Do you ever wonder what you're going to do with all those flashlights?

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

As far as hoarding goes I agree that there is a problem amongst many people that they feel safer when they have many things around them. Then there is the disease you see on hoarding tv shows where people fill their houses with so much junk they can't move around. Then there are people who buy material objects (of any type) in an attempt that they will bring them happiness or fill in a void missing in their lives. There are so many reasons why people may hoard something.

Personally I find that I get into a hobby for a while and buy way too much of something, really to try out all the options available. Once I've found what I like I begin to widdle down the selection and sell off what is not used. Specifically regarding flashlights I've had as many as 50 or 60 at one time. I had built a great collection of most E-series SF lights out there and a very nice McGizmo and CooFall collection as well. Not all of them got used and some were viewed as collectors, but like many here who start huge collections when they get started I decided that I only wanted to keep the lights that would actually get use. So I've sold of nearly most of my lights, kept one or two "holy grail" lights and filled the rest with practical and functional lights that server the functions I need them to.

I've got around 12 lights right now. I could probably widdle down a few more that I am not really using as some of the tastes have changed again and there is still a bit of tweaking to be done........

But in my opinion it makes sense to have one or two solid primary lights for SHTF (definitely an AA and a CR123). The others can be 18650 or some other rechargeable because you know that the likelyhood of that SHTF scenario is probably less that 0.0001% ever going to happen, but why take that chance.

 

[Illum]

Do you ever wonder what you're going to do with all those flashlights?

Easy, give away or sell the ones you don't use and stop buying new ones. If you must have the latest LED/bin, buy a light that can be modded, or lego'd, anything except a prebuilt light.

 

[Vortus]

Logical fallacy.

Having 20 of the same light is like having 20 of the same wrench in a toolbox.

There are also very few situations where you'd consciously choose similar lights for different things. A light is a light, it doesn't have to fit a particular 1/16" inch whatnot. As long as it illuminates, turns on/off when you want it to, and isn't too dim or too heavy for the job, then its suitable.

We can derive pleasure from choosing one light over another for very slight reasons, but it is generally irrational pleasure.

I can understand having a few dozen of the same light for an emergency, to hand out to people around you. Or, having a couple lights for every kind of battery, as I have, and even variations on weight/size/output for each battery type.

I can't understand collecting arbitrary lights, but that doesn't mean its wrong.

Could just own a couple crescent wrenches and pretty much cover them all rather than a set of SAE and Metrics. But they wouldn't work as well. Right tool for the job. Just because a wrench is a 3/8 doesn't mean its the same as another 3/8. Different types, box, open end, S shape, offset, different point types, ratcheting....the list goes on. Many do the pretty much the same job as most others, just not as well as the one designed for the task at hand. Wrenches break, just like lights. Redundancy prevents loss of light due to loss or failure. Light isn't any different. A multimode light is handy to have for small, day to day tasks and for emergencies. But I find myself getting more attached to single mode lights for work. An everyday light gets to hot to hold on high for extended periods, but is too big to bother with using on low for extended periods. So a small low light for looking for stuff at night in my truck, up to a high lumen light for shining onto my semi's tandems during the day while I am making a repair since a small light is swallowed by the ambient light, yet its to dark to properly see what I am doing in there. So that I do not have to carry all these lights with me, a bunch are needed in places where I will need them. Hence needing 20 of one light, 20 of another etc etc :naughty:

Jeep
Truck
Semi
Boat
Trailer tool box
Fishing Gear
Camping Gear
House (more than one spot for lights here)
Garage
Travel bags

And if thats not enough, my wife is a rockhound of sorts. She loves geodes and other interesting types of stones, minerals, gems (who's wife doesn't like this one) etc. Will just look at them for long periods of time (using her flashlights). But the rocks serve no useful purpose, however, she likes looking at them and thinks they are pretty. Reckon thats reason enough for me. Same thing applies to the bling lights I guess.

 

[AlphaZen]

I'm with you Brasso. It's hard to justify so many lights, and even harder to justify buying new ones, when you have more than you can use.

I justify it mainly as a hobby, and am spoiled enough now to only buy lights that really interest me. I have also implemented a soft rule that I have to sell one to buy one, but this gets much harder when, like you said, you like them all.

 

[HIDC]

The problem isn't the selling part. Say your light costs $50. How much will you sell it for? $40? $30? Is the other party going to pay for shipping if they're not local? The problem is that after shipping it's just not worth selling the light for a cutrate price. Then you fall into the trap of "I'll use it sometime".

Case in point. I have four Skyray 16580 XP-G lights. One hanging top of the stairs, one at the bottom. One in the car (with a bunch of other lights), two stowed in a box someplace. Then there's the three bins of lights I have stored. Just beside the bed I have 5 lights... 5!

Going on that same vein, once you're "ready" to sell, are they worth anything anymore? I have a bunch of L0D lights (modded, stock, special edition, CE, etc). They aren't worth anything (well maybe the CE) because the LED is now obsolete. You couldn't sell it cheap enough to make it worth yours or their time. I disgress.

 

[mbw_151]

I'll admit that it is a hobby, one with a practical side but still a hobby. I can probably "justify" all the headlamps, about half my handhelds, and about a third of the money I've spent. This ranks lights near the top of the "excessive" list above power tools and just under pocket knives. I get a fair amount of enjoyment from buying, selling, and playing with my "toys". Knives and lights are sufficiently distracting and satisfying that I don't feel the need to venture up the cost scale into firearms, performance cars, boats, airplanes, vacation homes..... Hey, it works for me and I suspect for lots of others on CPF.

 

[peterharvey73]

Last year, I purchased 3 Jetbeams: RRT-0 S2, RRT-2 R5, and RRT-3 SST-50.
They look great, are well featured, and have very good beam performance.
However, one thing you can't tell on-line, is how they hold in the hand, and how ergonomic the switches are.
I find the RRT-0 and RRT-2 very uncomfortable just to hold in the hand, because the body is too short and the bulging head gets in the way some how; meanwhile the RRT-3 is nice to hold in the hand, but the tail end switch is very uncomfortable to operate via the tactical overhand grip - it is best operated using two hands - a pain.
Unlike the RRT-0, the V10R or a HDS is far more comfortable to hold in the hand, esp the HDS for bigger hands.
It seems the Jetbeam Raptors were designed with little ergonomics in mind?
However, they do look great, they're well specified, and beam performance is very good, if not excellent.
I should have gotten the Sunwaymans?
Nevermind, because for me, throwy beams are passe nowadays; for me anyway.

The second half of last year was also a time when the flooders entered the market.
At first I was cheesed off with the XM-L and the Triple XM-L's because they lost throw distance.
It took a while to grow on me.
However, in the end, via Rob Bond's backyard photographs, I found the SC600 XM-L and the TM11's broad beam was far more practical than those traditional throwy beams.
Thus, now I use the SC600 as my EDC, while if I intentionally go for a walk in the dark, I use the TM11 with it's huge broad lateral spill.

So what do I do with the three old throwy Jetbeams?
I thought about selling it for money.
I thought about giving it away as a very expensive gift.
I thought about passing it onto my parents, but they wouldn't use it.
Then, in the end I came up with the idea of putting the RRT-0 S2 at work, the RRT-2 R5 in my wife's car glove box, and the RRT-3 in my car glove box.
The other day, it truly became useful in my car...

 

[Launch Mini]

When I read the title , my first thought was "on death?"
Most of mine are SPY's, and I've thought about , will anyone know how to even open them up to replace the batteries? let alone program it?

 

[geckoblink]

Somehow I am always able to re-purpose old flashlights when I obtain newer ones... I blame my greedy drawers that require their own lights...

 

[DIΩDΣ]

I've got one good light and thats it. Not counting the freebie button-cell keychain light, my big old 6D mag that I think is dead, and a mini mag thats lost somewhere in the house for the last couple years.
You guys have problems lol. (j/k)

I've got way too many other hobbies to sink a lot of money into lights, but I do plan on getting a couple more, but mainly interesting in models that arent out yet.

 

[davyro]

I've always loved my lights from the age of 7 when i received my first one as a stocking filler one christmas.I have never been without a flashlight since then.I'm now 45 have two
teenage kids of my own but i still love my lights.What i've started doing is saving for the light i really want,i don't just buy the next new light with the newest LED.Like it seem's
a lot of people are going for warm tints or high CRI well they're not something i'm that interested in,so i'll keep my money until i can save enough to get a grail light.I use all of my
lights in rotation so i'll keep my collection to a max of 12 lights,this way i can get use out of all of them.What it does mean is that when i get a new light that i've really wanted one of
the older ones has to go but up until now i have 4 lights that i'll never sell.When i get to 12 that i wouldn't sell i will have completed my task,this will be a lot harder than it seem's
it will also be very expensive & i'll be lucky to get to that goal,but i'll enjoy trying.

 

[roadkill1109]

well, i've always been into flashlights as a kid growing up. I started out with a Maglite 2xAA. I even got a book on self-defense using a Maglite designed for LEO's. Now, being more than 1/3 of a century old, all my lights, i'll eventually pass on to my kids. Even if now they never see the point of having an EDC light until they actually need it (so who has the last laugh now, eh kids? ). These lights last for so long, and with a 50,000 hour lifespan and so many lights, these will probably last my lifetime. I'll always be into flashlights, until the time i kick the bucket.

 

[Rokron]

How about this idea for a ring.

I completely understand this situation and have encountered it with other hobbies. My GF caught me looking at this forum and later last evening mentioned that she would appreciate me not getting too carried away with this "flash light thing!"
- considering that she is expecting a ring soon!

Best,
DS

 

[RBWNY]

Its like any other tool in your tool box.

Do you only have one sized wrench?

Socket?

Screwdriver?

Do you USE ALL of them all the time?

Do you say to yourself, hmmm, I have not used that 14 mm socket in a long time, I should get rid of it?

or

If you are a stamp collector, do you say, hmmm, I doubt I'll ever mail anything now that I have email...maybe I should get rid of them?

How often do you really LOOK at those paintings on your walls, are you wondering if maybe you should get rid of them?

And so forth.

That's a good analagy(sp?) ... and would work if it weren't for the fact that our favorite tools run on batteries! --- so as long as I have the batteries, I feel I need to keep them all running :sick2:... which is not an easy task! I guess we take-on these challenges too easily. In MY case, I've sold quite a few, but now since most are quite new, I can't part with any of them!!

 

[RBWNY]

same way here, i give them away to my friends after i don't use them anymore

I'm afraid I wouldn't trust how my friends (clearly non-flashaholics) would "handle" li-ion batteries!! oo:

 

[AlphaZen]

How about this idea for a ring.

Lol. Nice XM-L ring.

 

[AlphaZen]

I've always loved my lights from the age of 7 when i received my first one as a stocking filler one christmas.I have never been without a flashlight since then.I'm now 45 have two
teenage kids of my own but i still love my lights.What i've started doing is saving for the light i really want,i don't just buy the next new light with the newest LED.Like it seem's
a lot of people are going for warm tints or high CRI well they're not something i'm that interested in,so i'll keep my money until i can save enough to get a grail light.I use all of my
lights in rotation so i'll keep my collection to a max of 12 lights,this way i can get use out of all of them.What it does mean is that when i get a new light that i've really wanted one of
the older ones has to go but up until now i have 4 lights that i'll never sell.When i get to 12 that i wouldn't sell i will have completed my task,this will be a lot harder than it seem's
it will also be very expensive & i'll be lucky to get to that goal,but i'll enjoy trying.

I like the general idea of your system, and want to incorporate something similar, before I end up with 30+ lights that sit in a drawer. The idea of only keeping the cream of the crop is a good one. One question: How did you come up with the number 12?

 

[davyro]

I like the general idea of your system, and want to incorporate something similar, before I end up with 30+ lights that sit in a drawer. The idea of only keeping the cream of the crop is a good one. One question: How did you come up with the number 12?

I own 12 lights now & that has been the case for about the last 5yrs & I realised i was in the habit of every time i was buying a better standard of flashlight i would sell one of my cheapest & rarely used one's.
So it wasn't a conscious decision but i won't buy a light anymore unless I'm going to use it.I just don't have enough money to buy lights to be shelf queens.To get the higher priced one's i just save as quickly as
i can for them & i always sell one to help pay for the better one.This way my last 4 lights have been 3 HDS & 1 McGizmo.These I'll most likely keep hopefully.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

What it does mean is that when i get a new light that i've really wanted one of
the older ones has to go but up until now i have 4 lights that i'll never sell.When i get to 12 that i wouldn't sell i will have completed my task,this will be a lot harder than it seem's
it will also be very expensive & i'll be lucky to get to that goal,but i'll enjoy trying.

davyro - I've been thinking about this post and I wonder how you know when you've found a light that you will never sell. Over the 2-3 years I've been on the site I've bought and sold many lights (well over 100). I've had many lights that I've purchased that I thought I would never sell - but they didn't get much use over time even though they were awesome and exotic lights - and eventually I sold them to pay for other pleasures and hobbies.

I think over time our uses and possibly preferences tend to change and one light that was great at one time isn't so great any more as a functional tool.

I've got only one light right now that I would never sell, but I've got several other lights that are awesome and unique in their own way and I can't see selling them now - but may in the future. It's been a constantly evolving process to find out what I like/need most and I've found that a XML modded Surefire T1A is the perfect night time around the house light (it's got the lowest low out there, plenty of light on high for house work, it's floody and it's silent so no loud clickies in the middle of the night), a HDS Rotary is very practical overall (good low, rotary control and some set levels) and a Tri-V which is my grail light. All of my other lights are great for their purpose, but I am sure they could be replaced with others that are just as good in other ways.

 

[Stream]

Sometimes, but in my head I always try to justify it by finding specific usage areas for each light...