I have a problem.

Every time I get a new technology toy—a gadget or gizmo that promises some stellar bit of functionality—I’m inclined to put it through the wringer just to see if it lives up to the promise on the box.

While this little bit of OCD has resulted in some shining examples of truth in advertising, more often than not it leaves me disappointed by a cell phone’s less-than-promised battery life, or worse yet, blasted-out audio equipment that swore to me before its demise that it was rated for a higher decibel output, and water-logged yet “water-proof” watches that ticked their last tock after just a few drips from the faucet.

With that in mind, I’ve been eager to test my Eco LED Flashlight from Gadget Universe to see how well it fares against its long-life promises. There’s no battery to replace in the device, just a string you pull for a few minutes to charge it for up to an hour of light. It arrived last week fully charged, and I spent the afternoon trying to let the thing drain itself out in order to see just how long it would stay bright on one minute of tugging.

Here’s the real problem—though, I guess it’s not a bad thing, so much as a surprise. You can’t really put this little flashlight gizmo down long enough to let the charge drain out. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t keep from picking it up again. I get a kick out of the simple, but really ingenious string-action charger and before I know it…I’ve recharged the thing for another hour worth of use. What’s more, because the adapter at the bottom, the Eco LED Flashlight is also the easiest way to quickly charge my cell phone (whether I’m near an outlet or not).

It’s a good thing this little gizmo doesn’t promise to be water-proof…I’d hate to see such a cool, useful tool get damaged by my overzealous, one-man product testing department!