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Old 31st Oct 2016, 1:10 am   #51
Techman
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 4,985
Default Re: Old torches - anyone here collect them?

For as long as I can remember, my father had a black rubber torch. The upper one in the first picture is, as far as I know, this torch, unless it was replaced at some point with a later version of exactly the same type. If it is the original one, then it could even date back as far as the 50s, if members can confirm that these torches were actually made that long ago. This torch is an 'Ever Ready' make, however, the one below in the picture is made by 'United Electrical' and was in the family from years ago. Both torches work and will have some ancient, out of date batteries still fitted - I just looked in the lower one and it's got 1998 cells in. As a youngster I always craved after one of those Pifco lantern types and several times considered spending my pocket money on one, but seem to remember that they were well over a pound in the early 60s, so ended up with a grey version of the rubber torch. The grey rubber torch is now long gone - broken switch and I seem to think rubber rot rather than battery rot. I seem to remember a lot of very thick, dense fogs back in those days and how I liked to shine the torch into the fog at night and seeing the length of the beam, with my torch beating my pals torches with the power of its beam. This torch had a particularly good reflector and a special (at the time) pre-focused bulb and had a far more powerful beam than any of those black rubber torches - I seem to think that it wasn't made by Ever Ready, but I could be wrong.

The next torch is a type that I don't think has been mentioned so far and perhaps could be called another 'under pillow' type. It's made by Ever Ready and my parents had it for many years. They may well have bought it new, or it could have been one that latterly belonged to my grandmother - it seems to have been around forever. I have never used this torch myself and it would no doubt work if I took the time to re-stuff that battery with AA cells.
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Last edited by Techman; 31st Oct 2016 at 1:35 am.
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