4 days of heavy flashlight use, more in love with my EDC than ever

[LED-holic]

Over the last four days I've been using my EDC (NiteCore D10) heavily, and every time I get joy out of using my EDC, I get that happy feeling that you all get when you have your light handy and do something that no one else without a light can do.

On Friday I went to the gym late after sunset, worked out for a couple of hours. Went to go take a shower at the gym shower before leaving. It was 10 minutes to closing time, and the front desk decided to shut half the lights off, and the locker room / shower area was very dark. I took a shower with my D10, and was able to finish quickly and dry off / change. Was able to get everything together and walk in the dark parking lot to my car without any problems thanks to my D10.

On Saturday I took the family to a resort. We checked in around 5pm, and then went to enjoy the outdoor pools. During sunset we enjoyed a nice outdoor buffet, and after dinner went out to the spa / pool area to watch an outdoor movie. It was very dark near the pool area for the movie, and I was able to light our way through all the deck chairs and tables to find a nice spot to enjoy the movie. After the movie we watched the stars, and took a stroll around the park at the resort before calling it a night. I used my D10 with varying levels of output to light our way during the stroll, and caught sight of rabbits and birds.

On Sunday we had a lazy brunch. Then we laid out by the pool again all day. After sunset I used the D10 again to help us enjoy the pool and spa. It was so nice not to have to worry about bumping into a stray chair or lounger in the dim light, and avoid stepping over someone's sandal and twist an ankle or something.

Today I took a late flight for work, and used the very low level on my D10 to enjoy a magazine on the flight. After landing I took a taxi to the hotel, and enjoyed using my D10 to light up the back of the taxi to read my hotel info as well as to check to make sure I didn't leave anything behind in the taxi once we got to the hotel.

Every moment I use my EDC I can't help but be very thankful that I have such a fantastic light. The NiteCore D10 is perfect for me. Its size is such that it fits in my hand perfectly. I can store it in my pocket easily since it's so small. The PD clicky is virtually silent, so I can turn the light on / off, change brightness without bothering anyone nearby. Finally, the low is so low that I can use it in the darkest of places and not bug other people. It's so low I can stare into the LED and not be blinded by it. It's truly the perfect EDC for me.

Anyway, this is a microcosm of how I enjoy being a flashaholic. Little moments of pleasure from owning a superb light that will continue to let me do the little things in the dark that others simply are unable to really do. The envious looks of the other people at the resort at night really showed it all - being prepared with a great light can make an enjoyable night even much more enjoyable!!
:twothumbs

 

[adamlau]

Awesome .

 

[Zenster]

Yea, that's what these new, extremely capable, lights have done for me as well.
I'm an older guy (late 50'ish), and I never thought about carrying an EDC "full time" light until I bought my first reasonably small light (SF E1L).
Then there came that one time when my wife and I went to one of those Movie "Cafe's" where you get dinner with the movie so I thought I'd grab the E1L "just in case".

While everyone else was struggling to read the menus, I whupped out my E1L and that was it; I was hooked (and so was my wife ). And by the way, I was also able to see our surroundings so I don't think we'll ever be going to one of those Movie Cafe's again, if you know what I mean.

Now months later, I've bought quite a few more EDC lights (including the D10 and EX10), and I've found that there are lot's of reasons to carry all the time. It's gotten so "bad" that whenever we get in any kind of situation where more light would be handy, my wife quickly chimes in with "Hey honey, I need some light over here"; her assuming that I always have a light on me.
And that's just her being lazy because she carries an L2D/Q5 in her purse full time but she knows it's quicker for me to grab my light out of my pocket.

So the simple point I'm making is that I used to think that people who carried flashlights all the time were a bit neurotic, but once I discovered how handy (and often) some extra light can be, I quickly joined the EDC crowd, and once my wife got a look at what the L2D could do, she became "one of us".

Short story: I had a building built on my business property and the city inspector came to sign off on the electrical permits so that we could hook up the power to the building.
He whooped out his own EDC (standard Maglite AA) and strained to try to see the wiring inside a wall box. I was already unpocketing my Surefire E1B to help him out as he mused "I sure could use some more light" when I clicked on the E1B and startled him so much he almost fell over.
When he noticed how much smaller my light was than his, his immediate comment was "What the hell is that!?"
Well, this guy was a real a-hole and was already nitpicking stuff to where it was clear that he wasn't going to sign off on the permit, but I figure "What the hell" and just handed him my E1B and told him to keep it; "You obviously need it more than I do". He pointed out that inspectors weren't allowed to take gifts, but I let him off the hook by pointing out that it wasn't a gift, it was just simple flashlight that would make his job much easier in the future.
Moral of the story; he was so delighted that he just pointed the E1B around a bit and said "Looks good to me" and signed off on the permit while at the same time, letting me know a couple of things that I "needed" to have the electricians fix (which they did... but it saved me a lot of time/money by having the permit issue resolved).
So I bought another E1B to replace that one which was my "work EDC" and carried on.

Just another story of how we flashaholics can change the world one small step at a time.

 

[TONY M]

Sounds good!
I love showing off good lights too.

 

[m16a]

Geez I can't stand you freaking Smart PD fan boys. All trumpeting the light around like its amazing or something

 

[kramer5150]

I think we've all had similar moments. I never go anywhere without my RC-C3. I holster it in a little camera case with some extra RCR123s. Its not my brightest light (by a long shot). But its simple form-factor, floody smooth beam and small size make it a winner. No modes to foul up, no clicky to jam... It gets daily use, but its most recent WOW event from non CPF'ers was on July 4th where I lent it to my cousin to light fireworks. The usual comments.. "holy crap that things small"... "What kind of light is that? its so bright."...etc.

 

[Russianesq]

Zenster, the inspector is going to get a surprise when he stops by to get extra cells for the Surefire E1b. The cells are going to cost a little bit more then his old AA maglite.

 

[Jayman]

I love reading about these real world use stories of flashlights. It reaffirms my joy of flashaholism and makes me glad to be a part of this community. Since we're all sharing I'll throw in a story or two. I just got back from visiting my Dad who owns a campground, which is the breeding ground of flashaholics I would think. It was almost fully dark out and my Dad had to do the rounds and collect all the garbage so the bears wouldn't be attracted to it. We hopped in his recently restored 1950's 3/4ton pickup truck and headed out. We made our way through the campground stopping at each garbage can and taking the trash out, and replacing with a fresh bag. I had in my pocket a Fenix TK11 and was just itching to put this baby to the test. Well I whipped it out and shone it in my Dad's direction so he could see what he was doing, and I think I startled him as he told me that he thought a car was coming towards him.:laughing: I just got a silly grin on my face. I spent the next half an hour or so lighting the way and just playing around with the light seeing how far it would light and what kind of spill it would give. I have to say that this light is amazing!!

Another little story I'll share happened tonight at the screening of the new Batman movie Dark Knight. It was a full house and the crowd was making it's way inside the theatre. Unfortunately someone forgot to turn on the house lights so everyone was stumbling around trying to go up the stairs and find a seat with only the light from their cellphones. Well after stumbling a few times my wife turns to me and asks for a little help. Well being the gentleman that I am how could I refuse I pulled my D10 out of it's holster and turned it on to full brightness and used my hand to shield the end, so I wouldn't blind anyone with a direct beam shot. I was able to light our way and locate a couple of seats for us. The best part was as we were passing in front of a couple of seated people to get to our seats one guy says to me "oh a flashlight, good idea" I just nonchalantly said, "yeah it comes in handy"

 

[LED-holic]

Great stories Zenster and Jayman! How was the Batman movie?

Need to go see it soon.

 

[kirby]

Now you have done it! You should not have made this thread! :mecry:
You have pushed me over the edge! :sick2::green:
I have just ordered a D10 (errr whatever it is). :devil:
I don't know what the other half will say about this.:sweat::whoopin:
But I know that I, no I meant the kids will have another *cough* something to play with. :naughty:

 

[zipplet]

Now you have done it! You should not have made this thread! :mecry:
You have pushed me over the edge! :sick2::green:
I have just ordered a D10 (errr whatever it is). :devil:
I don't know what the other half will say about this.:sweat::whoopin:
But I know that I, no I meant the kids will have another *cough* something to play with. :naughty:

You do realise it's only the start. And it only gets worse. Recently I ordered a Raw NS, then placed another order for the Wee NS a few days later. I've also got a Nitecore D10 on the way to me with a Fenix E01

 

[kirby]

You do realise it's only the start. And it only gets worse.

No, I didn't know that. :green:
I wish there was a warning sign during the sign up process. :sigh:

It all started when I was looking for a replacement for the 500000 candle power halogen light. :devil:

Anyway it is getting a bit off topic here .......

 

[Jayman]

Great stories Zenster and Jayman! How was the Batman movie?

Need to go see it soon.

The Dark Knight was excellent just like the reviews said and Heath Ledgers performance was spot on. If you didn't know it was him playing the joker you'd have no idea who it was. He was totally in character.

 

[BabyDoc]

LED-holic, you should change your name to D10-holic. Taking a shower with your D10? YOU are obviously in love.

 

[LED-holic]

LED-holic, you should change your name to D10-holic. Taking a shower with your D10? YOU are obviously in love.

I'll be D10-holic for now. I was L1D-holic before.

Not only do I shower with my D10, I also sleep with it. It's never more than 2 feet away from me, either in my pocket, or right next to me. I think my other lights are getting jealous though... :kiss::laughing:

 

[kirby]

Not only do I shower with my D10, I also sleep with it.

Serious query here : How water proof is the D10? 1 meter under water or just splash proof or rain proof?

 

[LED-holic]

Serious query here : How water proof is the D10? 1 meter under water or just splash proof or rain proof?

According to 4sevens.com, the light is Waterproof to IPX-8 standard.

Personally I've found no problems with water leakage in the shower, or in a sink filled with water.

However, any metal clicky is bound to be less water resistant than rubber, it's the just the nature of the material. If you're going to be near water or in water much of the time, then do yourself a favor and buy a dive rated light or at least a light with a rubber clicky.

Use the most appropriate tool for what your needs are.