This thread is for discussing flashlights made and sold by Ikea.
Ikea Fryele
Pics: IKEA Fryele - Album on Imgur
October 2018 Ikea released a new flashlight: the 3AA Fryele quintupel (5 LED) rechargeable flashlight for the price of 8 Euro. Maukka measured a CCT of 4200K and a 80+ CRI, see Reddit - Dive into anything
Maukka thanks for posting your measurements 
TL;DR
In my view the Ikea Fryele is an innovative muggle flashlight, especially for the price, included charging dock, safe cell chemistry, and the included 2 year guarantee. Not a great light for flashaholics tough.
After maukka posted his [NLD] Ikea Fryele message on /r/flashlight I decided to try out this light for myself. Ikea frames this light as an emergency light for when the electicity grid goes down. In my view this light is not a great emergency light, because:
- it is not waterproof (for use in real disasters);
- sudden death due to low voltage protection which kicks in when cells are below 1 Volt (so no graceful degradation, or warning the light will go out);
- relatively low runtime for a 3AA flashlight; when using high capacity 2450 NiMHs on high this light will light for about 3-4 hours; when using Ladda 1000 NiMH on low mode the runtime is around 5 hours. In case of emergency I want a light with a double digit runtime.
- the Fryele is relatively large and heavy for carrying around on you. A single AA or 18650 cell, multi-mode flashlight is a much better option for emergency use.
That said, for indoor use I think it is a good flashlight.
Economic value
- great value:for 11 euro (8 Euro for flashlight; 3 Euro for 4 Ladda 1000s NiMH AA cells) you have a complete set of flashlight+batteries+charger. Great value in my view.
Use value
- very conventient charging: a charger dock is included. This really sets this light apart in this price class, as this feature is usually only available in much more expensive lights (Olight or Armytek flashlights with magnetic charging docks come to mind; or the OrcaTorch WR10. Although there is a trend where flashlights come with Li-Ion cells with a USB-connector for charging the cell (Wowtac lights for example), for end-users this is not as convenient as a charging dock.
- high safety: NiMH cells are much safer in use compared to Li-Ion cells.
- interface: great usability. The user interface extremely simple and convenient. Take flashlight off charger dock and it turns on. Put flashlight back on charger dock and it turns off. This is really great for people who fear pressing buttons. And yes, this fear is real with some people). There is no moonlight (as this would probably confuse non-technical people. There is also no strobe fuction, which in my view is a big advantage.
- You only need to install rechargeable batteries once. If after years of use your cells are worn out, you can replace them with new cells. There is a child-safe lock which can be opened and closed with a coin. If you install alkaline cells in the flashlight, the charger dock LED starts to flash. However, if you install depleted alkaline cells, the charger happily starts to charge them.
- You can use the flashlight as a wall-mounted light without batteries installed.
- The Fryele is a pure flood flashlight. On high the output is comparable to that of an Astrolux quad Nichia 219C on mode 4 or 5. There is some tint shift, which can be alleviated a little bit with DC-Fix. However non-flashaholic people will not notice this.
- Personally I think the 4200K is a great neutral white color temperature. It is much better than the usual cold white, 6500K+ and up, which is the standard option in cheap LED flashlights.
Technical value
- I cannot think of anything on the technical level that sets his light apart. It is not a best performer compared to CRI, output, features or user interface.
- Because of the sealed plastic housing modding this flashlight will be impossible without breaking the housing.
Design value
- First reaction of my wife: Does this thing vibrate?
- First reaction of my kids: Is this a “My First Flashlight”?
- My first reaction: this is a female gendered flashlight, due to the plastic housing, the white color (household appliances are traditionally white colored), and the curved lines. Reminds me of the Xiaomi 18650 flashlight.
Conclusion
I am going to gift this flashlight to my mother-in-law. She currently owns no flashlight at all, because “if the lights go out, I can always light a candle”. Personally I am impressed with Ikea’s effort to make a flashlight for regular non-flashaholic people that is low-priced, convenient and easy to use.
Disclaimer: I bought this light myself with my own money at an Ikea store.
s. The Fryele probably uses the same technology inside as the Ikea Tosthult bulb/flashlight ( Alle producten. Bestel online of kom langs! - IKEA ).
thumbs down
minuses:
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ni mh batteries
3 required
not included
it seems not very bright
charger should be usb, - can not tell what it is, from blurbs
looks cheesy
UI seems bad, even though it is just on and off
[have to give 2 clicks for off, even though it doesn;t seem to have more than one brightness]
pluses
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it comes on when power goes off, if plugged in
it is cheap - but then you have to get the batteries
that;s about all i can think of
I bought this light from someone on Poshmark
How do you install the batteries?
Help!!’n