My collection

[letschat7]

Sometimes I want a light, say from Led Lenser and I ask them to sell me one and they are like on no not in your market. So I hire an Austrian schoolboy, for the sake of this story we will call him A. Hitler since he is a ****wit. At this point I have fees for conversion and sending money to him then I have his tax in Austria and shipping to him and more shipping costs for sending to USA plus his fee and a lot of wasted time. If he sources something he thinks I will like he likes to mark things up many times what a similar item costs and USA. If I complain hes like 'oh some other Americans over pay too, all the time even.'

If I talk some small business in Ireland into sending me stuff I have to pay bank wire fees and they use some small courier that costs a lot more than the Irish Post making the light three times what it costs in England. Then I have to pay for some special plug adapter to charge it.

It is ok to pay a lot for out of market lights. I used both today around the house and enjoy them a lot. I may be the only person in all of North America with these lights.

But yeah get a Surefire. All it takes is for USA to get into it with NATO or some Euro country and maybe the supply gets cut off and the market supply of SF lights dries up.

 

[Buff]

Very Interesting?

 

[PaladinNO]

Announcing the birth of a brand new baby added to the family.

So new the umbilical cord is still attached!

Awww!

Now I understand the expression used in some movies, where the parent says "you're my little sunshine". This explains everything! ^^

 

[Monocrom]

I was requested by Sir @Ocelot808 to post some images of my lights once my new acquisitions arrived...

Incoming - What do you have coming in the mail??

Oh boy.... A whole bunch O stuff.... again! Sticking to flashlights: Sofirn SP35T, and Sofirn SC02. With the SP35T, I want to see just how good a sub-$40 branded Tactical light can be.

www.candlepowerforums.com

Not everything has arrived yet - I am still missing Sofirn SF15, IF22A, IF23, and Q8+, so these are just a temporary assembly.

First off, the old collection:
View attachment 57391View attachment 57392
Then the current one:
View attachment 57389View attachment 57390
I see I need to take some better photos - that triple battery extender TK76 is so big, it barely fits the frame...

It's a good start. Going to have to fatten up that collection quite a bit though. It's looking a little lean. 😉

Kidding, looking good.

 

[PaladinNO]

Going to have to fatten up that collection quite a bit though. It's looking a little lean. 😉

Enlighten me (pun intended), please. You mean I don't have enough lights, or not big enough lights?

For numbers - and I thought they were included - I have since I took the pictures received 4 lights from Sofirn. The SF15, IF22A, IF23 and the Q8 Plus. And I have 2x SF16 on the way. And I am looking for something new, likely something from Convoy (S21A / S21E), to keep in the car. And I want a pure copper flashlight sometime.

For size, I have aquired another battery carrier for my Fenix TK75. So now I got 12x 18650's both in my TK75 2018 and TK76. With extra TK75 heads as spares (both 2013 and 2018). And I have the Acebeam X80 and Lumintop GT110 on my wishlist.

I get different lights for different purposes, and there simply are a limited number of different things where I might need a dedicted flashlight.
And as I've said here:

a what point do you stop collecting ?

One day it just hit me. Don't know when or where, but I thought "what are you doing man, you're incoming flashlights are piling up and not being enjoyed". So I just stopped collecting and started enjoying. I still add one here or there but not very often. I'm at this phase but also there are a...

www.candlepowerforums.com

...I don't want to be a "collector" of lights, so I have to limit myself. ^^

 

[AstroTurf]

...I don't want to be a "collector" of lights, so I have to limit myself. ^^

funny, check your thread title and recent activity... you are a collector.

 

[Buff]

What is the recommended number to achieve collector status?
Open to debate. Levels of collector? Once the established minimum number is reached.
1. Novice, Rookie, Freshman, casual.
2. Journeyman, Moderate.
3. Serious, Fanatic, Master,
4. Grand Master, Unhinged,
5. Seriously Unhinged Fanatical Grand Master!
(SUFGM)
I know some names may conjure other debate as Master and Journeyman are used here.
To master a trade or endeavor. And i have never heard or met a woman who collects flashlights but i'm sure there is one out there?
My hope is we can have fun with this and hopefully you find it relevant to the OP's thread?

If it needs to be its own thread i can redo it. Or moderator can move it i'm good either way.
Buff

 

[PaladinNO]

funny, check your thread title and recent activity... you are a collector.

Writing "collector" seemed like the best description at the time. ^^

 

[Monocrom]

Enlighten me (pun intended), please. You mean I don't have enough lights, or not big enough lights?

For numbers - and I thought they were included - I have since I took the pictures received 4 lights from Sofirn. The SF15, IF22A, IF23 and the Q8 Plus. And I have 2x SF16 on the way. And I am looking for something new, likely something from Convoy (S21A / S21E), to keep in the car. And I want a pure copper flashlight sometime.

For size, I have aquired another battery carrier for my Fenix TK75. So now I got 12x 18650's both in my TK75 2018 and TK76. With extra TK75 heads as spares (both 2013 and 2018). And I have the Acebeam X80 and Lumintop GT110 on my wishlist.

I get different lights for different purposes, and there simply are a limited number of different things where I might need a dedicted flashlight.
And as I've said here:

a what point do you stop collecting ?

One day it just hit me. Don't know when or where, but I thought "what are you doing man, you're incoming flashlights are piling up and not being enjoyed". So I just stopped collecting and started enjoying. I still add one here or there but not very often. I'm at this phase but also there are a...

www.candlepowerforums.com

...I don't want to be a "collector" of lights, so I have to limit myself. ^^

I'd say a combination of both. But in all honesty, big flashlights just aren't necessary anymore. Gone are the days of stuffing multiple D-cell batteries into a thick tube to get around maybe 30 lumens out of an incandescent bulb. But yeah, adding more lights is never a bad idea.

 

[Buff]

Variety is the spice of life!

 

[bykfixer]

What is the recommended number to achieve collector status?
Open to debate. Levels of collector? Once the established minimum number is reached.
1. Novice, Rookie, Freshman, casual.
2. Journeyman, Moderate.
3. Serious, Fanatic, Master,
4. Grand Master, Unhinged,
5. Seriously Unhinged Fanatical Grand Master!
(SUFGM)
I know some names may conjure other debate as Master and Journeyman are used here.
To master a trade or endeavor. And i have never heard or met a woman who collects flashlights but i'm sure there is one out there?
My hope is we can have fun with this and hopefully you find it relevant to the OP's thread?

If it needs to be its own thread i can redo it. Or moderator can move it i'm good either way.
Buff

Around here the term is flashaholic.
Here's a way to know.

Light Humour - You Know You Are A Flashaholic When ...

This thread is a combination of self-awareness, self-evaluation, and humor. I'll add more along the way. Fill in the blank. You know you are a flashaholic when ... ... you feel naked if you go out without a flashlight ... you carry more than one flashlight ... the cumulative value of the...

www.candlepowerforums.com

To be called a collector could mean a lot of things. But it's usually something that sneaks up on you without realizing it.

Now in order to get the word flashaholic under your user name requires X number of posts. Long ago it was 100. Maybe 500 I forget. I believe it's 10k under the new management. Somewhere between 100 and 10k is enthusiast.

To be considered a master, one has to have built at least one flashlight. Not from scratch mind you but taken a dull output number and turned into something like a super-nova looking beam. That is a dieing breed these days due to the lumen wars. User serviceable used to be the ones folks liked to "upgrade" but some have the skill to modify LED lights.

But you also have to talk in acronyms like "my P60" or "EO-1", and you have to own at least one SureFire and one Fenix. We have masters here who don't own either but their world class, historical writing collections make up for it. And there are some ladies amongst us. And cops or other first responders. They get style get points for being mighty protectors.

Used to be folks would get all bitter beer faced if your collection wasn't US made. Those days are gone but, one should own at least one Maglite just to show their patriotic side in helping keep a legacy company going. When you've acquired your first Malkoff you're well on your way to flashaholic status.

 

[Buff]

Well said. I really was just trying to be funny. Some call it silly.
My guess is if you have a few lights to have handy in the house maybe a light in every car and one to walk the dog you probably aren't a collector just making using a light out of necessity and convenience.
I found i purchased the least expensive lights to dip my toe in the water. I'm trying out different types of lights. Pinning down necessary lumens, different operating systems and different styles ie. EDC, tactical headlamp to name a few.
I think i would become a collector if i indeed acquired those Malkoff, Fenix, Surefire and other premium lights. Or i guess having the volume of 20 lights might also qualify as more than a casual collector.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

All things considered, but only if asked, I'd confess myself as a former Serious Collector who has now become a Moderate one.

These were procured in one month, circa Christmas 2017.

In my defense, most were on sale. 😁

During the entirety of 2023, only two lights joined the family. Another two are currently being awaited.

Let's add a subcategory - Contented Moderate Collector.

 

[bykfixer]

I'm a former collector. A recovered flashaholic actually.

@Buff when you have the tools you need where you need them that's just smart.

Once upon a time I had a tool chest full of tools but that didn't make me a collector. But when I stuck an old Stillson wrench on my collection shelf.... I'm a collector of 1. 👍

 

[letschat7]

Sometimes you simply don't have the budget because the economy is in tatters thanks to Bush II. Instead you spend every day lurking CPF and doing searches on the internet about lights you would like to have. Maybe this Lummi or that Fliklite. You may even go to a shop to look at some models that Pelican or Inova make but of course you never buy.

Then one day you can't engage in a few of your hobbies so flashlights is doable again with a budget of no less than 10,000 USD per year. I'm at the point where I could stop buying and just use. Or even just spend funds on modding lights that are rather dated. The newer lights fail to interest me sadly. I think the golden era of flashlights is over. There was a time when they had to way over build the lights because LEDs had less than 20 lumens and people still bought them. This is from an era when Eveready to MagLite Solitaire was under $10 and people would spend up to a few hundred dollars for such low performance.

 

[Monocrom]

Sadly, forced to agree with you that the Golden Era is over.
I'm just happy I was around to experience it.

 

[Buff]

I'm in my own personal golden era thank you very much. But i can only imagine what it was really like?
Anyway good points (👆🏽👇🏼👈🏻👉🏻) made by all.

 

[letschat7]

Interesting things were happening all over the world.

In Australia a design firm was making lights for Eveready that were actually decent.

In Japan Nichia was making the must have LEDS and Sanyo had this miracle LSD battery called Eneloop.

In USA there was all kinds of top quality lights being made for mil/pol in addition to other companies making world class lights. All kinds of custom lights were to be had.

In Mexico some really good bulbs were being built.

In the UK some really small sterling torches and some strangely shaped dive lights were in production.

In Spain some dive lights were being built by a man on CPF.

In Germany two brothers were taking the world by storm and Varta was making the batteries you should be using instead of the bunny brands.

In China they weren't only turning out trash lights and clones of American designs but some lights that were better, more powerful, and cheaper than anything else. Here it is possible that the most innovation took place and if that isn't the case it is number two.

 

[Buff]

That all sounds remarkable.
So what happened to conclude that the golden age is over?
Sounds like people like me are entering a pretty nice time to stock up on illumination tools? 😆

 

[letschat7]

Duel fuel like it is a new concept, usb ports on the lights and batteries, boring designs, unrealistic lumens, the decline of incan, and the innovation plateau.

LEP seems to be the only interesting thing happening.

I've been stocking up on older lights as the prices keep going up.