Did your childhood obsession with flashlights originate with this guy?

[CMAG]

No
but a month ago had my old Zippo in hand, thinking need a light

[ico]

Nope.

What I was eye-ing when I was a child was this snake like light that has a bendable body. It was in my mom's cabinet and I never get to use it because it was still in a box and I wasn't allowed to play with it

[tam17]

Nay.

My first flashlight was petite Chinese keychain with 1.5V button cell and a tiny incan bulb, a kind of early fauxton. Sold over here in newspaper kiosks during late 70's. Can't even find a photo of those on the Mighty Interwebz...

[Larbo]

..No..

[N10]

no...

[Raven-burg]

YES!!!

Are you from the UK by any chance?
I think thats why so many people don't know it here. It was the 'Winner of Design Council Award in 1984. See 'Design' Vol 426/iv' It was designed by one of the UK's most successful product designers. He kept a low profile though so again, isn't that well known.
The Duracell Durabeam was to me, revolutionary when it came out in the 80's. I first had a 2D or 2C version (can't remember exactly what cells) and it was my main bedside light as a kid.
The flip top version that you mention was pretty cool. I did manage to break it quite easily though!!

Good memories here!!!

[CMAG]

1984 my childhood was long gone

[jorgen]

Also a no, my first light was a 2xAA penlight,chrome with a red plastic head. if i recall rightly, there was a button on the back with a slot. the button worked as a momentary or by wedging the slot it would stay on.
next was a Mag and then my interest was dormant until i first saw those tiny keychain l
LEDs that were as bright as my Mag.

[rambo180]

YES!!!

Are you from the UK by any chance?
I think thats why so many people don't know it here. It was the 'Winner of Design Council Award in 1984. See 'Design' Vol 426/iv' It was designed by one of the UK's most successful product designers. He kept a low profile though so again, isn't that well known.
The Duracell Durabeam was to me, revolutionary when it came out in the 80's. I first had a 2D or 2C version (can't remember exactly what cells) and it was my main bedside light as a kid.
The flip top version that you mention was pretty cool. I did manage to break it quite easily though!!

Good memories here!!!

Raven lucky you're here. Was really starting to get embarassing for the OP. We now know he isn't the only one!

[Hmmm]

Mine started when i was 4 and my mom gave me a Hi Gain 4d light for my birthday. It was rekindles in 7th grade when one of my neighbors had a brighter flashlight than me.

[Colonel Sanders]

I don't remember what was my first flashlight...that's going back too far for my rusty memory. But, I do remember some of my childhood favorites.

Duracell Durabeam. I think it took 2 AAs situated side by side. This Duracell battery colored light was rectangular and was EXTREMELY tough! We used to chunk that thing like a football just to watch the light spinning. Got wacked in the head more than a couple of times trying to catch that thing I'm sure. For it's size it seemed very bright to me.

Black & Decker "Spotlighter". This light had a large square head and was more or less white. It was probably my first rechargeable light and it's a good thing it was rechargeable because it was probably only good for about 20-30 minutes on a charge. It seemed very bright for back then (early 80s) and cast a pretty far beam.

L-shaped army issue 2D flashlight. I'm sure many of you had one of these old army green lights. It had a belt clip and colored filters you could swap out. I liked red the best. It had an extra bulb in the tail. I think it had a rather stout lanyard ring as well. I can't say it was very bright...about like most 2D lights of the 80s.

[Federal LG]

No.

I started with a 2D incan Maglite my dad gave me as 10 year birthday gift! I still has this light in mint condition.
It was so bright and awesome... and now it looks like a candle near some of my LED´s lights.

[redaudi]

nope.

[ICUDoc]

Nope, it didn't.

[emu124]

... OMG, now that I see the pic... YES (at least together with my M@g Solitaire)... I remember having one of these lights. It was a giveaway. Perhaps it is still somewhere in a cupboard.
Back then, I found the design pretty cool

[davecroft]

Yes. I remember being impressed with the fact it was small enough to fit in your pocket and could be used both as a normal flashlight and as a 'table' light leaving your hands free. It had one of those odd bulbs with a magnifying lens on the end to try and give it a bit of throw as the reflector was very small.

In use it was pretty hopeless. Virtually no throw and the switching mechanism on mine was very unreliable, but I kept it for years. I might still have it somewhere in the house for all I know. To be honest I didn't find anything much better until I came across the new generation of LED lights a couple of years ago.

I wonder if in 25 years time someone will post a pic of a Fenix LD10 on a forum like this and everyone will say 'how did we manage with stuff like that back then? That light was massive and only put out 100 lumens! And the battery only lasted an hour and a half!'

[LET-CA]

No, my childhood fascination with light involved a flaming torch and men wearing skins. . . yeah, I'm that old.

[etherealshade]

Yes! My mother had one in her bedside table when I was growing up, and I was obsessed with it. I think it was the rotating head, and how it turned on automatically as you opened it. I also loved those disposable Eveready incan lights... the one with the sort of angled body.

[Nyctophiliac]

NO...

Much too recent a light to spark off my addiction (Gawd I'm so old), but I did have one - quite good and very highly advertised at the time. Although the plastic ratchet breaks a bit easily if you flick it open and snap it closed too often and too quickly!

Also, I remember Colin Baker's 'Doctor Who' using one which was repainted (Blue with a red stripe as I remember) as some kind of futuristic medical device. I think they CSOed a pink glow around it to add to the sound effect as he used it.

Brings back memories.

[M@elstrom]

Grandma always had those flashlights that took 2C batteries with the red top and magnet switch.

+1

We had the white enameled version, weren't they made by Eveready?

Nope! I liked MagLites and the oh so cool Snake Light.

I've still got my C cell snakelight!

[MattC16]

NO....

Mine started with the practicality of the snake light. It's a shame that there isn't a snake light out there which gives out at least 2000 lumen.

[3000k]

No.
My childhood obsession began with the pelican versabrite. I remember using it many times while camping out on the beach. It puts out a whopping 7 lumens. I still have it and a spare lamp, strangely you can still find them for sale.

[CYMac]

nope! I used to be maglite fans as well, but whatever light that is producing high lumens will amaze me back then... even though they are not that high really.. haha..

[CYMac]

No.
My childhood obsession began with the pelican versabrite. I remember using it many times while camping out on the beach. It puts out a whopping 7 lumens. I still have it and a spare lamp, strangely you can still find them for sale.

Wow is that something you can clip onto the belt? or bag or something? Whopping 7 lumens, it is brighter than a maglite mini AA already (5 lumens). You need this light, it's awesome! SO WHOPPING!

[Canuke]

Nope. My first one was Grmnracing's example, 2D with the magnets, circa 1974. I also had the 2AA Duracell squarelight, Eveready disposable, 2AA penlights with LED-like lensed bulbs, and 6V lantern lights. My dad had one of those huge 6V sealed-beam throwers with secondary red flasher as well.

[3000k]

Wow is that something you can clip onto the belt? or bag or something? Whopping 7 lumens, it is brighter than a maglite mini AA already (5 lumens). You need this light, it's awesome! SO WHOPPING!

I used to always clip it to the bill of my hat. It also came with a headband to be worn as a headlamp. But it is not really whopping, the VersaBrite II is whopping.

[Grmnracing]

+1

We had the white enameled version, weren't they made by Eveready?

I believe they were made by Eveready. I know grandma still uses it. I'll have to buy her a new light. Ill grab that light for my collection. That Incan bulb is the only style light she's ever used.

[kramer5150]

Nope... mine began with this beast and a Radio hack battery club card.

[blackadder911]

Nope, I was colecting many flashlight called Tiger Head (or it known as Cap Macan in my country) when i was 6 years old..
I have six of them from D cell to AAA cell

This is one of what they are look like..

[Dionesius3]

I remember one just like the one above. But I think it was made by Rayovac here in the us. It was the best light around and everyone had one. We kids were often given army surplus L-shaped 2 d lights with the interchangeable filters. They were semi useful but ate batteries like crazy. I now have $1.00 throwaway lights that are ten times as bright and last for days on one aa battery.

My my how things change.

The longest lasting lights were the lanterns that used the 6 v block battery. Man did those things ever work for more than 4 hours one one battery?