What’s kept you interested?

[bigburly912]

I've got to admit I've not been interested in new lights for quite some time. There's really been nothing blow me away besides Fraz's creation.

I buy novatacs and HDS and then just sell them. Actually bought a Novatac "weapon light" today to mess around with before I inevitably sell it too.

I love Malkoff but I think the absolute perfect Malkoff for my needs was the 4L from the group buy a while back. I had some interest in the new 361, almost bought one to put in an MD2 body I have a surefire drop in shoved in for quick momentary use at the back door.

I still own a few dozen lights but most of my use is just for use and not for enthusiast use like it used to be. I used to love lighting up an entire patch of woods or using one of vinh's throwers to light up a mountain side. Don't know why the interest has waned. For a short time my financial situation had changed but nothing drastic like I thought it was going to. Then it got substantially better and still haven't gotten into buying anything really.

So….. what's kept your interest in the flashlight game? I'm more happy digging around in my vintage pile and playing with old incans than chasing that 4738929747 Lumen dream.


Help.

Sincerely,

An ex flashaholic?

 

[ABTOMAT]

I've never been obsessive about adding new flashlights. Every few years I look at what I'm using every day and see if there's anything new that'd work better for me, then decide if it's worth upgrading. That's about it for me. I don't think being a compulsive buyer is part of participating in a hobby. Until I got a used HDS this year, my EDC was a 2004 U2 I bought used in 2009.

 

[idleprocess]

Emisar/Noctigon lights are still interesting, however the list of desired acquisitions has narrowed down.

 

[bykfixer]

I still get a kick out of electric sunshine on a stick. Period, Probably always will.

 

[hsa]

Crimson ML 50 L grenade grip Maglites. OOps, they don't make them anymore.

 

[Guitar Guy]

I grew up out in the country - let's say, many decades ago. We were outside a lot at night - on the porches in hot weather, playing hide n seek, catching night crawlers, walking across the yard to the garage for something, etc. Since before I was even in school, the idea of a hand held light that one could carry around always amazed me, and still does, I guess.

We're now living in a time where battery and LED technology are advancing at a fast pace, and many people don't even realize it. I liken it to the advancement of color TV, personal computers, the internet, and cell phones, and I'm very happy to be a part of it.

I still remember the days of the pale beams on my first flashlights, and using them sparingly because the old batteries did not last long. Now I love my high lumen & long running lights, whether I'm using them for work, camping, carrying in the vehicle, or just playing around with them. Lots of "non-flashaholic" folks are missing out on amazing new technology with their el cheapo three dollar plastic throwaway flashlights.

 

[Lights and Guns]

Eh, I don't think I've ever obsessed over flashlights in terms of wanting to acquire more and more.
I would say I more obsess over the quality of a light (or a knife) that I'm going to purchase/carry/use.

As an example. (Took me about 15 years to realize Chris Reeve is my favorite knife manufacturer).
No matter what or how many knives I had in my collection, it didn't seem to matter, I would end up selling my knives off, all besides the infamous Chris Reeve Sebenza 21, both large and small versions. Those were the one constant throughout my journey. No matter what I always had those in my collection and seems to be in my pocket more often than not.
After this realization ... I don't really bother buying any new knives. They discontinued the 21's and brought out the 31's ( Which I absolutely hate). So I went ahead and tracked down all the 21 variants that I wanted. Now I probably have about 12 or so 21's sitting in my collection and I think that they should all outlast me. Nowadays I don't really keep up with the knife game (like I used too).. I'm still active but not nearly as much as I once was.

Getting back to lights, I was somewhat in to lights at one point, when the P60 platform came around and you could buy the drop-ins and change a surefire into something MUCH stronger. But I guess it takes a very long time for progress to be made in the battery and light world.
Moreso then the knife world (steel "upgrades" and handle inlays ect.) Seems to come around much more quickly.

Like recently, I guess I was bored more than anything, so I bought a light from malkoff to replace another light I had.
I was using a modlite HOG for some time, but somebody here suggested I try the malkoff Hound Dog 18650. The main reason I pulled the trigger is due to the malkoff having both a high and low output, whereas the modlite only had 1 output which is high. For my needs this worked well, but was annoying at times because I would need a lower output, so I'd need to put the modlite away and pull out a smaller light with different output levels. I wanted to avoid having to do this, along with avoid carrying a second light. So I grabbed the HD 18650 and fell in love. Very useful beam both inside and outdoors. Having the low mode available but no chance of accidently switching to low is fantastic. So now The HD 18650 seems to go wherever I go. Either in my bag/in my Jeep / at work ect.

Overall, I'd say I've bought way more knives than lights in my life. Probably due to a combination of having more use for knives then lights throughout the past 15 years of my life, also due to knives retaining their value, and sometimes even increasing. So it's really a no brainer if you're into the hobby because you can't really lose. For example, If I bought a knife and ended up not liking it I could resell it without taking a loss, or making a few bucks at times, or worst case scenario lose a tiny bit of money, maybe enough to cover shipping. Whereas with lights, I learned early on for the vast majority of lights, they seem to lose quite a bit of value, pretty much immediately once you buy them for retail. Therefore when I didn't like a light in particular or I wasn't using it enough ect.ect. I couldn't just resell it, without taking a substantial loss on it.

Obviously I'm still a light guy, and honestly I'm more active in the light forums nowadays, then any knife forum. I think since I've decided on the 21 as being "The Knife" for me, I lost quite a lot of interest in knives, as I don't need anything more than what I have now.

I guess the same can be said for lights, my current collection is in a good spot, and I have all my bases covered with regards to lighting needs. With that said, I have been enjoying reading up on stuff and getting more knowledge on the light world in general.

Don't think that'll help give you the boost you needed to rekindle the fire you once had for lights, but maybe it'll push you into taking the leap towards another hobby that you might have on the back-burner, or been thinking about getting into. There is no time like the present!

 

[bykfixer]

As long as it gets dark at night I'll be interested. Mainly because as my eyes age they prefer more light than when younger.

My acquisition of new flashlights has waned to almost nill the last few years. So when I do score one it's that much more thrilling.

 

[Poppy]

I still own a few dozen lights but most of my use is just for use and not for enthusiast use like it used to be. <SNIP>

So….. what's kept your interest in the flashlight game?

@bigburly912
I feel ya.
My back story is that after 9/11 I joined my town's CERT team, and after we did a practice Search and Rescue in a wooded area, I realized that if it was at night, my flashlights would not be sufficient. I came here for help in selecting a light.

I got hooked.
Now over the years, I have developed some friendships, and am continued to be impressed with the vast array of knowledge contained within this group of geeks I hang with. That's what keeps me coming back day after day.

When our CERT team commander got booted for political reasons, I lost interest in participating with CERT. Last year I even took my CERT bag out of the trunk of my car to make room. So currently I am not even sure which lights I have in my car. I know that I have a 2AA RAyovac indestructible with a traffic wand, a cheap give away Rayovac 18650 $10 rechargeable light, and a CNQ tini twisty 18650 with a XML LED in it. I may, or may not have a Convoy S2+ in the car too.

The lights that I keep in the car are ones, that I wouldn't be too upset if they went missing. My better SAR lights are in my bedroom.

Last week, I dropped my grandson off at a golf course for a 3:30 T time. When I went to pick him up, it was getting dark, and I couldn't reach him by phone. Then it got really dark, and he wasn't back. The last golfers didn't see him, and I sent the ranger out to look for him. In the meantime I pulled out the lights that I had in my car.

Compared to my SAR lights they were pathetic.

He came strolling in. It wasn't HIS fault that it got dark!
A discussion followed.

At any rate, I decided to put a better SAR quality light in my car. I don't want to put one in the car that I would regret to have stolen, so I'll get one that is relatively inexpensive but still functional.

I just picked up a Sofirn SP36 BLF for about $60. I tried it out last night in my back yard, and it put the three LED Defiant 3C cell light to absolute shame. But it doesn't have the punch through brush that one may need, it is IMO a bit too floody. I pulled out my Vinh modified Sunwayman D40C light and it has a much better beam for a wooded area SAR light. I don't want to leave that in the car as it is irreplaceable. So I guess my interest has been re-peaked.

 

[letschat7]

Older lights keep me hooked. I could get by with maybe 5 flashlights but I like searching for something to add to my collection.

 

[ghostguy6]

Id say the only reason Im hooked is because my needs are changing so what I look for in a light changes. So far no one has made that one fits all perfect light.

I was growing up flashlight technology was pretty much limited to incandescent lights. If you had a maglite 2D you were considered to be a flashaholic. Then I started working in security which opened up a hole new world of lights, you needed smaller to carry on your duty belt like the surefire line up. This was also when the oil boom was happening here. Companies were throwing around money and making all kinds of policies surrounding flashlights. One site said you had to carry a Pelican Saberlite 2000 because they would only supply C cell batteries and the 2004 (?) bulbs. Others preferred to Steathlite 2400 with AA cells and the 2404 bulbs. For a while they even specified what colour you could carry based on your position. Orange was for the safety crews, yellow was for the mining operators, black was for the admin staff ( like they go in to the mines anyways). The colour coding even changed from site to site. Most sites had specific requirements for the safety ratings as well. Being a supervisor at the time I had to make sure I had to correct light in my vehicle at all times. I think at one time I had 12 different Pelican lights in my work truck plus my personal lights for sites with no requirements.

Then the LED revolution started, this meant the need to upgrade. Run times got better and hundreds of new lights began to hit the market. Of course this meant those oil companies wanted the best lights available so they upgraded as well, so I was forced to upgrade. the company I worked for made more money so we got issued new gear in an effort to standardize. We also started a disaster prep division selling disaster kits to our clients. This meant we had to stay on top of the ever evolving light technology. Then we branched out into paid search and rescue. Again different lights were called for. I also worked part time at a few different night clubs so my needs changed again while working there vs in the field.

Thankfully I moved on from the security world so my needs are no longer so varied. The oil boom has ended so flashlight polices are not nearly as strict. Pelican which is a major supplier around here has dropped pretty much their entire line up in favour of a few lights do it all lights so as long as you have a CSA mark your good to go. I have more than enough lights to get me through most situations, the only problem is once in awhile someone makes a new light that might be that one perfect light so I end up buying it to try out.

 

[Kestrel]

Sunset

 

[sween1911]

The possibilities with modding and trying different things and combinations of drivers, tints, modes, batteries, is a never ending fascination for me. Because of the wealth of information here, I've made my own modules for my Surefire M3 and 6P and it satisfies my perpetual curiosity for modifying and tweaking combinations of components. I love knowing I've assembled the pieces and how they work. I like pushing the limits to see how things work.

I've also been a computer programmer for 20+ years so I think it's part of how I'm wired. There's always one more configuration to try, always one more thing to be learned.

 

[bykfixer]

There for a while I used to enjoy getting old non-working lights to go again. Often times they'd begin working as a dull beam and through various cleaning methods would get brighter.

Probably the most fun for me was learning how they got electricity to flow from battery to bulb. Especially the old rubber body ones. Most times it was stupid simple how it works but somebody had the be the first to try it. Then learn how to mass produce it.

 

[Jean-Luc Descarte]

Treading the dark when I have portable, directional, fire-less light on demand to manipulate it as I need (or wish, including keeping the light off by choice) gives me a dopamine kick. And I doubt that'll change in my whole lifetime.

 

[orbital]

+

18650 JetBeam *********

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

What keeps me interested is pocket size lights that keep going up and up in lumens and candela. Unfortunately, the prices have not been going down and down. They keep going up and up, too.

My 4D Maglite is rated at 1002 lumens, but my Surefire Fury DFT is rated at 1500 lumens! Granted, the SF doesn't have the runtime the Maglite has, but still, that much lumens in a pocket light is amazing to me. And before I got that, I bought the 3xCR123a SF Fury at 1000 lumens. Having that much sunlight in my pocket at my whim is just COOOOL! Waiting for the next upgrade! Oh, and yes, I do want the new SF EDC super thrower. I'm just waiting for all the bugs to get worked out.

 

[letschat7]

Tell me more about a 3xcr123 Fury. Are they still for sale?

 

[vicv]

Having more disposable income than I used to. That way I can afford the cool lights I liked 15 years ago. Nothing new was interesting now. It's just more and more lumens. For shorter and shorter times.

 

[letschat7]

Having more disposable income than I used to. That way I can afford the cool lights I liked 15 years ago. Nothing new was interesting now. It's just more and more lumens. For shorter and shorter times.

This is me 100%