Oldest LED lights you own

[bykfixer]

I think I got a couple of those from my local Radio Shack, back in the very early 2000's, if I remember correctly.

Maybe that's where I bought mine. I used to go there from time to time.

 

[TPA]

I'm still using my 9v PALights from...? I bought a few boxes of them back in the day and gave most of them away as presents. Kind of wishing I hadn't given as many away now. I use them primarily as emergency lights, as their constant glow and shape/size make them perfect for all sorts of uses.

 

[DeLighted]

How about an "EARLY" Malkoff MagLite conversion????

 

[Flynn's Arcade]

Good afternoon, while cleaning my study, I ran into these two golden oldies:

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Both AAA lights; a CMG and a very well used ARC aaa. I carried and used the ARC on a keychain for untold years. The CMG was little more than a glorified extra aaa battery holder I carried in my pack. I remember when the CMG was introduced it got compared to a male dog's organ, but I bought one anyways. I always imagined I'd use it to look for stuff in my pack but can't remember ever doing that. (The threads on the CMG are very sloppy and loose and I am sure it would have been lost if used on a keychain) I insereted batteries and what do you know, they both still work. The beams aren't anything special with the purple tints, but they are about 20 years old or so.

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Ok now it's your turn, what's the oldest still working led light you own?

Pictures appreciated!

Grizz

Wonderful lights you have there! I still maintain and use a Photon Micro and a smallish Arc collection.

 

[cyberhobo]

HDS LE - Peak (forget which model it's some mountain name) - Orb Raw NS

 

[chris100575]

Here I have my two of my three oldest. The silver aluminium one of is unknown origin, I've had it probably about 20 years or so. There are no markings on it of any kind and I can't remember where I bought it or what the packaging was like, it is very well-built though, the body apart from the tail-cap is one piece aluminium with thick walls and the tail-cap threads on very smoothly. The output is roughly similar to an AA Mini Maglite but with a very purple tint! It takes two AA batteries that go in negative-end first, and Ni-Mh batteries won't fit. To be honest it's not great as a torch but I like it. If anyone knows what on Earth this thing is I'd love to know.

Also pictured is my Fenix E01, this thing has been dropped, gone through the washing machine where it escaped from the pocket it had been forgotten in and banged around the drum for the whole cycle, and had a Duracell leak in it so badly that it made an audible pop when I unscrewed the head - and it still works fine!

The third-oldest is an AA Mini Maglite that I have just converted to LED using the drop in from The Torch Site. I've not bothered taking a picture of that because it looks like a Mini Maglite, and it's only been LED since yesterday, so I'm not sure if it counts.

 

[haveyouseenthelight]

A CMG Infinity Ultra with a 5mm red LED
An early Peak LED CR123 light with multiple 5mm LEDs. One of the early ones with the flat front, from before the Inova patent issues.

 

[cave dave]

I found the box for this one about a year ago and looked all over for the flashlight but couldn't find it. But, today I stumbled across this Fenix L1P. This is a one mode light with a 1watt Luxeon, probably around 20 lumens. I bought it in a CPF group buy from David Chow (before 4 Sevens) and before he became a Fenix distributor. This light is the first high power LED imported from China, before this it was just multiple 5mm LEDs or niche Luxeon lights like the Arc LS. The tint is cool but its pretty good, I won the Luxeon lottery on this one, no cat urine green, and the small LED foot print has a tighter beam than many of today's lights.

Outside is in stellar condition, because technology was advancing so rapidly back then and multi-mode lights with higher power came out shortly after and made this somewhat obsolete.

When I came across it I got nervous opening it up expecting a leaking alkaline mess, but inside was a still working Energizer Lithium with a date code that means it was probably manufactured in 2001 or earlier.

There is an interesting story with this one, shortly after I got it, the light started flickering. I contacted David Chow and he had me mail it back to him, I expected he would send out a new one, but instead I think he put these solder blobs on the circuit board himself. At the time I was disappointed, but I think he said this would be more reliable, as a replacement might develop the same issue, and now I think its a pretty good story and sure enough the light still works 2 decades later.