Have you ever caused "Flashlight-Envy"?
- Thread starter buds224
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
DellSuperman
Flashlight Enthusiast
1st incident was with my old man.
During dinner, he signaled me to look under the table at his new 9-LED flashlight, running on 3xAA.
I took out my Solarforce w/ a 3A XM-L dropin.
He kept his immediately, took mine to play around (which includes looking into the emitter & turning it on) before saying, "Thanks boy, I'll take this"...
Of course that was my lego-ed host, so i bought him another L2P with a similar dropin.
2nd incident was a minor blackout at work.
The facility guys came blasting their bulky torchlights, which was putting out pretty dim light.
Out came my same Solarforce to help them through their repair work.
And after that, they all commented on how small the flashlight is but yet so bright.
They couldn't believe something so small could throw out so much light.
- JonK
During dinner, he signaled me to look under the table at his new 9-LED flashlight, running on 3xAA.
I took out my Solarforce w/ a 3A XM-L dropin.
He kept his immediately, took mine to play around (which includes looking into the emitter & turning it on) before saying, "Thanks boy, I'll take this"...
Of course that was my lego-ed host, so i bought him another L2P with a similar dropin.
2nd incident was a minor blackout at work.
The facility guys came blasting their bulky torchlights, which was putting out pretty dim light.
Out came my same Solarforce to help them through their repair work.
And after that, they all commented on how small the flashlight is but yet so bright.
They couldn't believe something so small could throw out so much light.
- JonK
texastactical
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2013
- Messages
- 44
It was in the late 80s I believe when I got a Laser Products 6P. Every time I used it people were amazed. Then they asked how much it was. When I told them I paid $40 for it they looked at me like I was crazy and said "You paid $40 for a flashlight?".
Lampbeam
Newly Enlightened
One day in the early Eighties I was in the basement of a museum when the lights went out and incredibly there were no emergency lights. I happened to have a four battery Maglite with me because I was and, well, still am really eccentric. I mean who takes a Maglite to the museum right? Needless to say the people around me had flashlight envy because they didn't have flashlights. I remember this one elderly lady asked me if she could accompany me out of the darkness. It wasn't far to the stairs and the lights did not stay off very long as I recall.
Only once ... Co-worker at my last job, in a security hut. Lights didn't work and his crappy little light he bought for duty-use was pathetic compared to my (back then) stock SureFire L1. He gave me a bit of a dirty look after I fired it up. Oh well, he should have bought a proper light for use on the job.
buds224
Enlightened
So living in Japan for 2 years now and the power grid has been 100% reliable through the coldest of cold and the hottest of summers.
Yesterday, we ended up in an all day flurry of snow and it was stacking up to be more than anyone had ever expected or seen. As soon as the evening rolled around the power started going in and out at our Navy Housing Tower. Facebook chats revealed it was the entire CFAY Naval base that was going in and out since we were dependent on TEPCO (Yokosuka's power company). The Entire city was on the brink of losing power.
OK, time to setup up 1 specific room to shack up in, the heat is no longer guaranteed at this point. Me, the Mrs. and 2 kids (7yo girl 3yo boy) setup up our bedtime area in the living room. Power on.....power off.....power back on. x2 LD20s with diffuser cones set on low with eneloops in them. Bring it! TK41 on standby with fresh eneloops in them. Armytek Predator on a low to mid setting pointed at chandelier to simulate normal room lighting to keep the kids calm. x3 ipads on standby for entertainment.....battery powered DVD players keeping the kids busy. Alcohol heaters on standby. Power off.....back on.....back off. Food ready, gas burning stove at the ready....5 cases of bottled water at the ready. We were ready.
I decided to look out my window and saw my poor van out in the cold. Same make/model/color as the Breaking Bad van that does the "witness protection" style pickup.
Power out.....power back on. As I looked out the windows, I could see the entire base going from "well lit" to complete darkness. Are you serious??? No one was prepared? I don't see any light coming from any of the other units, at least from what I could tell. Our immediate neighbor was peeking at us as I had a couple of lights by our windows (TA21 with diffuser cones at 2 windows; both set to lowest modes for best runtimes).
Needless to say, the grid held up pretty well for the rest of the night, still going in and out, but at shorter intervals.
Lots of Facebook chatter, the next morning, about how people were just not prepared since Japan's power grid is normally very stable and reliable. People losing water pressure, losing their heat completely, and not having candles or flashlights. I've informed them that they could use their electric ovens as heaters if they have small children and their place is freezing cold. Other than that, I hope they learned a valuable lesson as we are forecasted for more snow this week.
Beautiful morning for us though. Well prepared for such an event and slept like babies all through the night. The kids were none the wiser.
Good morning from this flashaholic from the land of the rising sun.
Yesterday, we ended up in an all day flurry of snow and it was stacking up to be more than anyone had ever expected or seen. As soon as the evening rolled around the power started going in and out at our Navy Housing Tower. Facebook chats revealed it was the entire CFAY Naval base that was going in and out since we were dependent on TEPCO (Yokosuka's power company). The Entire city was on the brink of losing power.
OK, time to setup up 1 specific room to shack up in, the heat is no longer guaranteed at this point. Me, the Mrs. and 2 kids (7yo girl 3yo boy) setup up our bedtime area in the living room. Power on.....power off.....power back on. x2 LD20s with diffuser cones set on low with eneloops in them. Bring it! TK41 on standby with fresh eneloops in them. Armytek Predator on a low to mid setting pointed at chandelier to simulate normal room lighting to keep the kids calm. x3 ipads on standby for entertainment.....battery powered DVD players keeping the kids busy. Alcohol heaters on standby. Power off.....back on.....back off. Food ready, gas burning stove at the ready....5 cases of bottled water at the ready. We were ready.
I decided to look out my window and saw my poor van out in the cold. Same make/model/color as the Breaking Bad van that does the "witness protection" style pickup.
Power out.....power back on. As I looked out the windows, I could see the entire base going from "well lit" to complete darkness. Are you serious??? No one was prepared? I don't see any light coming from any of the other units, at least from what I could tell. Our immediate neighbor was peeking at us as I had a couple of lights by our windows (TA21 with diffuser cones at 2 windows; both set to lowest modes for best runtimes).
Needless to say, the grid held up pretty well for the rest of the night, still going in and out, but at shorter intervals.
Lots of Facebook chatter, the next morning, about how people were just not prepared since Japan's power grid is normally very stable and reliable. People losing water pressure, losing their heat completely, and not having candles or flashlights. I've informed them that they could use their electric ovens as heaters if they have small children and their place is freezing cold. Other than that, I hope they learned a valuable lesson as we are forecasted for more snow this week.
Beautiful morning for us though. Well prepared for such an event and slept like babies all through the night. The kids were none the wiser.
Good morning from this flashaholic from the land of the rising sun.
Great story and pictures! I'm glad that you and your family were prepared.
I have had many situations where I caused a little bit of flashlight envy, but the ones that stand out most in my mind are at night hikes with other people in public. There are a few nature centers nearby, and once in a while they have night hikes that anyone can attend. Usually I only use the lower modes of my lights though because no one has anything very bright. Also, a big draw of some of these events is to walk in the dark to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature with no extra illumination.
Either way I usually wait until after most people leave to really let my lights free, and it almost always impresses the people running the programs. They do appreciate the fact that I didn't take away from the mystery of walking around with dim lights during the program though.
On one occasion I couldn't help but turn my Fenix TK45 on before a hike. Someone was bragging about how bright his flashlight was, and he was shining it around the parking lot and into the woods. It was probably about 50 or 100 lumens maybe. He was a friendly guy, but I just had to show him how bright some other lights were at the time (this was a couple of years ago or so), so I showed him the TK45 on turbo. His jaw dropped, and he kept talking about how cool that light is. It was then brought up a few times when people wanted to see something better during the hike.
Now I have had the TK75 for over a year, and I actually haven't gone on one of those hikes with it in that time period. I'll have to get out there again. But I definitely won't be using that light on anything except the lowest mode while other people are around for fear of ruining the night vision aspect of the hike. Although maybe if someone else seems interested in bright lights I'll stretch its legs.
I think I also mentioned this somewhere before, but my wife and I went to England and visited a couple different caverns. On both of those trips I used my main EDC (the Fenix PD32UE) on turbo to illuminate the underground formations. The tour guide was impressed with the light's output and joked about his light being "rubbish" for the rest of the trip. He actively encouraged us to light things up for him so that people could see better. I should have brought the TK75 along for those trips as well because we could have better illuminated some of the bigger rooms that way.
I have had many situations where I caused a little bit of flashlight envy, but the ones that stand out most in my mind are at night hikes with other people in public. There are a few nature centers nearby, and once in a while they have night hikes that anyone can attend. Usually I only use the lower modes of my lights though because no one has anything very bright. Also, a big draw of some of these events is to walk in the dark to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature with no extra illumination.
Either way I usually wait until after most people leave to really let my lights free, and it almost always impresses the people running the programs. They do appreciate the fact that I didn't take away from the mystery of walking around with dim lights during the program though.
On one occasion I couldn't help but turn my Fenix TK45 on before a hike. Someone was bragging about how bright his flashlight was, and he was shining it around the parking lot and into the woods. It was probably about 50 or 100 lumens maybe. He was a friendly guy, but I just had to show him how bright some other lights were at the time (this was a couple of years ago or so), so I showed him the TK45 on turbo. His jaw dropped, and he kept talking about how cool that light is. It was then brought up a few times when people wanted to see something better during the hike.
Now I have had the TK75 for over a year, and I actually haven't gone on one of those hikes with it in that time period. I'll have to get out there again. But I definitely won't be using that light on anything except the lowest mode while other people are around for fear of ruining the night vision aspect of the hike. Although maybe if someone else seems interested in bright lights I'll stretch its legs.
I think I also mentioned this somewhere before, but my wife and I went to England and visited a couple different caverns. On both of those trips I used my main EDC (the Fenix PD32UE) on turbo to illuminate the underground formations. The tour guide was impressed with the light's output and joked about his light being "rubbish" for the rest of the trip. He actively encouraged us to light things up for him so that people could see better. I should have brought the TK75 along for those trips as well because we could have better illuminated some of the bigger rooms that way.
buds224
Enlightened
It's always nice when that happens. I had a similar experience last halloween. Maglites galore on the base. PD32UE in hand and holstered PD35 on my hip.
I like that the tour guide on your Euro trip acknowledged a great light and encouraged its usage. Pretty cool!!! :thumbsup:
I like that the tour guide on your Euro trip acknowledged a great light and encouraged its usage. Pretty cool!!! :thumbsup:
This past summer we took the grandkids on a cub scout camping trip.
They each had a 2AA light, and my daughter and I, each a small 18650 light.
I brought two larger 18650 lights, in case there was a need for SAR during the night. One never knows when traveling with 50 kids.
One of the lights I brought was the Defiant Super Thrower. It's an XML driven at amps with a large head. I use a spacer and an 18650 in it.
I thought that at night, around the campfire, all the kids would be showing off their lights, and I didn't want my grandkids to be out-shown. I brought it to the campfire, just in case.
The scoutmaster walked 150 feet away, and asked for someone to shine a light in his direction. At that distance, it was like an area light for him. I heard WOW!!! from him, and a few others. Envious? probably not, but impressed? Absolutely
That was the only time that light was lit during the trip. I didn't want others to think I was over-compensating for other shortages
They each had a 2AA light, and my daughter and I, each a small 18650 light.
I brought two larger 18650 lights, in case there was a need for SAR during the night. One never knows when traveling with 50 kids.
One of the lights I brought was the Defiant Super Thrower. It's an XML driven at amps with a large head. I use a spacer and an 18650 in it.
I thought that at night, around the campfire, all the kids would be showing off their lights, and I didn't want my grandkids to be out-shown. I brought it to the campfire, just in case.
The scoutmaster walked 150 feet away, and asked for someone to shine a light in his direction. At that distance, it was like an area light for him. I heard WOW!!! from him, and a few others. Envious? probably not, but impressed? Absolutely
That was the only time that light was lit during the trip. I didn't want others to think I was over-compensating for other shortages
I think there's a time and place for putting out huge lumens. When I go camping I find that buddies that just picked up the 6-pack from Costco and can make some big light can't wait to unleash. I'm the opposite where I feel at camp you use as little light as possible.
That being said, I love blowing away guys with lights that run too low or too hot or for too short when it really counts.
That being said, I love blowing away guys with lights that run too low or too hot or for too short when it really counts.
Charles L.
Enlightened
Went on a camping trip with my Zebralight H600F. 'nuff said.
Last edited:
Cool Thread :thumbsup:
It seems that anytime I show someone a flashlight they get a smile on their face and comment on how bright it is, then they ask how much was it...
Most people tend to cringe at the thought of paying more than $20 for a light.
I went splurging on budget lights (Sipiks and Defiant) and everyone at my work wanted a defiant tactical or sipik. So I was selling them at cost to everyone and everyone was tossing their POS incan mini mags.
It seems that anytime I show someone a flashlight they get a smile on their face and comment on how bright it is, then they ask how much was it...
Most people tend to cringe at the thought of paying more than $20 for a light.
I went splurging on budget lights (Sipiks and Defiant) and everyone at my work wanted a defiant tactical or sipik. So I was selling them at cost to everyone and everyone was tossing their POS incan mini mags.
ryukin2000
Enlightened
I went caving last October with a small group. A few were very impressed with the HC50 I had. Almost everyone had the cheap headlamps. But no questions about my headlamp beyond the wow's. In fact, my good friend who is not into flashlights gave me an LD10 as a gift. That was my first quality light. So its his fault. His uncle is a major fenix collector so he always gets lights as gifts.
I have impressed people with the Fenix TK75vnkt a few times. On the other hand, my modded PD35vn triple XPL has frequently not impressed people. I think the difference is that they often don't care about floody lights, whereas the TK75vnkt impresses because of its range.
Shaifnan
Newly Enlightened
Recently I was stucked in a elevator for 5 ours ( in de middle of the night on a weekend). I used the flashlight app on my phone but after a half our the phone become hot. So I had to turn the light off and waited for about 15 min and then I could turn it back on. The biggist problem was that the communication button did not work and I had no signal on the phone because I was stuck between the 4e and 3e level of the basement.
After this experience I bought a little duracel light that runs on 2 AAA voor €6,00. That thing was not bright at all so I didnt use it and left it at home. Than I searched flashlight on YouTube and was overwhelmed by all the video's about edc and flashlights.
So I bought a Fenix LD02 within a week after my elevator drama. And I with the LD02 I noticed I used it alot and was very happy with it. So I the next week I bought a Fenix LD22 and at this to my edc. Here in The Netherlands you can't carry a knife.
Now I have read a lot of information about flashlights here on this forum. It is now almost 3 weeks ago that I was stuck in the alavator.
And what they say if you buy one flashlight you will keep on buying. And now I am looking for a Olight MX 20 warrior to add to my edc.
After this experience I bought a little duracel light that runs on 2 AAA voor €6,00. That thing was not bright at all so I didnt use it and left it at home. Than I searched flashlight on YouTube and was overwhelmed by all the video's about edc and flashlights.
So I bought a Fenix LD02 within a week after my elevator drama. And I with the LD02 I noticed I used it alot and was very happy with it. So I the next week I bought a Fenix LD22 and at this to my edc. Here in The Netherlands you can't carry a knife.
Now I have read a lot of information about flashlights here on this forum. It is now almost 3 weeks ago that I was stuck in the alavator.
And what they say if you buy one flashlight you will keep on buying. And now I am looking for a Olight MX 20 warrior to add to my edc.
AMD64Blondie
Flashlight Enthusiast
On Thursday,the power was partially out at Portland State University where I work.(I'm in the mail room..)
When I got to work,I pulled out my HDS Rotary 250,turned that on,and walked over to my locker,where I got my Black Diamond Storm headlight out of my backpack.
Strapped on my Storm,flicked it on and started sorting mail like nothing had happened.
(The emergency lights were on,but it was still pretty dark inside-no windows to the outside.)
The looks I got from my co-workers were priceless.
(power came back on around 8:20 AM-so it was only out for about 20 minutes,thankfully.)
When I got to work,I pulled out my HDS Rotary 250,turned that on,and walked over to my locker,where I got my Black Diamond Storm headlight out of my backpack.
Strapped on my Storm,flicked it on and started sorting mail like nothing had happened.
(The emergency lights were on,but it was still pretty dark inside-no windows to the outside.)
The looks I got from my co-workers were priceless.
(power came back on around 8:20 AM-so it was only out for about 20 minutes,thankfully.)
ven
Flashaholic
It happens,not daily but certainly every week/2 weeks in work..........The bummer for me is they are not anything special as i wont take a $XXX light in work . Its usually an sr51 or roche f8 type light. Even my battered i3son work keys has had a "wow thats bright".............. Then again it was brighter than a 3xD cell fed Stanley HUGE light!!
Amazed by the throw of the sr51 which is still an impressive light,even by todays standards. I have comments on the finish of the roche(cheap but well made light not that much dissimilar to a convoy in many ways). Of past i have brought in the tm15 and tk75vn along with the mm15vnodd flashlight in work to show the odd flashlight enthusiast. These certainly blew fellow engineers away,more so after i strobed 5 of them together(they asked.........they got) They dont get price/cost though,for them £10 is more than enough yet they will spend £25k on a french car!!! (something i dont get :laughing: ) I often get asked "where did you buy that?" i just say from a far away friend over the pond. In fact i am hoping that my cell supplier maybe a vinh convert as i got a text last night asking about a recommendation on a light,budget of £160. Naturally i text links to here,the world of vinh which he is aware of due to previous pics sent(i buy a good few IMR/INR cells from him,often ecig mods and flashlights get brought up in conversation ). I will be in more communication later to distinguish what type of light,be it throw/flood or both. Then i hope vinh may have a new customer
I also get envy or at least a big
off the in law when he sees some of the vinh beasts. He was even blown away with a key ring 10440 light,amazed at how bright it was and uses it daily still.
Rach(the boss) does like knives and lights like me,she often enjoys having a play around with them and knows vinh well. She always has a few edc's , she has an i3s,tubeVN and convoy s8 on her all the time. She really loves the tints of lights,so no matter how nice,big etc a light can be,if its not got the right K tint,she is not interested(5000k+).Her fav"bigger" light is the triple quad,she was really taken back by the weight/quality of it.
The other week ,the fire safety officer called at the studio for a check up/recommendation etc(smoke alarms to fire doors ect). She had the tm15 with her and he was taken back how a "girl" would know so much and have a S&R type light :laughing: I am sure her interest may dwindle a tad if...............well its rude to say how much lights cost
Maybe envy is too strong,admire,impressed maybe better suited and it would be far more if i unleashed the beasts :laughing: However ,having a $700 light roll off a robot whilst working really does nothing for me:duh2:
Amazed by the throw of the sr51 which is still an impressive light,even by todays standards. I have comments on the finish of the roche(cheap but well made light not that much dissimilar to a convoy in many ways). Of past i have brought in the tm15 and tk75vn along with the mm15vnodd flashlight in work to show the odd flashlight enthusiast. These certainly blew fellow engineers away,more so after i strobed 5 of them together(they asked.........they got)
They dont get price/cost though,for them £10 is more than enough yet they will spend £25k on a french car!!! (something i dont get :laughing: ) I often get asked "where did you buy that?" i just say from a far away friend over the pond. In fact i am hoping that my cell supplier maybe a vinh convert as i got a text last night asking about a recommendation on a light,budget of £160. Naturally i text links to here,the world of vinh which he is aware of due to previous pics sent(i buy a good few IMR/INR cells from him,often ecig mods and flashlights get brought up in conversation ). I will be in more communication later to distinguish what type of light,be it throw/flood or both. Then i hope vinh may have a new customer I also get envy or at least a big
off the in law when he sees some of the vinh beasts. He was even blown away with a key ring 10440 light,amazed at how bright it was and uses it daily still.Rach(the boss) does like knives and lights like me,she often enjoys having a play around with them and knows vinh well. She always has a few edc's , she has an i3s,tubeVN and convoy s8 on her all the time. She really loves the tints of lights,so no matter how nice,big etc a light can be,if its not got the right K tint,she is not interested(5000k+).Her fav"bigger" light is the triple quad,she was really taken back by the weight/quality of it.
The other week ,the fire safety officer called at the studio for a check up/recommendation etc(smoke alarms to fire doors ect). She had the tm15 with her and he was taken back how a "girl" would know so much and have a S&R type light :laughing: I am sure her interest may dwindle a tad if...............well its rude to say how much lights cost
Maybe envy is too strong,admire,impressed maybe better suited and it would be far more if i unleashed the beasts :laughing: However ,having a $700 light roll off a robot whilst working really does nothing for me:duh2:
