Freeplay Sherpa Wind Up and Rechargeable Torch Review

Watch this item
Freeplay Sherpa Wind Up and Rechargeable Torch
2 stars
Average rating for this product is: 2 out of 5

From 4 ratings and 6 reviews

Thumb up 67% of users recommend this product

Rate it Now:

Click on the stars above to rate this product:

Tweet This Item


johnead's Review of Freeplay Sherpa Wind Up and Rechargeable Torch

1st Nov 2004

Overall Rating

2.5 stars
  • Value for money
    1 stars
Good Points

Physically very durable
High beam setting is bright
Manual crank would offer some power in an emergency


Bad Points

Low beam setting rather dim
High beam setting rapidly consumes battery
Expensive for what it is - a torch


General Comments

The Freeplay Sherpa Wind Up and Rechargeable Torch should be a great idea - a torch that backs up a rechargable battery (mains adaptor supplied) with a manual crank. This design can be found on some radios (thanks to UK inventor Trevor Bayliss) and on manual chargers for mobile phones and for the most part it works quite well. The high beam setting is bright thanks to a Xenon-filled bulb, and winding the crank for 30 seconds gives you around 5 minutes of power on low beam.

The problems: the low beam setting is dim which encourages you to use the high beam setting. But that eats battery life in 10-20 minutes and, to make matters worse, it takes up to 24 hours to fully recharge the internal NiMH cell. Using the crank would guarantee you usable power in an emergency but it would take you a LONG time to generate enough power for useful high-beam use.

All of this compromises the torch's usefulness in everyday situations and you end up wondering whether the wind-up feature isn't just an oversold gimmick. In conclusion, there is nothing actually wrong with this torch but at £30 ($45) it might be a better investment to buy a conventional rechargable torch for half the price.

Tweet This Review

johnead's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!

How helpful did you find this review?


Compare Prices for Freeplay Sherpa Wind Up and Rechargeable Torch See all prices (5)

*Although we endeavour to keep prices up to date, we cannot guarantee these prices will be correct or that they are the cheapest on the internet.