Suburban flashaholic's: Hotwire uses?

[scottaw]

Ok, so i've been peeking around the incan forums for awhile now, and finally decided I needed a hotwire in my collection. So a few days ago i got my new Mag11 in the mail, wow. I'm completely blown away by this thing, I turned it on in the house and it was like flipping a lightswitch. So around midnight last night I decide to give it a real test and take the dogs for a walk around my neighborhood. Basically a townhouse development with some ambient light. I walk to a dark part of the street and turn it on... I almost laughed, it was like a pair of headlights in my hand. So basically I feel completely ridiculous walking around holding the sun.

So, to the rest of you urban and suburban flashaholics, what do you actually use your hotwires for? Dogwalking, Just showing off, or you leave them at home until it's time for camping or something?

 

[Carpenter]

I have an ROP as well as a Mag85. I take them when I need to go looking for something outside or just every now and again when I need that "Wow" effect. The hotwires are almost to bright IMO to take camping under normal conditions unless you are trying to find out what that bump near your tent is.

I use my A2's for dogwalking.

 

[Flash Harry]

I like to show off. I use a Mag '66 or '85 at work depending on what mood I'm in but at home, it's all about who has the brightest. I'll use any excuse to use a hotwire at home.

Some might say this is the 'small thing syndrome' but I prefer my bright to be in as small a package as possible. My current favourite is a Mac shorty 1331.

 

[MikeSalt]

I would describe my area as suburban, but it does have some woodland nearby, and a big playing field. Walking the dog at night, I will typically use a Surefire E1e with Lumens Factory/AW upgrade. However, on the dodgier parts of the woods, I appreciate the full might of the ROP 2D.

 

[powernoodle]

what do you actually use your hotwires for?

Mine are mostly toys, but there are those times when they do come in handy.

 

[Beer]

Mine get worked.

Both my 4D and my LE ROP's are the dog walking lights.

Plus for camping they are my "I need the ENTIRE campsite lit up right NOW" Lights.

They are bright, but dont make for that good of a show off light, to many people just think Mags are that bright.

For showing off I have my HID's :devil:

 

[Chrontius]

I've used my ROP for fixing the air conditioner at night, when the water drain's plugged, and it's flooding the garage and it needs to be un-clogged from the outside. Granted, that's while it was still housed in a Radio Shack 2D body that didn't quite hold up to the heat, but it lasted long enough to tide me over 'til my parts came in. The ability to turn it on, point it at the house, set it down, and light up everything indirectly is wonderful. It's battery-powered room lighting - it gets used that way because it's free lumens. It's my 'hurricane Charlie just hit and we've got to get those fence panels tied back down before the eye wall hits again' light.

It's also my bump-in-the-night light. Someone kicks in the door, and they won't be able to see anything for several minutes.

 

[2xTrinity]

I actually run my ROP "defocused" a lot of the time for things like hooking up wires behind TVs or cabinets, which are shadowed. I've also used it to install room light fixtures at night, or work on things which involved electrical wiring whenthe circuit breakers are necessarily off.

Outdoors, I've used it to help people find lost or dropped items too. Way better than wasting time "sweeping" the ground with a "normal" flashlight, or even worse, cell-phone backlights

 

[matrixshaman]

More like rural here or probably out in the boondocks would be closer but just a couple days ago my wife said she saw a cat .... She didn't seem to think it was a house cat and it was just a couple hundred feet up the road. So I grabbed my USL (100 watt custom Mag in case your new here) and we went back where she saw the cat. I lit it up initially with an R2 bin Cree long throw light and the cat's eyes lit up like GITD lanterns. At that point it still looked like just a big house cat to me. Then I turned the USL on it and it's eyes really lit up and I could see a bit of head turning like it just couldn't look straight ahead any more. It then got up - we were probably no more than 60 or 70 feet from it and it turned and began walking away. We were seeing it from behind now and it had no tail and had very large legs and back side so we decided it was very likely a Bobcat. It was a bit odd compared to previous encounters with Bobcats though as it seemed so mellow - but it was the right color and markings. That was really one the best uses I've had so far for my USL - which is only a couple months old to me. I'm glad I've got a good hotwire for this area - lots of night critters to observe. Now that I think about it I also chased off a Racoon with the USL and another light with a strobe.

 

[Illum]

I live in a wooded area...well, the property is a wooded area surrounded by roads with no road lights. If there were road lights its those high pressure sodiums that can't even light up the pole its mounted to.
If I want to take a walk at night I'd bring an A2-WH and tag along my M6 [3x17670+LF-HO-M6R :rock:]

the 2D ROP well...its primarily for enlightening unflashaholics due to its "no nonsense" design. Of course, so far people seems to regret playing with it after asking me of the price necessary to mod a 2D mag into this:thinking:
$18 for a 2D mag
$10 for a set of lamps
$7 for a lens
~$40? for an MOP reflector

~$30? for a battery holder
~$30? for some eneloops and a charger

hey! wheres the crowd?

 

[Boostedvl]

Scottaw,

If you don't mind spending a further $75 on your mag11, AW has got a great replacement incan switch which alows you to set to 3 levels. Low, medium and high + strobe. For a choice of lower settings and longer run times I guess it's not a bad way to go!

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/177316

 

[2xTrinity]

I live in a wooded area...well, the property is a wooded area surrounded by roads with no road lights. If there were road lights its those high pressure sodiums that can't even light up the pole its mounted to.
If I want to take a walk at night I'd bring an A2-WH and tag along my M6 [3x17670+LF-HO-M6R :rock:]

the 2D ROP well...its primarily for enlightening unflashaholics due to its "no nonsense" design. Of course, so far people seems to regret playing with it after asking me of the price necessary to mod a 2D mag into this:thinking:
$18 for a 2D mag
$10 for a set of lamps
$7 for a lens
~$40? for an MOP reflector

~$30? for a battery holder
~$30? for some eneloops and a charger

hey! wheres the crowd?

You can shave that price down significantly:

1) Get a 3C instead of a 2D. Same price.
2) buy a "normal" glass lens from Kai or DX for ~$1 (8% less light in the spot with most of that being transferred to the spill)
3) Get a Kaidomain reflector for $15
4) Get 2x Emoli Cells for $32
5) Get a charger for $15

You save about $50 by using the above parts, and the build I described is also smaller, lighter weight, and longer running

 

[Illum]

well gee, I should've PMed you about it when I bought the darn thing

 

[2xTrinity]

well gee, I should've PMed you about it when I bought the darn thing

One advatnage of your scheme though, is you can always use the eneloops/chargers in other devices. Or, if you have as tash of eneloops onhand, you can use those as "spares" for your light. with emolis, about the only place you can use them is for flashlights.

Also, the Fivemega reflector you have is better quality than the Kai I suggested. If you do another "bigger and better" hotwire in the future you should transfer over the more expensive lens and reflector to the new one, and downgrade your ROP to the kaidomain window/reflector. The quality differences will be more prominent for higher powered "hotter" hotwires, as I've heard the kai reflector coating doesn't hold up well for lights >100 watts, whereas the Fivemega would.

My suggestion though was simply to show that it definitely is possible to make an "entry level" hotwire for significant less money.

 

[Juggernaut]

Showing off I guess? I live way out in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by forest no street light so I just have fun with them. :naughty:

 

[SafetyBob]

Scottaw, welcome to incan land, it's wonderful isn't it? I think as you have done and will lurk more to find out what's out there and what lights people like, you will find all of use like our ROPs but all of us have a M@g11 or especially a M@g85. Most of us started out with the ROP, so you have skipped an important starting point although if you put a ROP hi bulb next to a WA1111 you have you would be able to see a little difference, but in real world flashlights with resistance and all that you might not be able to tell much difference.

Next step......M@g85. Make sure you get AW's replacement switch with those 3 levels. I promise you it really makes for an amazing light, and you will be surprised how you will really work those 3 levels too. Now I use the correct amount of light for the situation. And nobody else in my zip code has a flashlight like it!!

Until I got my POB HID a couple of months ago, I was tickled pink with my M@g85 and am slowly working on my 623 as we speak. However, for absolute lighting of the kingdom, my HID rules, but it is really big and heavy, exactly the opposite of my M@g lights.

If you don't get AW's switch, make sure and look for info on the NTC, so you can prevent flashing of those bulbs.

Sorry to venture off so far from your initial question but I use all my flashlights for everything. Hotwire or LED, they all get used inside looking for small parts dropped on...no in the carpet. I try not to walk the dog after dark, however, I do use a flashlight to walk accross the street to the neighbors all the time. The hotwire does make for a wonderful, natural picture. And, for car and truck repair at night, nothing beats that wonderful natural light for analyzing what happened to the "stupid" car, as the daughter would say!!

Bob E.

 

[scottaw]

Sounds like a lot of you are using them for more "boondocks" lighting, and those of us in the suburbs are using them just as showoff toys.....Awesome, that means I can build a 3 level '85 and not feel so bad Is there any way to make a 2D '85 or is it just too short for the required # of batts? (I have a bunch of 2D's around, but nothing bigger until you get to the 6D.

 

[Stereodude]

Is there any way to make a 2D '85 or is it just too short for the required # of batts? (I have a bunch of 2D's around, but nothing bigger until you get to the 6D.

Nothing ~$20 and a trip to Lowes won't take care of.

 

[FILIPPO]

Is there any way to make a 2D '85 or is it just too short for the required # of batts?

mag 2D tri-bored from jesus
LuxLuthor 9 X 2/3A battery pack
socket-lens-metal reflector-bulb

:thumbsup:

 

[Illum]

One advatnage of your scheme though, is you can always use the eneloops/chargers in other devices. Or, if you have as tash of eneloops onhand, you can use those as "spares" for your light. with emolis, about the only place you can use them is for flashlights.

Also, the Fivemega reflector you have is better quality than the Kai I suggested. If you do another "bigger and better" hotwire in the future you should transfer over the more expensive lens and reflector to the new one, and downgrade your ROP to the kaidomain window/reflector. The quality differences will be more prominent for higher powered "hotter" hotwires, as I've heard the kai reflector coating doesn't hold up well for lights >100 watts, whereas the Fivemega would.

My suggestion though was simply to show that it definitely is possible to make an "entry level" hotwire for significant less money.

I read the threads, then buy whats best on the reviews...money wasn't too much of a concern over the possible hassle of needing spare parts.