Joby Gorillatorch Adjustable and Flexible Tripod Flashlight, Gray
by Joby, Inc
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List Price: Our Price: $21.74 You Save: $13.21 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Joby Gorillatorch Adjustable and Flexible Tripod Flashlight, Gray
Customer Review: Good product that delivers what it promises
Summary: 4 Stars
I just received the Gorillatorch and have been testing it. In the short time I have tested it, I have found it to be an excellent idea with a good implementation.
Pros:
* The LED used in the unit is very bright and in conjunction with the dimmer function allows an excellent range of illumination
* The legs consist of multiple ball and socket joints that allow easy positioning with good rigidity.
* Each ball has a rubber-like ring around it (the gray rings in the photos) which provides a good friction grip when wrapped around an object.
* The tripod feet have the same covering as the rings giving it a low slip tripod base.
* The tripod feet contain strong magnets that hold the tripod securely to a metal surface in any orientation (up, down or sideways).
* The Battery/Lamp reside in a single assembly so there is no restriction on rotating the light.
Cons:
* The unit I received has a battery compartment electrical contact issue. The battery compartment cover contains contacts that connect the battery (+) terminals with the unit body. This contact can be affected by tapping on the case, turning the lamp off and back on when it is switched on.
* The dimmer works well, but is non-linear in operation. The dimmer/switch rotates over approx. 220 degrees, but the dimmer operates over the last 90 degrees.
* The light produced is very similar to a flashlight - a bright center with a less bright surrounding light ring. As the primary use for the unit is as a work light a change to create a more uniform lighting area would allow the LED's brightness to be better used.
Overall this is a very good product that with minor gripes, delivers what it promises
Customer Review: No monkey business - I went ape over this.
Summary: 5 Stars
I confess, I bought a used one off Ebay for $19.99, shipping included. I'm a locksmith and intend to use this for night time car openings, sticking it to the side of the car and pointing it inside the window. I was skeptical about blowing $20 on a flashlight, but the Gorillatorch rocked my socks once I got to play with it in person. Here's a rundown!
The Light : Super bright. I mean just insanely bright for the size. It leaves ring lines in the spotlight it projects, and the adjustable dimmer doesn't dim until you're almost to the bottom of the switch's turning radius, but then it does go fairly dim. At full brightness, though, it lit up a pitch dark room extremely well.
The Legs: They look flimsy in the pics, *they are not*. The legs are extremely sturdy and flexible, and do not move once you put them in the position you want them in. The rubberized surfaces do grip very well, too.
The Magnets: Holy cow are these strong. I was really worried about this, but there's a thumping sound every time it connects to metal because the magnets pull it in so hard. It can hang sideways and upside down without any problem or weakness, and the legs don't shift from sideways gravity, either.
All in all, I could not be happier, it was totally worth the money. And the batteries were included, sweet! If you're on the fence, seriously: buy this. Take a chance, you will not be disappointed.
Customer Review: Terrific First Version
Summary: 5 Stars
The Gorilla tripod is terrific. You can put it anywhere and aim it where you want in ways I haven't seen with anything else. This is much, much easier than the old "snake light" if you remember that. The magnets in the feet are remarkably strong. The dimmer works fine. If you do much work like under sinks or in attics where a headlight doesn't quite get the job done, this is as good as it gets for a positionable flashlight.
Two things I'd like to see. First, mount the tripod to the light with a 1/4-20 thread so the tripod could still be used with a camera; as it is, the tripod is permanently mounted with the flashlight head. Second, put a focusing mechanism on the light so it can be flood or spot. Gorilla tripods aren't cheap by themselves, so the money in this is presumably in the tripod, not the headlight. I'd pay more for a refined lamp. Don't misunderstand though, the bright light and easy aiming makes it a good value.
FWIW the first one of these I received was DOA, but Amazon replaced it immediately. It happens.
Customer Review: Nice idea - but light is way too dim
Summary: 2 Stars
We do circuit board repairs and use a battery operated LED lamp (made in china of course) that is fairly bright. When I saw the Gorillatorch for a great price, I immediately hopped onto it - because I love Joby's other products for digital cameras and SLR's. It would be helpful to have the flexibility (no pun intended) to mount a light in more places.
When I got the order in from Amazon, It was just as expected in initial observations. After putting in the batteries and turning it on though, I was clearly disappointed. The LED lamp is way too dim for our purposes. Our other portable LED lamp was far brighter and probably 1/3rd of the price. I might be wrong on this but I believe seeing the LED as being 1watt. I think it would need to be at least 3 watts or more to be minimally sufficient - especially seeing those cheap LED flashlights that are usually at least that bright.
The torch was reluctantly returned to Amazon. I hope Joby will come out with something a bit more powerful - to which I will hop on it quickly again.
Customer Review: Great product, fast shipping
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought a gorillapod for my camera so when I saw this product, I immediately thought about it for my husband for Father's Day. He loves it! He works on vintage cars as well as doing repairs around the house. Sometimes when trying to light the waterheater or fix a pipe under the sink, you need a flashlight but you need someone to hold it in just the right position. This Gorillatorch is perfect because it has bendable arms for wrapping around a pipe or lamp base or as a tripod to sit on a surface and shine the light where needed. On one of the arms is a small but pretty powerful magnet that will hold the light in place to leave your hands free to work. The photo on the packaging shows the light attached to the side of a car (with the magent) as the tire is being changed. Perfect use of this little light! I dropped a screw in the bottom of my sewing machine and borrowed my hubby's new gift to dig it out. It is perfect because you position it to shine the light right where you need it. It's a great product for your handyman or handy woman!!!