My name is Mark Loudon and I live in the beautiful town of Somerset West just outside Cape Town, South Africa. I started my career as a newspaper reporter in Durban and Pietermaritzburg before moving into public relations, fundraising, advocacy and copy-editing.

I started TorchGuy.Com early in 2013 to keep me out of mischief in my retirement and also to justify to Mrs Torchguy why I needed so many torches. My business has grown a lot since then but either Mrs T or I still respond to every enquiry, test every torch, and pack every order.

I'm not married to any particular brand of flashlight – I'm constantly looking for torches in each category that deliver the best combination of quality, performance and price. At the moment I am concentrating on the following brands which deliver exceptional bang for your buck:

Sofirn offer unbelievable value for money. It hasn't taken long for enthusiasts to sit up and take notice, and Sofirn torches now feature regularly on global review sites like Budgetlightforum.Com where they compare favourably with far more expensive brands. As their sole SA distributor I offer blue-chip support despite their red-tag prices.

Nitesun (formerly Brinyte) was established in 2006 and produce over half a million torches each year which are sold in more than 100 countries under their own name and through OEM clients. Their aspheric lens (adjustable beam) torches in particular make other "zoomers" look pale and overpriced by comparison.

Trustfire have been around since 2007 and are big operators at the budget end of the market, selling torches, batteries and chargers. However they are introducing some new torches which are a huge step up on their older models and demand to be taken seriously, and their factory support is the best I've encountered.

Cyclops is my own brand of headlamp, assembled to my specifications to deliver amazing features and performance at absurdly low prices. People laugh a lot at the Cyclops – when they see the performance relative to the price, or what their friends paid for inferior headlamps, and when their headlamp is still working brilliantly after many years.

Keeppower is a global leader in re-packaging top quality lithium-ion cells (Li-Ions) from the best manufacturers in Japan, Korea and China for big US battery brands such as AW, Intl-Outdoor and Redilast. I sell them in South Africa under their own name, which has become an industry benchmark for quality (check out the reviews here).

Liitokala battery chargers are humble in appearance and price, but there's nothing humble about their electronics or charging algorithms which ensure you get the longest life from your batteries. Their USB chargers are the most versatile, allowing you to charge your batteries anywhere and draw power off a Li-Ion to charge your cellphone!

I really enjoy sharing my passion for flashlights and building friendships with my customers. The vast majority of my sales are repeat orders and referrals. To get in touch with me please email me at mark@torchguy.com.

Thank you for visiting!