Review Celestron Firecell

[Helen]

I got one of these for Christmas  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/red-light-astronomy-torches/celestron-firecel-red.html and it has proved really useful, so I thought I'd flag it up here.

It fits nicely in the palm of my hand

It is an unusual little thing in that it is multi-talented! It has a red light torch which is a reasonable brightness and includes a flashing function (ideally would be nice not to have to scroll through that to turn it off).  No white light so no accidental turn on.

It is a handwarmer, with two heat settings.  It can get very hot on the top setting, so the included pouch is useful.  But it is great to keep in your pocket on the low setting, or for a boost at high if you are getting cold - it warms up very quickly.

And finally it has a USB out charger - I found this brilliant at SGLX when my phone ran out.  I just plugged it in to the firecell and stuck them both in my pocket when I wandered around.

It is rechargeable through usb, so no battery costs.

Obviously the length of time a charge lasts depends on how you use it, but the stated times of 2 hours on high temp and 3 on low seem reasonable to me - given the effectiveness of the heat , and the quick warm up, it is very easy to turn on and off to save the charge.  Seems to last for ages just using the torch.

Overall, a neat, useful little gadget 

Helen