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The Solar LST-05 is a 7 LED flashlight powered by rechargeable
cells. The cells are charged via a solar panel built
into the side of the light.
Body: The body of the LST-05 is anodized aluminum.
On the side is a set of solar cells covered by a plastic
curved shell to maintain the contour of the body. The
body tube is checkered all the way around from one edge
of the plastic window to the other in order to improve
grip. The head has ridges around its circumference and
the tail is checkered although it is not removable.
A nylon wrist lanyard comes attached to the tailcap
through a small hole.
Bezel/Head: The head contains a plastic lens.
Inside are 7 white LEDs in a smooth plastic reflector.
Output: The white light produced by the LEDs
is a high color temperature and produces good color
rendition weighted toward the blue end of the spectrum.
A slight purplish/bluish tint is detectable. The beam
is a smooth directional flood of light.
Beam at one meter at target center
Runtime Plot: One hour of declining output before
50% is reached. Not too bad. After the two hour point
output plateaus at a very low level.
More
information on runtime plots is available HERE.
Switch: The switch is in the tailcap and is
surrounded by a guard to protect it from accidental
activation. It is a "reverse type" clickie.
Click for on, then press gently for blink or click again
for off.
Seals / Water Resistance: Rubber seals protect
the bezel and the switch, but there appears to be no
other seals. I'm not too confident of the water resistance
of the plastic window covering the solar cells either.
I'd have to call it splashable at most.
If it gets wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible
without tools and let it dry before using again.
Ergonomics: The body checkering is sufficiently
"grippy" for everyday tasks and the switch
is easy to operate.
Size compared to a common 2AA aluminum light
Batteries: A rechargeable pack powers the light.
Recharge the cells by placing the light in the sun with
the solar panels exposed at an optimal angle for collecting
sunlight. The package states that a "full charge"
(however much that is) from the sun will provide "up
to" 4 hours of light.
Accessories: Wrist lanyard is included and attached.
What I Liked: Free power from the
sun! Nice even beam.
What I Didn't Like: Water resistance
is very suspect, Construction quality is not that great.
Picky Little Things: Manufacturer's
runtime listing on the box is exaggerated.
Conclusions: OK in a pinch, but
I would not use this light as my primary flashlight.
Perhaps if you left it on your dashboard so that it
was constantly charging in the sun it would be acceptable
for use in the car. Runtime isn't too bad, but if you
run it until the batteries are flat, you need sunlight
to charge it up again.
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