Where have all the users gone?

[Pellidon]

ummm, lights are supposed to get dinged once in awhile. They are character marks.

I think it was Newton or Einstien or Hawkings that discovered that the average lumen rating of a lamp is increased exponentially by the stacking up of carbon elements in the filament by lateral shock loads (dropping, banging etc.).

I read it on the internet so it must be true.


BTW I am still here and adding character marks to my lights, usiing lanyards to keep little AAA lights from falling to oblivion when they slip out of my slobber light holder (mouth :sick2. Dropping them down flights of stairs, etc.

 

[Concept]

Newbie

Now that is some fun and very interesting places to put your lights to good use.
I need to find me some old mines

 

[Skyline]

Nah, I just have not seen the types of things that I used to see.

I am tired though and losing the house is getting to me a bit.

Eh? What's this? Is everything ok there?

(I tried to PM you but your box is full...)

 

[NoFair]

For some reason the release of the U2 strikes me as a time when I noticed that a great deal of attention and resulting purchases were based on purely the cool factor of an otherwise mundane item (flashlight.) Previous hot-selling flavors-of-the-month (like the orginal Arcs, some Surefires) were driven by a more utilitarian interest. I'm not saying that U2 owners bought shelf queens, just that it really struck me at that time period.

No offence taken on the U2 comment, but....

I'm a field biologist and the U2 is my favorite flashlight for field use. I use a PT Apex the most hours, but the U2 is my do everything pretty (extremely) well flashlight. The first ding was a bit painful, but after that everything just adds character

I know a lot of people just bought it because it was cool, but IMHO it is maybe the best general purpose flashlight on the marked. At least the older ones that run on 18650s.

At the moment there is about 5 hours of daylight here so the need for flashlights is somewhat larger than many other places..

I don't collect flashlights so all my lights are users. I still have more than I need, but I find it fun to see what new and improved stuff is comming out as well.

I agree with JSB that a lot of the discussions about lights lately have revolved around shining lights on white walls inside.... While this can be amusing it gets a bit over the top at times.

Sverre

 

[depusm12]

As a police officer working midnight shift right now I use a light often during the shift. None of my lights are shelf queens. Most have a ding, scratch or at least wear marks. My most used lights now are my Gladius and my TigerLight FBOP. My Gladius has a short lanyard that I use on it.

 

[Blindasabat]

I think I'm seeing that a lot of people here are a mix of a collector that appreciates having a nice light - or twelve, and an occasional user that either uses it at work or goes camping, hiking, or hunting a few times a year. I guesss I fit exactly in the middle in that I have WAY too many lights to use, but enjoy using them all in turn whenever I need a light, lending a few out from time to time to come back all scratched up (My Jet1 is the latest and worst victim of careless borrowers), and knowing they are all there in any emergency. I camp, I go in the deep wilderness for many days at a time, I use a pocket EDC (currently a 2 stage modded P1) at work almost every day.

Yes, I hate when they get a scratch, but usually just the first one. Just like a new car, you want to keep it "new" as long as possible. But it won't keep me from using it after that. Even though I catch myself saying "I won't use that one, it's too expensive, I might lose it or damage it" - that will pass as they get older and more used. And I get newer lights. I actually look forward to the day when I have very worn old "nice" lights that still find use around the house.

 

[rugbymatt]

I am definately a User.

As a Elevator Constructor who does mostly service and repairs, I have my light out at least half the day if not more. Now I dont use some of my top end lights very much as I have a habit of dropping lights. Some times from very high up, once off the top of the elevator 17 stories up. But my fenix's and jetbeams get a lot of use, looking in elevator pits, searching for motor rooms in unlit basements, working on top of elevators, all sorts of dark places. As a matter of fact almost everyone in my profession carries and uses their flashlights everyday. And to be truthful I usually carry a 2AA and a single AA in case a battery dies or my apprentice forgets his.

My high end lights, well they are just fun to play with.

 

[jtice]

I have been having cave withdraws

Still use mine daily around the house though,
out riding, hiking late at night.
Working on the truck,

~John

 

[cave dave]

I'm going Caving tomorrow, I might have get around to putting those JSB reflectors in the Stenlight or maybe not. Camping season is pretty much over unless I fly somewhere.

I use the lights when I need to, but I don't make up excuses to use them. So weeks can go buy inbetween uses.

My collection is smaller now than it was at the beginning of the year. I sold off shelf queens like the U2 and E2e, and gave away a lot of the smaller lights like Opalec mags or Xnova clones. The only collectors light I have right now is the Spy005. It is a marvel of engineering.

Sorry to hear about the house, JSB, I didn't realize things had gotten so bad.

 

[TedTheLed]

holding my Inova T4 under my chin at 2 AM in 60 mph Santa Ana winds, I'll be darned if I'm going let a 400 watt wind blow all night and not have my wind turbine hooked up!
Blew the next day and next night too! News said gust were to 70.

 

[picard]

I am the user of flashlight. I am just too busy to post much here. I have wolf eye 9M Cobra and gladius LED.

hey Jon:

Does each 600S battery equal to 2CR123A batteries?

 

[AlexGT]

I use my EDC lights every day, My only complain is that the HID spotlights don't get much playtime.

My lights don't have any character marks because I take really good care of them.

AlexGT

 

[tvodrd]

The lamp exploded in my Maxabeam on Thanksgiving weekend! Fortunately, the AN/VSS-3A performed flawlessly, and in the 40degish ambient, didn't feel it necessary to run its forced-air cooling after shutdown. I *think* the replacement lamp for the MB is ~$150.

Larry

 

[Chronos]

I use mine whenever I can taking night hikes and night geocaches. Over time I try to take out every light to see how they do in the "real world."

As an example, I bought an Optimator from MilkySpit due to its beam- ideal for these jaunts into the dark.

 

[greenLED]

This is a great discussion, Jon!

Like others here, I must admit I have more lights than I can comfortable hold in my hands, but most of them see a healthy dose of use, since I rotate them as EDC or utility lights. I'm mostly in an urban environment these days, but my occupation does require that I spend considerable amounts of time out in the field from time to time. Under those conditions, we cannot afford not to abuse lights.

I'd also like to bring the distinction between the "constant" user (those who must use a light because of their occupation demands it), the "occasional" user (those who choose to use and carry, but where having a light is useful but not necessarily critical), and the "recreational" user (aka. the fearless wall hunter). I'm sure there are loads of other profiles.

Years ago, I would've categorized myself as a constant user (living in a field reserach station), but these days I'm more of an occasional user (despite using my lights every night, I could still manage without them), or I make excuses to use lights (look, ma, another category!).

I'll be the first one to admit I've ranted about white beams, matching finish and donut holes, but in reality I wish more people actually worried about how a light might help them accomplish a task rather than having the latest UI, with the whitest beam, caring about the finish, etc. It took a while for me to interiorise this, but lights truly are "just lights"; they are tools meant to be used...

I do understand why people would want to baby their lights (after all: "you just paid how much for that thing?"), but sometimes it just gets ridiculous. Buying a light just for the sake of owning it is a waste, IMO.

 

[amanichen]

Of lights.

Another thread made me think of this.

The guys that get the lights muddy. That take them were there is no light. That drop them down the sides of large rocks and mountains. The guys that go into the inky dark to find where the cattle are. The guys that use them all the time outside of the home.

I live in a built up suburban area, work in an office, and I live at least 30 miles from any cattle, cliffs, or giant pits of mud. When occasionally need to use a light for my job, it generally stays clean, and isn't tossed around like it's a rock, because it would be pointless, and I'd have to walk around to pick it up all the time . I use it to illuminate stuff, which is the purpose of a light. My non-work use is mostly for working on cars and computers, camping, power outages, etc. -- obvious and well documented uses for lights. My usage of my lights isn't terribly original or interesting, so most of the time it's hardly postworthy. I'm sure these factors help to account for some of the drop you've seen in people shooting their D-cell maglites out of American Civil War-era cannons because they ran out of big steel balls .

I do understand why people would want to baby their lights (after all: "you just paid how much for that thing?"), but sometimes it just gets ridiculous. Buying a light just for the sake of owning it is a waste, IMO.

I babied my L2P when I first got it, but I've cared less and less over time. Two weeks ago I accidentally flung in the air when removing a bag from my car's trunk. The light hit the rear quarter panel of my car, left a noticeable dent, and then fell to the asphalt with a nice thud. I've actually dropped the thing onto concrete and asphalt a few times while doing work on cars and such. Short of the glass lens breaking due to a point impact, I'm not that worried anymore about the light...however, as for dents in my car...:thumbsdow

I agree that lights exist to be used. Collectors items and toys they are not.

 

[Fizz753]

You can add me to greenLED's "occasional" user group.
I dont "need" a flash light for my job but dang, it would suck with out one.
I work building maintness for a 3 floor bank building (ok ok I am a janitor ). One of my jobs is to haul the secure trash (all the fun trash with account numbers, photocopies of id's etc) out to the lockable dumpsters. It is sure nice to have a good bright light to light up the area around the dumpsters to make sure no one is lurking.

Even more so in the last month or two when the dollar store across the street in front of the building got robbed. One of the cashiers was shot, the other cashiers car was taken as the getaway car. It was found dumped around the block behind the building. All this happend while I was at work.

There are other times I wont be without my lights. Such as when I have to fix the old furnace out at the farm house. Or I am working on one of the cars. Fortunately those times dont happen too much. (which is nice since I really really hate that furnace :laughing:. Think you can still smell the fuel oil on the 9p from the last time.)


Fizz753
EDC - Surefire 9p & Fenix L2T
(and if your wondring how I knew about all this I also EDC my scanner. Keeps my brain occupied while my body does the same work again and again every night )

 

[AndyTiedye]

Even when there is enough light to see, a good flashlight often lets me see better.

 

[Concept]

I have also started doing some night riding since I bought a new mountain bike and have used a few of my torches as makeshift bike lights. The L2 has been the best as long as the rides don't go too long, but I do carry a spare batt and another torch of course.

 

[parnass]

Being retired, I don't need a light for employment. But, I have walked (or ridden a bicycle) a few miles each day for the past 6 years. During nighttime walks in the dark, using a flashlight is as much about being seen as it is about seeing.

I always bring a long range LED flashlight to look for critters in my back field when I take the dog out at night.

I utilized a small flashlight and a dental mirror often when performing electronics repairs for myself and others.

Despite an emphasis on the practical, I do enjoy flashlights as a hobby. I don't anticipate spending much over $100 on a light.