Somebody please help me understand.....

[AttaGirl]

My bf collects Surefires. But not only does he collect them- he talk about them ALL the time. I see a few men out here in this forum that are the same with collecting and such and was wondering what the big deal is? It is only a flashlight right? My bf keeps wanting to buy me a Surefire- but I'm satisfied w/ my mag light. (ohhhhh I hear the cringes from here) lol! I'm not one in to collecting things, I mean I can see collecting certain things like guns, and.....ok so I can't think of anything else. It's quite funny hearing some of the stories of you guys hiding these flashlights from your wives, and some sneak around with them, doesn't it get old ever? Creeping around outside just to see the light, or shutting the lights off in the house just to re- light the hallway with the flashlight?

Thanks!
V~

 

[ACMarina]

No older than sneeking to do anything else my wife doesn't approve of..

 

[Jay R]

Boys Toys. What more do you need to know !!!

 

[GreySave]

My wife does not understand why I "need" so many lights either. For me, they are valuable tools for the volunteer emergency work I do for the County and other organizations. The different lights serve different purposes. Do I get carried away at times? Perhaps. I probably have a few more lights than I actually need, but I also do not go to the "gotta have it" level that some of the folks have here (Being honest, not critical).


Most people have a vice of some kind. For some of the folks here, it's flashlights. To each his (or her) own.

 

[Danbo]

My Wife was wondering the same thing; up until the last ice storm related power outage. Then, she understood, somewhat.

 

[ScooterBug]

well my bride collects "shoes" i see no need for 50+ pairs of shoes. but i do need that many flashlights.

 

[shoe]

My bf collects Surefires.

Be aware of what you're getting into if he offers you a ring attached to a lanyard with a flashlight on the the end.

 

[sween1911]

It's something "cool" and "high-end" that a person can have and collect that's really not that expensive. In the grand scheme of things, with the thousands and thousands of dollars one can spend on watches, sports cars, custom knives, firearms, audio/visual equipment, and all the other boy toys that are out there, a few hundred dollars on a flashlight is not that bad. You save up and drop a few hundred dollars a few times a year and you can build some pretty cool flashlights. Get a turbo head, an ArcMania tower, rechargeable batteries, an LED drop-in, lanyards, Pelican cases etc and you can build up some really neat stuff (Leukos, I'm looking in your direction! I still love this: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1413080&postcount=5)

In the grand scheme of things, flashlights appeal to the techy geek without really breaking the bank. Unlike firearms and knives, they're not dangerous (except for leaving them on and potentially melting or burning something) and you can carry one with you pretty much anywhere on the planet. Plus, unlike a lot of other stuff you can collect, Surefires are actually made to do something, and do it very well, so everything is functional. It's also neat to know that the top-of-the-food chain professional soldiers, law enforcement officers and explorers of the world use the same thing to get the real job done for which these things were designed.

 

[ja10]

Here's what I suggest - In the interest of wanting to understand your boyfriend better, ask him for a small light and throw it in your purse. Take it with you for a month, and see how many times it comes in handy. It won't save your life, but you'd be surprised how useful it can be when you need to check a map, look for the keys you just dropped on the ground, or read that address on the mailbox.

If after a month you still don't get it, you might just have to accept it in the same way that guys accept a girl's obsession with shoes, clothes, or whatever else. I know my wife made fun of me at first, until she realized that walking to the mailbox on a dark night was a lot less creepy when she could see everything around the corner, and she no longer had to trip on the clothes I left on the floor when she goes to the bathroom in middle of the night.

 

[abinok]

my girlfriends favorite colors are pink and green, sooo....
For christmas she opened a package that contained a bright pink maglite AA.
I pulled the incan and reflector and dropped in a niteize 3 led upgrade, and filled the area around the base of the leds with green glow powder/epoxy slurry.
She faked the "Oh thanks" speech, and tucked it into her purse. A coupld of nights later she said it came in handy looking for a coworkers keys in the parking lot, and walking from the Jeep to the house ( about 100ft.. we live on a ranch) and evading the cow patties. She has already figured out that using it for 20sec at night makes it glow well enough to find it on the night stand if she needs it.
Ive caught her showing it off to friends 3 different times.
Drop a P1D-CE in your purse... and ill bet it comes in handy.

 

[DM51]

To answer your question properly, we need to know whether he is a keeper. By that we mean - do you want to keep him? If you do, be thankful that his hobby does no harm and is even sometimes useful, like when you've dropped your earring and it has rolled under the bed.

If you haven't snagged him yet, just flatter his Surefires and you'll have him eating out of your hand. Then you can make a deal with him about your respective collections, such as 1 new flashlight for him means another new handbag for you. He wants to buy you a Surefire too? Believe me, he is serious about you.

But if he's NOT a keeper, you're going to dump him anyway, so what are you asking us for?

Brought to you by CPF's very own agony aunt service. Next week's question: What should I do with my old shelf queen? He's getting on my nerves.

 

[jtice]

Some girls collect little porcelain dolls.

You think us guys understand that one at all?

~John

 

[mdocod]

My finance has come to love my flashlight hobby... When one of my fancy lights "walks off" I can usually find her playing with it, or, more often, using it for something very practical.... She keeps a 28LED light in her purse, it fits reasonably well and is a scorching bright flood of LED light, she uses it for all sorts of things. Like finding things in the back of the car or trunk at night.

Like you however, she often goes for the larger bodied lights like a mag or LEDbeam. Any woman who tells you that size doesn't matter is lying to you! lol...

 

[Geologist]

flashlights, guns, purses, shoes, dolls, cars, fishing equipment, spoons, bells, patches, stuffed animals (remember beanie babies?), plates, coins, stamps, knives, jewelery....

isn't it all the same? Sure we may need a few of these items in our normal everyday lives - but beyond that it is special interest collecting.

It is what it is....

 

[AndyTiedye]

Have him get you a Titan.

 

[Flying Turtle]

My wife actually complemented (rare happening) me the other day for not hasselling her about collecting beanie babies a few years back. It really never occured to me to criticize her for it.

Geoff

 

[cutlerylover]

All kind of people collect all kinds of things...some people collect coins, others collect stamps...I happen to collect flashlights, knives, and zippos...soem people collect different kinds of buttons! But at the very least us guys, for the most part, collect tools that we can use...as apposed to little trunkets that hang on the wall, or figurines that sit in a display to be seen, or crystals...you know...so it could be worse...when the power goes out, all the doll collectors, and stamp collectors, and people who collect pens, and watches, and vintage christmas ornaments all sit in the dark...but all of us CPF members get a big grin on our face like its christmas morning, lol...anyway my point is, that yeah maybe its a bit weird to some people but us humans do alot fo weird thigns, and I don't think collecting flashlights is on the top of the list of weird habbits, lol...

And I ahve said this to sooooo many people, and Ill say it again, at the very least we can use our collectibles as tool, which they are, and they do come in handy!

 

[roadie]

apparently when night falls, darkness is the most feared by man since ..... stone age.

therefore, a torchlight like the surefire(well made) is like having the ultmate defense against it .....

something nice to look at and able to use whenever needed is a small wonder.

its like having yr favourite lipstick in yr purse, available at all time to 'touch' abit of makeup when needed ......

ironically, its better to own a flashlight then a 'weapon ' where u will have a nightmares of whom he is going to shoot, 'next' ? right?

 

[nikon]

He's gonna spend the money on something. Would you rather it be booze, drugs, or other women?

 

[Illum]

apparently when night falls, darkness is the most feared by man since ..... stone age.

therefore, a torchlight like the surefire(well made) is like having the ultmate defense against it .....

if this was the case we the forum members wouldnt be the only people who collects lights...

interesting approach though