The 5.11 shines at 90 lumens for 90 minutes per charge—and the manufacturers claim that it is rated for 50,000 recharges (or once per day for the next 135 years). In other words, the flashlight is rugged and produces a bright light for a practical amount of time. But the best part is that recharging only takes 90 seconds thanks to its fancy ultracapacitor energy storage system. It even has a backup 12V DC automotive charger in case the power goes out.

If it works as advertised, could very well be the last flashlight you will ever need (or, at least for the 10 year maintenance-free window). Whether it will pay for its $170 price tag in battery savings over that time remains to be seen. [5.11 Tactical via CNET]

The fat in the prosciutto and the oil-slathered cucumber is used with oxygen and a flame to combust, giving a fairly strong-burning torch. Check out the video below.

Proscuitto, we should add, is a dry-cured (not smoked, like American bacon) spiced Italian pork product, and despite hailing from communist Europe, is far superior to what we in the States know as bacon. That's right. There's something better than bacon. [Boing Boing Gadgets]

The Price: $40

The Verdict: The HydroStar SUB is one of the most supremely useful flashlights I have ever seen. The hand-crank means that it will never need batteries, and it can hold a charge surprisingly well despite having several modes. About a minute of cranking at a forearm-busting pace will generate about 45 minutes to an hour of usable light from the 1/2 watt center LED, and nearly two hours from the side LEDs and the strobe. The laser pointer, on the other hand, will only get about 5 to 10 minutes. Still, I would not recommend detaching the hand crank because every once in a while you will need to give it another hit to keep it functionally bright.

The USB charging option is also a handy feature, although your arm would probably fall off before you fully charged an iPod. In an emergency though, you could probably stand the pain long enough to juice up a basic cellphone to make a quick call. The whole package is fairly rugged too, so you don't have to worry about dropping it or getting it wet. Under most situations, the SUB should come away unscathed.

The bottom line is that if you are looking for a solid, utility or emergency flashlight, the HydroStar SUB would be a great choice. It packs in far more functionality than standard flashlights, and it is maintenance-free to boot. [Seattle Sports]

The UC3.400 specs state the flashlight is rated for 50,000 recharges, regardless of temperature or storage conditions. Flashlight News does the math, and that comes out to one charge a day for 135 years, which is perfect given the cold, dark days the coming Singularity will bring.

Moe importantly, these stats best typical rechargeable flashlights with ease; current rechargeable flashlights begin to degrade after the first use, are affected by extreme hot and cold, and will last for just 500 to 1,000 charges.

This thing is also nigh indestructable, claims the manufacterer:

Made of a firearm-grade high-strength polymer, the 11.5" UC3.400 casing is fully sealed against the elements. It's abrasion, crack and bend-resistant. The temperature-tolerant ultracapacitors are rated at -40° F to 149° F (-40° C to 65° C). Also, the water-resistant, ruggedly built UC3.400 flashlight features solid-state construction.

[Flashlight News]

[USB Geek via GeekAlerts]

The Price: $300

The Verdict: Simply put, the Torch flashlight is like carrying around a floodlight in your hand. It is easily the most powerful and semi-frightening flashlight I have ever seen. However, let's not kid ourselves into thinking that this a practical device. The only reason anyone should ever buy the Torch is to impress other nerds.

Last month I reviewed the 160 lumens Duracell Daylite and found it to be a good choice for anyone looking for a powerful, practical flashlight. It's not a fair comparison by any means, but analyzing the results from that test against the Torch gives you a good idea of how bright this thing really is.

In order to illustrate its power, Wicked Lasers has released several videos showing the Torch burning paper, lighting matches and frying eggs. These claims are true—as you can see from my own test illustrated in the video above. But the heat this thing gives off is not all fun and games for pyromaniacs. It also severely limits the usability of the flashlight. After a few minutes of use, the Torch becomes too hot to hold in your hand. According to the user's manual, it should only be used in 3 minute intervals with at least 2 minutes of "rest" in between.

As you might have guessed, the battery life for the Torch is almost nil. I'm not sure what the exact figures are, but I doubt that you could get more than 10 minutes of continuous use out of a full-power 30-minute charge. And, to be quite honest, the scary charging unit above is fairly unreliable. I found myself frequently resetting the magnets because it registered a full charge prematurely.

Obviously, I can't recommend something this expensive, impractical and, quite frankly, dangerous—but if you are willing to drop $300 on a gadget that will impress your friends for a minute or two, the Torch will definitely get the job done. [Wicked Lasers]

Duracell will be offering the Daylite in three varieties: the 80 lumens AAA / AA versions (both $25) and the powerful 160 lumens CR123 version ($35) beginning this month at drug and hardware stores. Duracell seems to be aiming at the MagLite market with the Daylites, but it remains to be seen whether the performance justifies the price tag. [Duracell]

All this craziness in a tube will cost you $11. [Brando]