ECOutlet.co.uk have sponsored my GreenFestivalMan campaign with two products, including a Puma LED Dynamo Torch.

When I think of dynamo torches I think of big clumsy things, that need continual winding. This torch is the opposite of this . With a new generation 0.5W LED, one minute of winding gives you 20 minutes of light.

Sturdy, and slightly smaller than an average size mobile phone. The torch has 2 light intensities and also a strobe light. The robust dynamo gear tucks neatly behind the torch, preventing it getting in the way.

This is the brightest single bulb LED torch I’ve found to date. Apart from the obvious benefits like never having to buy batteries,or getting cut short in a situation with battery fade, the solid construction of this torch will make it suitable for a wide range of uses: general household use; camping or more extreme uses. (Battery life diminishes quickly in extremely cold environments – no battery, no more problems?).

This torch was perfect at Glastonbury Festival and I have every faith in it for my Arctic Survival Challenge for WaterAid in February 2006.

The Puma Dynamo Wind-up LED torch is available from Ecoutlet.co.uk and other good on-line shops.

Bionsen kindly sent me a bottle of its deodorant for me to test. Usually I’m a spray deodorant kind of guy but not being able to send aerosols through the post, I opted for the pump spray. At £2.49 it’s not unreasonable, although I tend to choose my spray by being on special offer so is probably a little more than I would pay normally.

I was also reticent about the pump spray and the fact it would be wetter on my underarms, but I’ll try anything so I ploughed on. Bionsen is a hypoallergenic range containing Japanese spa minerals (whatever they are) and is aluminium and paraben free. There’s some science behind the deodorant as instead of it blocking the sweat glands like anti-perspirants, Bionsen (and other deodorants) tackle the odour instead. The “antiseptic agents and germ-killing ingredients target and kill the bacteria that causes body odour on contact. Fragrances also work to combat body odour but the natural, finely-tuned balance of the body is not affected”.

So does it work? As I said before I was worried about the wetness of the spray but after a couple of times you work out the right amount so it doesn’t dribble down your side and then I left my shirt off for five minutes after that too to make sure. And it really seems to work. I actually chose the two hottest weeks of the year to start my testing (May is the new August it seems) and it performed admirably. In fact even when I was sweating a lot, I had to get the Tube one day, there was no bad smell whatsoever. I still sweated, but sweated in a sweet smelling way.

I’m not sure it’s better than other deodorants or anti-perspirants I use, but I know it’s better for me and it’s certainly not worse which I suspect some people would think it would be. I like the smell more than other products I’ve used and think I’ll use it from now on. I discovered the girlfriend uses the roll-on as well when she tried to steal this as she thought it was for her. The roll-on is a bit cheaper at £1.99 and there’s also an aerosol spray at £2.99, stick at £2.49 and this pump spray is also £2.49. It’s available at high street chemists, supermarkets and John Lewis.