getting rid of average quality flashlights ??

[quantico]

Hello all, I am a new person here on the forum. I have been looking at the site for years on and off. I purchased a couple C-3 surefires with the optional surefire p91 lamps over four years and and thought my light shopping was done forever.

In the last month I have purchased four surefire P6's and converted two to the surefire p60L drop in LED conversion. I have one for work and one for the house and boat and general use.... The other two p6's were a good deal and figured I could mod one some day and maybe have spare parts and bulbs to keep the non-LED lights going quite a while...

I work nights and like the surefire 6P LED as I am always out connecting gear and troubleshooting things in the dark.

My question is this : Over the years I have acquired many many cheaper LED AA and AAA flashlights and half a dozen maglight 2 / 3 / 4 D cell flashlights. I may keep a few around in the garage or in the truck, but I have about 30 not super high quality lights in my house..... I assume this is not unusual for folks on this board. Do you just keep handing them out to friends and family ??? or do you store them in some huge box somewhere ?? Once you have nice quality lights I wonder if you really need all that old cheap stuff around. ?? The stuff I am talking about are typically AA min-mag lights maybe ten LED lights that I got at sears that all use three AAA cells. They work, but seem dingy now that I have some nice lighting tools.. .

 

[IcantC]

Hand them out to people, leave them in places where you might need a light(1 per room, 1 in garage etc) or sell them if they are worth something.

 

[HunkaBurninLove]

I usually keep a few "average" lights around for spares, or in case my wife wants to use one. Let's just say she doesn't care any differently if she loses a cheap plastic drugstore light or a Surefire A2, but I do
.

I'll also use the average lights in situations where I don't mind getting it dirty or losing it, but I do try to only keep a few around.

 

[Marduke]

You can mod them, you can gift them, you can sell them, or you could make a video of them like this guy did:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZOunBD_BnEY


Or you can destroy them like I have been known to do:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Aa23f_orlm8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qxq9V13UyDs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9be4E6kgWxM


Or you can donate them to your local Red Cross, Boyscout troop, or other emergency response group.

 

[willrx]

Keep your Maglite collection. In stock form, not really bright, but the quality is there.:thumbsup::welcome:

 

[BIGIRON]

I've given about a dozen decent lights, mostly Mags, to our local Red Cross Disaster Response Team and some less substantial ones (plastic Rayovacs, etc) to a homeless shelter (those lights tend to disappear, but they are helpful to the staff).

 

[warlord]

I've given about a dozen decent lights, mostly Mags, to our local Red Cross Disaster Response Team and some less substantial ones (plastic Rayovacs, etc) to a homeless shelter (those lights tend to disappear, but they are helpful to the staff).

:twothumbs Donating to a worthy cause, always a good suggestion!

 

[lazerboy2000]

I'll take some!

Send me a PM if you're interested.

 

[generic808]

I agree with what everyone has said. Keep a few for yourself, just in case. In the garage, kitchen, glovebox, trunk, boat, bedroom, etc. Whatever you have leftover, hand out to family and friends. Who knows, maybe you'll end up converting them into one of us :candle:

 

[Brownstone]

My question is this : Over the years I have acquired many many cheaper LED AA and AAA flashlights and half a dozen maglight 2 / 3 / 4 D cell flashlights. I may keep a few around in the garage or in the truck, but I have about 30 not super high quality lights in my house..... I assume this is not unusual for folks on this board. Do you just keep handing them out to friends and family ???

Keep the Mags. Even if the bulb system isn't great, the build quality of the bodies is quite nice. Mags are a popular host here for customizing, and there are lots of "off the shelf" drop-ins to make them more useful.

 

[importculture]

I have a similar problem. I have alot of led lights with diminished outputs and have no idea what to do with them. I know the surefires can be modded by Scott. But what to do with the countless fenix heads(body and switches are kept as spares), etc. What do people do with lights that have diminished outputs? I don't think giving them out to family and friends is a nice thing to do.

 

[Marduke]

I'll take some!

Send me a PM if you're interested.

That could actually be a good idea. If you really don't want them, post a thread in the MarketPlace for free lights, new owner just pays shipping costs.

 

[LEDninja]

My average quality lights are low end plastic lights with early LED drop ins. Not worth the postage to send them off. So they fill up a shelf in my kitchen cabinet and the top of my dresser.

 

[TORCH_BOY]

Welcome to CPF

 

[jumpstat]

First of all, welcome to CPF.

I have acquired many lights since being a flashaholic but I also dispose quite a bit, those that I bought, tried and don't like them (to recover some capital for more lights). Those that I did not dispose, I put them at strategic locations all around the house, cars etc. There will be a need for this tools.

 

[Gunner12]

Keep the Maglites for modding.

Other lights you can do what ever you want to them, keep one to see how far youve cone though.

:welcome:

 

[quantico]

Thanks for the welcome and the info. I think that donating a dozen or 20 flashlights to local folks would be a good idea. I will get them all rounded up and decide what to keep... and then get the lights all running well with new batteries and donate them to places that can use them... thanks for a great idea.

 

[Irishsentry]

Also try abused women and children shelters...light makes people feel safe, much like a camp fire