I don’t know what it is about flashlights and kids. My daughter has every toy a 4-year-old could want and as is the way of the world, she would rather play with a box or my flashlight than all the toys in her room. That means that every time I need my flashlight I have to search her room for it and when I find it, the batteries are usually dead.

A new green flashlight called the Hybrid Solar Light uses solar cells to keep the battery charged. The battery is able to store energy for a claimed three years. Light output from Hybrid solar Light is not that strong at 40 lumens, but it will work in a blackout or to look under the couch for your remote. Water resistance to 80 feet is promised as well.

The real benefit of the Hybrid Solar Lite is that the rechargeable batteries need no electricity from the AC outlet and are good for years of use. The maker of the flashlight claims that of the 3 billion batteries tossed into landfills each year, 1.7 billion of that number comes directly from flashlights. This could be the flashlight poster product for the green brigade.

Hybrid Light