Editing Flashlight (section)

{{Short description|Portable hand-held electric light}}
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish|Fleshlight}}
<!-- per [[WP:COMMONNAME]]-->[[File:LED Flashlights.jpg|alt=C8 style on the left, tube style on the right|thumb|A set of modern LED flashlights]]

[[File:3x AA to D battery converter, MY DAY vintage flashlight, Sofirn SP36 flashlight.jpg|thumb|Left to right: 3x AA to D parallel battery converter with rechargeable NiMH AA-size batteries inserted. MY DAY vintage flashlight. It uses 1.5 V D-size batteries. Sofirn SP36 flashlight.  It features a 5 V 2 A USB-C charging port to load 3.7 V 18650 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.]]

A '''flashlight''' ([[American English|US English]]) or '''electric torch''' ([[Commonwealth English]]), usually shortened to '''torch''', is a portable hand-held electric lamp. Formerly, the light source typically was a miniature [[incandescent light bulb]], but these have been displaced by [[light-emitting diode]]s (LEDs) since the early 2000s. A typical flashlight consists of the light source mounted in a reflector, a transparent cover (sometimes combined with a [[Lens (optics)|lens]]) to protect the light source and reflector, a [[battery (electricity)|battery]], and a [[switch]], all enclosed in a case.

The invention of the [[dry cell]] and miniature incandescent electric lamps made the first battery-powered flashlights possible around 1899. Today, flashlights use mostly light-emitting diodes and run on [[Disposable battery|disposable]] or [[rechargeable battery|rechargeable batteries]]. Some are powered by the user turning a [[Crank (mechanism)|crank]], shaking the lamp, or squeezing it. Some have [[solar panel]]s to recharge the battery. Flashlights are used as a light source outdoors, in places without permanently installed lighting, during [[power outage]]s, or when a portable light source is needed.

In addition to the general-purpose, hand-held flashlight, many forms have been adapted for special uses. Head- or helmet-mounted flashlights designed for [[miner]]s and [[camping|campers]] leave both hands free. Some flashlights can be used under water or in flammable atmospheres.