How Do LED Torches Work? 

Torches are important household items to keep easily accessible in your home for safety and convenience. LED torches are now the more common type, overtaking incandescent torches. But why is this? What is an LED torch and how is it different from an incandescent one? How does an LED torch work and what are its advantages?

Finally, which brands are best to look for? This article will answer all of these questions, making sure you understand why they are so popular and why an LED torch is a great investment for anyone.

What is an LED Torch?

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. So, unlike traditional incandescent lights (which produce light through joule heating), LED torches use Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) to produce light.

This means that, inside an LED torch, electrons are supplied by the battery and are forced to move through a semiconductor material (typically a compound such as gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, or indium gallium nitride). When the electrons move and recombine, photons are emitted that produce the torch light. This process is called electroluminescence.

Structure of an LED Torch

An LED torch needs to create an environment where this process can take place, so it has a distinct structure:

• The external torch is made from materials such as hard plastic or steel.
• The structure of the bulb is the torch’s most complicated part. As the light of an LED is produced by the light-emitting diode itself, the bulb must include the semiconductors that allow the current to pass through, and a specialised driver to convert the power and regulate the current. A phosphor coating is applied directly to the diode to determine the colour of the light. To prevent the diode from overheating, the bulb also contains a heatsink that diverts any excess heat.
• The torch reflector directs the light beam. For example, whether the beam is wide like a floodlight or narrow like a spotlight.
• The torch lens further protects the inside of the torch and changes how the light looks.
• The torch battery compartment is usually accessible through the bottom of the torch, as there will be an unscrewable section where the battery can be placed and replaced.
• The switch or on/off button. This may look different depending on the torch’s shape and brand, but the on/off button will always be present, ensuring the light will not stay on constantly and the batteries will not run down unless you are using the torch.

Key Benefits of an LED Torch

Durable

LED torches tend to be more modern and slightly more expensive, so the materials are usually of higher quality. Equally, as it produces less heat than incandescent torches, it is less likely to get damaged. These factors mean LED torches are usually more durable.

Environmentally friendlier 

LED torches produce less heat and use less energy than traditional torches, resulting in lower carbon emissions. Additionally, their batteries are often reusable, which reduces waste from disposable batteries.

Energy-efficient

LED torches use significantly less energy than a standard bulb. This means they last longer and consume less energy, so you don’t need to replace them frequently.

Common LED Torch Brands

Below are some of the most popular brands of LED torches:

• Varta torch
• Maglite torch
• Ansmann torch
• Duracell torch
• LED lenser torch

Get an LED Torch

An LED torch is the logical choice over a traditional incandescent torch for many reasons, so why not get one? Torches are very useful, and it is government-recommended to have multiple torches and extra batteries in your house to stay safe during events like power outages.

If you don’t have up-to-date torches, consider investing in a few reliable LED torches to stay prepared and benefit from the advanced technology that traditional lights can’t offer.