Does your collection grow continuously?

[Kilovolt]

I have never sold a light, I just can't part with any of them.

So my collection grows slowly and steadily at a rate of about 10/12 lights per year.

 

[Lexus]

I am the "Recycler" type. Lights, which aren't used often are sold or given to
family members or friends.

See also this thread: Are you a "Keeper" or a "Recycler"?

 

[Black Rose]

According to my spreadsheet I have 53 flashlights and 3 lanterns

A good portion of my lights are cheapies that I bought on sale or closeout or were given as gifts from well meaning relatives.
Those lights are scattered about the house as emergency lights and in some cases the batteries are worth more than the lights .

The most I have paid for a light is $40.

Very few of my lights could be resold, and the ones that could be are the ones I use regularly.

I switched to using P60 based lights to get around the issue of flashlight technology changing continuously.

Now when I buy a light, it's usually because I have a purpose for it or I think I have a purpose for it :shakehead

Because my lights are not really sellable, my collection does grow, but at a much slower pace than it did this time last year.

 

[brucec]

Grow, yes because I have never sold anything and nothing has ever broken. But I'm only at about 15-20 lights or so and I haven't bought anything recently. I think I'm saturated at this point with 4 McGizmos in the EDC rotation and a handful of Surefires for general use. Basically, I'm just waiting for a reflectored high CRI Sapphire and the Surefire A2L or AZ2. Perhaps the Tri Spy007 or maybe even the Quark, if I'm in the mood.

 

[Polklifer]

The growth is inexorable. I've managed to catalog 47 lights not counting the ones I've given away. Each car has at least three flashlights, the guest house has a couple, and the shelf in my office is littered with them. My wife has a dresser full of the ones that didn't quite make the cut into the main body of the collection. Still, I need slightly different lights or slightly different versions of the ones I already own.

I place the blame for this state of affairs in the following order:

1. Flashlightreviews.com
2. CandlePower Forums
3. 4 Sevens
4. Lighthound
5. My two dogs
6. Me

I also invoke the "needed buying" defense which is similar to the "needed shooting" defense that my Texan brother-in-law claims is an acceptable legal concept in his home state. Some people are just bad men and need shooting, you get enough people to agree and the judge considers it justifiable.

Some of my lights are so good they just needed buying.

AmiLight Neo T5 SSC
AmiLight AmiLite Cuty XRE
ARC AAA
CMG Sonic
CMG Infinity Ultra
Dorcy Super 1 Watt
Fenix P1D-Q5
Fenix TK20
Fenix LD01-Q5
Fenix P1 CE
First Light Tomahawk ST
Gerber LX 3.0
Gerber Trio
Gerber Recon
Gerber Infinity Ultra
Glo-Toob Lithium White
Glo-Toob GTLW Glo-Toob Lithium White
Icon Rogue 1
Inova X5
Inova Bolt 2AA
Inova 24/7
ITp C7
ITp C9
LensLight
LumaPower LM31
LumaRay FL12
Lummi Wee NS
NiteCore Extreme HA
NiteCore DX10 - GD
NiteCore DX10
NiteCore EX10
NovaTac EDC 120
Pak-Lite PAK422 Super
Pelican M6
Photons International CR2 Ion
RA / HDS Clicky Tactical 140T
StreamLight Luxeon Jr
StreamLight Sidewinder
Surefire E1e - KL1 Head
Surefire G3
Surefire G2L-YL
Surefire 6PL-BK
Surefire L4
Surefire L1
Surefire E1B Backup
Zebra H50-Q5
Zebra H30-Q5

 

[choaticwhisper]

Im just trying to find the best light for each battery type, Seems like I might have a couple 18650 lights and plan on buying more.
Either a single AA or 18650 light is my favorite. Now I just want to find the best EDC for those battery types.

What ever I dont like I will sale it off.
The quark will be the first 2xAA light I will have, I think that I just might have to try to replace my D10 with the "4Sevens Quark AA Warm Tactical."

 

[sappyg]

my collection has become fairly stable now after about a year of trial and tribulation. i have not nor do i intend to sell my flashlights though i have thrown one away. my needs and uses have become more refined for me now. simply, i have become more selective. i will add lights to my collection therefore it will grow, albeit at a slow and steady pace.
i am currently looking at creating redundancy which really means acquiring another malkoff M series drop in and a few more LA's because thats the way i roll. if a good price on a classic presents itself all's the better.
for me it comes down to a want rather than a need and the lights i want are fewer and farther between. they most definately exist though.

 

[MWClint]

I've been here exactly 1 year, and now have about 55 lights.
1 light per week is dangerous to your wallet.

lovecpf

 

[Owen]

Typically sell whatever isn't being used regularly, and maintain about 6-8 users(not counting a few 5mm LED lights) which are always subject to mod, upgrade, or replacement.
With the exception of greater runtime due to the next leap in lm/w, I'm unlikely to find anything "better" at this point.

 

[Retral]

I don't think I'll ever feel like I've got exactly what I want.. ATM my best light is a Fenix P3D which I recently bought on the 4sevens memorial day sale for $22. I tend to go in spurts too, I'll get the urge to buy a flashlight after having come across a good review of a certain one, then I'll pick up a few more 'cheapies' from DX (not necessarily crappy lights; my latest order is an Akoray K-106 multi-mode 1xAA light which I'm pretty sure I'll love. I try to avoid lights on DX that haven't gotten raving reviews).

In all, I've probably not spent much more than $100 on lights in the past couple years since I started, but I've got two Ultrafire C3s (single mode 1xAA), 1 Cree C8 (my least favorite light of all), the P3D, an LED mini-mag and some cheapie multi-led lights (about 3 of those).

Now, what I want.. jebus, I don't know where to start. I want a liteflux LF5xt, LF2xt, Fenix PD30, PD20, LD10, a nitecore D10, a surefire P6 or two with good drop-ins, various Romisen lights, at least one good 18650 light.. the list goes on.. but I just can't justify spending $50+ each on most of the aforementioned.

 

[old4570]

For some strange reason YES ! I dont know why , I cant seem to be ale to find rime nor reason for it .

Money vanishes , and flashlights and sundry parts appear !

 

[RA40]

What changed my view of acquiring any item was cleaning up my aunt's place after she passed. Her house about 3000sqft+ contained a lifetime of acquired possessions. Some of value, many of dated or limited use. I still have enough "stuff" but there is a desire towards simplicity. Easier said than done. Flashlights are easier for me to resist though.

 

[Flying Turtle]

I tend to keep them all, so the collection grows. At least the rate of growth has slowed down a bit over the years.

Geoff

 

[Nyctophiliac]

Whooo! Yes, my collection ever grows - I have a penchant for collections too! Encouraged to have a collecting hobby as a child - I have accrued several collections in my lifetime, precisely: Torches, lighters, comic-books, books, matchboxes, vesta matchsafes, watches, cameras, yoyos, CDs, DVDs, maps, pens - and evidently - collections!

In my defense, most of these are not too expensive per unit, but do add up for whole collections. My whole family seem to have collections of one thing or other - it must be in our genes.

As for torches, this is the most actively growing of the collections I have and the one that speaks to my core being the deepest. I mostly try to consider selling some, but fail. The best I have done so far is give away as many as I can to friends and family - plus the kids seem to acquire the ones they like, until I manage to snaffle them back!

After a spate of buying cheapies, I tend more to the mid-high torches now, but I haven't gone over $200...yet!

I'm very comfortable with this hobby and CPF certainly fuels the passion and informs the purchasing!

Long live the next light!

 

[BlueBoom]

After a spate of buying cheapies, I tend more to the mid-high torches now, but I haven't gone over $200...yet!

Keyword: yet.

 

[M@elstrom]

I would have even more lights now but my fiance is getting pissed cause im spending several hundred on flashlights. I was just getting started haha.

She's only ticked off because she's thinking of how many shoes (and accessories) she could have used that money for


My collection is modest, justifiable & relatively stable for the moment, the only light I thought I'd need and never ended up using was a 2 x CR123 powered Innova I once had (impulse purchase) but eBay helped me recoup my cash and I re-diverted that into one of the new generation 18650 super throw lights, my 50w hotwire doesn't see much action anymore either as the 900lm P7 has significantly longer runtime, is easier to 'feed' & has comparable output (albeit in a colder light frequency) :thumbsup:

 

[Nyctophiliac]

Keyword: yet.

I believe 'yet' is indeed the pertinent word - so many desires - McGizmo - ARC6 - HID - Gatlight - Spy - etc etc...........not to mention titanium goodies that warm the soul!

 

[Eric242]

I guess I can consider myself cured from the sick part now. My collection was growing and growing to the amount of slightly over 70 lights. Now the number decreases and I´m down to just under 50 with the intend to go even further to under 20. The desire to buy this and that stopped as well. I´m still interested in lights but it just doesn´t make sense anymore to keep every single light while the majority of them stays in a display case or pelican cases.

Eric

 

[Nyctophiliac]

Trust me, I'm an avid collectionist, the need to collect these things waxes and wanes. Many times I have taken the 'sensible' approach and tried to lay off buying more - sometimes it works for a while - mostly the old urges come back and the buying and coveting continues.

This is a kind of obsessive compulsive behaviour, and I am sure there are treatments for it all over the world of medicine and psychology, but as long as we have some fun, don't go over the top and encroach too much on the family welfare ( I.E. spend next months rent on a 'must-have' ), then I suppose it doesn't do much harm to have these indulgences. I rigidly try to keep myself in the disposable income range - being a freelancer, this goes up and down in time.

As long as there's food on the table etc.

 

[zipplet]

I've found it helps if you force yourself to avoid the cheaper lights after your collection grows somewhat. Focus on expensive chinese lights, surefire, lummi, novatac and so on. You'll buy less lights but you'll enjoy the ones you buy much more. They'll get more use and satisfy more.