How 3-in-1 Flashlights Work

3-in-1 flashlights come in a mind-boggling array of shapes, sizes and configurations. Some products are literally three different colors of lights in one flashlight body; other flashlights merge various light technologies into one unit. If you do a quick Web search, you'll see a wacky range of tools matched with lights, too.

Then there's the Stanley Tools 3-in-1 Tripod LED Flashlight, which combines three individual flashlights into one. You can use the three lights as a single powerful beam, or you can separate each unit for three smaller lights. The product incorporates a tripod and swiveling light heads for an adaptable lighting system that runs on just six AA batteries.

Energizer's 6 LED Headlight has both white and red LEDs mounted into a body that focuses light in three modes: spot, flood and night vision. With the light banded to your forehead, you can quickly cycle through these modes to find light that's appropriate for your current needs. In darkness, the red LED, or night-vision mode, helps you find your way with a low red glow that doesn't affect your low-light vision the way bright white lights do.

Another Energizer flashlight, called the Night Strike, is designed with hunters in mind. This product is loaded with white, red, blue, ultraviolet and green LEDs. The green lights are best for reading maps and tracking game, and UV helps you see without scaring away fish. The blue mode provides light that makes blood easier to see in the dark, so you can find wounded prey.

Flashlights are obviously great for nighttime safety, but the Streetwise 3-in-1 Flashlight Stun Gun takes safety to the level of self-defense. This product looks a lot like a big and sturdy flashlight, and indeed, it uses a bright halogen bulb for illumination. However, it's also equipped with an ear-shattering 130-decibel alarm to frighten would-be attackers. If the sound isn't enough to drive them away, the stun gun capability ought to do the trick. Jab an assailant and he or she'll receive a 600,000-volt surprise.

Other 3-in-1 flashlight combinations abound. Some join both LED and halogen bulbs into one product. Use the LED mode for a bright light that conserves power, or switch to halogen mode for a flashlight with extra reach. Other flashlights let you click through modes that engage ever-increasing numbers of LEDs to provide more light. Still other products add a bright red laser pointer to regular LED light functionality.

If that's not enough, you'll also find flashlights that combine LEDs, cold-cathode fluorescent and xenon bulbs into one product. The LED mode is great for all-purpose use, the fluorescent bulb helps light a small work area and the piercing xenon bulb uses a lot of power but gives you an immense amount of illumination.

Greenlite's 3-in-1 Flashlight Nitelight Emergency Light is an innovative product designed to be handy in urgent situations where it's too dark to even find your regular flashlight. This LED-based light remains plugged into an electrical outlet, automatically providing a safety light when your house is dark or if there's a power outage. Better yet, if you need immediate light, you can grab this one off of the outlet and switch it to flashlight mode.

Victorinox's Swiss Army-branded products integrate lights into an assortment of clever designs. One product, called the SwissCard Lite, combines a mini LED light with a letter opener, scissors, straight pin, ball-point pen, magnifying glass, screwdrivers and a ruler, all into a credit card-sized case that you can take anywhere.

Life Gear sells oodles of flashlights with all sorts of bells and whistles. In fact, the company's 200-Hour Glow Sticks literally have an emergency whistle built in. The glow sticks use colored LEDs for long-lasting light, and you can switch to flashlight mode, too. You can also switch this product to an emergency flasher mode.

Life Gear's AutoLight is intended for use in your car. You can use the white LED flashlight when you need to change a tire at night, and the flashing red LEDs will warn other drivers to your presence on the roadside. What's more, the AutoLight has a window spike so you can break safety glass, and the seat-belt cutter will help you escape a wrecked vehicle.

The list of innovative flashlights is a long one, and thanks to continuing technological advances and creative engineers, that list will only expand. Whether you're a casual flashlight users or a connoisseur of combination tools, the future of all-in-one lights is bright indeed.