**Real Reviews by Real Anglers**
A range of three new torches has been launched that shed new light on the humble torch. 
They are poised to become one of the must-have gadgets of the next decade and are available in UK shops for the first time. The revolutionary Lucido could well herald the beginning of the end for traditional torchlight.
That’s because instead of a standard bulb, the new torch uses state-of-the-art LED (light-emitting diode) technology, producing one of the clearest, cheapest and most reliable means of illumination ever devised.
It’s a little known fact that ordinary light bulbs are outrageously inefficient, because more than 90% of the energy is wasted in simply heating up the filament to produce a glow.
But LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes), which use electronically controlled liquid crystals to throw off light directly, use only a minute amount of power.
I’ve been using two of these new torches, the smallest, the Pocket Bright, and the medium, the Lightwave 2000, for several weeks now and I have to say they are the answer to the night angler’s prayers. They score on three main points.
1.The light is not the intense, fish-scaring bright yellow we’re used to, but a daylight balanced blue that is easier on the eye and the fish, yet is still easily bright enough to provide more than adequate illumination.
2.They are light and very strong.
3.One set of batteries could last a full season, longer in fact, in many instances.
The Pocket Bright
This is the smaller of the two and is provided with a lanyard which makes it extremely useful for hanging around your neck for all those little jobs such as baiting the hook and tying hooks where you need just a small splash of light.
It is shock-proof and shower resistant.
The Pocket Bright has just one LED and the batteries, two lithium 2025 Mignons (provided), last for approximately 100 hours. That’s over four days and nights continuous operation. Considering this torch is likely to be used mainly for short spells when baiting the hook it is easy to imagine how long it will last on one set of batteries.
The torch, with batteries, is push-button operation and weighs an incredibly light 12 grams.
The Lightwave 2000
This torch has four LED’s in the head and uses three AA batteries that last for an incredible 340 hours. That works out at over two weeks of continual operation. The claim is that even then it will still give sufficient light to read by. That’s about 15 times longer than a conventional torch. 
It is an extremely useful general purpose torch, 18cm long, and is good for when you need a greater spread of light around the bivvy or the area where you’re fishing. You can hang it in the bivvy by the wrist lanyard and leave it on. Prop it on your pillow for reading, and it’s good for when you walk off the fishery in the dark, and anywhere you need more light than that provided by the Pocket Bright.
It is waterproof down to 1 metre, and has a shock-proof ABS plastic case. The makers claim it is strong enough to be run over by a car (I didn’t test that claim). 
It weighs just 125 grams, with batteries, and is operated by twisting the head.
The LED’s last for 11 years or more without blowing or breaking.
PRODUCT: Lucido LED Torches
RANGE: The handy pocket version, The Pocket Bright.The classic torch, the Lightwave 2000.There is also a larger Multifunctional Deluxe model which I haven’t seen.
PRICE: Pocket Bright: £ 14.99 – Lightwave 2000 £ 24.99 – Deluxe Multifunction: £ 29.99.
To find out your nearest stockist or to place an order call 01457 854424.
