Lined up for their class photo, the six new and three old flashlights we tested are (top row, left to right), the Brinkmann Rebel, Eveready's Watersport, Garrity's Life Lite, Garrity's SS, and Lightwave's Pro4000, which prompted this experiment, and bottom row (left to right), Pelican's Super Sabrelite, and the three 'oldies'—Rayovac’s Roughneck, an old Streamlight Top Spot, and an even older West Marine Sealine; a random yet representative group.

When Practical Sailor last looked at flashlights (March 2000), it was an exhaustive and very detailed review of those that used light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Closely examined and tested were 17 different models, which used from 1 to 24 LED bulbs, and ranged in price from $20 to $300. The best overall in that test was the $60 Tektite Expedition, but much has changed in four years.

Much earlier (in the May 1, 1997), PS was the first national publication to recognize the utility of LED bulbs. That report resulted from a tip from a reader, Rob Hoffman, a Nashville, TN, architectural photographer who was among the first "techno-putterers" to cluster the…