Safe-Light and PALights are the "Flashlights of the Future."
Since the invention of the incandescent bulb over 119 years ago, the LED is the first major revolution lighting up our future. LEDs are rapidly replacing light bulbs in a variety of high reliability applications, including railroad signal lights, traffic lights, brake lights, and emergency exit signs.
LED's are more durable, longer lasting and are more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs. Since LEDs do not have a filament, they are not damaged under circumstances when a regular incandescent bulb would be. They are constructed from tiny solid-state chips similar to those used in computers. These chips directly convert electricity to light without the use of a filament or glass bulb. Instead the chips are encapsulated in solid plastic that can be made into a variety of shapes and sizes. LED lights last significantly longer with dramatically lower power requirements, so batteries will last many times longer than with incandescent bulbs. LEDS are extremely tough, reliable, safe and completely resistant to shock and vibration.
The principle behind LEDs, while complicated, can be made easy to understand. An LED is a special type of diode and is similar to a transistor. Diodes and transistors are "solid state" devices that are made from semiconductors such as silicon. The semiconductor is made to contain two types of special impurities. The first of impurity, called "N" for negative, is a material with an excess of electrons. The other type of impurity, called "P" for positive, has a deficiency of electrons in "holes." These two kinds of impurities are dispersed into the semiconductor at different regions, so that a "P-N junction," or active layer, is created at the border.
Why do batteries last so long in LED flashlights? The main difference is how incandescent lamps and how LEDs behave when the batteries start running down. If the bulb is an incandescent, when batteries run down, the filament runs cooler. For one thing, its resistance drops, which causes the current to not decrease as much as the voltage applied to the bulb. When the batteries weaken the LED typically conserves the remaining energy in the batteries. Another significant difference is that incandescent lamps operate much less efficiently when the filament is not as hot, while most LEDs used in flashlights usually operate slightly more efficiently than normal at reduced power. If an incandescent flashlight and an LED flashlight have the same number of batteries and the batteries are of the same type and condition, and the flashlight bulbs take the same amount of power from fresh batteries, the flashlights will probably appear roughly, equally bright. But the incandescent one will fade more rapidly when the batteries weaken. The LED one will continue working for many times the amount of time that the incandescent one does.
LED's are also unique because they come in various "pure" colors. The color generated from these LED lights is determined by the metal composite or chemical that covers the tips of the probes within the LED itself. One of the reasons that the LED is so extremely efficient is that only a tiny part of the color spectrum is generated. Energy is not wasted trying to generate unwanted colors making LEDs superior to typical incandescent bulbs found in traditional flashlights.
Here at Safe-Light, we use the colors: White, Green, Blue, Red.
White - The most popular color of all the LED colors. The white LED has very special characteristics; it produces a soft white light, without the harsh reflection, glare or shadows. For work that needs to be done close-up, white LED flashlights are the perfect general purpose flashlight.
Green - The use of green LEDs is a growing preference for pilots and military officials. The green color is also great for retaining night vision and is easy on the eyes.
Blue - The blue light of LEDs is usually very easy on the eyes and people are attracted to the serene color of blue. The elderly are using it as a reading light. It has been stated that elderly people can read under the blue light for hours without eyestrain compared to severe eyestrain in under 30 minutes using an incandescent light. The military is slowly transitioning into the blue LEDs. Blue is also used in forensics for finding bodily fluids at crime scenes, making the blue LEDs a great tool for DNA technology.
Red - There are countless uses for the red LED light by law enforcement, public transportation, government and fire personnel. The red LED light is also in high demand by marine and aviation pilots because they do a good job illuminating cock-pit controls with its non-reflective light. Red is also a good choice for hunters and fishermen who want to avoid spooking game during pre-dawn hours.
Note: Even though LEDs are safe to use, LEDs should never be stared at directly.
