LSL or LS factory second?

[harrydog]

Recently my mother was visiting us and had a chance to see my LSH-P in action. She was very impressed by its size, simplicity of use and brightness. She hinted that a flashlight like that would be a good for her to have around the house and it would make a nice Christmas gift.
She has no idea of how much these cost, and would be horrified if she knew. I don't think she would appreciate or even notice the difference between a standard and a premium. I'm wondering if I should get her an LSL for $65 or a factory second for $50? Are most of the factory seconds cosmetically good enough to give as a gift? If not, the LSL is the way to go. Also, I'm wondering if she would be just as happy with something like a Princeton-Tec Attitude, which uses common AAA batteries and has a much longer run time. I'd need to supply her with batteries for the ARC, as she wouldn't go to the trouble of finding a source to buy them from herself. And maybe the brilliance of the ARC design would be lost on her and some other LED light would be better suited for her as a general use household flashlight. She did like mine though...
Looking for opinions.
Thanks!

 

[BlindedByTheLite]

seconds aren't available anymore..

i found out a couple weeks ago when i kept attempting to order one and my shopping cart continuously showed up empty..

haha i was going insane..

i see affordable LSes in the BST forum every few days tho if you'd like to check there.

but i did get the LSL.. i believe it only figures out to $12 bucks more..

PS make sure you tell your madre to take good care of the light! *lol*

-Ryan

 

[harrydog]

I ordered the LSL. In fact I ordered two!

 

[BlindedByTheLite]

two heads are better than one..

same goes for luxeons. *lol*

 

[sotyakr]

Had some cash sitting in PayPal as result of CC's recent cancelled Arc AAA offer, so I thought it was a good time to finally order an LS 1st with those funds (how's that for irony?). I've had a old First Run 2nd for quite a while, and it has provided plenty of light for my requirements. Would like to have gotten an LSH, but I'm trying to slow the hemorrhaging of my toy budget, so I've now got an LSL-S, pouch and some batts. on the way. Even if seconds were (are?) still available, I really don't have the disposable income to chance it at "the lottery". Guess I should have ordered the AA clickie, but at least I've got the AA twistie from the old SLS to use.

 

[Double_A]

I gave a "seconds" to my brother it was fine, some barely noticeable mottling on the head's finish. An LSL-P was sent. I's think it is fine for a family member. Spend the difference on a box of 123's.

Local drug store just had a sale on Duracell Ultra 123's...$7.99 EACH. That's still not as bad as the hardward store that sold their Ultras for $12.99 each!

MY mom would NOT be happy spending $8-$13 for a replacement battery.

GregR