How do you plan your light purchases?

[Daekar]

Concerning my "collection" hobbies, lights and firearms, I'd like to have "my bases covered," so to speak. For firearms, this means having (well, I have half of these...) different guns for home-defense, concealed carry, .22 cal rifle and pistol for inexpensive shooting/small game, a battle carbine (buy 'em while you can, people!), full-power scoped rifle for hunting food or threats (animal or human) at range, and some WWII and Cold-War Era milsurps for fun and reliability.

I'd like to have the same kind of setup for lights, and as lights tend to be a tad cheaper than most firearms, it's going to be a bit easier to get my bases covered. Of course, since lights improve faster than firearms, "covered" is a moving target. But anyway, I've chosen 3 battery types to base my lights on: AA, CR123a, 18650. AA for non-abrupt cutoff and wide availability in case my Eneloops run out, CR123a for weight/reliability, 18650 for energy density/weight. I also have worked out that for my typical/anticipated usage, there are a few categories of lights: keychain, headlamp, pocket/small holster, full-sized, search/spot, shake light. Ideally, I'd like to have a light for each category and each battery type. Here's my choice list:

Keychain -
Arc AAA-P. This is currently one of the two exceptions to the battery rule for size/durability.

Headlamp -
AA: Zebralight H50, PT Apex
CR123a: Zebralight H30, PT Apex Pro
18650: Zebralight H65

Pocket/Holster -
AA: Fenix L1D-CE Q5, Fenix L2D-CE Q5
CR123a: Arc6LS, Surefire Optimus
18650: Neoca 18650, D-mini w/18650 tube

Full Sized -
AA: No ideas yet. Any suggestions for a 6AA or 8AA multi-level light that's got a high mode that runs 400+ lumens for 60+ minutes?
CR123a + 18650: Wolf-Eyes Thunder Q5

Search/Spot -
Amondotech N30. This is the other exception to the battery rule - so far.

Shake Light -
Haven't picked one yet, looking at modding a Nightstar eventually. Any shake light needs to be capacitor-powered, durable and waterproof, and float if possible. Anybody already got a good solution for this?

So.... am I weird for wanting things distributed like that? How do you plan your lights? Do you buy multiples (one for you, one for your spouse)?

 

[generic808]

I'm like you, I have a different gun and different light for every and any ocassion. My battery set-up is very similar to yours too.

 

[pezdragon]

I keep a ace bandage and a sewing kit with me so I can bandage my hand and fix my back pocket when I see a light I like and damage both getting my wallet out.......

 

[nerdgineer]

Plan? huh?.....

I planned my first real purchase (early Arc LS) a lot. That and a few batteries would have taken care of all my real needs, more or less for life.... Now, some bunches of redundant lights later, it's pretty much an opportunity based/spur of the moment thing. I'm especially susceptible to closeout sales and the red tagged items at Target.

My wife still can't understand why I got so many of the closeout $5 Infinity Ultras from eknifeworks. In a way, I don't either....:shrug:

 

[bitslammer]

No planning really. I like variety but if I see something, and think I will like it, I buy it.

Keeps things simple.

 

[GreySave]

I actually did and do try to plan. My idea was to have a spread of carried 123A powered lights that would cover throw and flood as well as power and runtime within throw and flood. For the house, lights that use the old 9 volt batteries from the smoke detector and AA cells from my pager.

The house portion of that plan worked, and actually the carry portion worked fairly well also. But like any true Flashaholic, once the "new" light bug bites you the plan becomes something to deviate from.

Favorite lights include the U2, Kroma, A2, PAL Lights, Inova X1 and XO3 along with a Wolf-Eyes Raider (with accessories). Now that the basics are covered I only add an occasional light or two a year.

Rapidly rising in the "I like it" column is the new Coleman Exponent 123A powered light courtesy of member Blacklight. To be ordered late in the year if the reviews show it as worthwhile will be the SureFire Optimus. What could be better than throw and / or flood and a wide variety of output options all in one light? That thing looks like the current Holy Grail of the flashlight world.

 

[baterija]

With all of that weapon planning I can't believe you missed planning lights specifically to match up with some of your night firing needs. More lights to play with and an excuse to go shooting at night!

Home Defense Light - Something you can use in conjunction with whatever your home defense weapon of choice is. Weapon mounted is a nice option here so you are just grabbing one thing when things go bad. No matter what you want a dedicated light stored with your firearm so its not in the pocket of your coat from your walk earlier when things go bad.

Concealed Carry Light - Weapon mounted is probably a no go, since it makes it harder to conceal your weapon. It would also be nice to have the light separate for those times you want to check out a situation without escalating further by drawing/pointing a weapon.

There are decent choices out there. A lot of quality lights I have seen since I started hanging out here I would want nowhere near me in a gunfight though. The UI's are too complicated, or they come on too low. I want to go from off to bright enough (if not "high"), with the ability to go back off and on again in the same mode everytime without thinking. The less often you have to train for muscle memory the simpler you want things.

 

[Tempest UK]

Can't say I really plan my purchases I tend to just wait until I have some money to spare and buy whatever takes my fancy. As far as lights I actually use, I'm pretty much sorted, but I still add to the collection. My collection is generally focused on SureFire "P" series models, so that tends to keep the spending under control. Supposedly

Regards,
Tempest

 

[Cydonia]

If I find something I like I always buy multiples for back up. You never know when something will be discontinued - so stock up while it's available.
I'm a minimalist in a lot of ways and don't want to accumulate too many lights :shrug:
Don't want to get caught with obsolescence either, LED's are changing so fast, want to try and keep Do It Yourself LED upgrades possible. A focus on AA cells and long term use... just keep upgrading the LED or module like in modded Mag's. Like the idea of sleeper lights like disguised mag mods low profile and not a big loss when they are stolen etc.,
Just realizing how little light a healthy dark adapted human eye really needs to see and accomplish a task in a low light environment. Always quality over quantity, look and feel of a lights proportions, long run time ability and efficiency. Lights you can repair in the field, pop in a back up bulb or led module etc., and have some light. Digital control lights are just throw away items when they fail, so I avoid them like the plague for a whole bunch of reasons.

As for your 6AA to 8AA with 400+ lumens for 60+ minutes - you didn't specify LED or incan or size of the light, let alone user repair ability or upgrade options. Closest thing would be a ROP or mag85 with AW's multi mode on 60%.

And I'm looking for a suitable shake light too. Just have to mod the LED in one and epoxy it back together again :shrug:

 

[TigerhawkT3]

Plan?? :laughing:

For your "full-sized AA" light, you might consider a Magmod, either a multi-LED or hotwire setup. For example, something with a Tri-Sink and three Crees or maybe a simple ROP.

 

[nerdgineer]

..and a perfect example of my lack of planning is to see a thread about new Fenix E0s closing out at [EDIT: oops, never mind. Fenixstore appears to have sold out..] each and saying, "gotta get some of those", which I did...:shakehead

 

[Crenshaw]

plan? *riffles dictionary* ohhh.. well it goes something like this. I put money aside for a new light like the new LS, then change and put money aside for the new Tk10, then, i blow half that money on the Ultrafire SS C3...something like that...

Crenshaw

 

[jugg2]

I just kinda try to hold onto my money, but if I see a need that I don't have a light for, then I fill it. Otherwise, I just try to add a little variety to my EDC every now and then with a new light. I given up what I absolutely need really, it's all about choices nowdays lol.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

I have a pretty standardized process for buying lights:

1. Identify need
2. Study options
3. Buy light(s)

I also take requests from Mrs Umbra and feed them into the above process.

We buy multiples of lights under a number of circumstances:

• We have spares of useful lights who's production has been or may be discontinued.
• We have multiples of lights that we know will continue to be important to us in the future -- even though their production future looks stable. If we know that we're going to need them, we may as well have them.

 

[scaredofthedark]

i find something i want/need, pondering about how im going to pay for it, then say screw it im gonna buy it anyways

 

[Chrontius]

Whatever I fall in love with. Granted, I'm shooting for perfection (the first Inova XO reflector models, at the time, are the closest I've ever come), but...

what I think I need determines what categories I look at, and I look until I find something perfect for filling that need.

My EDC light should run for an awfully long time - and in everything after the X5, this should be regulated (or have a decent runtime curve, at least). (24 hours my ***!) Shorter regulated runtimes are better than long-but-useless nominal light. It should be durable enough and waterproof enough that it will survive being dropped occasionally - Inovas were great here, my Jetbeam not so much.

I do tend to steer myself toward 123a in my purchases, but I'm not afraid of AA nickel-hydride cells either. I do definitely try to avoid exotic batteries, but don't always succeed (lithium ROP). Especially where there's a compelling advantage elsewhere (lithium ROP).

Thesis: I find a need, then go looking for perfection, and settle when I intuitively find a good balance of factors like output, runtime, ruggedness, usability, and (for EDCs) daily carryability.

 

[adamlau]

By reviewing the available options in B/S/T and the Custom Builders and Modders section before pulling the trigger on items which complete the collection.

 

[Daekar]

Plan?? :laughing:

For your "full-sized AA" light, you might consider a Magmod, either a multi-LED or hotwire setup. For example, something with a Tri-Sink and three Crees or maybe a simple ROP.

I was thinking that might be what I resort to... although I think I want a bored-out host so I can do 8AA. With Eneloops that would give me what... 19+ Wh nominal? I wonder if it might be better to wait for the SSC P7 emitters and drivers to become available... It'd be great to be able to find a nice efficient multi-mode driver. Plus, if I shoot for only 500 emitter lumens, I could drive a P7 at... somewhere around 1.7 amps, I think, with a Vf of 3.8 or less, so around 6.56W. Let's see, with a nice efficient driver/battery configuration, that would give me... 3 hours? Wow... maybe I should think about driving it at the max datasheet spec of 2.8 amp. With a Vf of 4.0, that would be 11.2W, so more like 100 minutes for 670 emitter lumens. (Yes I think we can safely say that 10W HIDs are going to be dead unless you want throw) I'm going to need a freakin' great driver and heatsink... I wonder if I found a driver that would do a high-frequency PWM (fast enough so it's not visible, like on my L2D-CE or faster) how much cooler and longer it would run? I would imagine if the frequency is fast enough there would be little or no percieved decrease in brightness...

..and a perfect example of my lack of planning is to see a thread about new Fenix E0s closing out at $9.20 each and saying, "gotta get some of those", which I did...:shakehead

Posting that link was cruel! I got excited and spent like 5 minutes looking around on 4Seven's site for... uh, I mean, yeah, you should plan better...

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Plan?

I write DX and KD info down in a notebook. And cross off when I get it.

But in the middle of all that I get a PM and WHAM order another light.

Or attend a Flashapalooza party and buy lights from other CPFers.

So plan? Sure. Follow the plan? NOPE!

 

[m16a]

Ok there is a simple and very easy way to pick flashlights. Flashlights can talk, they will call to you when you are right for them. So pick a price range, start looking at lights in that price range and eventually a light will pick you. Remember, you don't pick the flashlight, the flashlight picks you. It WILL call to you and you will find the call undeniable:twothumbs