Can someone give an overview on most flashlight usage?

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Me: I've had an Arc AAA-P, which was decent for indoor use at night. I have a Fenix P1, but it's in my car and next to never used. I didn't mind carrying the AAA-P in my pocket on my keychain, but the P1 is a bit too large for that because when I sit down it'll be hitting me constantly.

Here's where I need help:

Usage: Do most people carry their lights around with them everywhere they go? I don't enjoy carrying anything larger than an Arc AAA and that's part of why I stopped taking my P1. If they don't carry them, when do they get used? Yeah, I could toss it in a tool box, but that's an awfully expensive flashlight to be used only once every few months, even if it does last me a lifetime.

Do I maybe just not need a flashlight? I get really confused when I see very high end products, people getting excited, etc. I've been here for 2 years or so now and lurked from before then, and yeah, the technology behind this stuff is cool, but I'm confused when people are most using these products. In my daily life, I don't ever feel the need to use a flashlight. However, when I come to this forum, I wonder what people are using it for.

This is an expensive hobby and I honestly don't mind spending some money, but I'm always a bit lost as to when and where people use them most. If it's a part of their daily job, then yeah, that's different, but other than that, most people I know including myself don't really end up using flashlights much, at least not to justify the high prices of what hobbyists buy.

I am not trying to be an asshole on this forum, I am genuinely curious about the answers to these questions. I have searched and read past threads, but for some reason I still feel like I either don't understand the big usage or maybe there are people like me who just really don't use them.

Anyone want to shed some light on this topic?

 

[flash_bang]

wow, you took the words right out of my mouth, looking to get a Pentagon L2 but have no idea why me using it would be better than me using my G2.

I'm wondering as well…
have a good one,
Flash

 

[carbine15]

Some people get up in the middle of the night and don't want to wake up other people in the house by turning on lights on the way to the loo. Some people use them to see dark places at night, some use them to see dark places in the daytime (under a desk or behind an entertainment system) Some people use them to be seen at night (so as to avoid being hit by a car.) Most of us just love the pure utility and art that some of these lights represent. Some love to wield a thing of power (that the oppressive governments of the world have yet to outlaw).

 

[PAB]

I use mine all the time. I make minor repairs to things. Find dropped items at night or in a movie theater. I've occasionally been in a power outage or had someone turn off the lights when I was in the restroom. Conserving power is fine, but please check to see if someone else is in there first. Believe me if that happens a light is handy. Yet I've seen it happen to someone else who then will turn around the next day and ask me why I was carrying a light? It's easier to use my keys at night with a light, though I suppose I could fumble around until I got the key in the lock. I probably use my lights a little every day. So I always carry a small one in my pocket or two. My Fenix P1D-CE is my latest favorite for this. I put it on my key chain. It does tend to go out without any real warning because I'm using protected 3V RCR123's and the over discharge protection kicks in at 2.5V. So I'm adding a L0D-CE as a back up. If the P1 is a little too big for you, maybe you should try the L0D-CE. It's bright enough and versatile enough for most needs and shouldn't make too big a bulge in your pocket.

Perhaps you just aren't in the dark that much and that's why you don't need a flashlight? Certainly if you are never without light from other sources, if you don't have any maintenance or security/police or emergency activities, you wouldn't really need a flashlight. Some people have lives like that.

On the other hand and not meaning to offend anyone, I think that many people take fumbling around in the dark for granted and make do without. I think that as an intelligent tool user I should never suffer the indignity of fumbling around in the dark. IMO

 

[golden_creature]

looking in dark understair cupboards.checking my car radiator level at night.looking under the settee for thngs.night torch walks.looking for things in the dark places in my car.going to the loo at night.reading in bed.camping,obviously.checking when things go bump in the night.shining on walls for fun(i am a flshaholic after all).and much much more! i use my torch every day and if im honest i do look for every opportunity to use it.gc.

 

[Derek Dean]

Howdy AgaBoogaBoo (I really like saying that!),

Hey, perfectly legitimate question. Like PAB said, there are probably lots of folks that live in situations where they really don't need a flashlight...... OR..... they have gotten used to fumbling around in the dark with out one.

I used to not carry a pen..... then one day I decided to carry one with me.. and now..... I use it ALL the time....... and not only that..... but everybody knows I always have a pen and so they will often ask to borrow it. I go thru lots of cheap Papermate pens that way, ha.

Well...... same thing with flashlights (although I try to get those back), but now that I carry one that is easily accessible (that's important), I find that I use it ALL the time.....to light up a dark shelf or stairway, look behind my computer or stereo, and walking to the corner store at night. Yes, for many of those tasks I could have walked over and turned on a light...... but it really is quicker and easier to just pull out my pocket light, flick it on, find what I need, and then put it away.

I also happen to be a chauffeur, so I actually use my lights at night to help light pathways and dark areas for my guests when I open the car door and escort them to the door (BTW, I just found out that many of my lights are deductable for tax purposes...... is that great or what?).

Plus........... they are just neat. But, don't feel bad if you don't feel the same excitement that the rest of us do when we see a new offering from fivemega or McGizmo. In fact...... jump for joy knowing that you will be able to afford to send your kids to college.

 

[yellow]

some people are just successful to keep their childy mind and thus like to play around with whatever gadget they find and I'm sorry for the ones who did grow up to loose this.


PS: when in the woods (running, biking, ...) there sure it is dark. No way to move around there on speed without a light.
Or think of a blackout in the subway or a larger building. Especially the ones to make fun of Your "light tick" are not able to stay calm for even seconds in such an evironment.

 

[KeeperSD]

I use mine primarily for work purposes, i am a Police Officer and am of the belief that you cannot have too much light, however i am limited as i do believe that one can carry to much weight which limits me to only carrying one primary and a backup light.

I do not carry one everyday unless in situations that i think i may need one eg: approaching dusk. My decision to not carry one is soley based on the extra bulk to carry one, i am a person who keeps the amount of keys and items in a wallet to a minimum hence a light would add to that.

I do have lights in the house as well, i live in a less than desirable area and the need to check the yard both front and back because necessary sometimes and also they are quite handy to have in convinient positions.

 

[flashy bazook]

I find that I actually enjoy being around a darker room than in earlier years and that I prefer to use a small flashlight for many tasks.

something about not burning electricity in a 100W incan bulb to light a whole room up, when a small flashlight can do the job also appeals to me.

even if doing something else, e.g., watching TV, or writing on a computer, or even reading a book or a magazine, I find keeping the room dark and using a flashlight on an "as-needed" basis is quite sufficient and even restful on the eyes

Reading with a flashlight is actually quite nice, since your eyes are fixed on a relatively small surface. No need for distracting loud overhead lights in that situation.

there is something else, too, that makes this possible, the new, high efficiency, amazing white tint quality LED's!

using those old style incans was just awful, like supremely inferior light bulbs. But these new LED's make the viewing experience with them very enjoyable.

so these activities are just regular every day activities, flashlights are also useful for all the reasons already posted (outdoors, cinemas, behind a desk even in a lit room, emergencies, etc., etc.).

 

[ACMarina]

I carry something all the time just in case I need to see something. Like if I'm looking at a phone and can't see where the wires go, whoop, out comes a flashlight. Every morning when I go to work I open the door to a totally dark room and my first task is finding the alarm panel to shut it off. Once the alarm is off then I have to get to the circuit breaker and turn the lights on. Reverse for closing up at work, same thing backwards. My day isn't planned out regularly enough that I know I won't need a flashlight, so I'd rather have one and not need it than need it and not have it..

 

[ScooterBug]

i use mine at work (Z2), mostly just sit in my den and play with them at night like a little kid. the bride hates it.

 

[crocodilo]

1. 85% - Utility: minor tasks during day or night. Usually a small floody light is more than adequate. These are something most people live without, but my light gets used between five to ten times a day/night, and it really comes in handy. For some people, there is a real requirement, due to their work line or lifestyle, and these may call for a specific type of flashlight.

2. 10% - Preparedness: for when normal things don't run as everybody expects. Power shortages, car accidents, miscellaneous catastrophes, life theateniing situations (hey, self-defense is much more than fighting). Some of these will call for lumens, other will call for runtime.

3. 5% - Geekiness: love for technology, collecting, coolness factors, etc.

These reasons are what make me carry an AAA, AA or both, according to the circumstances. But I'm never without a light.

 

[crocodilo]

BTW, this exact line of thought applies to knives...

As a core EDC, I consider a light, knife and some sort of tool to be required.

Add to this a watch, cell phone, wallet, keys and glasses (all carried by common people).

On another level come weapons, first-aid and survival kits, specialised tools and electronic gadgets, all suited to particular situations.

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

I would say that most people on here are like you and don't use their lights all that often.

I live in a very dark rural area with NO lights what so ever, and I use my lights to walk from my car to my house at night and to find my way around outside when I arrive home late at night. For the most part I use my Fenix EO mainly because it is on my keychain and I have it all the time.
I have alot of other lights that rarely get used mainly because I just plain old like them. It's kinda just a collecting thing I guess. I feel like all of them have their uses but my most used light is by far the EO on my keychain. I use all my lights once in a while but I pretty much go out of my way to use them (beamshots at night, walk outside at night for no reason, you get the point. :laughing: )

 

[Wyeast]

Sounds like you're in the same sort of middle ground as I am. I use my lights fairly often, both for work and for miscellaneous tasks during the day. (looking under furniture for a lost item, walking the kids home at dinnertime, checking under the hood, etc) Sometimes you'll find tasks you never thought of before. Like signaling in a crowd so your friends can find you.

But for the most part, it's a general preparedness/geek factor thing. You never know when you're gonna wake up to the kids crying because it's dark and find out there's no power for the next 8 hours.

So I have several lights, but because I don't have a daily demand for a really high-end light, I tend to keep my purchases under $50. My X03's probably the most expensive one I've got.

Hope that helps!

 

[sclemin1]

I probably use my EDC, a Jetbeam AA, about 4 to 5 times a week during business hours. I don't want to carry anything bigger that the Jet AA on my belt or pocket.
(I wear it on my belt). Mostly gets used to look into large 2 meter and other enterprise level computing systems and storage cabinets. Sometimes it helps when reading very small serial numbers.
I've been doing the same type of work for a long time. I'm certain my low light level vision isn't as good as it was 20 years ago; I don't remember having lighting needs as I do now.

Interestingly, I've received many thankful comments from co-workers and customers when whipping out the light in a flash. It certainly is very helpful to have light quickly, instead of going to the tool kit or laptop bag for a light.
2 of my co-workers now carry a small light on their belt.
One of my customers wants to start a business based on flashlights. (I'm not interested at this time). Interesting to me is how much attention and questions I get from non flashaholics. I certainly hate to see someone rushing to a local store to buy a light I know won't do very well for them.

I like the EDC so much now that if I forget to put it on my belt in the morning it feels just like I forgot to shave or put my underwear on before leaving the house.
(And, no, I never forget those things)…....(And, no, I don't forget those things)

 

[FirstMain]

The principal reason I keep a small light handy is that as a kid I had problems being alone in the dark and a flashlight cured all that. Nowadays I haven't any issues with the dark, but like the idea of never having to be in the dark if I don't want to be.

Like most wives, my better half just accepts this form of geekiness, and is thankful it isn't some darker addiction. Better chasing new expensive lights than new expensive women.

Seriously, like pens, pocketknives, and multi-tools, you don't know how much you need a small light with you until you start to carry one daily. These days and at my decrepit age, having a light handy is mandatory when taking out the dog, finding the paper, or even looking in the top of a crowded closet for something or other.

This may be an affliction, but it's a useful affliction, and unlike other afflictions, is not likely to get you thrown in jail!

Ron

 

[AyeMayanor]

I use my lights every day and night.

First thing in the morning, I am using one when I deliver newspapers because A) there aren't many street lights in my town and B) most people want their paper in some inconvenient place that isn't lit.
Last summer I had a very close encounter with this guy's two rottweilers that had gotten loose. All I had was a rolled up newspaper and SMJ LED flashlight. Left the pepper spray at home (I doubt it would have done any good against the two dogs anyway.) Fortunately I knew their names and yelled at them to get back in the yard. I'm sure the L4 would have proven useful had I owned it back then.

Microlights flashing on my backpack prevent me from getting hit by cars when I walk to work.

Back at home, we have horses, chickens, bunnies, pigeons, barn cats and a whole bunch of buildings on the property. The floodlights can only illuminate so much, so a flashlight comes in handy when you want to know what (or who) is spooking around. And my Tektite diving lights are fun to play with in the pool at night

My L4 arrived the day my wife's horse died, and she used it to look his body over for wounds. (Was an intestinal tumor.) Despite the solemn atmosphere, I had to smile when my brother-in-law said "That's a bright flashlight!"

Indoors, I use flashlights for looking under the fridge where all of the cat toys congregate. In the bedroom I use a red Stylus to read so I don't disturb my wife. And there is a collection of other lights scattered around the bed for easy accessibility for a number of reasons:

1. When I have to go to the bathroom around 3am I must walk through a closet, through the living room, up 5 steps and into the garage. (I live in a basement.)

2. Sometimes I wake up delirious, unsure of where I am and I panic trying to find a way "out". Walking into the walls and flailing around for the light switch. Very Pit And the Pendulum

The bed and it's arsenal of flashlights is the only reference point I have in this state.

3. More than anything else, I use those flashlights for responding to whatever hell my cats are raising. One of them doesn't get along with the older guys and is usually beating up or getting beat upon by them. Then there's the kittens that just LOVE to break things and slam the kitchen cupboards at all hours of the night. But more seriously, there's Butters, who has seizures. They usually happen in the living room, and the faint gasps he makes can wake my wife and me out of the deepest sleep, two rooms away. The living room's lightswitch is at the far end of the room, whereas the flashlights are right behind my head and in my hand within seconds.

I EDC a pen, paper, knife, hanky and flashlight because I need them daily. (I have allergies, so ESPECIALLY the hanky.)

Your experience may vary, but I've learned that sh*t always happens when I DON'T have a flashlight.

 

[duckpotatoes]

I am a flashlight addict, but only have a few lights. Fortunately they are all high end tho. I work as a railroad conductor in the Pacific Northwest. I constantly work in pitch black enviroments, walking trains, where there is frequent sightings of Mt. lions, bear, weirdos....
Also, everyday rides on the side of a boxcar backwards over great distances, communicating to the engineer, distances.
Oddly enough, i've been somehow in the need to explain my fixation on quality lights to people i work with! For the most part, people out here don't carry anything other then the issued 6 volt pathetic as hell lantern.
I am fortunate I get the satisfaction to be in total pitch black enviroments.
Plus i love to see people say, Damn! Thats one bright light! Whered you get it? How much was it? ect. That childish need to wait till someone whips out their sad little plastic ray-o-vac, in the cab, to look for something on the floor, so i can outshine 'em with my L4 or whatever.
Educate em!

 

[jnj1033]

Use tools, feel human.

For me, it's mostly the geek factor, but also preparedness. I used my Brinkmann Maxfire to get home one night when my alternator suddenly failed and I ended up without headlights. Also, someone once turned off the lights while I was sitting on the john, and I used my keychain light to finish my business.

I agree that the P1 is too big for keychain carry, although I do carry one either on my belt or loose in my pocket. I have an E1 on my keychain, and will probably always carry that or an equivalent no matter how light I'm travelling. I don't ever want to have to wipe in the dark.

I have a Dorcy 1AAA as my nightstand light. When I stumble to the bathroom at night, it's nice to not shock my dark-adapted retinas with a 1000 lumen overhead light.