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Reviewer's
Impressions:
The Skylight is essentially identical to the original Swiss
Light, except for the addition of a constant-on switch and
the blink mode. The new switch is a very a welcome change.
The body of the light is a black hard rubber which is quite
impact resistant. On one side you will find the solar charging
panel which is protected by a heavy pane of glass. Place the
unit in the sun occasionally to keep it topped off, or just
place it solar panel-up in a bright room or under a lamp.
The instructions warn against leaving the light in direct
sunlight for long periods of time. Temperatures over 40 C
(104 F) can shorten the service light of the batteries.
On the other side you will find the small blue switch which
rests in a recess so that the light may be set down without
activating the switch. The switch itself is a blue rubbery
plastic. Press the switch to turn it on, press it again to
turn it off. When it's on, if you press and hold the switch
the blink mode is activated. The light will now blink once
every 20 seconds or so, making it easier to find in the dark.
Turning the switch on and off again will shut off the blink
mode. If the light is left on or turns on accidentally, 10
minutes later it will blink on and off for one minute and
then shut itself off.
The LED on the end of the light protrudes from the body,
meaning it could be subject to damage if dropped on the face
of the LED. The light is advertised as being "waterproof".
The beam produced by the light is pretty much the same as
what you should expect from any single white LED light that
runs off of coin cells. The LED has a 30 deg. angle of light
dispersion.
As mentioned earlier, the batteries are lithium rechargeable
and are recharged with the solar cell built into the light.
The battery is advertised as being rechargeable 10,000 times
and produces 2 hours of light on a full charge. The battery
recharges in one day of exposure to light and should not develop
a "memory" as older rechargeable batteries did.
In the light there is a DC to DC converter that is used for
both charging and for lighting the LED in order to both protect
the battery from overcharge and to power the LED as long as
possible on a single charge.
There is a very short lanyard attached to the light.
The only issue I have with this light is in the switching
circuitry. About 15%- 20% of the time when I go to turn it
on by pressing the switch as soon as I let go of the switch
the light goes off again, meaning the constant on circuit
did not engage. This can get really annoying after 5 or 6
tries in a row without it staying on. Eventually though, the
circuit engages and the light stays on as it is supposed to.
+ + + Pluses: Constant on switch, Blink mode, Auto
off feature, Water resistant, Impact resistant, Regulated,
Moderately Bright, Never needs batteries, Lightweight.
- - - Minuses: Switch is sometimes flakey,
Cannot stand on end, Must be exposed to light to charge but
should be kept from getting too hot, Exposed LED.
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