The words "flashlight" and "beautiful" don't generally occupy the same sentence. But designer Greg Hinzmann wants to change that with the new Trioh, which bears the tagline "world's most beautiful flashlight."
I'm not current enough on flashlight design to say whether the Trioh lives up to such lofty claims, but it's certainly way prettier than the red plastic job I have sitting on the floor next to my bed.
The three-in-one device functions as a rechargeable flashlight with three super-bright LEDs; an emergency light that automatically goes on when the power goes out; and a modern-looking accent light that can sit on an end table in its charging dock looking sleekly unassuming until it has to jump into emergency duty.
The Trioh arose from Hinzmann's idea that a better-looking flashlight might be kept out in the open rather than made to hide in closets, toolboxes, and under beds -- and thus would be more accessible should the lights go out. Hinzmann, who has designed products for companies including Nike, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and Logitech, has a point there.
The product is now available for preorder on Kickstarter, with a pledge of $69 getting you one Trioh and a pledge of $125 or more landing you two. However, the project will only be funded if it reaches its Kickstarter goal of at least $90,000 by August 17. At the time of this writing, Trioh had hit $56,348 in pledges.
Trioh's rechargeable lithium ion batteries provide an estimated 12 hours of constant use in flashlight mode. Additionally, when in emergency mode, the Trioh will pulse light for three days on one full charge. That's a long emergency, but you can never be too prepared.