First LED flashlihgt I know was Petzl Tikka "in the begining of 2001":https://books.google.ru/books?id=Z-EDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=petzl+tikka+2001&source=bl&ots=2mV6XtEa8r&sig=ACfU3U0soHOkQQ6q_foQ7Tvy6t0vTkGpjg&hl=ru&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjS7omQ0PHpAhXjsYsKHVSzAbgQ6AEwCHoECAoQAQ. upd . Tikka was introduced even in 2000.
Quote from "Petzl Book"
In the early 2000s, during a trade show in Salt Lake City, Paul discovered another brand had switched to using tiny light bulbs that allowed small headlamps with the same light output as considerably larger ones. He was beside himself for the entire return trip. “Our competitors are miles ahead of us! What can we do to compete this time?” Barely back in Crolles, he made a beeline for R&D. The engineer in charge of headlamp design, Boris Bouffay, was a bit worried to see his boss so agitated. “We made a mistake, Boris, the Zoom is finished,” Paul proclaimed. The two men discussed the situation for a long time. One option was for Petzl to launch its own tiny light-bulb headlamps, but playing catch-up seemed too difficult.
Boris then handed Paul an object he had never heard of, a tiny diode called a LED – Light Emitting Diode. Prior to working for Petzl, the engineer had worked for, among others, an automobile manufacturer, designing both interior ceiling lights and dashboard lighting. It was in this field that he first heard about white LEDs. No headlamp manufacturer had dared use LEDs due to their low output and high cost, but Boris knew that their performance had improved significantly of late. And even if LEDs did not yet have the same light output as traditional bulbs, they had the considerable advantage of requiring far less battery power. This had not gone unnoticed in the caving community. Some cavers had already started tinkering with the tiny diodes to make lighter headlamps with longer-lasting burn times. And the technology was bound to continue evolving.
Paul was soon convinced. This was the best course of action for their new headlamp, even if the approach was riskier. In line with the oft-used saying among Petzl employees, “Better a good prototype than a long speech,” Boris Bouffay quickly pulled together the necessary parts and handed them over to designer Christophe Chedal-Anglay. There were few main components - three LEDs and three batteries. The headlamp would not rely on light output to attract customers; it would use its minimal size and shape to stand out from the crowd.
There was nothing like this headlamp anywhere on the market, so it was impossible to look elsewhere for guidance or comparison. And Christophe Chedal-Anglay’s first versions were not exactly what Petzl was looking for. The housing was just too big. So just before Christmas 1998, Boris decided to eliminate one of the specification requirements and try using plastic instead of the aluminum initially selected. Boris Bouffay. designer spent Christmas Eve reworking the mock-ups, and when he returned from winter break, he presented a prototype the size of a golf ball, which easily fit into one’s pocket. Petzl had a winner on its hands! All the lamp needed now was an elastic headband, and a name. Tikka seemed like the natural choice: it’s the red dot that some Hindus place on their forehead, Shiva’s third eye.
Due to the time it took to design the molds needed for the lamp’s small parts, the Tikka was not officially launched until 2001. The line of headlamps also included an even more minimalist version called the Zipka, equipped with a retractable elastic cord instead of a headband. Everyone at Petzl hoped the two models would be popular with a wider audience beyond mountaineering enthusiasts, in particular with women, who would find the small, colorful item less cumbersome and, well, goofy than the traditional bulky headlamps. Who knew? It might even find a place in their purses. The sales goal was rather ambitious, in the tens of thousands…
It proved to be a serious underestimate. Demand turned out to be ten times higher than initially expected. In the first year, Petzl had to double the number of manufacturing machines. At night, Boris would have nightmares about standing on the platform at the Grenoble train station, watching freight cars bringing back thousands of defective headlamps. In the shipping department, everyone worked overtime to make sure all the orders were filled. Only the sales force had time to savor the company’s success; there was no need for a long sales pitch to convince retailers to buy the product, so impressed were they with the tiny headlamp. And by announcing that the lamp had the capacity for five straight days of burn time, Petzl reps were able to get them to stock shelves even more quickly. The Tikka became the brand’s most widely sold product.
