Any logic to the lights that you own?

[travelinman]

To continue on with the firearm analogy.....I have one of each "type". I have one 308 with accessories that allow me to use it to do what it does best. I have one 22, ditto, one 12 guage, ditto, one 270 long barrel ditto.

The same with my lights. I've one great edc...one big lumen floody....one small AAA....one pocketable bright thrower.

I'm looking as my next purchase for a monster thrower maybe an SR 90, after that it'll be a zebralight headlamp.

That's my logic.

 

[mcnair55]

I just bought a little Firecracker to add to the collection and using some logic have put it to good use.

Super glued a small disc magnet to the top of light and using double sided tape stuck a flat fridge magnet under the kitchen wall cupboard where my tea and coffee making things live,my Firecracker now lives there and casts nice ambient light with no need to put the tubed lighting on.

Some more logic,my son gets married in July and I suggested to buy his twin best men a nice gift as a momento of the day,having a heads up on another posting earlier in the week he has ordered 2 Thrunite Tikeys at a bargain price as gifts.

Reading your replies on this thread made me think about using logic to my using and buying of lights.

 

[fisk-king]

EDC Rotation:

Muyshondt Nautilus- small twisty light with very good runtime; easily dropped Into pocket and never know it's there.

Muyshondt Mako- brightness is not the main role for this light but more emphasis on runtime. I needed a backup/keychain light that would give me plenty amt. of light if everything else fails.

Ti McluxIII PD-S Mizer- great UI w/ Mizer option allowing remarkable runtime;

Ra Twisty 100- this slot was for my Ra clicky( which is temporarily filling B.O.B. duty), mainly used for work light which gives me 3 useful modes to use for aiding in wiring panels to inspecting the face of the dam at night.

Needless to say the beams on the lights above satisfies my needs fully; med. throw with a nice spill including a Low level when the situation is needed.

Quark mini aa neutral- eqipped w/ a swivel & mcgizmo clip attached to pocket in pj. Love the neutral tint for those late nite trips in the morning ( I miss my Sundrop )

Fenix pd30- main truck light, good runtime and throw if I happen to be stuck on the side of the road. Lots of wooded areas around here so the throw is useful.

 

[Chauncey Gardner]

Funny you should say that. I am a collector (and shooter) of fine English side by side shotguns who also has a few utility rifles for use in killing foxes etc.

A friend once lent me an over/under Tikka gun that had a twelve guage barrel on top and a triple two barrel on the bottom. I had to see if I liked it before I bought it. I took it out and first shot downed a running fox with the 12g. If I'd missed or he was further away I could have used the .222 to do the business. Great gun, really practical, very reliable, very utilitarian, almost the perfect all rounder for what I do but it had an odd balance to it and was so damned ugly and I prefer my barrels side by side. I gave it back. Maybe I should have tried a "Cape Gun" instead.

I have a torch that's just like that old Tikka gun, my Led Lenser p7. It's a bit too big for my pocket and I'd prefer it was a different calibre, oops, I mean I'd prefer it took a different battery size but it always did the job utterly effectively if not with any great panache. I've since bought about twenty sexier torches.

I remember looking through my Grandfather's back issues of American Rifleman & reading a test & review of a combo Tikka with 2 sets of barrels.

They made several different combinations that would have been useful & practical for a rural shooter who wanted one gun for most needs.
They were more accurate than I would have imagined but the biggest complaint was the funky balance & forward weight of the gun (the rifle barrel adds a lot of weight to the configuration). The exception was the .410 / .22 squirrell setup. Fox & Ithica made them also I believe.

Have not seen a triple barrel set outside of old magazines.

Funny, the light that brought to to cpf was a Costco LED Lenser. Was pleased with the beam & output, but not the run time from the 3AA power source or the hassle of swapping in new batteries.

Have a very old L.C. Smith 12ga but have not shot it.
Believe it may even have the old 2 5/8 chambers that used to be popular with light sporting English side by sides.
It still locks up like a vault and the tolerances are still better than most of the newer s x s field guns.

The old Lenser hangs on a coat hook in the mudroom & still gets occasional use.

 

[old4570]

I am one who has an obsession with throw (I need it for spotting foxes, dogs etc) but who also has to deal with where I put my feet since where I live I have dozens of night time incidents with Tiger snakes every summer (I have a creek running though my paddocks and my house is only about fifty yards from it which means lots of frogs which Tiger snakes love for their evening meal and I also have aviaries and thus mice).

I have a bunch of "throwy" torches and some which are more "floody" and I find that at night when using them to walk about my property that there is little difference between them when shined close enough for me to know where I'm treading (and where there's tiger snakes around all the time you only watch a couple of yards ahead because they tend not to move out of the way at night). The only throwy torch I ever had difficultly with in this regard was my Led lenser P7 when set on "spot" because it had almost no spill but all the others had enough light from the spill to be quite acceptable.

As one who also hunts Eastern Brown snakes during the day I can say that a tightly focussed spot as found in a throwy torch is quite helpful in spotting them in nooks and crannies.

I might also add that these LED torches (or at least the ones I use) seem to have a calming influence on Tiger snakes when shone at their heads at night. I tried this a few times this past summer and found that if I shone the torch at a Tiger snake's head at night I could actually walk (very softly) right up to it and it would just sit there sniffing the air with its tongue. Tried it a number of times on a number of different Tiger snakes and it was quite repeatable. Admittedly they are normally rather docile at night (compared with their daytime attitude) but even so, they don't seem to be alerted by the LED light at all.

I also tried it in the daytime on one Eastern Brown snake who made his escape from me by scuttling into a gap between my verandah and the house wall and he didn't seem scared off by the light at all either and I was able to capture him despite him being very wary after me spending a week trying to catch him using other methods. Gotta wait till September when they come out again round here to try more experiments using the torches.

I find the small spot on throwers and the smaller spill area to be not enough .
We have a flood basin/creek near by , and it makes for a nice short cut and a good observation area for Batt's , its also right next to a park ..

Anyhow , the tigersnakes visit peoples yards , and like to hang around the fence line , and when someone comes along , they tend to race to there little holes / barrows [ what ever ] and sometime that race can be a little close .
[ Been there done that in broad daylight ]

They come from the side at full speed , so I want a light that lights up where Im going and with enough GOOD spill to see all the way to the fence .. I want to be able to see under the grass and for that you need output .
I want to see the ground , as well as during the day ..

These days I walk heavy , but slowly , I want the snake to win , if he is going to race me ..

Yes folks , here in Oz even the snakes like to drag race , and should you win , your prize is a trip to hospital . My motto , let the snake win ...

Snakes that like to race =
Taipan , Tiger Snake , Brown snake , Red bellied black , Copper Head ..

 

[gcbryan]

Sounds a lot like Florida. Everything bites or is poisonous it seems!

Let's see, you have snakes, blue rings octopus, a jelly or maybe boxfish that is deadly, Great Whites...I'm sure I'm missing more of the land based ones...crocs...

This is off topic I know but since Oz is a big place is the wildlife situation the same in all parts of the country or is it like here where the more dangerous wildlife seems to be in the warmer and humid parts of the country?

 

[Dances with Flashlight]

Well, back when I was four or five, a brighter little light meant a little less fear of the monsters in the closet. Later, when I was six or seven, I learned that more throw meant less danger from the coyotes & werewolves in the back yard.

Since then, it's all been about quality, and like most everyone else I've experienced many disappointments due to defects in design, flimsy materials, sloppy build, ridiculous "user interfaces", etc.

When, more recently, I saw the manufacture of brass Peaks and held one of these beauties in my hands I was practically blown away. I have never been able to take a photo that does justice to the quality of my Peak lights and for that reason have accumulated quite a few of them for practically every use. For me the logic is simple: I want old-world craftsmanship and modern components for both beauty and performance, all at reasonable prices.

 

[Juggernaut]

No two lights can have the same purpose [example] "I would never own a Quark 123 and a Fenix LD10" to me they are to close in use.

I have a few categories to fill:

EDC: Any light I can carry on me in such a fashion that I would not lose it, and it would not be suspicious (EDC-P7, proton pro, Tiablo A9)

Small use flashlight: If I know I'm going to be using a flashlight for extended time, I bring something I can't easily EDC but is low profile: (Elektrolumens Shadeslayer, Wolf Eyes M90, 2C Maglite, etc)

Heavy Duty use: Something I don't care about other people being around, and I'm like hiking or something "high profile" ( 35 watt Oracle, Bigbeam lanterns, other 6 volt lanterns)

Heavy Artillery: Just for showing off, weight and practicality means nothing: (all of my crazy modded / homemade lights)

Survivalist long runtime lights: (Bigbeam 1000 Ultra Mod, tons of fluorescent, large low power LED lights)

 

[JaguarDave-in-Oz]

This is off topic I know but since Oz is a big place is the wildlife situation the same in all parts of the country or is it like here where the more dangerous wildlife seems to be in the warmer and humid parts of the country?

It's very much different dependent on where one lives. I live in the bush in the central west of NSW and see mainly Eastern Brown and Tiger snakes. In my particular area those two breeds have killed off most of the other snake breeds though one does see the occasional Red Bellied Black but Blacks aren't a snake that causes too many problems for us so I'm happy to see them, very pretty snake.

The Browns and Tigers are quite agressive during the day (Though tigers are quite the opposite at night when they actually do most of their hunting) though in forty years of catching them I've never seen one chase a person despite the legends to the contrary.

We have a few spiders that aren't real pleasant when they bite you but most are not going to kill. We do have the painful Redback which is similar and related to your Black Widow and there is also the very deadly Funnel Web but it doesn't come as far west as where I live and is found more often in cities and their outskirts. Most of the others are just scary looking. I get bit by spiders all the time walking round here, some have webs hanging from trees and I'm forever walking through them cos I shine my torch on the ground not in the air. Got bit on the scalp last night (yes, no hair) and like most bites I get it's just a little sore and itchy.

Some types of snakes like hot and dry, some types like warm and humid and some like undergrowth. Once you know them and your area well you can pretty easily predict what type of snake you'll come across by where you are. Move further westward from here and the snake types quickly change. You'll see Mulga Snakes and the like or go much further northward and there'll be crocodiles and other nasties.

Some areas have absolutely no snakes and very few spideys. I reckon many of the creatures have become victim of Australian's propensity to exaggerate when it comes to "mine was deadlier than yours". Most cause no harm and very few people are exposed to danger. There's plenty of myths though, especially with snakes and there's too many to go into depth with here but one particulary dangerous one is what I was always told as a kid - that snakes will scurry away if you stamp your feet a lot as you walk. Many dangerous breeds do not and in fact many are not very sensitive to vibration at all.

With the possible exception of redbacks these dangerous creatures aren't really "all over the place" here and the great majority of Australians (who mostly live in cities) will never see more than a couple of snakes in their whole life.

I probably have a greater focus on the poisonous snakes than most due to dealing with hundreds of them because I live in a particular spot where snakes breed and more particularly I am the go-to man for people in my area when they have them in or near their houses and want them out.

As for crocodiles, I don't like humid places and I don't like water so I'm not likely to ever go far enough north to be taken in by his welcome grin.......

 

[gcbryan]

Thanks Dave...interesting.

Here is Seattle (Western Washington) we have no poisonous snakes...east of the mountains you find rattlesnakes and maybe a few others.

I do like water (I'm a diver) but I don't like crocodiles! They have those in the southeastern part of the US however.

I guess you can dive around them as people do it all the time but I'd stay away from rivers and head for the ocean to dive if I lived in those areas.

I guess I'd be particular about flashlights if I was using them in your environment as well!

 

[motorwerks]

For me its always been about just needing some light at night then I got my dads old Streamlight SL20. I did a complete rebuild Battery, Bulb, Charger, Tailcap, Switch and cleaned everything out of corrosion. Then it dawned on me that this thing was huge and didn't really put out as much as I thought it had as a kid.

Some time there after I bought a Streamlight stinger and mounted the charger under the center console of my truck so its always charging. Super nice to always have light but again not really that bright.

So I got into guns, and it dawned on me that MOST often if I NEED my Rifle or handgun because something in the night went bump I should have a light. So first I starting looking at a way to hang a light from my Shotgun for home protection. I bought a cheap Tacstar kit that had a 6P sized light with a pressure switch that I Velcroed to my foregrip. So wait this little light has as much output a my Dads old SL20???? WTF mate. So I did some thinking and I ended up buying a G2 and then built a scout with a LU60a adapter a P60L bulb and a bezel from a G2L , then bought a 6PL and an E2D.

I have come along way since my first 6D maglight that I used to carry in my car as a teen.

 

[JaguarDave-in-Oz]

I guess I'd be particular about flashlights if I was using them in your environment as well!

I've spent a lot of money tryign to find somehting that suits all my uses and I guess I'm very close now. My Eagletac P20C2 "original model" seems to be the perfect torch for that. It's quite "throwy" for looking out to see foxes amongst my sheep but when I'm using it to walk with, when shined at my preferred footfall spotting distance of about three to four yards ahead, the spill is about six to eight foot wide and so strong with such nice tint that it makes spotting things ahead very very easy, you don't have to concentrate as hard as with torches that don't have such strong spill. By comparison my Quarks have a spill that's maybe ten to twelve foot wide at that same distance but is so diluted that it makes it much more difficult to spot things quickly and I find it easier to focus my vision into the angle of the Eagle's spill rather than the Quark's.

My Eagletac P20C2 mkII is just as strong but the tint is a little too cool for real good colour pickup (and we are talking brownish coloured snakes so cool blue doesn't show them up as good) and it won't throw quite as far so I've foudn it's not quite as perfect an all rounder in my environment as my "MkI" despite the MKII being a better torch overall.

 

[StarHalo]

As an American, I found this reportedly highly accurate map of Australia very helpful:

 

[JCD]

Lights I use around the house tend to be small, easily pocketable (EDC for intents and purposes) and not very bright. My current go to light for this category is an LED Lenser MiniTac, which I picked up on the Coast Web site for $3.50 shipped. Despite its cooler tint, I prefer it over my LED Lenser Digitac (David 15) due to its smaller size and much less aggressive knurling. Rarely do I need much light around the house.

For urban and trail cycling, I use one or two SureFire 6P hosts with MC-E and Q2 dropins mounted to my handlebar. I've been pondering upgrading my 6P's to 9P's in order to increase battery volume, and thus runtime. I also have a P4 based light with a warm, tight, throwy beam mounted to my Fenix headband to illuminate the direction my head is pointed, which can be different from the direction my handlebar is aimed (e.g. scanning to the sides of trails).

For walking, runtime is less critical, so I prefer the luxurious illumination characteristics of incandescent lamps. I also like pocket clips for easy access. Currently, I have a SureFire C3, a C2, and an E2d fitted with SF P90, SF P91, and LF EO-E2R lamp assemblies, respectively. Depending on the nature of my walk (e.g., walking the dog, headed to the pub for a pint or two of Guinness, etc.) I'll take one or more of these.

I keep my Fenix PD30 in an easily accessible holster on my Kelty Redwing pack or my Camelbak, one of which I typically have with me on longer rides and hikes, as a backup for any of the above lights. Plus, it has that one feature I hope to never need, SOS. I can also use the strobe feature to get a driver's attention at an intersection. Sometimes I'll backup the PD30 with a P3D, depending on the trip and the load.

So, generally, my lights are picked on the basis of around the house utility, cycling utility, or walking utility. I don't collect lights, per se, so much as I like to have the right tool for the task at hand.

 

[Alberta-Blue]

The logic to my lights is simple. I am a LEO so I want small (6P sizedish), throw that is on the longer side of medium, rechargable (so that bloody battery bill doesnt keep coming back), and retina searing "I just pooped myself cuz that was so bright" output.

Currently I am using modified sufires to accomplish this. However my wife recently ordered one of the new Olight M20-S from Battery junction for me to use. So I guess I thrown it into service and see what she can do... and see if I can find a case from the G&G K-Force line to fit it.

 

[JaguarDave-in-Oz]

As an American, I found this reportedly highly accurate map of Australia very helpful:

Classic! I gotta borrow that and send it to some mates.

 

[Moka]

As an American, I found this reportedly highly accurate map of Australia very helpful:

Love it! =D

My old logic to the lights I own was to try and have a reason and/or purpose to own it that isn't filled by something else...
Well that was my logic, now the flashaholic is kicking in further and I just buy a light because I like it now, or think it's cool, or it's Titanium:devil: :nana:

 

[bedazzLED]

My Logic is simple.

Cover all bases, and always have a contingency plan; never know with torches. The LED has an expectancy of 50,000 to 100,000 hours, but what about the under-lying electronics, the drivers. How long is their life expectancy? And what if there is an inherent problem with one brand or technology, so I need a multi-brand coverage.

I need to have a keychain light, and a few in case that one breaks down.

Then I need an EDC, and I need to cover both floody and throw spectrums, and of course, some backup lights in case of the first point.

Then I need some big-guns, in case I need to hunt down something/someone in the deep dark outback (semi-rural Victoria, Australia)? And I don't want to be left in the middle of a search-and-rescue, in the dark, with only one big torch, surrounded by nasties, hence a few backups.

Then I need some simply as WOW factor, and you cannot do the WOW stuff with only one torch can you? And WOW don't get too much look-in if the electronics die and you have a dead torch. Hence the backups and multi-brand spread!

All in all, I think I have all bases covered, justified all my backups, and hence the flawless correctness of my logic explaining away all my torches.

Sounds good to me, time to take my medication.

 

[fizzwinkus]

My system is based on the cr123 primary. It consists of one light in each major area, and an edc.

Bed side / vampire: glowtoob lithium white. This is just for getting around at night without having to turn lights on.
Edc: chimera mini (hopefully soon!) the only non cr123, made with micro USB to fit with my electronics charging requirements.
Car: eagletac m2sc4. The idea being low runtime field searches, find what you lost and go.
Tool bag: surefire lx2 mixed runtime, good for lighting crawl spaces and hallways with dropped ceilings.
Emergency 3 day bag: saint minimus & glowtoob lithium white. All runtime, all the time. The minimus can be worn as a headband or strapped to my backpack (the backpack also has tritium markers on the shoulders) - hands free ability is a bonus.

Of course this sonly my first run at purpose driven lights... Who knows how well it will work once the fan gets hit.

Next project is to replicate some parts of the 3 day bag into the car... This might be easier now that I think about it. I can consolidate the light, multi tool and first aid kit and have most of it covered.

 

[old4570]

Well , we have white backs [ mainly indoors - they love houses ] , lots and lots of Red Backs , spent all this summer killing them , the house was surrounded .
Wolf Spiders - almost as big a body as Huntsmen .

White backs and Redbacks are mainly a summer problem , Wolf spiders seem to be year round , but prefer the outdoors . [ Spiders here in Melbourne ]

As for Snakes , Red bellied Black snakes and Tiger snakes found in the Suburbs , creeks , flood plains , Parks . Heck a neighbor found one under his rose bush once [ Tiger ] and killed it with a spade ..

When I was 12 I killed one with a knife one summer evening just behind our house , the neighbors cat was killed by a tiger , and when they concreted the local creek , 3 of the workers were bitten by tigers in the first week of work .

Brown snakes in the coastal areas heading north , death adders and copper heads and the rest in the bush .

So I guess , Tigers , Browns , Death Adders , Copper heads , and Red bellied blacks , but mostly Red Bellied Blacks , Ive seen plenty over the years , as well quite a few Tigers . Snakes dont hibernate in Oz , MUCH ! only the ones in Alpine areas , but there known to come out to sun themselves even when there is snow on the ground ... So just because your playing in the snow is no guarantee ...

So out of this lot , the Eastern Brown would be the most aggressive , but then around April is Tiger Breading season , and the tigers have been known to be a little edgy at this time of year .

And Death Adders are no cutesy pies either , as well the copper head has been known to be testy , so I guess all of the top 5 can be mean when they want to .

Best to just avoid them , and thats why i like lights with flood , I want to see everything in front of me