Re: Sorry I Became A Member Here
I have noticed there are two classes of flashaholic: the collector and the non-collector. In the case of the former, there is no limit. Surrender, spend, and be happy!
I fit more into the second category. I am a relative newbie, having found CPF and BLF only last Spring. Back then, I was your basic know-nothing, and, for the most part, I still am. Learning about flashlights, batteries, and chargers has been as much fun as actually buying them.
My homework has paid off.
Now, I have a number of decent flashlights, and a few pretty good ones. My purchases have targeted niches, and many of them are filled. The result is that the itch to buy has declined. That's lucky for my PayPal account. I am a lot pickier than I used to be.
Budget has been another limiting factor. I have been constrained to stay with mid-level (and lesser) models. A budget price, however, does not mean an inferior product. I have been very happy with the custom flashlights designed by BLF over the past year. I have the BLF-348, BLF A6, BLF D80, and the BLF Kronos X6/X5, with this latter pair in both aluminum and Cu/SS. Word is that the next BLF project will be a Nichia 219C triple, housed in an X6 host. If that comes to fruition, I will definitely be a buyer.
One surprise for me was to discover how much I like zoomies. Currently, I have the Brinyte B158, with the CPFItailia Cometa already reserved, and the Sunwayman T25C in transit. My single worst flashlight, the GearBest Camo SK-68 clone, is also a zoomie, but, hey, I only paid $1.99 USD for it.
The beams of a zooming flashlight are often laden with artifacts, so they start out with one strike against them. What I love, however, is the wide flood produced by their optics. For close work, and indoor use, I find them to be more useful than flashlights that have a reflector. Since my interest is primarily in the floody beams produced by these flashlights, I am planning to investigate non-zoomies that use an optic instead of a reflector. The Nichia triple mentioned above fits into that category. So does the Olight S1 Copper Rose Gold that I own.
My current focus is on neutral tint and high CRI. I paper-screen on that. In most cases, there is no need for a face-to-face interview with a flashlight that does not have them. As I said before, my itch to spend has been reined in!
This week I deposited funds in PayPal for my next purchase, the ZebraLight H600Fd Mk. III headlamp. When the ZebraLight SC600Fd Mk. III Plus, a 93-95 CRI (Ra) flashlight based on the Cree XHP50 emitter, is released this summer, I plan to be all over it. Those, together with a Nichia triple of some sort, are the only must-haves currently on the horizon for me.
