1968 First Year 5D Kel-Lite

I recently picked up a super rare first year 5D Kel-Lite. This light is extremely rare as Kel-Lite made only a couple hundred of them during their first year in production. Don has a complete history of the lights on his web site at https://kellite.com/kel-lite-history/ so I won't re-hash that here. The early lights are easily distinguishable by their knurled tail cap without markings.  All lights were D cells and were all large (flood) heads and stamped San Dimas as the original location was based in San Dimas.

This light was owned by a Riverside County Sheriff's officer. It is heavily personalized with the officer's name and badge number. These lights cost only $18 in 1968 but that is equivalent to $140 today so it's easy to see why the officer wanted to keep track of the light.  Riverside County is right next to Los Angeles County where this light was produced so as with most other extremely early model flashlights from other manufacturers they were distributed closest to the factory.

Up until I purchased this light I had never seen any first year Kel-Lites so I was very much interested in acquiring this light. Aside from it's end cap it is substantially similar to other first generation Kel-Lites. The slide switch operation is identical. These lights also lacked a serial number as well. This light is obviously well used and has seen some action. As can be seen above the switch is close to failure although I likely won't change it as it adds character to the light. The question I get is how does this light hold up today? Fantastic! As can be seen below it still operates flawlessly and is plenty bright throwing about 40 lumens. Not too bad for a 50+ year old light. The brightness may be a far cry from today's lights but it is still plenty bright for most common tasks.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this very rare and interesting find.

As always I'm looking to buy vintage and rare aluminum flashlights. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.

Streamlight SL-20 and Continued Rechargeable Flashlight History

This post is continued from my Early Rechargeable Flashlight History Post.

Enter Streamlight. Originally incorporated as Streamlite in New Jersey, Streamlight started out producing industrial lighting. One of their first products was a handheld light for NASA. They later produced handheld spotlights for search and rescue and law enforcement. They didn't have a traditional flashlight early on but they weren't far away from producing one.

In 1978 Streamlight was located in Norristown, PA and started negotiations with Norm Nelson to purchase Kel-Lite and produce a rechargeable flashlight designed from the ground up, the SL-20. Patent # 4171534. Rather than using the end cap the charging point was placed at the switch which simplified the overall design. During this time almost all aluminum flashlights were marketed towards police officers, firefighters and other professional trades. Not until Maglite came about were these lights seriously marketed towards general consumers. As such, the SL-20, showcasing the groundbreaking rechargeable technology, put all flashlight manufacturers at the time, with the exception of Maglite and Kel-Lite, out of business.

I was lucky enough to purchased a small police surplus lot of SL-20s. The SL-20s I have are from a later batch that was produced after Streamlight bought out Kel-Lite in 1983. Streamlight models after 1983 have the end caps stamped Norristown, PA / Barstow, CA because production was handled out of the Streamlight facility as well as the old Kel-Lite facility. Lights produced prior to 1983 were stamped only Norristown, PA and had a different serial numbering scheme.

This was the close of one chapter but the beginning of another. Kel-Lite was reduced to the non-rechargeable incandescent line produced by Streamlight but the rechargeable flashlight industry started to rule law enforcement sales. I've covered these 3rd gen Kel-Lite Streamlights, here.

The serial numbering scheme was originally sequential with no letter prefixes. However after Streamlight bought Kel-Lite they needed to differentiate the alkaline and rechargeable lines so they added two letters to the prefix of the serial. These started with K for alkaline Kel-Lites and S for rechargeable SL-20s. They start at SA000001 and go up to SC999999. I don't have any beyond SC but SD and SE would be next.

The switch is an amazingly simple and reliable design. It has the fewest parts of any switch I've seen and hold up very well to serious abuse. The switch can be depressed for signalling or momentary on  when it is in the off position or it can be slid forward to have the light constantly on. The break between the positive and negative contact points also serves as the charging points.

Unfortunately chargers can no longer be sourced. These lights are very rarely if ever found with chargers because the chargers were plastic and dry rotted and broke over the years. What is nice is they are exactly the same dimensions of a 3 D cell light. The lights were originally 5 cell NiCads so a rechargeable battery out of a Mag Charger or any of 3D sized light would work. I prefer to run them instead with a reduced voltage and 3 D cells. The lights will operate just fine but their brightness is significantly reduced as shown below.

The bulb is joined with the reflector which would make replacement of just the bulb very difficult. Luckily the halogen bulbs have a very long service light, so especially if they are operated on 3D cells the life should be even longer. They are connected to the switch terminals via jumper cables.

Streamlight also produced a plastic SL-15 model and an aluminum 5D cell sized SL-35. The 3D sized SL-20 was the most popular of the bunch. The SL-20 soldiered on for around 10 years. In the mid to late 1980s the SL-20X was introduced as a new and improved model. Original SL-20s are easily identifiable because they are stamped SL-20 behind the switch. Streamlight later introduced a plastic version, and still produces and SL-20L and SL-20LP which are direct descendants of the original SL-20s as shown below from Streamlight's website. The Streamlight Stinger is by far the more popular choice for officers though.

These lights are difficult to find but not well sought after by collectors like Kel-Lites and Maglites are. This is likely due to the fact that most are no longer operable due to lack of parts. Even with alkaline batteries their use is limited as they don't put out more than 40 lumens or so. They are a huge part of flashlight history though and I think they're pretty neat collectibles. Even to this day Streamlight Stingers, as well as Surefires, are hands down the most popular choices among law enforcement. Most people consider Maglites to be cop lights but aside from early Kel-Lites the Streamlight SL-20 is the light law enforcement favored the most. In good used condition they are worth around $20 today.

In 1982 the Mag Charger debuted and I've picked up the history of rechargeables with a post about it on my Maglite blog that can be found here. The Mag Charger didn't give the SL-20 a big run for it's money but it was still an important light.

As always I'm looking to buy vintage and rare aluminum flashlights. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.

Tru Grit Lights

Tru Grit was a short lived, early competitor of Kel-Lite. I say competitor but actually they knocked off Kel-Lite's design and infringed on several of their patents. During Kel-Lite's early days many issues halted production leaving a shortage of supply and an increasingly high demand as Don Keller recruited police officers around the country to help grow his business. This pent up demand is what led New Products Development Company, a machine shop in Cleveland, OH, to copy Don's design and issue their own light, the Tru Grit light. Check out my post about Gem-Lites for another early Kel-Lite knock off.

The Tru Grit light did offer one twist though, no pun intended. The barrels were actually comprised of several threaded segments so a user could add or subtract cells as needed. The light could go from a 2 cell all the way up to a 7 cell. The correct PR bulb would need to be installed pending the change in cell size. Shown below is a Tru Grit light in segments.

This particular Tru Grit light is extremely rare. It is anodized gold and was one of only one of a handful done for a machine shop / steel processor, Guild International, in nearby Columbus, OH. The majority of these lights were sold to first responders and were done in black as were most early aluminum lights. This light also had very heavy corrosion from a battery that was left for far too long in the light. It was next to impossible to get apart and it had some damage from a previous attempt. I used the steps found in my stuck end cap post to get it apart and back into working order.

As far as I know all Tru Grit lights were D cells. Unlike other D cell lights that were made from aluminum irrigation pipe this light appears to have been manufactured from aluminum bar stock because the head is actually part of the barrel. The barrel is also much much thicker than other lights that were made from irrigation pipe. These lights also had about the heaviest knurling I've seen out of all the lights I've worked on. I like it! I can see though how this would wear out a holster pretty quick.

Tru Grit was only around from approximately 1970 until 1972. In the end it was not Don Keller who sued them for copyright violations but rather John Wayne. John Wayne, and now his estate, have always been very protective of their trademarks and this was no exception. John Wayne's movie, True Grit, had only come out a couple of years prior and he was none too happy about New Products Company infringing on his success. Rather than change the name Tru Grit closed as they weren't very profitable as Kel-Lite's production began ramping up.

I know there was a specific machinist behind New Products Development Company but I haven't been able to find out his name or story. If anyone has any info I'd love to hear about it. Thanks for reading!

As always I'm looking to buy vintage and rare aluminum flashlights. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.

1st Generation Kel-Lites and Early Kel-lite History

Up until 1968 when Don Keller invented the Kel-Lite, flashlights were generally regarded as disposable and were viewed many times by battery manufacturers as just a way to sell batteries. This is not to say that important advancements weren't made prior to this time but the industry as a whole was fundamentally changed when the Kel-Lite was introduced. With the possible exception of the LED being introduced to flashlights in the mid 1990s nothing changed the industry more than the ultra durable, aluminum construction Kel-Lite. In fact, flashlights sold today are not too different from the same light designed by Don Keller almost half a century ago. Specific early history can be found on Don's site, http://www.kellite.com, and at the article Don wrote for the now defunct Flashlight Museum, http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/multimedia/KelliteHistory.doc.

I have a mid-size collection of 1st Gen Kel-Lites. It is less comprehensive than a few other collectors but I still have some very unique, one off lights, that I haven't seen anywhere else before. I think the ultimate collection is the Norm Nelson collection which was purchased from his estate or the famous ABTOMAT collection on Candle Power Forums. Links to both of these collections can be found in the External Resources toolbar on the right hand side of this page. Shown below is my modest 1st Gen Kel-Lite collection.

Some of the options on the 1st Gens include judo and lanyard ring ends caps. Kel-Lite also produced a shortly lived judo stick that's shown at the lower right and was intended for self defense and sold to law enforcement only. C cells were far more popular than D cells in the first generation. In fact the only D cell I own is a prototype 2D with mace holder. This is because a C cell is closer in diameter to a PR-24 style baton and other traditional batons. There were a lot of suppliers in the early days and the lights varied quite a bit year to year. D cells were available with a large head for flood and small light for spotting and C cells were available only with a medium style head for a good mix.

As always I'm looking to buy vintage and rare aluminum flashlights. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.

Kel-Lite Stud-Lites

Stud-Lite was Kel-Lite's attempt at acquiring sales outside the law enforcement market. Norm Nelson, Kel-Lite's 2nd president after Don, came from Per-Lux, a manufacturer of auxiliary lighting for big rigs so he believed there was market for flashlights geared towards truckers. He wasn't correct and Stud-Lites were a short lived experiment. I believe they were produced from 1976 to 1978.

The lights are identical to a medium head D cell Kel-Lite. This is of course with the exception of the color scheme. These lights were designed, like many older lights, in a bright color scheme that made them easy to find in a dark cluttered truck. This is opposite of the black law enforcement lights that were designed to be stealthy and harder to spot at night. I think these were only produced in medium heads. I've seen them in 2 -3D and C cell. Longer lights are possible also but I haven't seen them.

The blue light came from an estate sale but unfortunately I don't have much other back story behind it. Kel-lite offered optional engraving from the factory and this light was ordered with it. The light is engraved with the owner's last name, "Baldwin", right next to the switch. Other lights were personalized by their owners either through gun engravers or as a do it at home project. The black light also has a black button. The black button signifies that it has a riveted switch as opposed to normal switches that were attached with 2 threaded machine screws. I've seen this on both Stud-Lites and Kel-Lites but I don't have a clue why it was offered. To me it seems it would only be a drawback when the light needed to be serviced. If anyone does know or has more info about the black button riveted switches please let me know.

I also have a Stud-Lite sticker in the pics below that was distributed with some of these lights. Kel-Lites were sold with the tag line "The Professional Flashlight". The Stud-Lite was sold as "The Professional Trucker's Flashlight". Shown below is the same blue Stud-Lite with with a 2nd Gen 4D Kel-Lite and the sticker. It is true that aluminum professional lights were popular with truckers. Many truckers used them to beat against the side of a tire as a quick pressure check, to remove stuck snow and ice, and for making late night repairs to their rigs. Of course they were valued as a last resort for self defense as well. However, most preferred a regular Kel-Lite, the same as those carried by cops. For those interested check out my Maglite Vari-Beam post which was a similar ill-fated marketing attempt.

As always I'm looking to buy vintage and rare aluminum flashlights. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.

Pharo-Tech Rechargeable Light and Early Rechargeable Flashlight History

I'll warn those that are faint of heart that this is a long post with few pictures. So without further fanfare here is the brief, early history of rechargeable flashlights..

NiCad rechargeable batteries have been around for a long time but it was only in the 1960s and 70s that their production became standardized and their popularity increased. At the same time professional aluminum flashlights were becoming more and more popular. Many police departments would go through a set of 3D alkaline batteries per officer per shift. The cost of replacing all of these batteries was a large one. At that time folks weren't as concerned about the environment as they are today but the environmental impacts were also huge as no one recycled these batteries. They were simply placed in landfills.

Realizing the large expenditure associated with alkaline batteries a couple of inventors stepped forward to develop a NiCad charging system for existing flashlights. in 1973 Norm Nelson at Kel-Lite patented an early recharging system. Patent # 3829676 . As far as I know this was experimented with but never produced or sold. Then in 1976 Onno Prinsze of Qual Tech patented another recharging system. Patent # 4092580. All of these early recharging systems replaced the tail cap and introduced an inlet port when the batteries could be re-energized. Nelson's invention utilized a simply jack whereas Prinsze's utilized a charging cradle. The charging cradle was much more secure and had lights to let the user know if the light was charging and when the charge was complete.

Prinsze's charging cradle went into production shortly thereafter and and the rechargeable flashlight was born. These were distributed by Qual-Tech under their Luma-Tech and Pharo-Tech brands. Early on they were produced as conversions for L.A. Screw and Kel-Lite flashlights. Later on they would be produced for Maglite conversions as well. Please find an early advertisement for Luma-Tech Chargers and L.A. Screw conversions below. Shown below is a very early advertisement for the Luma-Tech charger with a L.A. Screw Code 4 conversion.

Shown below is a prototype of the first dedicated rechargeable flashlight sold. It is the Gold annodized light with the black bezel and end cap. It is shown next to my early black Kel-Lite CPL-2C It is a CPL-3C Kel-Lite cut down to a 4 cell NiCad. Only 35 such prototypes were produced and only very few. It was manufactured by Onno Prinsze in conjunction with Kel-Lite but unfortunately only 35 protoypes and a handful more as retail boxed units were produced to gauge interest in the market. This is one of those original 35 produced. Kel-Lite and Prinsze stopped production shortly after Kel-Lite was sold to Streamlight.

Mine is missing the cradle charger but a pic of it can be seen below in early sales literature for the unit. The final retail version was a converted CPL-2C Kel-Lite with a modified battery pack as is shown by the shortened grip in the pic below.

In 1978 Kel-Lite was bought by Streamlight and I've picked up the history of rechargeables with a post about that can be found here.

As always I'm looking to buy vintage and rare aluminum flashlights. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.

Pro-Lights

Don Keller of Kel-Lite fame left Kel-Lite in 1972 after being bought out by Norm Nelson. Immediately afterwards Don wanted to get back into the flash light industry as this was his passion. A company called VSI wound up backing Don Keller to create Pro-Light. The Kel-Lite was often marketed as "The Professional Light" which is where the name came from. VSI was similar to Brinkmann, they were a consumer products conglomerate mostly specializing in outdoor products. Shown below is a VSI ad from 1976 showing a large head Pro-Light as well as their mini light. They had several models with the most popular being their aluminum D cell small head.

VSI sold in 1976 to another company called ITT. ITT insisted upon using a union shop as part of their marketing for Pro-Lights. After the cost analysis came back the lights were astronomically more expensive using union labor. As such ITT decided to produce them only in plastic to make up for the cost difference. Don Keller then went to John Bianchi, a gun leather manufacturer, and continued to produce the aluminum style Pro-Light as a Bianchi B-Lite. ITT went out of business shortly thereafter and Pro-Light ceased to exist after only 5 or 6 years in business total around 1979. Shown below is my early ITT Pro-Light. It's a 5D and was well used. I had to make a couple parts for it to get it back into working order but it lights and works now.

Also, inside the head is a nice touch from Pro-Light. It is a bulb chart. These are the flange base PR bulbs. I've done a post on them in my Maglite blog here.

As always I'm looking to buy vintage and rare aluminum flashlights. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.