dangerman
Newly Enlightened
I've been thinking about why we like some lights and why other perfectly good lights can under whelm. I don't really have a perfect answer but I find it fascinating. What is it that makes one light almost magically desirable and another lackluster and uninspiring?
It's easy to see why some lights inspire an almost fanatical following. I'm thinking of the really the high end and exclusive lights like the Mclux III PD. But the funny thing is when an expensive light leaves you unmoved or when a cheaper light grabs your imagination. The more I think about it the more it puts me in mind of women and relationships. Let me illustrate with an example.
My typical flashlight experience goes something like this. I read things about a light that capture my attention. I research it exhaustively. If I just cannot get it out of my head for a few months I may buy it, but this is actually pretty rare. I guess you could say that as far as flashlights go, usually avoid one-night stands.
However my latest flashlight purchase, a HuntLight FT-01 was actually a bit of an exception. This was by my usual fussy standards, almost an impulse buy. (I don't mean to single the FT-01 out; it's just an example I'm using from my experience). Do you know what the funny thing is? It leaves me cold and I don't know why. Yet I know many others are delighted with theirs.
I'm not actually unhappy for any particularly good reason. It's bright, can use rechargables, inexpensive with a reasonable body. It's a bit stubby for my tastes but for around $38 US shipped it's pretty good for the money. Considering the price I don't think there is anything objectively wrong with the flashlight. Yet for want of a better term I don't feel myself "bonding" with it. It really is a case of "it's not you it's me".
Now I can sometimes take few days to warm to a light. But a little time together can really change how I feel. My Fenix P1 took a couple of nights of carrying and comparison with my other lights. But the love came with time.
Coming back to the analogy with women and relationships. You could say that I love it but I'm not in love with it. To be quite honest it's even worse than that. I find myself asking where is the love? I'm beginning to think that maybe we are going to be "just friends". Maybe not even that. (Any Australian's interested in buying this please PM me. Like new condition: $40 Australian including postage).
A little background so you know where I'm coming from with this. I do not consider myself to be a flashlight snob. I have no problem where a light is made but I guess the top quality flashlights tend to interest me more. Unfortunately my budget only allows the occasional expensive flashlight. Some here on the CPF would not consider it one of the more expensive lights, but the most I have spent was for my Surefire A2 Aviator. It is also my favorite.
I love the look, the feel of quality, and the practicality of the A2. I love the little things like the attention to detail in the machining of the body, the feel of its slender body in my hand. Sometimes I get it out just to look at it and hold it in my hand. Hopefully I hasten to add when my wife is not around. Does this sound weird?
It's not that this is a flawless light. It doesn't use rechargeables, short battery life on high, low battery life is OK but others like the U2 leave it for dead, bluish LEDs on low. We actually had a rocky start together for the first month with a bad lamp assembly that was dim and then failed. Surefire fixed that up and it's been happy times ever since.
When I put it down on paper I shouldn't really like it. But in reality this is such a nice usable light. Somehow the strengths outweigh the weaknesses. It almost goes beyond logic into the realms of emotion. Going back to the women analogy this is true love. This my flashaholic friends, is wife material!
So is this just the power of branding and the Surefire aura that have sucked me in? You might think so at first. But then I look at my other lights. You see while I do like the high priced lights, I have some relatively inexpensive ones that I love almost as much.
My R500 Scorpion is a case in point. I love the style, the high quality look and feel of the body and the amazing light output at a relatively low price. The Fenix P1 is another example. It is inexpensive with an amazing amount of light in a nice usable beam. Combine this with good runtime and flat regulation in an attractive and tiny package and you have a real winner in my eyes. My wife has appropriated my Fenix L1P but somehow it too has the magic something that makes me keep coming back every now and again.
Certainly there are better lights out there, but these still have a special attraction to me. There is a kind of magic. Now maybe these aren't quite true love but I really do feel a lot of affection for them. I guess these would be girlfriends or long term relationships.
So why do some lights grab you and others do absolutely nothing? I think a part of the answer is that some lights bring their various elements together particularly well. If this is in sympathy with your needs and your ideals of aesthetics, utility, value etc then we get that magic attraction. Either that or it must be love!
What do you all think?
It's easy to see why some lights inspire an almost fanatical following. I'm thinking of the really the high end and exclusive lights like the Mclux III PD. But the funny thing is when an expensive light leaves you unmoved or when a cheaper light grabs your imagination. The more I think about it the more it puts me in mind of women and relationships. Let me illustrate with an example.
My typical flashlight experience goes something like this. I read things about a light that capture my attention. I research it exhaustively. If I just cannot get it out of my head for a few months I may buy it, but this is actually pretty rare. I guess you could say that as far as flashlights go, usually avoid one-night stands.
However my latest flashlight purchase, a HuntLight FT-01 was actually a bit of an exception. This was by my usual fussy standards, almost an impulse buy. (I don't mean to single the FT-01 out; it's just an example I'm using from my experience). Do you know what the funny thing is? It leaves me cold and I don't know why. Yet I know many others are delighted with theirs.
I'm not actually unhappy for any particularly good reason. It's bright, can use rechargables, inexpensive with a reasonable body. It's a bit stubby for my tastes but for around $38 US shipped it's pretty good for the money. Considering the price I don't think there is anything objectively wrong with the flashlight. Yet for want of a better term I don't feel myself "bonding" with it. It really is a case of "it's not you it's me".
Now I can sometimes take few days to warm to a light. But a little time together can really change how I feel. My Fenix P1 took a couple of nights of carrying and comparison with my other lights. But the love came with time.
Coming back to the analogy with women and relationships. You could say that I love it but I'm not in love with it. To be quite honest it's even worse than that. I find myself asking where is the love? I'm beginning to think that maybe we are going to be "just friends". Maybe not even that. (Any Australian's interested in buying this please PM me. Like new condition: $40 Australian including postage).
A little background so you know where I'm coming from with this. I do not consider myself to be a flashlight snob. I have no problem where a light is made but I guess the top quality flashlights tend to interest me more. Unfortunately my budget only allows the occasional expensive flashlight. Some here on the CPF would not consider it one of the more expensive lights, but the most I have spent was for my Surefire A2 Aviator. It is also my favorite.
I love the look, the feel of quality, and the practicality of the A2. I love the little things like the attention to detail in the machining of the body, the feel of its slender body in my hand. Sometimes I get it out just to look at it and hold it in my hand. Hopefully I hasten to add when my wife is not around. Does this sound weird?
It's not that this is a flawless light. It doesn't use rechargeables, short battery life on high, low battery life is OK but others like the U2 leave it for dead, bluish LEDs on low. We actually had a rocky start together for the first month with a bad lamp assembly that was dim and then failed. Surefire fixed that up and it's been happy times ever since.
When I put it down on paper I shouldn't really like it. But in reality this is such a nice usable light. Somehow the strengths outweigh the weaknesses. It almost goes beyond logic into the realms of emotion. Going back to the women analogy this is true love. This my flashaholic friends, is wife material!
So is this just the power of branding and the Surefire aura that have sucked me in? You might think so at first. But then I look at my other lights. You see while I do like the high priced lights, I have some relatively inexpensive ones that I love almost as much.
My R500 Scorpion is a case in point. I love the style, the high quality look and feel of the body and the amazing light output at a relatively low price. The Fenix P1 is another example. It is inexpensive with an amazing amount of light in a nice usable beam. Combine this with good runtime and flat regulation in an attractive and tiny package and you have a real winner in my eyes. My wife has appropriated my Fenix L1P but somehow it too has the magic something that makes me keep coming back every now and again.
Certainly there are better lights out there, but these still have a special attraction to me. There is a kind of magic. Now maybe these aren't quite true love but I really do feel a lot of affection for them. I guess these would be girlfriends or long term relationships.
So why do some lights grab you and others do absolutely nothing? I think a part of the answer is that some lights bring their various elements together particularly well. If this is in sympathy with your needs and your ideals of aesthetics, utility, value etc then we get that magic attraction. Either that or it must be love!
What do you all think?
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