Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
Well....
There's always a celphone. lol
Or... that Olympic torch thingy.
Well....
There's always a celphone. lol
Or... that Olympic torch thingy.
The drawbacks to our hobby
- Thread starter raggie33
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Dr. Mario
Enlightened
- Joined
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vadimax
Flashlight Enthusiast
vadimax
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
Well... You could run with night vision goggles
And to finally scare poop out of people you may dress like this one:
Well... You could run with night vision goggles
And to finally scare poop out of people you may dress like this one:
Last edited:
Dr. Mario
Enlightened
- Joined
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- 459
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
Totally. And.... I approve. :devil:
Well... You could run with night vision goggles
Totally. And.... I approve. :devil:
moldyoldy
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
well, correct up to a point in Germany. The problem is how many lumens are you flipping around the street? Avoid illuminating nearly any building since you may not notice their interior lights, often at much lower lighting levels than in the US. Said differently, too many lumens in the wrong place and some Polizei-Streife will be talking to you shortly, usually 2 of them...with a chip on their shoulders (sic). Your identity paper(s) (Ausweis) had better be in order. The only area that will tolerate a full output is in the many patches of woods, or along the Main-Donau Kanal.
Otherwise, I fully agree that the lighting in the small communities, or even in the Großraum (outskirts of large cities) may be lacking vis-a-vis a US community. In particular, walk off of a Bahnsteig (train platform) or away from a Bus stop after dark on your way back to your apt and you will probably want a flashlight of some kind. but then the Germans are used to lower lighting levels than US citizens prefer.
well, correct up to a point in Germany. The problem is how many lumens are you flipping around the street? Avoid illuminating nearly any building since you may not notice their interior lights, often at much lower lighting levels than in the US. Said differently, too many lumens in the wrong place and some Polizei-Streife will be talking to you shortly, usually 2 of them...with a chip on their shoulders (sic). Your identity paper(s) (Ausweis) had better be in order. The only area that will tolerate a full output is in the many patches of woods, or along the Main-Donau Kanal.
Otherwise, I fully agree that the lighting in the small communities, or even in the Großraum (outskirts of large cities) may be lacking vis-a-vis a US community. In particular, walk off of a Bahnsteig (train platform) or away from a Bus stop after dark on your way back to your apt and you will probably want a flashlight of some kind. but then the Germans are used to lower lighting levels than US citizens prefer.
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
Wouldn't bother me to see lights turned down in cities here in the US.
Sometimes it is so bright you can drive at night without realizing you've forgotten to turn on your headlights...
Until Johhnie Law pulls you over and reminds you while sniffing for alcohol breath.
Wouldn't bother me to see lights turned down in cities here in the US.
Sometimes it is so bright you can drive at night without realizing you've forgotten to turn on your headlights...
Until Johhnie Law pulls you over and reminds you while sniffing for alcohol breath.
Thetasigma
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
City lighting is obnoxiously bright, it is no wonder sleeping disorders and insomnia are so prevalent, along with myopia. The campus apartment has stupid bright LED streetlights that make sleeping a tricky thing to do.
City lighting is obnoxiously bright, it is no wonder sleeping disorders and insomnia are so prevalent, along with myopia. The campus apartment has stupid bright LED streetlights that make sleeping a tricky thing to do.
vadimax
Flashlight Enthusiast
moldyoldy
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
maybe this thread is getting a bit far off the original OP topic, but,
here and here are some comparisons for electric consumption per capita.
In general, in my experience from Middle Germany (Mittelgebirge) to Southern Germany (Bavaria and Tirol), the average German uses about 1/2 of the electrical energy of the average US citizen, but the German pays about 2x as much per KWH. ... cause and effect ... example: How many US domestic houses or apt buildings have hallway switches with timers to switch off the hallway lights after x minutes? (and those are single digit minutes!). I just use my 1xAA flashlight to move around unless my hands are full of groceries or something.
=> to seque back to the correct topic - making sense, or not, of the use of flashlights, or as a hobby thereof - the point of the above comparisons is that if the income levels and the education of the population is adequate, flashlight use does increase, just not the lumen-monster types. eg: discrete handheld lighting that could fit easily into a pocket, small enough to possibly be 'palmed', and use commonly available Micro- or Mignon- cells. <<Micro-Zelle = AAA, Mignon-Zelle = AA>>. Typically the larger stores in Germany carry rechargeable AA/AAA cells and chargers. Otherwise cells like the 18650 and appropriate lights are a mail-order effort.
IOW, there is a knee-of-the-curve propensity to have & use flashlights. of course, electric grid power-failures of more than a few minutes has an incontrovertible effect on the purchase of flashlights assuming the disposable income is present!
maybe this thread is getting a bit far off the original OP topic, but,
here and here are some comparisons for electric consumption per capita.
In general, in my experience from Middle Germany (Mittelgebirge) to Southern Germany (Bavaria and Tirol), the average German uses about 1/2 of the electrical energy of the average US citizen, but the German pays about 2x as much per KWH. ... cause and effect ... example: How many US domestic houses or apt buildings have hallway switches with timers to switch off the hallway lights after x minutes? (and those are single digit minutes!). I just use my 1xAA flashlight to move around unless my hands are full of groceries or something.
=> to seque back to the correct topic - making sense, or not, of the use of flashlights, or as a hobby thereof - the point of the above comparisons is that if the income levels and the education of the population is adequate, flashlight use does increase, just not the lumen-monster types. eg: discrete handheld lighting that could fit easily into a pocket, small enough to possibly be 'palmed', and use commonly available Micro- or Mignon- cells. <<Micro-Zelle = AAA, Mignon-Zelle = AA>>. Typically the larger stores in Germany carry rechargeable AA/AAA cells and chargers. Otherwise cells like the 18650 and appropriate lights are a mail-order effort.
IOW, there is a knee-of-the-curve propensity to have & use flashlights. of course, electric grid power-failures of more than a few minutes has an incontrovertible effect on the purchase of flashlights assuming the disposable income is present!
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moldyoldy
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
+1.
In turn, I also need to be more precise. My Apologies!
When I typed my initial response, I was thinking of life in the Nürnberg-Erlangen Großraum area. When I lived in the Harz Mountains near Kassel, then my experiences matched RBRs commentary fairly closely. and any 'emergency' call to 110, well, some Polizei might show up in a half hour. For that matter, I would hazard the comment that a small town in the US has a noticeably better police response than a small Dorf in Germany.
However sort of back on topic: The denizens of most rural towns in the US usually have better access to a working flashlight and that is probably larger & brighter than the average German citizen of a small Dorf. Any resident of a large urban area, and especially in the US, tends to believe that street lights and constant Mains power is an assumption....until the power fails.
even closer to the topic: After exiting the military I did some seasonal farm work for an airline pilot who was running a hobby farm in southern MN. In 100% of the cases, any time I pulled out a bright light, both he and his farming neighbors were interested in the light and where I obtained it. Even now when hobby farms are far more popular, the majority of the owners are interested in at least one bright handheld light. They start out with a huge 6V or 12V lantern.
On the other hand, city dwellers are nearly totally disinterested in bright handheld lights and the little cheapie 9 LED lights are mostly sufficient for them. I have been told directly more than once that I am totally crazy for spending/investing over $1000 in bright handheld lights and non-standard batteries (non-standard to them). Only rarely do they remember my show & tell demos, usually after a storm with power out and trees down.
I will also observe that of the lights that I gave away, only the small pocketable lights either with rechargeable cells (TUBE) or small lights with commonly available cells (1xAAA) are used longer than a month or so. A lesson for me.
a moldyoldy
Been too imprecise, sorry, move to Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany.
Street lights are not only possibly lower compared to US communities there, they get, as previously mentioned, completely switched off at night. Typically from Sunday to Thursday between 01:00am and 05:00am, in communities up to a population of 25000 citizens.
You would not just possibly wish to have a light there, you would simply not see your hand in front of your eyes without one. For meeting a police officer you'll have to make an emergency call (and wait 15 minutes) or to make a trip to the next county town.
Cheers
RBR
+1.
In turn, I also need to be more precise. My Apologies!
When I typed my initial response, I was thinking of life in the Nürnberg-Erlangen Großraum area. When I lived in the Harz Mountains near Kassel, then my experiences matched RBRs commentary fairly closely. and any 'emergency' call to 110, well, some Polizei might show up in a half hour. For that matter, I would hazard the comment that a small town in the US has a noticeably better police response than a small Dorf in Germany.
However sort of back on topic: The denizens of most rural towns in the US usually have better access to a working flashlight and that is probably larger & brighter than the average German citizen of a small Dorf. Any resident of a large urban area, and especially in the US, tends to believe that street lights and constant Mains power is an assumption....until the power fails.
even closer to the topic: After exiting the military I did some seasonal farm work for an airline pilot who was running a hobby farm in southern MN. In 100% of the cases, any time I pulled out a bright light, both he and his farming neighbors were interested in the light and where I obtained it. Even now when hobby farms are far more popular, the majority of the owners are interested in at least one bright handheld light. They start out with a huge 6V or 12V lantern.
On the other hand, city dwellers are nearly totally disinterested in bright handheld lights and the little cheapie 9 LED lights are mostly sufficient for them. I have been told directly more than once that I am totally crazy for spending/investing over $1000 in bright handheld lights and non-standard batteries (non-standard to them). Only rarely do they remember my show & tell demos, usually after a storm with power out and trees down.
I will also observe that of the lights that I gave away, only the small pocketable lights either with rechargeable cells (TUBE) or small lights with commonly available cells (1xAAA) are used longer than a month or so. A lesson for me.
a moldyoldy
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RedLED
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
We have more than one residence and all of our neighbors seem to like the fact someone is out in the dark of night with a flashlight.
Many nights I go out at 0300-0400 and light up the streets, and that could scare away any prowlers in the vicinity. The neighbors don't seem to mind at all, once I explain I work with and collect these lights as a hobby.
Since 2006 I have caught three people who did not belong in our neighborhood in the desert and I went after them...that ended the problems we were having at the time.
We have more than one residence and all of our neighbors seem to like the fact someone is out in the dark of night with a flashlight.
Many nights I go out at 0300-0400 and light up the streets, and that could scare away any prowlers in the vicinity. The neighbors don't seem to mind at all, once I explain I work with and collect these lights as a hobby.
Since 2006 I have caught three people who did not belong in our neighborhood in the desert and I went after them...that ended the problems we were having at the time.
Re: Ok, I must be crazy, but....
My neighbors feel same. At one point the Reynolds (our term for renters) got a bit... eh shall we say "bothered" by my hobby lighting up their backyard from several doors down while they were outside smoking Mary Jane... because they thought it was the cops. They didn't stay long for whatever reason and now the new Reynolds like that their back yard is lit up at random times. So do other neighbors now that they know why.
My neighbors feel same. At one point the Reynolds (our term for renters) got a bit... eh shall we say "bothered" by my hobby lighting up their backyard from several doors down while they were outside smoking Mary Jane... because they thought it was the cops. They didn't stay long for whatever reason and now the new Reynolds like that their back yard is lit up at random times. So do other neighbors now that they know why.
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