Do you have a flashlight budget or do you buy impulsively?

[PhantomPhoton]

I budget. Every once in awhile there's something too good to pass up and I'll buy that impulsively... using my budget for impulsive buying.

 

[thedeske]

After learning about these fantastic new lights, I stretched the purchase of 4 over 2-3 months (with some batteries/charger stuff) for my needs and gifted 2 more.

That's it - I could buy more, but the old school dog thinks lights are tools. They all go to work every week.
If something breaks it sure will be fun going for a new one.

 

[nfetterly]

"Routine" buying I try to keep revenue (Paypal) neutral. I'm mostly into custom / customized lights - so after picking up 2 nice lights, 2 nice lights needed to go.

I do EDC a bead blast McGizmo Haiku at work (in a AOTH Holster) and usually have something in my back pocket that I will pull out first - lately that's been a moddoo triple (either the warm or not warm) or a Sabrewolf 18650 MCE.

Waiting for my mini-chimera - then I will have that and a McGizmo EDC - now that I have 2 to EDC, what do I do with the rest? That is my problem....

I have tried to resist the nice lights that I see - like the high CRI 120 lumen RA Clicky today (resisted!) or the double XPG drop in last night (resisted!). But when the Milky X865.4 came up the other day - I gave it 5 minutes - then it was mine. I'd seen this before and read the thread a dozen times on the build. After I was the buyer a previous owner asked me to let him know if I ever want to sell it - I'm undecided right now as it's almost too nice to use and I really don't want to have one that is just a shelf queen. I did sell the new SFIII to pay for this one.

 

[guardpost3]

Like some others on here, I am married, with kids, and dogs. So as not to end up in the dog house I MUST stay within my budget. I have $50 off the top of every paycheck automaticaly deposited in a seperate account that me and my wife call "the toy fund" I also put the money earned from any overtime i get in there. so thats $200 a month (that i didnt work extra shifts) that i can spend on anything I want and she cant say anything about it (that was an important part of the agreement). Thats not to say that it all gets spent on flashlights, it can be guns, knives, jeep parts, and so on. So when I make a purchase, sometimes it is impulse, if ive got enough in the fund or some times I have to wait a few weeks to save up.

 

[Light Sabre]

I tend to do a lot of research on things I want to buy, and save accordingly... But, I keep an eye ..... for good deals, so my last purchase was a well-researched impulsive buy...

At first I really laughed at your message, but then I realized that I do exactly the same thing myself sometimes. I figure out what I want, then try to wait and buy it while it's on sale or clearance. Sometimes I just have to break down and pay full price.

I have a personal policy and even mental hang up preventing me from impulse buying. I allow myself to sleep on it.

I do this most of the time, but sometimes if you sleep on it, then the opportunity maybe be gone the next day. This has happened to me a few times.

I buy what I like and want. I do not buy impulsively.

I buy what I like and want too, but sometimes an impulse buy comes along. Had an impulse buy earlier today. After the 75% Christmas clearance price it was only $3.50. The opportunity will probably be gone within the next week and I many never see the item ever again.

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I have way too many flashlights than any one person should have. If I see a flashlight that I like and probably have researched, I will buy one, bring it home and check it out and see if I still like it. If I do like it then I will go back and buy another one. Sometimes even more. My track record so far has been: all flashlights have been less than $30 new from B&M stores. No flashlight I have has exceeded $40 with added dropins or mods. I will probably buy a couple higher quality flashlights, with more features, and they won't cost over $75 each. Flashlights are just a small hobby for me. I have other hobbies and interestes where more of my money is spent.

 

[Locoboy5150]

I budget and keep my flashlight spending in check. I have numerous other hobbies as well, so I can't go nuts on flashlights. The only time that I really splurged was when I bough my TK40. All of my other lights have been much less than that.

I also get my money's worth out of all my lights because the few that I own, I have kept or intend on keeping for 10 - 20 years.

 

[dudemar]

I don't have a flashlight budget, but if there's a flashlight I want I save up specifically for said light.

When flashaholism first took hold of me I didn't impulse buy, but when I discovered PentagonLights I bought them like no tomorrow.

 

[NonSenCe]

yes for budget
yes for impulse.

i fight the urge to buy everyday.
i am an addict.

my budget is made of 2 sections.. one that if i really have the actual money to buy it.
and second limits the kind i am willing to buy: Only buy stuff you can afford to Use, Loose ,Break And Replace (u.l.b.a.r) with ease, in a months savings/time.

they are tools and my monetary limitations keeps their purchase value under 100. i just cant justify carrying and loosing or breaking anything more expensive. i might carry 3 lights on me that exeed that value in total, but not a single one that is too expensive, rare or impossible to replace.

but basically all my purchases have been impulse buys, some more thought over than others but impulse anyways. (yeah i need it.. if not need it i can find some use for it ..honest,, i can. yeah.. i just want it.. damit. buy buy buy..)

 

[kccustom]

Well I used to think I had just a bit of self control but at 4am in the morning on CPF I am like a junkie needing a fix.

So I tried out BugOutGear for the first time, (Jetbeam Jet III M/LE ) is on the way!

I think Like the Jetbeam style, I might have to get a Surefire just to say I have one!

 

[Max_Power]

Well I used to think I had just a bit of self control but at 4am in the morning on CPF I am like a junkie needing a fix.

So I tried out BugOutGear for the first time, (Jetbeam Jet III M/LE ) is on the way!

I think Like the Jetbeam style, I might have to get a Surefire just to say I have one!

Ah, once you get one Surefire, you will hunger for more... they are well engineered, a pleasure to hold in your hand.

I have so far resisted buying anything more expensive than a 6P for EDC, but I have 3 of those, all modded with improved emitter modules. And I have 3 SF weapon lights so far. Soon 2 of them will have after-market emitters as well. Optimizing is fun but pricey. The good news is, they have great resale value if you need to convert them into cash. Cheapy lights are hardly worth postage.

--Max_Power

EDIT: I have more expensive EDC lights, just not Surefires Malkoff MD3 or MD4 Wildcat, warm white; Malkoff MD2 with M30W and hi/lo ring.

 

[Hacken]

i had never bought so many flashlights until i found this forum.. i'm already thinking about getting a new flashlight and i just got my eagletac t20c2 a month a half ago only.. damn! what do i tell my wife this time? :thinking:

 

[Flying Turtle]

No real budget here, but by nature I'm a careful shopper, and I hate to spend more than about $50. On average I suppose I get a new light every couple months.

Geoff

Edit: That said, I can be a sucker for cheap oddball lights. And sometimes impulse rules.

Saw this at Home Depot today and thought "what the hay". It's not a real light so I don't have to count it. Right?

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback!! :twothumbs

I guess summing things up

Budgets: some do, some don't
Buying Frenzy: most frequent during the first 6-12 months at CPF
Impulse: almost everyone is impulsive at least sometimes!

tgwnn

 

[Chrontius]

Whenever I judge that a thing is worth asking price. A budget implies that I should be spending that money, this way I don't have that temptation (which will give me a large box of mediocre-to-crap lights with my available monthly budget).

 

[Robin24k]

I rarely buy things at retail price...got myself a bunch of Mags when they were ~50% off or so during the holidays. I'm not very susceptible to impulse buying...no matter how much I want something, my inherent instinct to keep $$$ in the bank is stronger.