Why are you guys so crazy about lights?

iluvmycam · Mar 26, 2014

I read the opening post on 'list your lights' thread. Why on earth would anyone want so many flashlights as some of you have?

I myself have Surefire Lumamax and Surefire Backup both with tactical buttons. Eventually I will have about a dozen of them with one in each of my cars, and around the house and garage. I like them for self defense to startle / blind an attacker so I can follow up on other self protection if needed. If I was a cop maybe I'd have a couple of Surefire cop 1000 lumen models that recharges. I thought about adding a IR filter to my Surefire to experiment with IR photos. But that is about it. If I had no interest in self defense I could get along on a handful of little AA powered LED lights. I will say the little Lumamax is a real beauty and I can see how it is hard to stop at owning just one of them.

So what is your reason / excuse for owning so many lights?

dss_777 · Mar 26, 2014

Why ask why?

iluvmycam · Mar 26, 2014

dss_777 said:
Why ask why?

Why? I never thought anyone would have such an interest in lights. I found this forum by chance when looking for laser info. Was surpised there is a dedicated forum for flashlights. I guess there is a forum for almost everything.

So....why have more flashlights than you have use for?

ven · Mar 26, 2014

Why rely on a light presuming it would startle/blind an attacker and not annoy them further....bit risky imho

But its an open ended question,all have reasons is my point,mine i have uses,like them,sort of got addicted to them,then into modded lights,more output,beefed up internals.Then there are custom lights,very nice ti ones............never ends.

Maybe in a few months,various searching,you may realise why we (or most) are crazy about lights,or maybe you will realise we are all crazy :laughing:

There are forums on just about everything,different people,different interests,be it knitting,knives,cars,watches,rc aeroplanes........same could be asked for any i guess

:thumbsup:

I think you may change your mind if you stick around

langham · Mar 26, 2014

I personally modify so at any given time I have a significant stash of stuff that I haven't finished with yet. I own around a dozen personal lights at any time. You should step outside of Surefire and into the world of modded lights, then you will see the reason they are so crazy about them. I have a Surefire 6P that will get close to the UB3T in distance. You should really look outside of the normal lights that you are accustomed to seeing. That is when you will become truly addicted. I think I became addicted because a lot of people know me as the flashlight guy, so it kind of became part of my personality more than anything. Besides how could you not be addicted when you can get a handheld light and illuminate stuff 3000ft away it is inspirational. :candle: Welcome to CPF!

dss_777 · Mar 26, 2014

I think your definition of "use" is limited.

How many cameras and/or lenses do you own?

thedoc007 · Mar 26, 2014

Many people would say that owning a dozen lights is crazy...especially when they are Surefire. Hardly the best bargain out there. But really, the whole question is silly. If you aren't trolling, I'm not sure how to respond.

Do you go to a car forum, and ask why people are into cars? Do you go to a stamp collector's forum, and ask why they are into stamps? Or go to a watch forum, and ask why they spend THOUSANDS on a single watch that is less accurate than a $15 quartz watch? (I did once, and was quickly educated.)

It is a hobby, like anything else. With the bonus that you actually have a useful tool that really can be used in an emergency situation. And once you start carrying a light all the time, you find it does make common tasks easier, even during the day. The "portable" aspect of flashlights is what makes the difference for me...nice to have a source that you can point exactly where you want it. And you also can have many different lights for different uses...nice to be able to pick a flooder, or a thrower, or a warm tint, or a cool tint, or one with ridiculous runtime, or one that you can use as a hand warmer in below freezing temps, etc.

The cutoff on a "reasonable" number of lights is different for everybody...but if you think a dozen makes sense, who is to say that for someone else, 50 isn't reasonable? Or any arbitrary number?

TMedina · Mar 26, 2014

You're confusing "need" with "want". Ask any collector why they want so many of whatever knicknacks, doodads, or doohickies they collect.

I *need* maybe three flashlights. I _want_ all the lights. Well, mostly Surefires, with a lot of AAA and AA keychain lights (I dunno why - it's weird).

No, seriously - we're collectors, hobbyists, and enthusiasts. What motivates each of us is a little different, but a flashlight is never "just a tool" for us the way it is for you. Just like a person who collects Barbies, or classic sports cars, will never describe their collections as "just dolls" or "just cars".

N_N_R · Mar 26, 2014

I wish I knew the answer myself

I think the guy above with the "collector" idea is right ^^

I need not more than one light. But why is my fourteenth on the way? Who knows.

whatswrongwithmee · Mar 26, 2014

I like to make the dark disappear.

iluvmycam · Mar 26, 2014

ven said:
Why rely on a light presuming it would startle/blind an attacker and not annoy them further....bit risky imho

But its an open ended question,all have reasons is my point,mine i have uses,like them,sort of got addicted to them,then into modded lights,more output,beefed up internals.Then there are custom lights,very nice ti ones............never ends.

Maybe in a few months,various searching,you may realise why we (or most) are crazy about lights,or maybe you will realise we are all crazy :laughing:

There are forums on just about everything,different people,different interests,be it knitting,knives,cars,watches,rc aeroplanes........same could be asked for any i guess

:thumbsup:

I think you may change your mind if you stick around

Oh, I agree. Just the light would be least desirable option. Light is just a warning. I also carry other defense items to backup the light. It's something one can take overseas where guns are not allowed. I did test the tactical light on my hand. I gave my hand a light bang with the crenellated bezel right on the hand bone. I got a bruise right away and it bled a little. I would not want to take full force hit with it.

iluvmycam · Mar 26, 2014

N_N_R said:
I wish I knew the answer myself I think the guy above with the "collector" idea is right ^^

I need not more than one light. But why is my fourteenth on the way? Who knows.

Yes, I can see the collector mentality. Esp it the older flashlights. I was going to order 5 or 6 lasers to learn something about them. Visa declined the purchase because of some issue with it being a foreign purchase. I could buy a bunch of lasers and become a collector very easy.

iluvmycam · Mar 26, 2014

TMedina said:
You're confusing "need" with "want". Ask any collector why they want so many of whatever knicknacks, doodads, or doohickies they collect.

I *need* maybe three flashlights. I _want_ all the lights. Well, mostly Surefires, with a lot of AAA and AA keychain lights (I dunno why - it's weird).

No, seriously - we're collectors, hobbyists, and enthusiasts. What motivates each of us is a little different, but a flashlight is never "just a tool" for us the way it is for you. Just like a person who collects Barbies, or classic sports cars, will never describe their collections as "just dolls" or "just cars".

OK, fair enuf. I just never knew people collected them.

ven · Mar 26, 2014

iluvmycam said:
Oh, I agree. Just the light would be least desirable option. Light is just a warning. I also carry other defense items to backup the light. It's something one can take overseas where guns are not allowed. I did test the tactical light on my hand. I gave my hand a light bang with the crenellated bezel right on the hand bone. I got a bruise right away and it bled a little. I would not want to take full force hit with it.

Without derailing your thread,there is a very interesting one regarding the use of strobe
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?356772-Police-Study-of-tactical-use-of-Strobe
:popcorn:

iluvmycam · Mar 26, 2014

thedoc007 said:
Many people would say that owning a dozen lights is crazy...especially when they are Surefire. Hardly the best bargain out there. But really, the whole question is silly. If you aren't trolling, I'm not sure how to respond.

Do you go to a car forum, and ask why people are into cars? Do you go to a stamp collector's forum, and ask why they are into stamps? Or go to a watch forum, and ask why they spend THOUSANDS on a single watch that is less accurate than a $15 quartz watch? (I did once, and was quickly educated.)

It is a hobby, like anything else. With the bonus that you actually have a useful tool that really can be used in an emergency situation. And once you start carrying a light all the time, you find it does make common tasks easier, even during the day. The "portable" aspect of flashlights is what makes the difference for me...nice to have a source that you can point exactly where you want it. And you also can have many different lights for different uses...nice to be able to pick a flooder, or a thrower, or a warm tint, or a cool tint, or one with ridiculous runtime, or one that you can use as a hand warmer in below freezing temps, etc.

The cutoff on a "reasonable" number of lights is different for everybody...but if you think a dozen makes sense, who is to say that for someone else, 50 isn't reasonable? Or any arbitrary number?

OK, that explains a lot.

Speaking of Surefire....

I was talking with class III dealer about Surefire silencers. They are one of the highest priced silencers on the market. ($1300 or so) A competitor model was slightly cheaper. But... the competitors model, while as quiet as a Surefire, does not hide muzzle flash completely like a Surefire.

I don't know if Surefire lights are overpriced...but they are like little gems.

iluvmycam · Mar 26, 2014

ven said:
Without derailing your thread,there is a very interesting one regarding the use of strobe
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?356772-Police-Study-of-tactical-use-of-Strobe

Thanks!

CyclingSalmon14 · Mar 26, 2014

Because I want to be more powerful than than the sun, I want to outshine Helios himself, I want to be the almighty Protector of the light, I want to banish darkness back into the shadowy depths from whence it came, and darkness shall fear me for I am the nightmare's of thing's that go bump in the night!

ok ok so maybe I'm on the wrong forum and this ain't the pottery and bad motivating speeches forum but still, you get the idea, why dose anyone collect anything, its practical and legal, its not like I can collect guns in the UK, and knives are pretty much frowned upon to in a any public place (All though I do still collect them) and I don't have the money or the license to collect sports car or fancy watches or play golf hahaha....seriously what's the fun in golf?!!!
Anyways ill get my coat now and leave haha....Sorry I had to put you all through that XD

mcnair55 · Mar 26, 2014

Biggest regret of my life getting hooked on lights and wasting hundreds of pounds on something i can now buy in a trade shop for a fraction of the price of hobby lights.:shakehead

Roger Ranger · Mar 26, 2014

We are not collecting flashlights. We accumulate flashlights. If we were collecting, the oldest light we own would be first on our list, rather than at the end. As Whatswrongwithmee (doyoureallyneedtoask?) put it so well, "I like to make the dark disappear".
(Is THIS trolling?)

ven · Mar 26, 2014

mcnair55 said:
Biggest regret of my life getting hooked on lights and wasting hundreds of pounds on something i can now buy in a trade shop for a fraction of the price of hobby lights.:shakehead

Mr mcnair we are 1/2 glass empty,come on you must have some nice fenix lights with no regrets there

:thumbsup:

I understand your point,there are some good lights in certain shops for a fraction of the cost of certain branded lights BUT and it is a big BUT i cant buy equivalent to tk61 or tk75 and then the modded versions(vn) on the end which are something special in themselves imo.

Then there are the custom lights,gizmos to name just one which are really special,i know different lights float different boats etc too .

To add,although i do get tk61vn and tk75vn amongst many other more "expensive" lights,i also enjoy the convoy range too which offer excellent value(bang for buck). So i am not a specific fanboy of any specific brand,more a case of whats the best light i can justify/afford for what i need/want.

I think its a good thing that you can find lights that suit needs, for a fraction of the cost...........i mean whats not good about that!!

So i like to mix it up a little,specific lights for specific applications along with admittedly just wanting them :laughing:

:thumbsup:

Why are you guys so crazy about lights?

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