Apparently some people are not flashaholics

[nbp]

I absolutely agree with the LED. I'm not into taking presents back either but hey, if she's not using it, I'd say, hey, if you're not using it, let me have it and I'll give it to someone who has better use for it.

Simple as that. That kinda behavior ticks me off something fierce but that's just me.

I already said that I was not going to do that. I think it's tacky and completely inappropriate to take back a gift. Plus, I have hopes of her realizing its usefulness at some point.

However, If you truly feel that way, I suppose you had better start getting in touch with your family and friends and see about getting 90% of the birthday and christmas gifts you gave them back, because most of them likely aren't getting used either.

That certainly doesn't mean that gifting a flashlight is thoughtless. But, when we gift lights, we should recognize that the thought that went into selecting the light will likely go overlooked.

This is true. She probably did not realize the thought I put into selecting an appropriate light for her situation.

Therefore, I am pretty much over being hurt by her comments. I'm a big boy, and I am not going to stay upset about relatively little thing for long. Big boys don't cry, right? :mecry:

However, from a purely practical standpoint, the thought of having a good flashlight in a situation where electricity is spotty, and NOT using the flashlight still leaves me going :thinking: :shrug: :shakehead

 

[guiri]

Gifts? What gifts? We don't need no stinkin' gifts.

I finally stopped giving my wife stuff 'cause she didn't even bother trying some of the stuff I bought for her.

I would buy flowers and she wouldn't even bother putting them in water

Yeah, people are different and I STILL think it sucked that she didn't appreciate it more but that's me.

I don't give stuff away for the big thank you but that doesn't mean that it doesn't suck.

 

[matterns]

At what point or event needs to happen, to become a Flashaholic?

 

[nbp]

I did say I was disappointed and a bit hurt that she didn't use the light, and I completely agree that it sucks when you give a gift really believing it is the right one only to find that it isn't used. I only disagreed with the feeling that taking it back is an acceptable recourse, as I don't feel it is.

The adage that "there is more happiness in giving than receiving" is absolutely true. However, gift receivers can suck the joy out of the giving process for the giver if they do not know how to be a good receiver. Moral of the story: be a giver, it will make you happy. Also be a good receiver, it will make someone else happy.

 

[guiri]

I absolutely agree but I didn't mean snatch it. Just ask her if she doesn't want it or is not going to use it maybe someone ELSE will benefit more from it?

I mean, the light sitting in a drawer benefits NO ONE. Not even her if there's an emergency 'cause it won't have batteries in it.

 

[RedLED]

I absolutely agree but I didn't mean snatch it. Just ask her if she doesn't want it or is not going to use it maybe someone ELSE will benefit more from it?

I mean, the light sitting in a drawer benefits NO ONE. Not even her if there's an emergency 'cause it won't have batteries in it.

I agree, and this may be better stated than my post earlier.

 

[Learjet]

Probably should have bought her a box of candles. After all it's common knowledge that flashlights are only used to find the candles and matches. :duh2:

 

[bill_n_opus]

...... She recieved a thorough explanation on how to use the light before she left and she's very intelligent, so it's not like she didn't know how to change a battery. She just didn't. .....

My general observation is that very intelligent people do not necessarily have common sense. Or vice versa. Not that they are mutually exclusive ... it's just that one does not predicate the other.

My wife is pretty bright ... but no way, no how will she figure out the remote control ... that's my "job". She's let that go to me.

Sometimes when you offer something to someone that's part of "our" world ... it doesn't initiate them at all, they are still outsiders and that's where they will stay until they find that interest or spark to learn on their own.

Even something commonsensical like:

flashlights + batteries = working.

For her it was:

flashlights + dead batteries = oh well, it was fun while it lasted ... now where's the candles? :shrug:

That's the problem solving for her (when it comes to flashlights) ... not, "hey, how do I open this thing? Oh, AA's ... cool, I think I can find some ... hey, they have an Ikea here too! I can get some batteries there! ..."

That's our way of thinking.

In her area of strength she would be able to problem-solve something appropriate ... something that we may not have a clue about.

From my experience, people always ask me about computer stuff ... I've given up trying to educate them on the topic because of this very concept we've just discussed. Only if they really want to learn will I go further ... it's just not worth it and they will forget everything you tell them.

 

[TMedina]

Old adage, "Prior Planning Prevents ****-Poor Performance."

There are plenty of people, men and women, who fail to plan for contingencies - and there are plenty of threads floating around this forum that can attest to that fact.

Whether a natural disaster, an unexpected turn of events or even a minor complication, the fact remains most of us don't take the time to prepare for the "maybe" scenario let alone the "worst case" scenario.

-Trevor

 

[richardcpf]

I gave my girlfriend a titanium mini spotlight for 12v car sockets. It was utterly simple to use: plug in to recharge, twist to turn on.

The flashlight stopped working after few months, because the internal nimh battery was discharged to flat. She used it once, and never plugged it back to recharge, she said, "this flashlight is too complicated".

Yes, some people are just not into flashlights.

 

[JCD]

flashlights + dead batteries = oh well, it was fun while it lasted ... now where's the candles?

We have to remember that there isn't a thing wrong with solving the problem in that manner. It's different from how most of us would solve it, but not any worse. Heck, depending on her reasoning (about which we are currently ignorant), her solution may well have been the superior one. We have to remember, she was the only one familiar with her situation.

 

[charlie_hng]

What would a flashholic think before wrapping up and during the trip?

a. Idea – I need to stay at a remote location for 6 months. Let's get prepared for the darkness.
b. Grab a couple primaries and back up flashlights (thinking about what to bring as I have so many to choose from). Need a headlamp in case both hands busy. Also need a lantern for all people in the room. Come on, 6 months isn't short, is it?
c. I need flood for short and throw for long distance. Cool white throws longer and warm tint sees better so I'll carry both.
d. Let's get some batteries. Oops! There's no charging power. Can't use 18650/17670/16340/14500. Can't bring P60 hosts. Horrible! Fine. I'll carry some AA torches instead. Though I don't have many left.
e. I have some DX/KD cheapo but I can't trust none especially when I am running it in such a long trip. My Fenix L2D CE is out dated and EagleTac P10A2 won't last longer than 8 hours. I need some updated XPGs. Don't forget the neutral white version(end up buying more lights…)
f. These babies need to be well protected during transportation.
g. Finally arrived.
h. After a week of stay, I figured most of the time after dark I stayed in house. The AA light is good for walking around but I didn't seem to use it extremely. Perhaps 20 minute a day. I still liked my LED but didn't care without it because all I need could be satisfied by one candle power and it's accessible everywhere in the house.:shrug:

 

[sabre7]

Here's the thing: No matter how cool a flashlight enthusiast may find a light, and no matter how expensive that light is, a flashlight is not likely to be perceived as a thoughtful gift to most people unless the recipient had previously mentioned a desire or need for a good light.

Further, flashlights rarely look like they should be as expensive as they actually are. If I saw a Quark AA (or similar Fenix light, etc.) in a brick & mortar store with a price tag of over $10, I would laugh, mutter something about how quickly fools are born, and put it back on the shelf. It simply doesn't look like it should be expensive, at least not to anyone not familiar with recent flashlight technology. And, without the name MagLite on the side, there simply isn't any brand recognition for the average person.

That certainly doesn't mean that gifting a flashlight is thoughtless. But, when we gift lights, we should recognize that the thought that went into selecting the light will likely go overlooked.

Well said.

High end flashlights make poor gifts and can lead to hard feelings when they are inevitably cast aside and forgotten by the non-flashaholic recipient.

 

[TorchBoy]

For her it was:

flashlights + dead batteries = oh well, it was fun while it lasted ... now where's the candles? :shrug:

That's the problem solving for her (when it comes to flashlights) ... not, "hey, how do I open this thing? Oh, AA's ... cool, I think I can find some ... hey, they have an Ikea here too! I can get some batteries there! ..."

Once again, you have no idea what she was actually doing, nor how busy she was with more important matters, nor how appropriate what she used (candles) was to her situation.

 

[boss429]

My buddy's younger sister just came home from an 8 month stay in the Dominican Republic where she was volunteering her time to teach. Before she left she had told us that the place she was staying didn't have running water and electricity was spotty, depending on when the generators were running and running well.

Flashaholic to the rescue! Poor lighting you say? I'll solve that! As she is like a sister to me I told her I'd get her a decent light. So I got her a Quark AA. I saw her tonight and asked if she got some good use out of that flashlight with all the power outages.

She replied it worked well for about a month and then the battery died and she never bought new ones so she had been using candles! :shakehead

I could not believe it. I didn't tell her that was a $57 flashlight and that I specifically got the 1xAA for her so it would be as cheap and easy as possible to power it and that I was a little disappointed that it got relegated to the junk drawer and that if she didn't want it I'd take it back. I didn't say any of those things. Maybe she'll come around still.

Apparently some people just aren't flashaholics. :sigh:

I feel your pain!-LOL
Ultimatly-No good deed goes unpunished!

 

[rlorion]

I always have 1 or 2 lights on me at all times...no matter where I go or what I'm doing. When I am at work they call me the Illuminator because I usually have my Fenix PD30 in my pocket and my MG RX-1 in my side pocket and my ITP A6 Polestar and LED LENSER P7 in my lunchbag. If the power goes out in my house I have at least 4 3Million candlepower spot lights and 12 other flashlights to light my way around. Is this addiciton normal? Do I need help? lovecpf

 

[guiri]

I agree, and this may be better stated than my post earlier.

Yeah but we meant the same thing

 

[Gregozedobe]

I must be very privileged - my missus has been bugging me for ages to build a shelf to put all my flashlights on

And when she goes out in the backyard at night she grabs the brightest light from the selection I leave sitting on the freezer near the back door (1 x 18650 with a SSC P7 is her current favourite). She wants to SEE in the dark !

She doesn't even mind (much) when I buy new lights, when we both know I already have way more lights than I can practically use (40+ and counting).

 

[guiri]

Very good woman.

I'll trade her for a printer in excellent condition WITH cartridges...

 

[nbp]

Very good woman.

I'll trade her for a printer in excellent condition WITH cartridges...

I'll see your printer and raise you a Milky KL4! :naughty: