I needed my flashlight in Starbucks during the day!

[passive101]

I went in to grab a quick coffee with the g/f (who questions my flashlight addiction, but that's ok). I went to go to the bathroom. Let's just say I haven't been eating the healthiest and I was a bit plugged up so I went to use their stall. Apparently the light in the bathroom is on a timer, so after a little while the light shut off on me
I only had a couple choices. I could feel around in the dark for the toilet paper and hope everything goes alright and walk back over there to turn the light on, after opening the bathroom door (since I'm guessing it needs some light for the motion detector), or I could do what a flashaholic does!

Quark Mini 123 to the rescue. I detached it from my keys, put it on bright and tail standed the light on the floor. I could see everything. I didn't even hurry and just finished my business. After a few minutes I ended what I was doing, and realized my flashlight was in urine on the floor :green: I'm glad I detached it from my keys before putting them on the ground! I just left the light on and went and washed it with soap and water in the sink. The light turned on as I was opening the bathroom door to leave. It seemed like an eternity surrounded by the darkness inside a Starbucks at 1:30pm.

If I didn't carry a light with me, my day could have gotten a whole lot worse or far more embarrassing. Would a less prepared man have hollered for an employee? :thinking:

 

[Echo63]

ugh, i would never put my light on the floor of a bathroom.

that said, at least it was disconnected from everything and you could easily wash the light.

i have had a similar thing happen, at work our lighting is automatically shut of at certain times, i was in the storeroom putting some equipment away when the lights went out - i just whipped out the EDC light and continued what i was doing.
5 minutes later the security guard showed up - he was on the other side of the building and saw a bright light moving round our department, and wondered what it was (my EDC V10R Ti was brighter than his big light, im not sure what it was, but it was 3d mag sized and led)

 

[jamesbeat]

I used to use my light the whole time in a similar situation.
I only had a 2xAAA m@g at the time because it was before I became a flashaholic, but it sure was useful in candle mode.

The problem wasn't time switches, it was that all of the pubs and even the Pizza Hut in the city center where I used to live (Birmingham, UK) went through a phase of using very dim blue compact fluorescent light bulbs in their cubicles.

My m@g in candle mode (head unscrewed and placed into rear of battery tube as a stand) was very useful in making these very surreal surroundings comfortable to be in.

I don't know if this is true, but it sounds likey; I asked a guy who worked at the bar why the blue lights were installed, and he told me that it discouraged heroin addicts from injecting in their cubicles.
The blue light made it difficult to see the blue veins in their arms.

I hope your experience taught you to shine your flashlight onto the area that you intend to stand it on BEFORE setting it down from now on

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Was it a timer or an occupancy sensor? Some bathrooms have timers, where you have to turn the dial to long enough for your visit before the lights go out. Occupancy sensors are a real pain in the butt and are becoming required in bathrooms in some places. With an occupancy sensor, you have no idea of how long you have before lights go out and are dependent on other bathroom visitors moving to keep the lights on. They never sense someone sitting on the toilet behind a privacy wall. Always carry a flashlight and you won't have a problem.

 

[BarryG]

I had a similar experience.....
About 5 or 6 years ago, I was doing the same thing at home at around 4am and the power went out. I thought this is going to be bad and then remembered my E2D was in my pocket. It also saved a bad situation, I would have had to yell and wake the wife!!!

You never know when you will need a light, even in your own home.......






Barry

 

[passive101]

Next time I'll shine it on the floor before setting it down for sure.

I'm not sure about a timer you have to turn. It had a rounded thing on it which I have seen used as motion sensors before. It did turn on when I opened the door, but I didn't look to see if there was anything I could do with the switch. That's the first time the lights went out on me in the bathroom.

 

[jamesbeat]

My light goes out on me in the bathroom all the time because it's faulty
there's a 'trick' to turning it on which becomes second nature after a while, but it does sometimes flicker off when I'm on the can.
Luckily, the switch is easy to reach while seated, so it's not too much of a problem.

What IS a problem is being plunged into darkness while taking a shower. I've had to yell for my wife to turn the light back on plenty of times while showering, because it's just too dangerous to try to walk across the tiled floor with wet feet in the dark.

My landlord is great, and he's usually really on top of maintenance issues, but for some reason he always forgets about that light switch

 

[AFearlessBirdOfParadise]

Quark Mini 123 to the rescue. I detached it from my keys, put it on bright and tail standed the light on the floor.

Ahhh Quark Mini 123 forever unclean.

 

[Echo63]

My light goes out on me in the bathroom all the time because it's faulty
there's a 'trick' to turning it on which becomes second nature after a while, but it does sometimes flicker off when I'm on the can.
Luckily, the switch is easy to reach while seated, so it's not too much of a problem.

What IS a problem is being plunged into darkness while taking a shower. I've had to yell for my wife to turn the light back on plenty of times while showering, because it's just too dangerous to try to walk across the tiled floor with wet feet in the dark.

My landlord is great, and he's usually really on top of maintenance issues, but for some reason he always forgets about that light switch

You need another light, a nice waterproof one !
(underwater kinetics and Pelican have a few nice waterproof lights)

 

[Quiksilver]

I went in to grab a quick coffee with the g/f (who questions my flashlight addiction, but that's ok). I went to go to the bathroom. Let's just say I haven't been eating the healthiest and I was a bit plugged up so I went to use their stall. Apparently the light in the bathroom is on a timer, so after a little while the light shut off on me
I only had a couple choices. I could feel around in the dark for the toilet paper and hope everything goes alright and walk back over there to turn the light on, after opening the bathroom door (since I'm guessing it needs some light for the motion detector), or I could do what a flashaholic does!

Quark Mini 123 to the rescue. I detached it from my keys, put it on bright and tail standed the light on the floor. I could see everything. I didn't even hurry and just finished my business. After a few minutes I ended what I was doing, and realized my flashlight was in urine on the floor :green: I'm glad I detached it from my keys before putting them on the ground! I just left the light on and went and washed it with soap and water in the sink. The light turned on as I was opening the bathroom door to leave. It seemed like an eternity surrounded by the darkness inside a Starbucks at 1:30pm.

If I didn't carry a light with me, my day could have gotten a whole lot worse or far more embarrassing. Would a less prepared man have hollered for an employee? :thinking:

That feeling when you're deep in an unfamiliar bathroom and the lights/power goes out.






i know it

 

[passive101]

Lol I love that picture! If this would have happened to my g/f she definitely would have needed a hug when she got out of such a horrible ordeal

 

[yliu]

Haha, it also happens to me all the time. That's just one more reason for me to always have a light with me.

 

[davidt1]

I went in to grab a quick coffee with the g/f (who questions my flashlight addiction, but that's ok). I went to go to the bathroom. Let's just say I haven't been eating the healthiest and I was a bit plugged up so I went to use their stall. Apparently the light in the bathroom is on a timer, so after a little while the light shut off on me
I only had a couple choices. I could feel around in the dark for the toilet paper and hope everything goes alright and walk back over there to turn the light on, after opening the bathroom door (since I'm guessing it needs some light for the motion detector), or I could do what a flashaholic does!

Quark Mini 123 to the rescue. I detached it from my keys, put it on bright and tail standed the light on the floor. I could see everything. I didn't even hurry and just finished my business. After a few minutes I ended what I was doing, and realized my flashlight was in urine on the floor :green: I'm glad I detached it from my keys before putting them on the ground! I just left the light on and went and washed it with soap and water in the sink. The light turned on as I was opening the bathroom door to leave. It seemed like an eternity surrounded by the darkness inside a Starbucks at 1:30pm.

If I didn't carry a light with me, my day could have gotten a whole lot worse or far more embarrassing. Would a less prepared man have hollered for an employee? :thinking:

This happens to me every time I use the bathroom at my local library. The light is on a timer and turns off very quickly. But I couldn't care less because my Zebralight H51w is always worn around my neck. It takes me about 2 seconds to reach for it and turn it on. No need for hands and a place to put it afterwards.

 

[passive101]

Zebralight H51w - It saves you from urine in the dark :twothumbs

 

[Norm]

I wear a KuKu 44DD on a Ti chain around my neck (the SS Quantum version is more easily obtainable) 24 hours of the day I'm never caught without a light and hanging as it does puts the light right where it's needed.

Norm

 

[passive101]

I wear a KuKu 44DD on a Ti chain around my neck (the SS Quantum version is more easily obtainable) 24 hours of the day I'm never caught without a light and hanging as it does puts the light right where it's needed.

Norm

wow is that ever an amazing little light!

 

[Monocrom]

That feeling when you're deep in an unfamiliar bathroom and the lights/power goes out.

For a true flashaholic, it's simply a yawn-inducing moment before pulling out your favorite light; and going back to finishing up your business.

 

[Trevtrain]

The problem wasn't time switches, it was that all of the pubs and even the Pizza Hut in the city center where I used to live (Birmingham, UK) went through a phase of using very dim blue compact fluorescent light bulbs in their cubicles.

My m@g in candle mode (head unscrewed and placed into rear of battery tube as a stand) was very useful in making these very surreal surroundings comfortable to be in.

I don't know if this is true, but it sounds likey; I asked a guy who worked at the bar why the blue lights were installed, and he told me that it discouraged heroin addicts from injecting in their cubicles.
The blue light made it difficult to see the blue veins in their arms.

Yep, it's true.

Same thing here at Flinders Street Railway Station in Melbourne.

Try it for yourself if you ever get the chance. You won't be able to see your veins.

 

[Quiksilver]

How do people carry a flashlight on their neck?

I mean, its a great big weight dangling on your chest, has no aesthetic appeal and cannot be concealed under a shirt.

 

[TMedina]

Depends on the light and personal preferences. I carry a pair of dogtags around my neck. I know some folks who carry P-51 can openers and neck knives (which is a bit much for me, but still).

If I knew I was working in an area that was prone to light outages, I'd make a point to carry some sort of light on my neck - an Inova clip light or a AAA-keychain.

But then again, I have a big neck.