What is your oldest?

ringzero

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Jun 11, 2006
Messages
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What is your oldest light? Looking for examples of old lights still capable of use, or better yet, still in use.

My oldest is a blue enamel-steel, Justrite 4D incandescent headlamp that has seen better days. Dates from circa 1970, so it's about 36 years old. This headlamp still works and I still use it occasionally. It worked perfectly until just recently, when the switch began to become intermittent.

Unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera so I can't post a picture of it. The headlamp part holds only bulb, socket, reflector, and switch, so it's quite light. The 4 D cells - the heavy part of the rig - ride in a steel battery pack with a belt clip. Throws a pretty good spot when focused. When defocused it puts out a useful flood of bright light, but with rings and other artifacts.

Over the years this headlamp has been through many a cave, and on many hiking, camping and canoeing trips. It's banged up: the finish is scraped off in places and there are more than a few dents and a little rust. It's somewhat of a pain to adjust the focus bezel, because the threads are dented out of shape.

I've been thinking about replacing the switch and dropping in a LED conversion, but I have to wonder if it's really worth the trouble. Maybe I should just give this light an honorable retirement: "Farewell, thou good and faithful servant."

Anyone else have an "old faithful" they would hate to get rid of?
 

Rando

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Apr 11, 2006
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Indianapolis, IN
Plastic right-angle military style OD 2D flashlight. It's a piece of poop if you need any amount of serious illumination, but if you're trying to keep your exposure to a minimum, a dim light is a blessing. I got it during basic training 14 years ago and won't get rid of it. It's sitting out in the garage right now on the shelf. I guess this doesn't count as a light I still have in use, but it's the light I've had the longest and still have. The thing's been to the desert and back. Still works perfectly as far as I know, even though it hasn't had batteries in it for about 8 years.
 

Brighteyez

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San Jose, CA
Just making a funny, not a funny at your expense, so please don't take it personally ...


If it works perfectly and is able to do so without batteries in it for the past 8 years, I'd say it's working pretty dang good! :lolsign:

Mine died in the rice paddies the first month I was in-country.

Rando said:
Still works perfectly as far as I know, even though it hasn't had batteries in it for about 8 years.
 

270winchester

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Aug 9, 2004
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down the road from Pleasure Point.
a 3D maglite I have from 9-10 years ago. Man has it been that long.....

I had to buy it with my own money made from mowing neighbors' lawns since my parents balked at the idea od a 20 dollar light...

Man times have changed...
 
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Walt175

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Dec 16, 2005
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641
Location
Clifton, NJ
WWII era German flashlight. Near mint condition, and it does work, just hard to find the proper batteries.
 

Norm

Retired Administrator
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Jun 13, 2006
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Location
Australia
My oldest light is an Everyread Big Jim Lantern, I won it in a fishing competition 37 yrs ago. It is like the one pictured here minus the red lamp on the back.

bigjim1.jpg
 

Norm

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Jun 13, 2006
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Grox said:
Hi Norm!

Welcome to CPF!

Why don't you stay a while and enjoy the light!

Thanks Gox I plan on doing just that. This site was bought to my attention by a student doctor at our local hospital.
(Hi Paul if you see this PM me.)
 

AW

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 15, 2004
Messages
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Location
Hong Kong
My oldest is a 1905 Ever-ready pocket light with a doom lens. It is modded to run a Lux III :grin2:


PICT0018.jpg



PICT0027.jpg



PICT0026.jpg
 

WNG

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Nov 3, 2004
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Arrid Zone-Ah, USA
Wow! The Eveready Big Jim! That light cemented my fate as a flashaholic over 30 years ago. My father bought one discounted as a Union Carbide employee.
It came into its element during the 1970's NYC blackout. It threw a tight beam over 3-4 city blocks and lit up the elevated trains stuck in station.
You couldn't tear it away from my little junior high-schooler hands!
:)

Last month, I discovered a Radio Shack freebie 5D plastic fantastic. Those gray/red D-cell funnels! It was in an old box of car parts...must be 25 years old.
Still works....alright, confess who else was also a multi-carded battery of the month member?
:-D
 

john2551

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Jul 24, 2005
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NY
Norm said:
Thanks Gox I plan on doing just that. This site was bought to my attention by a student doctor at our local hospital.
(Hi Paul if you see this PM me.)

Norm,

Sorry to tell you this but your avatar breaks CPF rules. I had a similar one last year & it was removed without warning by a CPF czar.

CPF rule # 3. Siglines, Avatars and Images:

Animation is fine as long as it's not flashing and winking and blinking and strobing and generally distracting to the other members of the board. If people are scrolling through your posts just so they don't have to look at your avatar, what have you accomplished?
 

tebore

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May 10, 2006
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Toronto, Ontario. CAN.
I'd say restore the little guy. It's been reliable so far I say you do it out of the respect you have for it.
 
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Paul6ppca

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Jun 8, 2006
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RI
Ive got a 20 yr old eveready incan/flourescent.Thining about putting in a potted led! runsa on 4AA.
 

Tritium

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Jan 22, 2005
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Location
Texas, USA
A 2D mag circa 1977 or so. Back then D size mags had a large enough tube diameter to take rechargables without boring. As a matter of fact it is currently on its way to becoming a ROP.


Thurmond
 

daloosh

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Jan 28, 2004
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Location
New York
Wow, cool old lights! AWs takes the cake.

Somewhere, I have one like Norm's. BTW, welcome to CPF Norm, why dontcha stay awhile!

Ah, WNG, battery of the month takes me way back!

daloosh
 

FlashlightPhreak

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May 4, 2005
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Louisiana Gulfcoast area
The Big Jim is really cool, that was a bright sucker in its day. It could burn up a battery pretty quick as I remember, with its "sealed beam" bulb. But was great for night fishing trips... ahhh those were the days as a teenager.

I, too, had a Big Jim and someone stole it from an open garage I had many years ago.
 
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Burgess

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Apr 10, 2006
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USA
Have an Eveready Big Jim myself. Somewhere. :)

Those huge Sealed Beams may *LOOK* impressive,

but they only draw 500 mA, just like the (much smaller) PR-13.

A #731 battery, which was composed of 8 size-F cells (4x2), lasted a LONG time !


Still have a spare Lamp for this thing, bought same time i got the Big Jim *new* (late 1960's).

Wanted to be *prepared*, for when the lamp failed.

But, incredibly, the original Sealed Beam still works fine !:twothumbs


No longer use it, but it sure has given me lots of memories.

(can you tell that i'm a life-long Flashaholic ?) :naughty:
 
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