Modesto entrepreneur bearing the torch of a battery-free flashlight

Dan Costa has seen the light.

In fact, he might just hold the future of flashlights in his hands.

The Modesto entrepreneur and 5.11 Tactical founder has just launched the Light for Life flashlight, which he and many of those who have used the product believe will change the hand-held lighting industry forever.

Those are big claims for what most people think of as a simple product. But the Light for Life's abilities might be even bigger. The flashlight is battery-free, recharges in 90 seconds, runs continuously for two hours and doesn't need replacement parts.

Costa said it is the last flashlight you will ever have to buy.

"You are going to buy one flashlight and hand it down to your kids," he said while showing it off last week in the Modesto headquarters of 5.11 Tactical, which makes tactical uniforms and gear favored by law enforcement.

"Certain technologies change the landscape, they change the way things are done. You're never going to go to a drawer where you have a bunch of flashlights and have to figure out which one works. This will always work."

That may sound like an inflated infomercial promise, but people who have tested and bought the product say seeing is believing.

"It sounds like snake oil, but the light works great," said Ripon police Sgt. Steve Merchant, whose Police Department was one of the first to have officers order the light after they saw it demonstrated six months ago.

About a dozen officers ordered it on the spot. Merchant has been using it as his primary on-the-job light for more than a week.

"I think this light will become the standard light for law enforcement. Police officers, we want equipment that works," he said. "We really have to risk our lives on a flashlight sometimes. We use our flashlights more than our guns, thank God."

The 11½-inch Light for Life, which hit store shelves Aug. 21, is initially being marketed to public safety officers only. At $169.99, it costs more than what the average consumer has considered paying for a flashlight.

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'Priced too low' at $170?

But distributors such as Craig Stott at Modesto's Crescent Work & Outdoor supply store say consumers need to remember the purchase price is all they'll ever have to pay -- there are no replacement batteries, new LED bulbs or maintenance fees.

"I almost think it's priced too low," Stott said. "It's great for the consumer because they just buy one, but ironically for us retailers it means we're never going to see them again. They buy one and they are done."

Stott said the Light for Life is priced about $20 to $40 above the Streamlight SL20, the industry-standard flashlight for law enforcement. The Streamlight runs on rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries, which need to be replaced about every year and a half. The replacements cost $20 to $80 each.

While the Streamlight and Light for Life both run for two hours, Stott said, the Streamlight takes about eight hours to fully recharge compared with the Light for Life's 90 seconds.

At 16 ounces, the Light for Life is half as heavy but a lot brighter: 270 lumens at peak output compared with the Streamlight's 200 lumens. The current model has three modes: a 90-lumen general light, a 270-lumen spotlight and a strobe light.

Its body is made out of the same polymers used in handguns and has chipped concrete in testing. But because of its lightweight materials and one-piece design, it is water-resistant and floats.