Isnt ironic how nobody cares about your flashlight collection until the power is out.

[fieldops]

The truth is that most people won't pay more than FIVE dollars for a flashlight....and they expect it to come with batteries.....you know, the real good ones that say "HEAVY DUTY" :shakehead

The first time they have to change the "HEAVY DUTY" batteries (if they're not leaking already), they wonder what these "strange ringy plastic shavings" are inside the screw cover. Then they get PO when they can't screw the cover back on without it popping off. Finally they yell something like "damn cheap plastic junk"

......until they spend another FIVE dollars again next time....:thinking:

 

[Burgess]

How true, how true . . . .

:sigh:
_

 

[Illum]

Some people just have really little in their pockets, $40 may not sound much here but its somewhat of a luxury among some middle-class families...that and others out there who have displaced the rightful priority on something else.

 

[fieldops]

Some people just have really little in their pockets, $40 may not sound much here but its somewhat of a luxury among some middle-class families...that and others out there who have displaced the rightful priority on something else.

For people strapped nowadays, that's true. it's understandable.

Unfortunately, history shows that most people, even who are well off, still only want to pay FIVE dollars for a flashlight. This has been going on long before the economy tanked, and likely will be long after it recovers.

Its a mentality issue. It's being raised seeing only the cheapest of lights.
tell someone about a flashlight for even $25, and people think its like buying an Escalade or something....:shrug:

 

[Lynx_Arc]

People are strapped.... they go out to eat more often than I do which costs them their flashlight fund lol
everyone should have an electric lantern you can get a cheap 9watt fluorescent lantern for about $11 at walmart or a $20 nicer one from many places and in a power outage they are wonderful for people that are light flashaholics.
The 2 2D incan packs people keep buying are disposable lights that IMO are more frustrating than they are worth at times. I still have my first *good* stainless steel 2D incan and it hasn't seen batteries in 20 years. I replaced it with a plastic rayovac roughneck with a clicky switch. Slide switches in flashlights suck lol

 

[Illum]

Slide switches in flashlights suck lol

well, they are actually quite durable...sitting on the shelf. One battery leak and you are toast.

that and bare copper leaf springs will oxidize in humid environments...I found that taking a file to the edges whenever I'm going about checking battery conditins help improve their contacts.

I'm pretty sure only us CPFer's would practice the routine of stuffing $20-50 lamps [magLED, everLED, SMJLED] into $1-5 flashlights

D cell batteries are awesome...especially at uberlow current draws.

 

[Cydonia]

Some people just have really little in their pockets, $40 may not sound much here but its somewhat of a luxury among some middle-class families...that and others out there who have displaced the rightful priority on something else.

Yeah... all about priorities. Usually their monthly waste on junk food and poor dietary choices are shocking and add up to many hundreds $$$. But yeah... what kinda weirdo nerd spends more than $5 on a light. And in their Universe getting and being prepared for disasters is just plain wacky... :hahaha:

 

[Lynx_Arc]

well, they are actually quite durable...sitting on the shelf. One battery leak and you are toast.

that and bare copper leaf springs will oxidize in humid environments...I found that taking a file to the edges whenever I'm going about checking battery conditins help improve their contacts.

I'm pretty sure only us CPFer's would practice the routine of stuffing $20-50 lamps [magLED, everLED, SMJLED] into $1-5 flashlights

D cell batteries are awesome...especially at uberlow current draws.

I did mod a rayovac 2D light for a magled dropin that cost me $6 on clearance and it is a really nice light now. I do like plastic lights but find it insane to pay $40 for one that underperforms a $30 2AA light. My dad used to have a lot of 6V lanterns because the huge batteries lasted a long time but people kept leaving them on and 4D cell convertors came along making it cost about 1/3 as much to replace the batteries. With LEDs now putting out the same amount of light for 1/3 to 1/6 the power a 2D LED light will outlast a 6V lantern incan. 6V lantern batteries are probably going to be vanishing from the shelves in the next 10 years I would guess.