light isnt the only light that produces heat in objects. Every material, due to its component compounds absorbs specific wavelengths of light differently. For example those glow in the dark pigments people have on at Raves that only show up when they are exposed to UV (higher energy) light. In the case of the pigments instead of turning the UV light into heat they convert it into a small amount of heat and some other visible wavelength of light (which is why they are so dang bright).

On a molecular scale, what is actually happening is that the amount of energy that exists in the photon is just about the right size to promote one of the normal bonding electrons in an atom it strikes to a more energetic state. As they say... what goes up, must come down. It's like placing a ball bearing on an unleveled table. Eventually that ball bearing is going to fall, releasing all the energy you put into it by placing it higher.

In much the same way the electron must go back to a more stable state, releasing all the energy it recieved from the photon in some fashion. It can release the energy in a few different ways:
* Translation - causing the atom / molecule to move in 3d space
* Vibration - spring like stretching of the atomic bonds (aka Heat)
* Rotation - rotating parts of itself around bond axes (aka Heat)
* Fluorescence - Giving off another photon (rare)

Most of the time the energy is converted into Roto-vibrational energy (aka Heat) but sometimes it isnt (see the others). Metals are particularly susceptible to converting wavelengths of light into heat because they have much more receptive 'antenna' in the form of an expansive bonding shell (the D-sublevel). It is for this reason that while the metal handles on your doors will get 'fry an egg' hot, the less receptive cloth on your seats will remain relatively cool when exposed to the harsh sun.

I hope this helps. Oh, and I teach chemistry... so that's why I know.

[aaronb @ Jan 29th 2008 2:48AM]

Actually the explanation as to how this light ignites these materials is much simpler. It does NOT have to do with the heat produced when light hits surfaces. It has to do with the heat that is a generated in order to produce the light. Basically, an incandescent light bulb works by heating up a little piece of metal so hot that it glows very bright. Really, the light is the by-product. You can tell by how close they are holding the light to the materials that they are simply using the heat of the bulb. The same way an ordinary 100 watt household light bulb can start a fire.

Still, 4100 lumens is a crazy amount of light for a flashlight, just not nearly enough to IGNITE anything.

[Crass @ Jan 29th 2008 9:04AM]

Because it wears skimpy little dresses and giggles a lot.

[Mr. Ralph @ Jan 29th 2008 8:59PM]

@ aaronb - You believe in homeopathic medicine dont you? Google radiant heat... moron.

*clack* *click* *clack* I has itnernets! I can be expurt 2! *clack* *click* *clack*

[Scott @ Jan 29th 2008 11:09PM]

Wow, thanks for all the responses everyone!

[fistpittingnork @ Jan 28th 2008 1:55PM]

Vaporize your herbs, bro!

WOOOOO!

[ariez84 @ Jan 28th 2008 1:56PM]

Closest thing to the light saber.

[KC @ Jan 28th 2008 1:57PM]

Bleh. Now we'll probably get a message from the TSA that flashlights will be banned on flights...

[Josh Warner @ Jan 28th 2008 3:52PM]

Sad but true

[Richard @ Jan 28th 2008 4:08PM]

I think it's pretty understandable considering the flashlight could melt through the window and depressurize the cabin.

Nothing sad about it.

[KC @ Jan 28th 2008 5:09PM]

Yes Richard, but knowing how they are, they will ban all forms of flashlights. Just like how they banned all liquids on planes (including milk, coffee purchased from the gates, etc).

[Nex @ Jan 28th 2008 5:34PM]

The flashlight could *not* melt through a window. You'd need something much more powerful (a high powered [non-portable] CO2 laser, for example). This thing depends entirely on the energy being absorbed by the material at which its aimed - black plastic = high absorption, clear window = little-to-no absorption.

[Andir3.0 @ Jan 28th 2008 5:44PM]

Wait till the nut jobs call for a total ban on flashlights because they can be used to harm to people at range. You know.. like guns. Because we can't just accept a few people having them at all. It's too dangerous.

[Marco @ Jan 30th 2008 2:48PM]

Who needs a flashlight on a plane?

I'm just adding this to my items-that-will-make-me-jump-your-ass-if-you-pull-it-out-on-my-flight list.

You'll find this right above parachutes, and right below dynamite.

[Wwhat @ Jan 29th 2008 4:42AM]

Matches in planes aren't outlawed because they melt through the window you know, but more because that dork with his shoe 'bomb' tried to light it, and because it helps the anti-smoking stormtroopers I guess.
And it helps to give a false impression of safety, and competence of the authorities.

[stefan @ Jan 28th 2008 1:58PM]

Dude! because Wep-Keys are SOOO hard to figure out?

Anyway.

Does anyone know if those lightbulps are actually usable in real life or will I have to invest another 50$ each time I drop that thing?

[cliff @ Jan 28th 2008 2:04PM]

How many Jack Ass' are going to burn down their homes by leaving this thing on or accidently flipping it on.-- I know I would.

[Daniel @ Jan 28th 2008 2:11PM]

yeah, jackass. :P

[Andy @ Jan 28th 2008 2:06PM]

It seems a good market for this product is as a lighter for a charcoal BBQ grill.

[Ally @ Jan 28th 2008 2:16PM]

or, you know, you could use a match?

[T-Bone @ Jan 28th 2008 2:22PM]

@Ally: While you're at it, why not just use a horse and buggy instead of a car?

[Jason @ Jan 28th 2008 4:12PM]

Yeah, at 15 min per battery set (I did not check out the site, so I do not know if its rechargable).. a book of matches and some newspaper is a much cheaper and probably faster method of lighting a bbq

[Andir3.0 @ Jan 28th 2008 5:47PM]

Or if you prefer a renewing source to start the grill instead, they have these little spark devices installed on them all that practically work for the entire life of the grill, usually longer.

[slowerpig81 @ Jan 28th 2008 10:42PM]

I wasn't aware that a piezo sparker could light charcoal. Maybe propane, not charcoal.

[Digital Gadgets @ Jan 28th 2008 2:09PM]

Very cool and very useful too!

[John Johnson @ Jan 28th 2008 2:15PM]

My boss was just showing off his new $100 super bright flashlight he got for Christmas by shining it in my eyes. Bwahaha, revenge.