There’s something kind of joyous about the idea of a gadget named after a gorilla.
Provided, of course, that you view gorillas as comical, banana-peel-throwing, cartoony character kinds of animals – if you were deeply traumatised by Planet of the Apes as a young child, you’re probably not going to be all that enthusiastic about this latest offering from Joby.
The same company that introduced the world to the Gorillapod – a flexible tripod that took the action photography accessory world (yes, there is such a world, I’ve been there ) by storm.
The Gorillatorch is really just a Gorillapod attached to a torch; with magnetic feet complete with rubberised footpads and magnificently twistable legs, it can be set up in all sorts of unstable situations.
It’s a bit of a king among torches, with lots of thoughtful features like a switch that allows you to control the amount of energy used – on the economy setting, the 3 x AA batteries will apparently last up to 80 hours.
Water resistant, of course, the strong polycarbonate lens covers a very bright LED lamp. It weighs 185 grams with batteries; and is pretty much useless without batteries, so there’s no point telling you how much the thing weighs on its own.
Lots of handy outdoors-in-the-dark-type uses are suggested, all of them somewhat on the blokey side – home repair, auto repair and night-time barbequeing among them.
But I think the most significant value in owning your own Gorilla Torch is that the hands-free ability of this little number means that there will rarely be a situation where you will ever have to wear one of those dorky-looking headlamps again.
Bottom line: The ultimate torch for those who hate dorky headlamps
Where: www.joby.com/gorillatorch
How much : Around $50 via www.maxwell.com.au