The Kel-Lite was a highly-durable, weather- and shock-resistant flashlight (UK: torch), made of heavy 6061-T6 aluminium. According to company founder Donald Keller, a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff, he began working on the concept in 1964 as he was tired of the lack of durability of the generically available, cheap metal flashlights of the day; the prototype was largely designed by 1968. Keller's primary concern was to develop the flashlight as a defensive tool; the illumination provided an ancillary benefit. Keller contracted a machine shop in Covina owned by Frank Patti to produce a few prototypes to ensure costs were sufficiently low, making adjustments to the prototype designs based on input from law enforcement officers. By late 1968, Keller and Patti founded the Kel-Lite Corporation, with Patti handling manufacturing and Keller assembly and marketing. Initial prices ranged from $12.95 (for the 2-cell model) to $18.95 (for the 7-cell model). Keller paid a commission of $1 to each police officer that convinced another to purchase a light.