AltusLumen PAD-L Led Light

AltusLumen has released a new portable PAD-L LED torch gadget, which is the brother to their TRI-L Contemporary Personal Light. The PAD-L adds a few more features that make it more usable, including adding weatherproofing, adjustable light output, integral 360-degree hinge, and user-replaceable 4xAAA batteries.

Compared to the TRI-L, the PAD-L adds an extra 92 hours of battery life (so 100 hours in total), a flashing light mode, and is also $50 cheaper at $49 (and even cheaper on Amazon). The PAD-L is made from recycled and recyclable aluminum and polycarbonate. The whole light is 75% at the end of its life too. Due to using high-quality LEDs and anodized aluminum, there are no toxic heavy metals in the construction.

I like the replaceable AAA batteries, as it allows you to use existing rechargeable batteries, rather than having yet another device that needs charging. There is a solar panel accessory you can buy that will charge the PAD-L, but you could use any AAA solar battery charger if portability is important. Using recyclable and recycled materials also gets my vote.

The AltusLumen PAD-L is definitely an example of an environmentally conscious and practical eco gadget.