When I first received this torch I was disappointed. The technical details state “Winding the hand crank for 1 minute pumps out up to 1 hour of red LED light”, which is very misleading. You can wind for a couple of minutes and the light still goes dim after 5 minutes! It’s not exactly silent either. You’ll have neighbours wondering what the hell you’re doing outside at midnight. But then I found that by charging it from your computer using the supplied USB cable it stays bright for the whole observing session. That’s what I do now – the crank is there as back up, which beats carrying spare batteries anyway. I do like the environmental aspect to the torch, and recharging is much cheaper than buying batteries. The compass is a nice touch, although it is very small, but being on the handle you can swivel it to the front to reflect light onto it off your hand. I would rather have a neck strap than the wrist strap (which I can’t see anyone using), but you can make your own. The switch for cellphone or torch use has small icons which look too similar to each other and which rub off too easily, but one just remembers which is which. For anyone who has a cellphone (I don’t) that charging ability could be a useful feature. I would rather have a head or hat-mounted torch since you generally want both hands free for astronomy, but for now it’s a good choice for a hand-held one. Four stars because it works well computer charged, but not five due to the exaggerated advertising.
Rating: 4 / 5

It does work well to allow you to save your night vision while working with your equipment.

However, I found that the batteries don’t hold a charge long enough to be practical. So now I leave it powered by the cable to my laptop which limits its range. I usually end up relying on other flashlights, typically hat-brim mounted.
Rating: 2 / 5

In my opinion, this device is a must have for astronomers, hikers, campers, scouts, night guides, travelers, and anyone who needs a portable, user-friendly, reliable light that illuminates, but does not irritate.

RedBeam is just a little larger than a cell phone, and it can be cranked to charge–no batteries needed. A minute’s worth of cranking gives one about an hour of steady light that can be adjusted for low brightness and high brightness. It’s curved shapes fits nice in the hand, and the carrying strap is a great benefit.

The little instruction page that is included with the product clearly describes its other features, functions, and abilities. [I have always been appreciative of Orion's attention to their products' instruction manuals and materials; these items always seem very helpful, anticipating the consumers questions and / or needs.] Redbeam is a surprising little flashlight that is a pleasure to own and to use. It would make a fantastic and unusual gift.
Rating: 5 / 5

The hand crank has a nice little compass which astronomers can appreciate. Beneath the handle, you will find port sockets for USB and phone charger, adapters and cables are included. Two position switch allows for led brightness selection. Another switch provides choice between charging cell phone or light. The light has a nice balance to it, making it easy to hold and charge. The beam is solid for the size and weight. I suggest something soft to protect the front led window when transporting.
Rating: 5 / 5

This flashlight worked great for about three nights when I first got it. A minute of cranking did what the companion info said it would do – about 15 minutes of light at low beam. (Note – I was not getting anything like an hour that another reviewer reported; but 15 minutes is still good.) On subsequent nights the same amount of cranking produced much less charge, and charge depletion was more rapid, so I was getting maybe 5 minutes at low beam, where it was a low beam with much less brightness. And the high beam setting wasn’t really high beam any more. Two minutes of cranking didn’t produce much better results. Very disappointing! So am returning it. Maybe mine was defective. But I won’t risk being out another $20 for shipping costs (receive and return)to try another one. Overall, this flashlight is very nicely designed. If it performed as advertised, it would have been a keeper for me. And yes, there’s an option to charge through a usb port, which takes 5 hours to fully charge the light and is supposed to give 1.5 hours of light on low beam and 1 hour on high beam. True or not, I don’t know. I was only interested in its performance using the crank – i.e., not relying on any external charging source.
Rating: 1 / 5