Apparently some people are not flashaholics

[LEDninja]

nbp, I really feel for you - to have your generous and thoughtful gift ignored in this way is very disappointing.

However... don't take it too hard. It's just the way some women are. There are many honorable and distinguished exceptions, such as Greta, lisantica, Mrs. Guru etc., but perhaps the majority just don't understand.

Its not just women who are non-flashaholics. I had gifted many flashlights to a couple of close friends former colleagues. Last time I met them for lunch we were stuck in a dim booth. So I got out my EZAAw to read the menu. One of my buddies said "All my lights got confiscated.". Uh-uh. I had given him enough lights to equip his whole family and then some more. The L0D-CE is probably in a drawer somewhere. The annoying part was before I joined CPF he had gifted me a couple of lights - a N battery thing and a 'bright' 2*CR2016 coin cell. (Most other lights at the time had 1*2032 cell which only have enough voltage to make the LED glow.)

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I advised a couple of other shoppers about the benefits of LED torches. One eventually bought a 2D plastic incan. The other a 6V lantern.
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The lack of 6V lantern batteries for sale in my neck of the woods leads me to believe people just buy a lantern for the long runtime promised by the big battery, then toss it and buy another lantern when the first no longer works. Once this becomes a habit .....

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Don't feel too bad. I remember a thread where a member lent one of his prized lights to a girl to go behind the bushes. She came back minus the light. "The light died so I tossed it." At least your gift made it back home.

 

[AlexLED]

She replied it worked well for about a month and then the battery died and she never bought new ones so she had been using candles! :shakehead

Apparently some people just aren't flashaholics. :sigh:

Oh, what a pitty, I think I know how you feel ....

I just have a similar case, where I lent my Fenix L1D to a female friend travelling in the outback. Let's see what she says when she gets back.

At least she understood she can use the batteries her digi-cam does not accept anymore.

 

[RedLED]

Look, you did the best you could. You Can't be there for everything people do.

Frankly, you may, in a diplomatic way, ask to check the light, to make sure it is working...then just keep it for another person.

Sounds like she did not really care. Once you get it back, you could give it to someone who can use it, and will appreciate it Then the light will be put to a good use.

You tried.

Best,

RL

 

[somber]

...Frankly, you may, in a diplomatic way, ask to check the light, to make sure it is working...then just keep it for another person...

RL

+1!

My girlfriend doesn't get my some of the things I like, as well. She thinks my knives and watches are ridiculous, but she said the other day that they were at least manly (as I was sharpening my knife)! Anyway, I gave her a Streamlight Stylus Pro for no reason, and she uses it all the time! But she thinks my Surefires are completely unnecessarily expensive, albeit useful.

 

[bspofford]

Ah yes... candlelit dinners... maybe the locals were a romantic bunch.

We're all romantics--that's why this is called "candle"powerforums.

 

[Fulgeo]

I consider myself a flashaholic missionary. One of my tactics is to keep giving flashlights as gifts to the unbeliever until they "see the light". Last Christmas I gave away nine SSC P7 modded Maglite as gifts. I tried to match the color of the Mag to the person's favorite color. Went over well. I have also dragged around various modded torches and it interesting were you find converts.

 

[Grayblue]

Gear wise, I have to use a belt pouch to accomodate all the stuff I carry since my pocket is full.

Some who are not like us notice this.

That's how I found out there are people out there that thinks actually using pants pocket to carry things, with the exception of a single "hip" toy like a iPod, should be a criminal offense. (That also solved the mystery of tiny unusable pockets of "hip" jeans.)

I'm not talking about the female. I'm just saying some people are different.

 

[highgrovemanor]

My Dad ALWAYS prided himself on having his cheapie at the ready, which is now an Eagletac courtesy me....and he just e-mailed me asking about keyring lights. So there is hope!

So I'd call him a flashoholic by use, not shopping, if that makes sense.

 

[Hitthespot]

I gave my daughter a Tiablo A1 keychain light for Christmas last year. About 6 months later she asked me if I had anything more powerful I would like to gift her. I gave here a PD20 and she wouldn't even give me back the Tiablo.

Talk about Daddys little girl. I hope she doesn't start asking for HID's. lol


Bill

 

[JCD]

Frankly, you may, in a diplomatic way, ask to check the light, to make sure it is working...then just keep it for another person.

Why? She didn't say the light wasn't working. She said it worked fine until the battery died. Ungifting the light would demonstrate a lack of character, IMO. He gave it to her. It's now hers to use or not use as she wishes.

 

[TorchBoy]

Frankly, you may, in a diplomatic way, ask to check the light, to make sure it is working...then just keep it for another person.

Sounds like she did not really care.

That would be underhanded. Many reasons have been given above why she may have appreciated it very much but still didn't use it after the installed battery expired.

We're all romantics--that's why this is called "candle"powerforums.

From the number of female members that have been attracted to the forum (not unlike moths to a candle flame) I fear your understanding of the derivation of the name is mistaken. :sigh:

 

[nbp]

Sorry RedLed, I'm not stealing the light from her so I can give it to someone else. It was a gift to her, and while I don't understand why she didn't use it, the fact remains that it is hers and she can do with it as she pleases. I want her to keep it actually, in hopes of her realizing it's usefulness at some point future.

 

[jackthedog]

I've managed to convert my mother and my girlfriend's mother. I've bought a few nice lights for my Dad and my Mom has started using them. She recently mentioned on the phone that she used them when the power went out and that "those nice lights really are great."

I gave my girlfriend's father a Romisen for Christmas and my GF's Mom liked it so much I ended up giving her the duplicate I'd ordered for myself (that reminds me I need to replace that light). They use them to inspect houses.

When people have a chance to actually use the lights and appreciate them, I think it goes a long way in demonstrating their usefulness. Just my thoughts.

 

[TKC]

I think SOME people HAVE to be told to CHANGE the batteries. Common sense is NOT common!

 

[JCD]

I think SOME people HAVE to be told to CHANGE the batteries. Common sense is NOT common!

Per the opening post, she understood that the battery was dead and that changing the batteries would fix the problem.

Personally, batteries are not something I typically think about when I'm at the store, and, consequently, I've gone without a particular battery type for months simply because I kept forgetting to pick up more while I was at the store for other things (e.g., food), and I didn't consider them worth a special trip.

 

[burntoshine]

Having had several Wives , this story might possibly have a dangerous (expensive) ending to it !

You have to make your mind up whether or not you want to lose your house !

If the Sister is a lot younger and more voluptuous than your Wife , remember this ... It's only a house !
.

oh my!

 

[guiri]

Oh yeah, good thinkin' :naughty:

 

[RedLED]

Sorry RedLed, I'm not stealing the light from her so I can give it to someone else. It was a gift to her, and while I don't understand why she didn't use it, the fact remains that it is hers and she can do with it as she pleases. I want her to keep it actually, in hopes of her realizing it's usefulness at some point future.

That is fine, I agree with the responses to my post, as it may be in really poor taste to take something back. However, I feel that if it will never be used, it is still a good thing to do for someone who will love same light, and will appreciate it.

Look, sometimes rules need to be broken, I have given my wife EDC type things, and when I find them on the floor in the back of the closet, never to be used, and forgotten, I take it, and it goes to someone who will like it.

It may be poor taste to take it back, but it is equally bad to discard the product in the junk heap of the house. I think they can at least put it somewhere in a good location out of respect for the thought put into the gift.

But this is just me...and I do respect the above comments, as people are entitled to do what they think is best.

I just hate wasteful behavior.

Best,

RL

 

[guiri]

I absolutely agree with the LED. I'm not into taking presents back either but hey, if she's not using it, I'd say, hey, if you're not using it, let me have it and I'll give it to someone who has better use for it.

Simple as that. That kinda behavior ticks me off something fierce but that's just me.

 

[JCD]

I absolutely agree with the LED. I'm not into taking presents back either but hey, if she's not using it, I'd say, hey, if you're not using it, let me have it and I'll give it to someone who has better use for it.

Simple as that. That kinda behavior ticks me off something fierce but that's just me.

Here's the thing: No matter how cool a flashlight enthusiast may find a light, and no matter how expensive that light is, a flashlight is not likely to be perceived as a thoughtful gift to most people unless the recipient had previously mentioned a desire or need for a good light.

Further, flashlights rarely look like they should be as expensive as they actually are. If I saw a Quark AA (or similar Fenix light, etc.) in a brick & mortar store with a price tag of over $10, I would laugh, mutter something about how quickly fools are born, and put it back on the shelf. It simply doesn't look like it should be expensive, at least not to anyone not familiar with recent flashlight technology. And, without the name MagLite on the side, there simply isn't any brand recognition for the average person.

That certainly doesn't mean that gifting a flashlight is thoughtless. But, when we gift lights, we should recognize that the thought that went into selecting the light will likely go overlooked.