New Recruits

[MikeSalt]

Ok guys, let us all share here.... How do you go about recruiting new Flashaholics?:naughty:

Well, the technique I employ is to always have my flashlights on my person, and to use them at every possible opportunity. The shock value of the brightness is often enough for people to start making enquiries. When I used to carry a Maglight Solitaire, I always used to get asked, in a condescending manner, "Err, why do you carry a torch (you geek)?":thinking:. However, with the latest Crees and Rebels, the 'rabbit in the headlight' shock prevents such blasphemous outbursts.

I am now improving tactics and giving out flashlights as gifts. Unfortunately, this worked too well on my girlfriend, and her new-found flashaholic instinct lead her to claim one of my ROPs for herself.The L0D-CE is a favourite because it has fantastic output for the size, and good quality for the price. I think non-flashaholics are more likely to accept a flashlight that fits on their keys, yet outshine a 2D Maglite.

Actually, on the topic of Maglites, what do Mag propose to do with the Solitaire? I've seen far too many smug people with Solitaires that get their face well and truly egged when someone pulls an L0D-CE on them. Maglite should prevent their customers such embarrasment.:mecry:

Back on topic... so, tell your stories....

 

[Derek Dean]

Troll

 

[Dr Jekell]

Post Reported

 

[MikeSalt]

Thank you to the mods for removing the trolling posts. Shall we continue....?

 

[iSleep]

My technique :

1) Create a situation where my light will save the day (e.g : Visit an abandoned hospital).
2) Let those guys that claim theirs is the most powerful to use them first.
3) wait till theirs runs out of juice ...
4) Pull out a super bright light from a belt holster / back pack / keychain.
5) Turn it on ... *Plays "I've got the power"*
6) Bail them out of trouble ... while your battery lasts (This is extremely important ... you don't want the light to die on you while showing off ...)
7) They'll automatically ask you where you get one of these ...
8) Educate them about CPF, Surefire, Fenix ... etc
9) Assure them that the price they pay for is justfiable.
10) Watch them get their own lights ...

and repeat the above steps again ...

 

[MikeSalt]

Good plan iSleep. For most widely available flashlights, it does not take long for theirs to run out of juice. I hope those 9 days to your NovaTac go quickly for you.

 

[Amonra]

We go camping often and all my friends bring a cheap flashlight which eats their batteries and is of no real use output wise. They all know i carry quite a few 'impressive' lights and after a couple hours of darkness their flashlights punch out while mine are still going strong so they come asking me to borrow my flashlights. They use them and they like them a lot, but not enough.
when i tell them how much they cost they change their minds them even if i explain that they will eventually turn out to be cheaper in the long run.
But it's not all over yet.
The next camping trip they come show me the new LED lights they bought which turn out to be dim multiple 5mm led lights which they bought for a cheap price. It's a start.
only a few so far upgraded to real lights though.

 

[iSleep]

MikeSalt : By far, My T1 has outlasted and Out-Blasted several M@gs, Pelicans, eveready, energizer ... one recently converted fella bought a SF M2 + Malkoff Drop-in, Heck yeah that was bright ... the wait is driving me insane, with 8 more days to go ...

 

[Jimmy H]

...what do Mag propose to do with the Solitaire? I've seen far too many smug people with Solitaires that get their face well and truly egged when someone pulls an L0D-CE on them. Maglite should prevent their customers such embarrasment.:mecry:

They probably propose to do nothing different.

They are small, they are everywhere, and they are inexpensive.

If you need a light, it beats having nothing. If you are on a budget, it is affordable. If you lose it, it's no big deal to buy another.

"Shine on, you crazy diamond."

 

[nerdgineer]

I would highly recommend using one of the cheap but bright lights from DX/Kai for purposes of recruiting. It greatly reduces the chance of catatonic shock (and having their memory protection circuits flush the demo they've just seen) if - when they ask you how much the light costs - you can say $15 shipped for a Kai buckle light (or whatever) rather than $60 for a P2DQ5 or, heaven forbid, whatever your Surefire cost....

Just a thought. Carry on....

 

[MikeSalt]

I'm giving the DX route a go. Got an Ultrafire 601D on the way from Hong Kong as I speak. Will give it a thorough evaluation then pass it on to my nan as a backup light. She's an avid hiker, and I reckon a reasonable flashlight is a must.

 

[StarHalo]

My Fenix P1D-CE Q5 has proven to be the ultimate flashaholic recruiting machine, because all you have to do is turn it on - no one expects a <3 inch cylinder on a keychain to be TWENTY TIMES BRIGHTER than their familiar MiniMag, brighter than even the stock krypton-bulb 6 D-cell Mag. And lord help the poor soul that decides to look into the light to check the brightness...

And then you demonstrate the brightness levels and explain how it can run for over 12 hours on just the single cell. Then of course comes the charm and gimmickry of strobe mode, which sends nearby children into histrionics, "and you can be located from all the way across a dark parking lot."

"Yeah, Fenix has a lot of different models, and there are quite a few manufacturers who make flashlights like these, you should look into it." And so it begins...

 

[ynggrsshppr]

Making it seem normal to carry a good flashlight is the key. When they're about to ask you why you carry a flashlight around with you or why you are obsessed with them you do a pre-emptive attack. Say "What kind of person doesn't carry around flashlights with them? Everyone I know carries at least 2 with them at all times." Even though you're lying like there is no tomorrow it is okay because it is all in the name of enlightenment. Then you rinse and repeat. Never stop with the psychological assault (i.e., brainwashing).

All there is left to do then is have your new recruits bring in more people into the fold. Sounds almost like a cult or a conspiracy

 

[Chuck289]

Well for xmas I gave seven of my friends Fenix L2D's. And so far a few of them are starting to turn.

One is a technician at an amusement park and he now carries it all the time and uses it regularly at work. He also has a Fenix E1 that I gave him a while back.

Another just told me a story a few weeks ago about how he used his L2D to light the room he was in with a ceiling a bounce during a power outage.

One of my best friends is an Army MP in Ft Hood, TX. He uses the L2D for various tasks in addition to a SF G2. In his line of work he quickly realized the value of a good flashlight.

The funniest is how yet another friend used his L2D as a distraction device at an Airsoft match we were playing. (Airsoft guns shoot plastic BBs, game is played similar to paintball.) He would set his light on a chair on one side of the room. When players on the enemy team entered the room they quickly turned their attention to the light. My friend would then pop out of the doorway on the opposite side of the room and shoot them. Score for our team!

 

[Robocop]

I have actually turned several people on to our site here simply by hanging out at the flashlight isle of everywhere I visit. It is almost like a ritual that I must visit the lighting section each time I shop at any store.

I am amazed at how many people are usually in the light section and I will wait until I see them looking at something and I will quickly say..."looking for a good light" Of course I have to give a quick lesson on all the new products out there and usually leave them with a link to here.

I also use my duty light often and any officer who happens to be close to me at night will usually ask "why is your light so much brighter"...well again out comes another lesson in lights and another recruit is left with our link.

 

[MikeSalt]

Robocop, guilty as charged regarding hanging around the flashlight section.

In the UK, the 'off the shelf' flashlights are dismal at best. I've managed to stop many people from buying a flashlight that would not last a month before breakage. I don't necessarily point them in a more expensive direction either. One of my favourite recommended lights to a non-CPFer is actually part of a two-pack that costs £1 ($2). I reviewed them in my budget flashlights thread a while back.

 

[Robocop]

Yep Mike the funny thing is that almost always my daily keychain carry light (Fenix LOD-CE) is brighter than most of the shelf lights at local stores and is enough to convince other shoppers that there are far better options out there.

I have no idea how many times some fellow shopper has attempted to impress me with a keychain light only to be shocked at the performance of mine. Each time they will ask where I got it and I will write the link to here for them and tell them to begin with the dealer section and general light discussion.

Most recently I had a man looking for a glove box light for his wife and he held a 2-AA incandescent Mag in his hands. I began to ask him about cold weather performance, storage life and a host of other options. Needless to say he left the store with a link to here and a lithium 123 powered glove box light for his wife.

 

[MikeSalt]

Funny you should mention battery performance. I am also guilty of standing by the battery counter, dishing out advice on the best chemistries to use in a particular circumstance. That knowledge is a spin-off of being a flashaholic I suppose.

Luckily, there is now a local UK supplier of Sanyo's Eneloops. 90% of the time, I will recommend them.

A particular area where battery knowledge is useful is digital cameras. Those things should come with a warning to NEVER use alkaline batteries. Their performance is just useless.