The Freeplay Jonta is a Luxeon LED flashlight which uses three internal NiMH batteries for power storage. These batteries can be charged using the supplied 110V AC charger or you can turn the crank to spin a dynamo and power up the batteries. Since it is using large NiMH cells for storage it can take a little charge or a big charge, depending on your needs. It also has 2 levels of output, a blinking signal mode, a battery power indicator, a charging cranking speed indicator, and a low battery warning.

Body: The body of the Jonta is plastic and is held together with Phillips head screws.

All of the controls, and the crank handle, are found on the top of the light. At the very front you will find 3 red LEDs. Pressing the switch turns on the LEDs in series to signal the mode that the light is operating in. The first LED is Low, second is High, third is Blink. Below these LEDs is the switch, and below that, just before the crank handle is the crank indicator LED. This green LED illuminates when the crank handle is turning at the optimal rate for charging the cells.

Pressing and holding the switch for 1 second will cause all 4 LEDs on top to switch to "battery indicator" mode for as long as the switch is held. For the red LEDs; 1 LED = 1/3 power or less left, 2 LEDs = 2/3 to 1/3 power left, 3 LEDs = Full charge to 2/3 left. If the power available is very low, the green cranking indicator light blinks and no red LEDs turn on.

Bezel/Head: The head is protected to some degree by a soft-touch plastic ring. The large plastic lens is only barely recessed, so be careful you don't set it face down on something which could mar the lens. Inside is a large silvered reflector designed to catch as much of the light as possible from the LED and send it forward in a tight beam.

Output: The white light produced by the LED is a high color temperature and produces good color rendition weighted slightly toward the blue end of the spectrum. No tinting in the beam is detectable during normal use. The large smooth reflector results tight spot surrounded by a pair of rings for a corona and a very dim spillbeam. Most of the light produced is concentrated into the center of the beam, resulting in very good distance spotting ability.

Beam at one meter at target center

Runtime Plot: Runtimes with rechargeable batteries demand a lot of attention to prevent the batteries from being damaged. As a result this runtime plot may have to wait a bit.

More information on runtime plots is available HERE.

Switch: The switch is a mostly flat, slightly textured, silent click switch. Press once for low, twice for high, 3 times for blink, and a fourth for off. If you leave the light on in any mode for more than 5 seconds, the next press turns it off.

Seals / Water Resistance: Unknown. Keep it dry. If it gets wet inside, let it dry before using again.

Ergonomics: It's big and a bit uncomfortable in the hand. There is no easy way to hang onto this light due to its large diameter. The body is almost completely untextured, so USE the wrist lanyard that comes with it. It will slip.

Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light

Batteries: The batteries are an internal NiMH battery pack. It takes an initial 6 hour charge on household voltage to condition the internal NiMH cells, and after that it takes about 4 hours to fully charge a completely drained light. Once a month you should discharge it fully and then recharge it immediately. I know it's a pain in the butt to do this, but it'll keep the batteries in top shape. Plus, if you do this, it'll always be ready for a power outage and you can crank to charge it after the initial charge is depleted.

When a charge cycle with the 110V charger is complete, the charging light shuts off. The light can be left plugged in to keep the batteries fully charged. The DC-in socket is at the rear of the light and is covered by a rubber tab.

To use the crank handle, flip it out and start cranking. Maintain a speed which keeps the green indicator light lit. 30 seconds of cranking gives about 10 minutes of light on low power. 40 minutes of cranking would constitute a full charge. It does take some effort, so don't expect the handle to turn by itself!

Accessories: A lanyard strap is attached, and a 110V household charger is also included.

What I Liked: Self powered or rechargeable, Good battery life, Bright

What I Didn't Like: Large/bulky

Picky Little Things: Cranking requires a fair amount of effort.

Conclusions: A top class emergency light. It seems obvious to me that the Freeplay crank lights are the ones that everyone is trying to copy, and doing so rather unsuccessfully. These seem to have the highest quality of the crank lights I have tested and just plain feel solid. No rattles, no grinding, no poorly fitted parts.

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