WilsonCQB1911
Enlightened
Sacrilege I know, but I have my fill of flashlights for this "age". Before re-discovering CPF my ultimate light was my SF A2. And then I popped back on and discovered all the wonderful advancements. So I bought a ton of lights, found what I liked, and sold the rest. And now, like many years ago, I'm content, and will enjoy what I have and come back when stuff has made another major leap again.
I'm at 15 or so lights right now, which is way more than I truly need (I find too many distracts from what I really want to use), but I can't seem to pare down my modest collection any further than that. Highlights include my original A2, and I've added 2 more NIB ones (including a NOS 4-flats!!!!), 4 HDS lights, and 2 ArmyTek Predators. This time I find myself moving away from the 2-cell Surefires and adding the newer 1-cell SFs, like the e1B, E1L, and EB1, which provide more power and runtime than my older 2-cells they replaced.
I've also discovered Malkoff drop-ins and rechargeable eneloops and li-ions, which have made a huge difference. Nearly all my lights now run off rechargeables, including my power hog A2. I'm still trudging through a supply of 80 or so 123 primaries, but will take much longer now. For whatever reason, I haven't loved the 18650 cells and lights. Those go the fastest out of my hands, esp if they are 18650-only. They tend to be too big for daily carry. Only the ArmyTek impressed me enough to stay, and I can run it off a wide range of cell or cell combinations. I have liked the 16670 (or whatever it is) for use in Malkoff hosts, without requiring modification.
While I've purchased my fair share of the newer Chinese lights, few have remained long for one reason or another. ArmyTek has been the most impressive, but I'm also keeping a TK75 (which I hardly ever use - but man is it impressive), and 2 Quark QTAs. I have my SRT3 as well, still, and will likely keep it.
Anyway, this is a great age of flashlights and I truly LOVE the move towards moonlight modes and long runtimes. Those are the most useful to me. It'll be interesting to see what the next great leap will be. I'm going to cherish what I have, and save some money while I wait..... Or more likely spend it on some other hobby .
I'm at 15 or so lights right now, which is way more than I truly need (I find too many distracts from what I really want to use), but I can't seem to pare down my modest collection any further than that. Highlights include my original A2, and I've added 2 more NIB ones (including a NOS 4-flats!!!!), 4 HDS lights, and 2 ArmyTek Predators. This time I find myself moving away from the 2-cell Surefires and adding the newer 1-cell SFs, like the e1B, E1L, and EB1, which provide more power and runtime than my older 2-cells they replaced.
I've also discovered Malkoff drop-ins and rechargeable eneloops and li-ions, which have made a huge difference. Nearly all my lights now run off rechargeables, including my power hog A2. I'm still trudging through a supply of 80 or so 123 primaries, but will take much longer now. For whatever reason, I haven't loved the 18650 cells and lights. Those go the fastest out of my hands, esp if they are 18650-only. They tend to be too big for daily carry. Only the ArmyTek impressed me enough to stay, and I can run it off a wide range of cell or cell combinations. I have liked the 16670 (or whatever it is) for use in Malkoff hosts, without requiring modification.
While I've purchased my fair share of the newer Chinese lights, few have remained long for one reason or another. ArmyTek has been the most impressive, but I'm also keeping a TK75 (which I hardly ever use - but man is it impressive), and 2 Quark QTAs. I have my SRT3 as well, still, and will likely keep it.
Anyway, this is a great age of flashlights and I truly LOVE the move towards moonlight modes and long runtimes. Those are the most useful to me. It'll be interesting to see what the next great leap will be. I'm going to cherish what I have, and save some money while I wait..... Or more likely spend it on some other hobby .