CPF Member profile: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

[EngrPaul]

My wife asked me yesterday why there is a significant group of people so interested in something as simple (to her) as flashlights, and willing to pay various sums of money to have them.

I am seeking the answer!

 

[ABTOMAT]

I'm trying to compensate for certain...shortcomings.

 

[qip]

im here by accident...i needed a replacement bulb for the fiberoptic x-mas tree which was an mr-16 and google lead me into a thread here at CPF , then i saw a fire starting flashlight while browsing and a mag led upgrade by then i was sucked in and all downhill from there


all in all a $1 mr16 turned into over $1000 here in a blink of an eye

stupid christmas tree

 

[EngrPaul]

I'm trying to compensate for certain...shortcomings.

Oops, sorry about missing that one. I only had 10 lines to use in the poll. :lolsign:

 

[Bimmerboy]

5 of the 9 answers apply to me... yes, obsessive-compulsive was one of them... lol.

2 1/2 years ago, I was shopping for a Christmas present for my boss (an Inova X03, which he still uses daily!). He's a gadget guy, as I am, but once I saw all the science being discussed, and how many cool lights were out there that I never knew about, that was it... hooked like a fish.

 

[boosterboy]

I wear tin-foil hats and like to indulge in conspiracy theory discussions and have zombie-fobia?:lolsign:

I carry lights because the girls that I work with are generally unprepared and have the tendency to loose things or get lost when they are in the dark. It gets me on their good list, because I have ulterior motives.

In all seriousness, a lot of people have asked me the same question too. Those same people also come to me when they have dropped their keys in a giant field full of grass at night time, and these people have the mentality that the rescue/help will magically come in time when they press a few buttons on their cell phones in a remote area.

 

[depusm12]

Why am I here?

1. I use lights in my job. I'm a LEO officer.
2. I like cool new lights.
3. I like the new science an technology.
4. Cause I can
5. You never know when you might need a flashlight.

 

[Greta]

SOMEBODY'S gotta run this place and take care of all you weirdos! :shrug:

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Because I have good taste in friends.

 

[ScooterBug]

well i have spent my life buying firearms. now i find it a little bit cheaper to buy lights. problem i am having is that, like guns, you can't have too many.

 

[greenLED]

"For the friendships" is not listed, nor is "out of sheer habit = it's my addiction" :nana:

 

[AndyTiedye]

I came here looking for the lightest, brightest bike light.
I arrived just as the Cree XR-E LEDs were starting to appear in lights on CPF.

I bought a bunch of really nice flashlights.
I bought LEDs and have been converting some of my home lighting to LED,
like this torchiere lamp.

It is so much easier to find what I am looking for if I have a good light.

I maintain a list of Bike light threads,
and one of Fixed Lighting Threads.

 

[Trashman]

im here by accident...i needed a replacement bulb for the fiberoptic x-mas tree which was an mr-16 and google lead me into a thread here at CPF , then i saw a fire starting flashlight while browsing and a mag led upgrade by then i was sucked in and all downhill from there


all in all a $1 mr16 turned into over $1000 here in a blink of an eye

stupid christmas tree

Ahhh.....a story that fills me with joy! Just what I want to here!

The first answer is the one that fits the best, but the obsessive compulsive is coming close!

I used to do a lot of bike riding at night. I used to use a crappy $10 Wal-mart light. When I finally got a job (after 10 years of no "real" jobs), the first thing I bought with my first paycheck was a 15w halogen bike light. I was so blown away by it that I wondered why they didn't make flashlights this bright? They should!! (I thought....) Then, after (often) hearing a friend of mine rant and rave about LEDs and how they were so great and wonderful and how these new "luxeons" were just mind blowingly bright, I ended up buying a Lux V light (still pretty new for late 2003) when I saw a deal I couldn't pass up ($87 shipped). I didn't know what to expect, but I was blown away! Then the advertisements for the SL Scorpions (brightest/smallest flashlight...etc...) got me to get one of those. I was ecstatic! ...Bought a few more, and a some more, and then...oops, I mistakenly bought some CR2 batteries instead of CR123s. I remember seeing somebody selling a Firefly (1) CR2 flashlight on eBay and thinking it was extremely high priced, but that it must be awesome (based on the sellers description). So, I had all these CR2s (20) and nothing to do with them....hmmm...I should sell them, I thought..... Nope, didn't happen-- the thrill seeker in me decided to search for a CR2 based light. I ran across a Jil on eBay and decided to seek them out. I, somehow, had found Warren's email address (through a Korean website, possibly) and emailed him about obtaining one of these lights. He directed me to the very first Jil thread for purchasing info. The thread had me mesmerized! I had actually been here several times before, but there was just too much information, and I just thought, "naw...I don't have time for this." (I think, I was right...doh!) This time, though, I was here with a purpose, and I, somehow, just felt comfortable and absorbed by it all.

Anyway, for me, it's definitely about the joy of having and using them, and about the OCD/CSD (compulsive shopping disorder). I did, however, also check the choice about collecting for collectings sake, although I'm still unsure about that one. I only picked that one because I've started buying vintage flashlights (flashlight museum type of stuff). I'm not sure why. I originally was buying them to turn them all into high powered mods (a lot of old flashlights already have metal reflectors!), a la JetSkiMark, but some of them are just so darned attractive, that their coolness is starting to be catching.

Another good, funny choice, might have been, "Nothing better to do." What IS better than flashlights, anyway?

 

[woodrow]

Its nice to be arround people that when you tell them you spend on average over $500-$1,000 on flashlights a year, they can relate and not just think you are nuts. I mean after all how many Maglights and Dorcys can a person buy at Target anyway?

 

[The_LED_Museum]

I started with a single web page with a few photographs of LEDs on it. Then, in early-2000, CMG sent their Infinity flashlights in red & yellow for possible evaluation; the rest is...how shall we say...history.

 

[Valolammas]

I used to be a knife guy, but got enough of those to last a lifetime, so I decided I wanted a nice keychain light for a change. So I started researching the subject and ended up here. Bought an Arc AAA-P and a Fenix L1T and oh boy they were nice! (This was back when the L1T was a top-of-the-line Fenix.)

Those weren't my first lights, though. The first light I ever bought was Petzl Tikka, and I thought it was nice until they came out with the XP-version, which I bought immediately. And it's *still* my favorite LED light because a small, multi-level headlamp is just so insanely handy and useful. I used it a lot on late-night walks back when we still had a dog. As a matter of fact, I used to EDC it, but now I have lots of other lights so I rotate them.

So despite what I just said about Arc and Fenix, it really was that Tikka XP that got me. It just took year or two for that seed of usefulness to blossom into the beautiful flower of addiction. After I found this forum, I've been reading it almost daily.

 

[Omega Man]

Because I have good taste in friends.

Good answer!
I stumbled onto Craig and Quickbeam's pages when my buddy showed me his 6P and just went on and on about it. Then I went camping with only a shake light.....imagine the horror that turned out to be. I had to clip a friend's heavy military anglehead to my pants pocket to collect wood and water all night.
After that trip I bought a cheap 19LED and a headlamp on ebay (the 19 turned out to be a Quake 2- http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/amart_quake2.htm )
and things just got brighter and more efficient after that. Now it's a hobby I use camping to justify for those who don't get it.

 

[BGater]

I to was googled here. I could have found my information and left with no problem, but it was the warm welcome and helpfull answers to my questions that made me want to stay really. I have been on a bunch of forums, this is the friendliest by far. Most forums have people that are elite at the topic at hand, and most get irritated at newbie questions and either wont help or cut the poor poster down. Here at CPF everyone jumps in and experts take the time to answer questions. When I seen someone with several thousand posts and does in depth mods, answer one of my questions I was humbled a little and very gratefull for the help.

Oh yeah, I am also addicted to LED's and a compulsive at being prepared for whatever may happen since my power goes out every time it storms and I live in tornado alley. So I guess this helps to.....hehe. A few years ago I got an F5 on video cam about 1/4 mile from my house. So, I am never without a light on my person 24/7.

 

[Illum]

I'm trying to compensate for certain...shortcomings.

I can feel your pain....sometimes buying a mag 6D make you feel better inside

does blackouts count as recreational activity?
I previously bought flashlight to go camping with...now I rarely camp but my collections increasing oo:

 

[powernoodle]

I am seeking the answer!

There is a natural desire to manipulate one's environment. Flashlights do this to some degree. It is no mystery why many of the same folks who dig flashlights also like multitools, folding knives, Atwood and other EDC items, and handguns. Each allows the user to manipulate his or her environment. A psycho-analyst might determine why we have this desire, but maybe thats for another thread.

cheers