Is there a good use for junk/cr@p lights?

[Metrotex]

YES!!!
Today my b in law knocks at the door looking for his cell phone that he thought he left at my place last night while drinking and watching the Mavericks get their azzez kicked. As I pick up a pillow on the couch to look for the phone he see's my Stinger with the FiveMega/AW upgrade and says
"Hey, can I borrow your flashlight for my gig tonight?" He's a local rockstar here in Dallas. I say "Yea but that's a hundred and fifty dollar flashlight, don't lose it!" He puts it down obviuosly and I start searching for a light for him. Every light I own is relatively high dollar, my Fenix? NO, My Sure Fire? NO, My Scorpion? NO, My MagCharger? NO! I have a few Maxfires but could'nt find them. Then he see's my SL TL-3 sitting on the end table and picks it up. "OK you wanna take that? It's 50 plus so don't lose it"

I WILL collect from him or my wifes sister if he loses it, which I think he will!

I'm gonna go buy some 2 dollar flashlights at Wally world tomorrow.

 

[TORCH_BOY]

Yes there is, I use them as loaner lights, also if I am working in an environment
where people pinch things

 

[Lunal_Tic]

Yep, I keep a couple of 2D loaners/gimmes at the front door for just such an occasion. Maxlites would be good for upgraded loaners but they aren't available over here.

-LT

 

[Sub_Umbra]

Spare battery holders? Individual cigar humidors?

 

[tinkerer]

I always keep a dozen of dollar store lights around as give aways. People think a flashlight's a flashlight. I had a neighbor borrow my 3 cell led maglite and use the butt to drive a nail with. I had a perfectly good hammer to loan him....
Neighbors were happy to get the dollar flashlights during the last blackout tho. A few even tried returning them afterwards....

 

[bouncer]

Ya no kidding I've lost (or had stolen) enough sure fires I could 've bought an M 6 with the money

 

[Oddjob]

My "junk/crap lights" are usually loaners. I even keep a few around the house in case my wife needs a light. It's not that I do not trust her, its just that she does not know how valuable some of my lights are.

 

[greenLED]

That's what my minimags with NiteIze drop-ins are for.

 

[2xTrinity]

This is why I bought $20 worth of coin cells from DX -- I can give those away and forget about them as they're only $0.49 each. If someone needs to borrow a light with more output, my next pick for a "loaner" is a Elly with a Cree in it -- brighter (more light than most are used to in a small flashlight for sure, a good 55-60 lumens), runs on standard batteries, and cheap (if someone loses/breaks one, I'm only out $9.50 -- would hate to have the same thing happen with a Fenix, Lumapower, or even some of the Ultrafire lights that i've put time and money into modding/improving)

 

[Supernam]

If a light gives off light, then it can serve its intended purpose.

 

[WNG]

2AA incan plastic fantastic that was itself an advertising give-away. I can't even say it's crap, facet reflector, bright beam, good slide switch. If I must, that's my give-away to a worthy cause light.

I have a bag of candles for the smart asses.

 

[Flash Harry]

Quite often, I have to show security officers new jobs. Whilst I'm walking and talking, I let them use one of my Hotwires (Not the FM's). By the end of the session, they want one of their own.

I'm appearing generous but I'm not letting the light out of my sight.

 

[wmirag]

I've given away scores of $1 coin lights, purchased with that intent. Surprisingly, MANY people EDC them.

As an aside, I've given good lights (Jil DD's) to close friends and seeing them EDC these is very gratifying.

W.

 

[Strauss]

I also give out those cheap coin-cell lights to friends and family. It's amazing how much use they actually get, I have even converted a few people to EDC'ing a nicer light from starting them off with a coin-cell.

I like to keep a few decent DX lights around for loaners, as they do put out a ton of output(especially my C2). If they get lost or broken, well I'm only out ~$25 instead of $200-300

 

[Learjet]

I have a bag of candles for the smart asses.

Hey good idea! :lolsign:

 

[dulridge]

I also give out those cheap coin-cell lights to friends and family. It's amazing how much use they actually get, I have even converted a few people to EDC'ing a nicer light from starting them off with a coin-cell.

I like to keep a few decent DX lights around for loaners, as they do put out a ton of output(especially my C2). If they get lost or broken, well I'm only out ~$25 instead of $200-300

Likewise - my dentist was off to India recently and took quite a few with him. The scary bit is he claims to have performed dentistry by the light of these. Glad he has better lights here! Quite a few of http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1138 these went with him too - he seems to be given a lot of piggy things so these were perfect for him.

My office light for everyone to use (There's no lighting in the walk-in cupboard) is a dirt cheapie converted to an SSC LED running a 17670 gutted out of an old laptop battery pack.

If anyone leaves it on, I'll just toss the cell - loads more dead laptops where that one came from.

 

[Flash Harry]

Hang on, I do have a loaner! It's the Eveready Dolphin near the front door. Bright enough and tough enough. I should give it an LED conversion?

 

[Bror Jace]

I have lots of $12 and cheaper lights I use for loaners and gifts for women who would not appreciate a more expensive light.

I love the different sizes, colors and configurations.

My current loaner/giveaway is a 9 LED, 3AAA Garrity I bought for $6 ... just to see what it was like. I also have some $3 Garrity incans I got on clearance from Wally World. If the power goes out and a neighbor wants a light, I'll give up my 2D Garrity "Stainless" light ... and a 4 pack of "heavy duty" D batteries I got from Target for $1. For $4, I don't even want anything back.

 

[VidPro]

a funny thing happened along these lines, i sent my parents one of the first pretty darn good Little Led lights as a gift, they had no idea how much it costs, and as a gift i aint gonna tell em.
i spent hours cleaning and lubing the threads, and stuck what was 6$ worth of batteries in it.
but to them it looked like a little weasily light, and they use it to hand to people , that are going home in the dark. Arrrrrggg.
perfect thing to do with a 2$ light, but it wasnt a 2$ light :-(

 

[sween1911]

+1. Cheap lights are the perfect loaners. For every good piece of gear you have, make sure you have a loaner.

"Hey, lemme borrow a pen...*tries to take the chrome Cross or stainless steel Parker out of my pocket and gets slapped*"
"Here's a Bic pen I leave on my desk... don't mess up my chew marks now!"

You guys are making me paranoid now, I don't have my loaner with me. Oh wait, actually, my $4 Streamlight Stylus from Radio Shack is in my bag, so I'm good to go.

Also, for those carrying "scary" tactical folders, make sure you have a "take out in front of people without them hitting the red button under the counter" pocketknife. A Swiss Army is a great knife for that. It's recognizable. The Emerson CQC15 will most likely result in the gates coming down and the releasing of the hounds!