A reminder to never lend out lights...

[jimbo@stn23]

Too many people now days want to explain why they won't help others out. Rather than let the worst people determine how we should act, it's better to follow the best among us when determining how to treat others.

I actually enjoy helping others solve their problems, you can help folks without lending out gear very often. Check back in after you've had some tools damaged 3 or 4 times, or lost and tell a story. If you still have the same point of view, hair on ya cause yer doing well and are a credit to man. :thumbsup:

When you have to work as hard to help people that will not help themselves function in life as the OP did, there comes a point where they need to know that they are now on their own. Hats off to him for his incredible patientence.

 

[Richub]

My dad once gave me a knife, and I only loaned it to someone at work once, with disclaimers and strongly worded warnings. I caught them using it as a screwdriver not ten seconds later. It was particularly egregious because I was also carrying a screwdriver at the time, and the edge is still not back where it was before that, even though I had it sharpened by Randall Knives.

That's just so ridiculous, OMG.
I think I might have tried to use his head as a screwdriver if this had happened to me...

I actually enjoy helping others solve their problems, you can help folks without lending out gear very often. Check back in after you've had some tools damaged 3 or 4 times, or lost and tell a story. If you still have the same point of view, hair on ya cause yer doing well and are a credit to man.

When you have to work as hard to help people that will not help themselves function in life as the OP did, there comes a point where they need to know that they are now on their own. Hats off to him for his incredible patientence.

The first quote tells the story nicely about how some people treat tools or things they didn't pay for themselves.

It's not a question of not wanting to help people, but the fear of them damaging good gear that will keep people from handing out tools to others.

I always offer to help them myself instead of loaning tools to them, most of them 'get the message' and let me fix it.

 

[Harry999]

I always offer to help them myself instead of loaning tools to them, most of them 'get the message' and let me fix it.

+1 when it comes to your quality tools. I still keep loaner items on hand though because there are times when you are busy and can't help them yourself. I think the OP was in this situation.

 

[T45]

My dad once gave me a knife, and I only loaned it to someone at work once, with disclaimers and strongly worded warnings. I caught them using it as a screwdriver not ten seconds later. It was particularly egregious because I was also carrying a screwdriver at the time, and the edge is still not back where it was before that, even though I had it sharpened by Randall Knives.

I worked at sears as a warehouse worker for a number of years in my younger days, and one day while moving freight inside, a coworker asked to borrow my knife, then PROMPTLY tried to pry through some metal banding on a wooden crate with it. Tin snips were lying not more than 10 feet away. It took some work getting that edge back. The problem with lending others tools is you have no idea how they will attempt use them, and flash lights and knives are often put to use as pry bars.

If people had replaced the tools/flashlights or anything else they lost or damaged over the years, I would be one happy man. All too often, all I get is "What?!?!? it cost how much?? Are you kidding me??" and that's it. Of course, that gets them put on the "dumb a** I don't loan ANYTHING to again" list.

and where do people get the idea it is OK to loan someone's tools to someone else?!?!? and par for the course, I have to go track that item down.

Cheapo lights I will loan, tools however require questions about work, where, when, what type, and NO, you damn well better not loan them to someone else.

 

[Lit Up]

I always love when certain people ask me to borrow one and I have to reply with, "Ummm, don't you work in maintenance??" It's like hello, tool of the trade go freaking buy one! Sheesh!

 

[hank]

I ask people 'do you know how to break it'?
And they go WTF?
And I quote from the Whole Earth Catalog a line by J. Baldwin:
"You don't know how to use a tool until you know six ways to break it."

 

[kaichu dento]

I actually enjoy helping others solve their problems, you can help folks without lending out gear very often. Check back in after you've had some tools damaged 3 or 4 times, or lost and tell a story. If you still have the same point of view, hair on ya cause yer doing well and are a credit to man. :thumbsup:

I like to help others too, but instead of assuming that life needs to be fair to me in order for me to offer that help, I just try to make myself useful during my time on earth as best I can.

Lost a IFE-1 (?) last year after loaning it out, then after letting a friend carry my Calipsoii loaded A2 and hCRI modded V10R Ti for a couple weeks, he's lost the A2. Since he's one of the people that helps make life bearable here at work and he's got his future on track with the girl of his dreams, I'm not going to impede by worrying too much about holding him accountable.

I'm going to continue to try and help others in whatever way I can, and sometimes that requires carrying them on your back. Still, the path I choose for myself is my own choice and I don't really expect others to understand or necessarily follow suit, but there are others out there who feel the same way.

 

[Lit Up]

Kind of goes with the catch a man a fish, feed him for a day. But teach a man to fish...philosophy

I think I'll exercise that from now on in regards to lights. Instead of lending mine out, I'll instead get out my phone and open the Amazon shopping app for them, so they can acquire their own light to have from there on. :thumbsup:

 

[Harry999]

I am saying this in jest so don't take this seriously but I had the image of someone asking for a flashlight and I open my suit jacket and there are a number of flashlights attached with price labels. I then offer to sell them one!!!

 

[fyrstormer]

I am saying this in jest so don't take this seriously but I had the image of someone asking for a flashlight and I open my suit jacket and there are a number of flashlights attached with price labels. I then offer to sell them one!!!

Extra points if you're wearing a trenchcoat at the time.

I've made this point before, but it's worth mentioning again: if you buy a steel flashlight (or titanium, if you can afford it), you won't have to worry about anyone breaking it. There's a reason why a certain percentage of flashaholics end up migrating towards the "ultra-durable custom-made" market segment, and the reason is that it's a lot more pleasant to use (and loan) tools that you don't need to be careful with, even if you do choose to be careful with them.

 

[shelm]

I've made this point before, but it's worth mentioning again: if you buy a steel flashlight (or titanium, if you can afford it), you won't have to worry about anyone breaking it.

if a light isnt protected with rubber like a rayovac indestructible, the light will break (driver board by the battery, or the glass lens) if you let it fall down 100.0000% vertically bezel down onto plane, smooth, hard surface such as marble tiles. typically Chi*a aluminum lights are rated 1.0, 1.2 or 1.5m ANSI FL-1 Standard for "drop resistance", and this is meant for ANSI testing and not for the case i just depicted (100.000000% etc.).

the rayovac (10m drop resistance ANSI FL-1) is cheap enough and indestructible BECAUSE it has plastic lens, plastic parts, glued parts and lots of rubber. i would lend out such a light anytime.

give me your steel light or your expensive titanium light and i will drop it from 2.0m (which is not high imho). i will bet that it will break (e.g. the lens) after repeated 100.0000% vertical drops :devil:

 

[WebHobbit]

A guy I work closely with everyday I would have no issue loaning my light to because I think he will respect my stuff. It's funny because he thinks I'm kind of insane to spend $200+ on my EDC SF+Malkoff (and other mods). But he also recognizes how awesome the light they put out is so if he needs a flashlight he either gets me to spot for him or he sometimes borrows it himself. He is the exception though...most of the folks I work with ---NO.

 

[Burgess]

No means No.


What part of " No " don't you understand ? ? ?


Fortunately --

at my advanced age (58 years old),

I no longer give a sh1t *WHAT* people think of me.



_

 

[fyrstormer]

if a light isnt protected with rubber like a rayovac indestructible, the light will break (driver board by the battery, or the glass lens) if you let it fall down 100.0000% vertically bezel down onto plane, smooth, hard surface such as marble tiles. typically Chi*a aluminum lights are rated 1.0, 1.2 or 1.5m ANSI FL-1 Standard for "drop resistance", and this is meant for ANSI testing and not for the case i just depicted (100.000000% etc.).

the rayovac (10m drop resistance ANSI FL-1) is cheap enough and indestructible BECAUSE it has plastic lens, plastic parts, glued parts and lots of rubber. i would lend out such a light anytime.

give me your steel light or your expensive titanium light and i will drop it from 2.0m (which is not high imho). i will bet that it will break (e.g. the lens) after repeated 100.0000% vertical drops :devil:

There are 360 degrees in a circle and two axes of rotation the light could be oriented in when it falls. That equals 129,600 possible orientations (using whole degrees only, not counting fractions) that the light could have upon impact. The chances of it hitting dead-on vertical are extremely slim. Also, any self-respecting flashlight has at least one O-ring sealing the lense and insulating it from the force of impact, and well-designed electronics will use separate circuit boards for the driver and the battery contact. McGizmos have dual O-rings insulating the synthetic-sapphire lense from impact, and the sapphire itself is strong enough that when I needed to remove some damaged anti-reflective coating, I scrubbed the lense with a motorized steel wire brush and it had no effect on the optical quality of the lense.

If you want to do your tests, go buy your own McGizmo and have fun. I'm not clumsy enough to drop mine often enough to damage it, but even if I did, all the parts are replaceable.

 

[Got Lumens?]

I ask people 'do you know how to break it'?
And they go WTF?
And I quote from the Whole Earth Catalog a line by J. Baldwin:
"You don't know how to use a tool until you know six ways to break it."

Hank,
Classic. I love it. I think I need to borrow that phrase...

I am saying this in jest so don't take this seriously but I had the image of someone asking for a flashlight and I open my suit jacket and there are a number of flashlights attached with price labels. I then offer to sell them one!!!

Harry,
That is cool, as long as that other side of the coat is not lined with fake rolexes

I have a solution that may work . . .
Just lend them one that has only spacer cells in it . Of course feel free to lay it on thick, this a custom $400 light, don't break it, make sure I get it back in the same condition, click...click, "ahhhgw the batteries are dead, you'll have to find someone elses and borrow thiers"
GL

 

[Lit Up]

I am saying this in jest so don't take this seriously but I had the image of someone asking for a flashlight and I open my suit jacket and there are a number of flashlights attached with price labels. I then offer to sell them one!!!

LOL I just got a vision of "Lootin' Lenny" from the TV sitcom Good Times.

 

[Harry999]

No I would have flashlights on one side and batteries on the other!



Sent from my smart phone using Tapatalk

 

[Gregozedobe]

No means No.

........ I no longer give a sh1t *WHAT* people think of me.

I'm with Burgess - it seems nearly every time I've loaned something that I value there has ended up being a problem of one kind or another. Maybe the sort of person who isn't prepared (and therefore needs to borrow my stuff) is also the sort of person who doesn't look after other people's stuff ? These days I just give them a cheapo light that I definitely don't care about, that's much less stressful for me.

As far as tools go, I simply don't give anyone a choice, either I'll fix it using my own tool/s, or they look elsewhere for assistance (sometimes I'll let them use something under my direct supervision). I'm doing them the favour, so it happens on my terms or not at all.

 

[SHADE02]

Well..... after the first drop, in my case, it could probably be something like this: "give me that sh***!!!, get lost....

 

[AnAppleSnail]

click...click, "ahhhgw the batteries are dead, you'll have to find someone elses and borrow thiers"
GL

Lockout tailcap to the rescue!