Princeton Tec  Amp 1 L Flashlight

I've had one of these for a good 20 years and it's still going strong. I use it for work (construction) and camping (the snap on cone is fantastic for hanging in a tent). It has survived everything. I do not advise this test, but I once threw it at a concrete block wall to demonstrate how tough it is. It came apart upon impact and worked flawlessly once put back together. That demonstration was over 10 years ago and it is currently hanging from the outside of my tool bag where it routinely receives less than gentle treatment. I highly recommend!

Just got it, so haven't tested it seriously yet, but I'm already going nuts over some design flaws. First, I had to go to the Princeton Tec website to read the manual because I couldn't figure out how to load up the batteries. Turns out, there are + & - signs inside, but they're black imprints on black dots? Totally obscure unless you get it in just the right light. If I have to read the manual because it's not stunningly obvious how to get the flashlight started... that's poor design. Second, do not love that the lightbulb part is separate and just falls out when you open the flashlight... I can see that getting dropped all the time when you're fumbling to put in new batteries... with the +/- you can't see. Poor design. Obviously, the cone thingy is also sub-optimal design, that's getting lost on your first outing, but it's not critical so whatever. Thirdly, I don't love the bottle opener, because it sticks out below the edge of the flashlight, with some corners that are totally going to snag on things. I do not look forward to rummaging for my flashlight and losing some skin in the process. So... yeah... it's a flashlight. Once you fight your way through the battery situation it works fine. But imho it needs to go back to the design team for some serious rethinks.