Thinking of Malkoff 2*AA when it is available again, as long as old timers can be okay with UI.
When people can't believe I payed X amount for a torch, I ask them how much that (stupid) tattoo was, in a nice way. That dwarf with a battle axe is going to look awful funny by the time they reach fifty. Maybe it will look like a malevolent telly-tubby.
My mom really likes her Fenix ld12, which has a pretty decent warranty if a remember correctly, so I think she'll appreciate a Malkoff come May or so. A high CRI 2*AA HDS rotary would be awesome. Maybe I can talk my brothers into combining forces for a combo birthday/X-mas gift.
A good argument for a quality torch is dealing with bumps in the night. In the winter my parents live a nice neighborhood in a low crime rate town. Still, psychopaths (20% of prisoners meet the criteria for diagnosis) hop on the freeway, drive a little into another town, then commit crimes. There have been two home invasion robberies within 400 yards of parents house alone in the last year. I don't argue from a fear standpoint ("If it's scary be wary"). It is more of practical issue. As in, "How are you going to aim your shotgun if you can't see?" I am not a gun person, but granny does have a gun. Mostly a boom stick for bears (six live nearby, so we always are careful picking blackberries, etc).
I got everyone LRI X-Light Micros from dark sucks for X-mas. I literally asked for keys and attached them. People really liked them. Then I showed off my brass Prometheus Beta qrv2. People said, "That's a flashlight?" It took a while, but they are starting to catch on.
The Oroville dam problem leading to 180,000 people scurrying around to get the heck out of dodge is another good example of why we need to be prepared. One of my favorite classes in college was a nice 2 unit Geology of Natural Disasters course. In the event of a disaster, we are supposed to have a two week supply of food and water. The truly eye opening part is that developers/builders some how get away with putting neighborhoods on top of lava flow zones, fault lines, etc. I have been to college football games at Cal with something like over 70,00 people. Yes, nerds like football, too, even if some of the players gave them Melvins in high school. I digress. A the top the stadium, up from either end zone, the concrete is literally higher/lower in a certain linear way. This is right above the Hayward Fault. Hospitals and city halls, too.
Another approach: in Oregon building codes were not updated until the mid nineties or so. A lot of structures are not attached to their foundations. Scientists did not really know of the danger because a subduction zone is under a lot of water off the coast. I've been busting my sons's balls about this. He lives in OR and has never been through an earthquake...and he is still in the "invincible" stage. I accessed flood danger maps, etc, through Jefferson Public Radio.
No power, toppled buildings, and it's time to swim. A good torch should be a no brainer.
My dad lives in the SF By Area. Big surprise, a high danger earthquake zone. So, "How are you going to find your sparkless wrench ("A what?") to shut off the leaking gas line, in the dark, with that little candle?" approach helps. From a practical approach.
