You've seen them on T.V. many times. Shake flashlights-just shake one for a few seconds and voila! Instant, bright light. But besides the novelty of it all, are these things for real or even practical? The answer is yes, they are for real and extremely practical for everyday application. Here are seven good reasons why you need a shake flashlight:

1. Needs no batteries. A flashlight with dead batteries is useless. An old stick is just about as useful as a dead flashlight. And there's probably nothing more frustrating than reaching for a flashlight, only to find out it is completely dead. With a shake flashlight, dead batteries are never a problem. A shake flashlight needs no batteries because it uses the Faraday Magnetic Method to recharge the flashlight again and again. Different brands and models of shake flashlights vary in effectiveness but some of the better ones can give light for hours with just a few seconds of shaking.

2. Rugged construction. There are several different brands of shake lights, and they are not all constructed equally, but it's fair to say that many of them are built for rugged use. While it's probably not a good idea to use one as a hammer, shake flashlights can nonetheless take some abuse like being dropped on the floor without damage. Housed in a clear shatterproof high-tech casing, a shake flashlight can operate in extreme hot or cold environments without diminishing performance.

3. Water resistant. Drop a regular flashlight in the water and it won't work anymore, at least not until the batteries, bulb, and other components are dried out. That's not a problem for a shake flashlight however, which is water resistant to 20 feet or more.

4. Long Life LED bulb. The long-life LED bulb illuminates up to a 30 ft. radius or more, depending on the model and can withstand light drops and bumps. Because the LED lamp consumes very little energy, it doesn't generate heat, which is the enemy to standard light bulbs.

5. Set it and forget it. It doesn't need batteries, so you can store your flashlight and literally forget about it until you need it. Put one in your car's glove box, one in your kitchen, one in the tool box, one in the garage, one in your R.V., one in your boat etc.

6. Environmentally friendly. In many areas batteries can't be thrown away with the common trash, even though many people do so. Batteries contain toxic chemicals that can leach into the ground and cause contamination of the soil and ground water. Because there's no batteries in shake flashlights, there's not the disposal problem you have with regular batteries. This makes shake lights more environmentally friendly than battery powered flashlights.

7. Because they're way cool! These aren't you grandfather's flashlights (although your grandfather may have one by now). A shake flashlight is one of those items that always gets attention, a real conversation piece. Models that come in various translucent colors look especially cool when they're on. Why settle for one boring color when you can have several!