Scratch or no scratch, do you protect your edc?

[gunga]

Hey all.

I'm a proud carrier of a Fenix LOP SE, but I have to admit, I'm still in the "cool toy" phase, so I keep it in another pocket, safe from the "nasty keys".

:huh:

This, of course, is silly, since it's meant to be a keycahain light.

So, I just wanted to ask, how does everyone else deal with it?

I see a few varieties of people:

- The light "condom" people who have their lights encased in heat shrink. Yep it's protected and will sell well when you take the wrap off, but it's the plastic on the sofa syndrom: butt ugly.

- The bare light, it's a tool people. I've seen the lop se pretty beaten up after a few months on the keychain (it's no Arc). How does a natural one fair on the keychain? Black gets pretty badly beaten.


I'm also thinking of getting an LOD CE once released in natural, hence my question above.

So, how do you guys edc your stuff? I'm leaving out the "mission wallet" people because I want to carry a fairly compact keychain (hence no PID CE or LIDCE on the keychain).

Any thoughts?

 

[ledaholic]

Since I got my LO-TI, I don't worry about it. It lives in key pocket and seems to resist scratches pretty good.

 

[gunga]

He he he.

That doesn't count. I used to wear a ti watch, and yeah, it always seemed fine.

It's just these aluminum jobs, especially in black.

WOw, you edc the L0-Ti? Nice... I thought that most leave those as shelf queens.

 

[chimo]

Life's too short to worry about it. Let it get scratched. By the time it's scratched enough, you'll want to replace it with a new light anyways.

 

[gunga]

Tis true, however with all the new crees, I want a new one sooner than I thought.

I was thinking Liteflux LF2, but the wacky interface is not the best for me.

Perhaps a L0D CE in natural...

 

[Brighteyez]

Scratches and wear marks are a badge of experience as far as I'm concerned. I don't have too much trust for a person who has a pristine flashlight.

 

[gunga]

Okay true.

But what about the hundreds of shelf queens, and pristine lights for sale etc?

I count you two in the second camp: "let your light experience life".

 

[greenLED]

...it's a tool people

:wave: They're tools, not toys. True, I don't purposefully abuse my lights, but the ones that get used are not babied either.

 

[cy]

I'm with greenie. my lights are tools! don't go out of my way to scratch em, but don't baby em either.

 

[jch79]

I've found that after the first *ding*, they just get easier and easier to accept. :thumbsup:

 

[Derek Dean]

Yep, the new Miller Mod ARC AAA Cree went right on the keychain, and it's so light I can't even tell it's there. That's in the right pocket next to the McGizmo Ti XR 19-C.

Left pocket has the new Jetbeam C-LE on a clip with a small Swiss Army knife, and lives with the pocket change.

It's funny, last October I only had a Solitaire, which rarely got used, and now I've got 3 Cree pocket lights that get used all the time.

I figure you can't use them if you don't have them with you.

 

[FNG]

Put the L0D CE on my keychain the same hour I got it from the mailbox.

There was a guy on here who wanted to test his lights' waterproofness but didnt want to stick it in the shower because it might get dirty....

 

[Badbeams3]

I have a scratched up LOP-se I keep on my key chain. My new Cree lights, for me, are not tools. Part of my hobby...play things. So I baby them...and next Christmass they all will become presents. And I`ll be ready to replace with the latest and greatest. I have a few beat up lights I keep for working on cars ect. The beat up L0P-SE meets most my real life needs.

 

[TORCH_BOY]

I carry my L0D CE on my keychain, thats what its designed for

 

[Art Vandelay]

I keep it my key chain in my front pocket everyday. It's a silver P1D-CE. It looks good as it did new months ago.

 

[Lee1959]

I protect my EDC from having a dead battery is about the extent of it. If my EDC cannot handle daily carry bumps and bruises, I will get a new EDC.

 

[RonM]

Scratch it up baby. It's a tool.

My L0D-CE went bare into my pocket the day it arrived.

Let's face it, us flashoholics are fickle and our current pride and joy will be just another flashlight once we find something better. So, no need to abuse it, but do use it.

 

[Cuso]

I'm with greenie. my lights are tools! don't go out of my way to scratch em, but don't baby em either.

 

[gunga]

Hmmm, I didn't know what people would say considering there are so many pristine lights and shelf queens.

I guess the edc gets normal use. The "extras" can be the shelf queens.

There was a guy in the LEF forum (I think) with a heat shrink condom over his LOD. Looked kinda like a tampon. Nasty, but , made a point.

Too bad it didn't protect his light when he dropped it.

I'm liking this input!

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

What greenLED said.

I only recently figured out that there are people who actually care about scratches.

:buddies: