Joby Gorillatorch Flare – bendy magnetic roadside safety light

I’m a big Joby fan – we’ve recently reviewed their Gorillapod Magnetic, and I’ve carried a regular Gorillapod in my bag for several years. The latest product to leave their lab is the new Gorillatorch Flare.

The Gorillatorch Flare takes the best of the Gorillapod Magnetic and the original Gorillatorch, and turns it into a roadside safety product. Instead of a single LED light, the Flare offers one 100 Lumen CREE LED and three red LED lights, and can be used as a flashlight or strobelight.

With its bendy feet, you can use it to aid in changing a tire, or to warn other drivers that you are stranded on the side of the road.

The Gorillapod Flare weighs just 9 ounces and retails for $34.95. It is available from selected retails including Amazon.com and REI.

Joby Gorillapod Magnetic review

It has been quite a while since we last reviewed a Joby Gorillapod. Since that last review, Joby has introduced several new Gorillapod versions, including their newest – the Gorillapod Magnetic.

The Magnetic is exactly what the name describes – a Gorillapod with magnets. These magnets are extremely strong, which means you can add a third method of using the Gorillapod. The new Gorillapod obviously features the same bendy legs – which allows you to wrap it around objects like a tree or a signpost. It also acts as a small tripod, and the new magnets let you stick to anything magnets stick to.

The limit of its uses are really only restricted by your creativity (and the weight limit). The Gorillapod Magnetic is designed to hold cameras up to 325 grams, and it had no problems holding a Panasonic Lumix GF1 to a lamp on my patio.

I had a blast finding places to stick the camera – though I’m not entirely sure when I’d ever need to attach a camera to the back of a plasma television in a hotel room…

The Joby Gorillapod Magnetic uses the same locking attachment base we looked at in our previous review. Included with the package is a tripod screw mount, though you can order a mobile attachment kit at Joby.com for just under $10.

I really like the Gorillapod lineup – they are compact enough to stuff in my carry-on, with the mobile kit, I can angle my iPhone where I want (I use the suction cup mount for that), and when I get to my destination, it’ll hold my camera in any angle I need.

The new Gorillapod Mobile retails for $24.95 and is available directly from Joby.com.