Sandberg Survivor Torch Powerbank 10400

[testman78]

Introduction

Sometimes, just sometimes, you need another flashlight. "Just because" is often the reason. On other occasions, a new flashlight is called for based on features and value. Such is the case with the Sandberg Survivor Torch Powerbank 10400. Not only is this little gem a flashlight with an integrated rechargeable battery, but it is also a seatbelt cutter, and life hammer that can break windows to escape during an emergency. It is waterproof as well so good to use in heavy rain.



Specifications.




Packaging & Contents

The box is made of hard cardboard. The front fold open information flaps add a little extra weight as well. The box dont follow the typical Sandberg colour scheme that we've seen over the last couple years.



At the rear of the box we see a description of the product printed in many languages right above the contents and specifications lists.



With the front flap open you can now have a clear view of the Flashlight.



Supplied accessories include only a Micro USB Charging cable.



User guide guides the user on all aspects of using Flashlight.




Packaging & Contents

The flashlight itself measures approximately 22.6cm in length and has an oval shaped body that is approximately 4cm deep.



The flashlight's body is made from a nice rugged feeling plastic (no cheap flimsy plastic here), while the cap is made from metal. As a flash light, there are a few things to know. It does not use a traditional bulb, but instead uses a fairly powerful led.



It is IP68 rated, which means which means you can bring it with you on adventures and take comfort in knowing that you can carry on using this device. Devices backed by an international standard rating of IP68 are deemed fit enough to withstand dust, dirt and sand, and are resistant to submersion up to a maximum depth of 1.5m underwater for up to thirty minutes.



The rubberized button feels solid and has a nice click sound when pressed.



Sandberg's logo right middle gleam in a pleasing way.



At the rear end of the flashlight is a small wrist strap, attached to which is a small rubber cap, which when removed reveals the pointed survival hammer which can be used to break glass windows etc in an emergency.



The rear of the flashlight also has a small cut out which hides a blade which can be used to cut through car seatbelts in an emergency. The built-in Seat belt Cutter and Window Breaker is designed to be a survival kit. Let's hope you would never use it, but keep this device handy in your home, backpack or your car for those life-threatening emergencies when you need to break a window or cut seat belt to free yourself and your loved ones.



Another nice feature of the Sandberg Survivor Torch Powerbank 10400 is that it is rechargeable and can also be used as a powerbank for you're phone and other small devices. It's also CE, FCC, and ROHS certified, packing a smart chip inside that makes it a safe against overheating or overcharging your connected devices.



To charge the flashlight, you need to unscrew the head of the flashlight and then connect a Micro USB between the flashlight and a power source (mobile phone charger/PC). 4 blue LED's indicate how much power the flashlight has left. The power bank charges up at a rather slow 1A, while the USB output pushes power to your thirsty devices at an acceptable 2.1A (max).



With the head of the flashlight removed, you can connect any standard USB cable to the body of the flashlight and then connect the other end to you're mobile phone, GPS Navigation system, MP3 player etc. Once connected, you can hold the power button down on the flashlight and the connected device will begin to charge from the flashlight's rechargeable battery.




Performance

The device is straight forward to use and operate. The instructions were clear which said hold down the button for two seconds which I did and bingo there was light.



Press a second time gives you the next setting a third time gives you a max brightness. But, that is not all in addition it has an SOS strobe! Press twice again will shut down the LED torch.



The fixed beam gives a really good balance between focused beam and floodlight. It is really bright too! No the light can't be focused but that's not that important to me in this type of light, it provides what I would call a medium spot, it's bright in the center but it lights up a decent are around the center as well. It provides more than enough light to change a tire or find your way in the dark to illuminate a path. More moving parts like a focusing ring means more things can go wrong, for an emergency light like this I want something that's basic but functional and this one is.



The charge retention is excellent over a 3 week period i used the torch for about 2hrs on the medium setting & topped up my Samsung s8 twice from 50% & it had only used 1 bar on the charge indicator i then left the torch unused for 2 weeks & then used the torch for 20 minutes then checked the charge & it was still showing only 1 bar used. Charging the Sandberg Survivor Torch Powerbank 10400 itself took over 8 hours which was perfectly acceptable.



So is the Survivor Torch Powerbank 10400 truly waterproof? Yes it is! While in use we dropped it at the rain when it was on and we had no problem at all!



Tested windscreen breaker & seat belt cutter in my local scrapyard both worked great.




Conclusion

All in all I think the Sandberg Survivor Torch Powerbank 10400 is a great torch. The torch is very well made and seems solid although at 7 inches long it is fairly big. However the shape (oval) and lightness of the torch makes it easy to carry and it fits in my coat pocket. The beam is sharply focussed and intense, and the three brightness settings give flexibility. The well-designed Sandberg Survivor Torch Powerbank 10400 is a torch combined with several emergency tools. The ability to act as a charger pack for your mobile, the life hammer and seat belt cutter make it a really useful tool to keep in your car. This isn't only for emergencies, you can take it with you camping as a light and battery for your phone and you can use the blade to cut small ropes and things like that. Another plus with this, is you don't need to constantly buy batteries, as you can plug it into a USB port to charge it, so you can charge it from the car with the right attachment, or use your office PC. It is waterproof as well so good to use in heavy rain.



The Sandberg Survivor Torch Powerbank 10400 is the most versatile, reliable source of power and light for most emergency situations. I can highly recommend this light. For an affordable $59.99 it's a great buy and includes a 5-year warranty from Sandberg.