It’s amazing the power that is available in a hand held flashlight now. When I was a kid we had a flashlight that took one of those big 4″x4″x6″ batteries and it would barely be enough light to read by. Now you can practically start a fire or knock over small children with one. One day instead of annoying kids shining their laser pointers on a movie screen they’ll be doing it on the moon. As I’m writing this I’m wondering how many posts it will take for someone to tell me that the object Biff is holding is actually called a torch. 
I call it a flashlight, im not from England…. or wverever else they call ‘em torches.
First post.
so, what i want to know, is what kind of bulb does that thing use? I’ve seen em bright enough to scorch your eyes, but obviously i’ve not been looking hard enough for the most powerful flashlight.
I’m from Australia. Its called a torch.
What was the setting, and where can I buy one like that?
There are lasors that are powerful enough to reach the moon. or so say the makers. they cost about $2000 but are powerful enough to light a campfire from a few feet away. really nice but will sometimes melt what you’re pointing to.
One of my friends have that flashlight. Looking at it makes your eyes melt.
Man, this is such an awesome webcomic.
@ Warcrime, I’m from Australia and we call them torches
Dang, Chris… it always seems like you pick a topic my friends and I recently discovered in our own lives. A friend of mine has a tactical flashlight on his new airsoft rifle that’s so bright it nearly does damage to a person’s eyes from 10 meters.
I love it, keep up the great work!
Lol, why does a flashlight have a ‘Kill’ Setting?
Any appliance is enhanced with a “kill” setting.
Where can I get one of those firelighting-melty-lasers?
And I beleive I would be the first one to be thinking “Flashligh = torch” and hoping I was right, being English.
Actually, it’s called a torch LIGHT. *snickers*
lol
It’s a torch. Happy?
You could hunt trolls with that thing, so better keep it at that setting. “Stun” does to trolls what mosquitoes do to you
It’s better to use a flashlight than emergency candles ( #130 ) but the the hole in the wall doesn’t really matter as the background is just made of painted cardboard ( #109 )
Also, long time reader, first time poster. Cool comic, it always manages to stay fresh.
I would of hated to be the guy standing in front of that flashlight when it’s not set on stun.
now point it at the moon and write “cha”
Your probably thinking of those Surefire brand tactical illumination devices..aka a flashlight.
65Lumens using 123 Lithium batteries..
You can find them on eBay for about $35 in the USA.
in dutch the word for that one specific is ‘staaflantaarn’, which means ‘stick lantern’ lol
but most of the time, people just say ‘zaklamp’ (flashlight) to all of them
Look…before I get involved in this argument Torch was the original word of flashlight so both words can be used….
I wonder why the torch had a stun and kill setting anyway. Can you buy them under the age of 18?
C’est un flambeau!!!
Nah, just kidding. That’s totally a flashlight. A flashlight I want.
The I-Max bulb was origionaly designed to signal people on the moon, and is powerful enough completely incinerate a piece of paper in seconds. maybe it’s a minature, or something similar…
reminds me of the lasgun joke….^^
Flashlight, torch, it’s the same thing really. Thus to solve this argument, I’m going to officially declare that all objects that can be held in the hand and who’s main purpose is to create light, using some form of electricity; shall be called buwagakises.
There, argument solved.
By the way, awesome comic, I love the simple but brilliant nature of these comics.
Wannabeelf, that made my day. I only wish I could be the one to say that.
Does it have a disentegrate setting like the zat-guns from Stargate SG1 do? Because if it does I want one.
My new 1,000,000 candella torch is so bright , I swear it has somthing akin to recoil when I switch it on.
(Which is done from the safety of a sealed bunker , by the way)
Set flashlights to kill…
you know…
it’s a torch xD
noh man i would call it a flashlight too m8
nohhh worries be happy
I call it a flashlight, but I thought it was called an “electric torch” in England and other places…
Your flashlight does have recoil, Plutos; just very, very little recoil. Photons have momentum equal to hf (or alternately hc/lambda, which is the same thing), which is the planck’s constant times the frequency of the light. Make sure you get your units right though…
Flashlight, torch… doesn’t really matter – it all depends on where you were raised.
I say flashlight… but only because I’m Canadian ^_^
E’yup, in England, we call it a torch, nothing fancy. We used to have a 1-million candle-power spotlight, we used it to stun the cats that went after our rabbits. Eventually my brother was nearly blinded, so I don’t kow where it is now.
It’s a regional thing.
But no matter what you call it, an illumination device that powerful would be pretty cool to own. The unadulterated power… *chuckles maniacally*
FINALLY, “today’s” comic, I can bookmark this hilarious site now.
Wannabeef, I can only say one thing to your post….
“NOT IN THE FACE! NOT IN THE FACE!”
Eleanor -> my dad just got one of those darn lights… only, it’s really tiny and quite deceiving.
the new tech thats in development for the US military is a a light that can burn through five feet of solid concrete in 3 seconds,huh,Anticitizen 101, do not get me on misquiteoes,wer i live there about as common as finding dirt in the ground
Hey Nate, thanks for all the comments. Glad you finally made it up to today.
That object Biff is holding is actually a torch.
You said you were waiting.
Wannabeelf – I’m hoping that was a comment on the Chairface Chippendale episode of The Tick.. and in which case.. i TOO wish, like KoL Addict, that i had posted that comment!
Humm…wickedlasers.com much?
frankly, i’m surprised so many people got my reference.
“SPOOOOOOOON!”
One time I brought a LED headlight to camp and when I shone it in people’s faces, they’d scream at me to turn it off. It was bright
im not sure if the setting is “kill” so much as “vaporize”
“Well arthur, we saved the moon… sort of.”
and
“Gravity is a harsh mistress,” which is possibly my favourite Tick quote.
I work at a video store, and I swiped the only copy of The Tick vs Season One that we received. the other employees were… ticked off?
and i thought the brights on cars hurt my eyes…
(Why can’t anyone turn those off, anyways? OMG there’s another car, let’s see if i can blind them…dillholes)
There are pocket lazers these days that are equivalent to a directional match.
But for some reason, I can only think of the angry flashlights, the lasguns.
Wannabeelf Says:
April 16th, 2007 at 8:50 am
now point it at the moon and write “cha”
Wannabeelf Says:
April 18th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
frankly, i’m surprised so many people got my reference.
“SPOOOOOOOON!”
All together now!
SPOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
Long live the Tick!
I once left a flashlight pointed down at a church pew (double bulb xenon). It burned a hole through the top layer of fabric.