This flashlight is amazingly bright — and heavy enough to be a weapon. But when you turn it on, just a few seconds later it blinks its lights then turns off. What the hell‽

Solution: Out of the box, it’s in “auto-lock” mode. To get out of this mode so the flashlight actually works as it should, hold down the power button for three seconds.

This is a crazy anti-usability feature that is supposedly for “demo” purposes, but really it just prevents customers from using the device. I bet their return rate is sky-high because there is no indication that the damn thing isn’t broken.

I got a decent deal on this flashlight at Costco, but it’s also available at the Amazon. It has some nice extras, like the ability to recharge via USB and even charge other devices, such as your phone. Did I mention it’s very bright? “The light of a thousand suns” is barely an exaggeration.

Coincidentally, over 10 years ago, I wrote about an Energizer flashlight that had a similar, inscrutable feature. Bad idea then, bad idea now.