When will quality flashlights hit the mainstream public

[Bushman5]

^ PM me your address! :naughty:

 

[souptree]

Since quality flashlights seem to be retreating even in the sacred halls of CPF, I can't see them advancing elsewhere. So I join the voices that say ... never.
bernie

Is this really true? I guess it depends on what "quality" is defined as. It seems like there are a lot of CPFers buying Fenix lights right now, for instance. Compared to a PD or an HDS or a SureFire, a Fenix pales in comparison. But not so many years ago, a light that does what a Fenix does was Holy Grail material, and compared to a Maglite or most of what I see at Target/WalMart, a Fenix is a pretty outstanding jump in quality. Would you choose one if you were Rambo going into enemy territory? No. Would you be shocked to see the equivalent of the current Fenix product range sold for $10-$30 in box stores 5 years from today? I wouldn't.

The light that got me hooked on this hobby was an LED Lenser. I still think it's a great light! (Although, I'll admit I, uh, loaned it to a friend.... for the last year!) Is the light currently being sold as a CCrane Treklight quality? If the expectation is that the most recent LED technology will be in every gas station on Earth a year after it's announced, and in a host that will survive a nuclear war underwater, then never. But I lean more towards the response that quality flashlights have already hit the mainstream public. The average person doesn't drive a Lexus or a Rolls Royce, but the average car is a quality product, even at the low end. A friend of mine showed me her Inova recently, and I was quite impressed with it. My HDS blew it away, but so what? I thought it was a great light for what it costs!

Personally, I walk around at night frequently, hoping the average person NEVER discovers 50+ lumen flashlights! :sick2:

 

[paulr]

Hate to say it but the mainstream "quality light" is M*g, and they're making some LED lights now. I do see more and more led lights showing up at walgreens and the like. They will replace incans at the low end soon enough. However, the lights we flashaholics consider high quality are connoisseur products, and the mainstream buyer just wants something functional. It's like exotic sports cars vs transportation.

 

[LowBat]

My corn maze is tomorrow night. Althought I take a "quality" flashlight I use it very sparingly as not to take away from the spookiness everyone is enjoying.

The masses can have their cheap-o flashlights. If everyone around me had a barn burner I'd feel no different than the ordinary guy using a three year old cell phone.

 

[Marduke]

Sorry if you missed out but the Freeplay X-Ray was on clearance last week at Target for $12.48.

I got two Freeplay Sherpa's for $6.24 each last week :nana:

One coworker (before I started showing him a few of my LED lights) was gushing about how great the shaker flashlights are "because you never need to worry about batteries", which I think implies never worrying about leaking, run-down batteries. Personally I haven't looked closely at the shakers but I suspect they have a NiCd in them, and my experience with those is 5 year life and eventual leakage.

The real shake lights use a capacitor, the fake ones use 2x2032 coin cell batteries, and the shake action does absolutely nothing. Once the 2032's are used up, light is dead.

 

[f22shift]

My corn maze is tomorrow night. Althought I take a "quality" flashlight I use it very sparingly as not to take away from the spookiness everyone is enjoying.

The masses can have their cheap-o flashlights. If everyone around me had a barn burner I'd feel no different than the ordinary guy using a three year old cell phone.

whats the courtesy there? >50 lumens annoying?
nevr been to one yet.. for now

 

[Sharpdogs]

They let a guy with a gas lantern in a field of dry corn stalks?! If he would have dropped it everybody would have lots of light.

Sharpdogs, how many people were using their cell phones for light? HA-HA.

It kills me how unprepared people are and then when SHTF how demanding they can be of those of us who are prepared.

I hear ya Bro

I think it was one of those battery powered laterns, at least I hope it was. Nobody used their cell phones, but that would have been pretty funny.

 

[lctorana]

Hate to say it but the mainstream "quality light" is M*g.

<RANT>
What is this Pantomime Villain stuff about Maglites?

They are tough - you can run your car over them, they are beautiful to behold, they are well built, they focus, the Xenon globes are amongst the brightest you can buy, they are water-resistant, and LED versions are available. And, I am reliably informed, in the US they are not dear.

If that's not quality, I don't understand the word.

I am well aware there are better and brighter torches - every CPF member knows that, but coming from where Maglites are near-unaffordable luxury items, I find the Maglite-dissing that goes on here just annoying snobbery.

</RANT>

 

[Marduke]

It has to do with their massive legal department that likes to sue anyone who produces anything that looks anything like a Maglite. Instead of putting money into R&D, the put it into lawsuits. Anyhow, back to the topic....

 

[lctorana]

Now that's off my chest, how many lumens would CPF-ers choose to take to the cornfield?
Too much, and you ruin people's fun. Too little, and you ruin your own.

Me - I would aim for the 100-150 lumen mark.

 

[Marduke]

Too bright for night enjoyment. I vote 10-15 lumens.

 

[Bushman5]

look if i cant roast corn with my flashlight while walking the cornfield maze, it just aint worth it!

1000+ :nana:

 

[Scott Packard]

Cornfield: I was thinking, "take NOD", but I don't have one.

 

[Echo63]

A few points to make:


2)
The Reverse is Actually Happening.
I could actually mount the depressing argument that flashlight quality available to the general public has gone backwards over the years.
At least in Australia, there is nothing available, even in high-end camping stores, that even approaches the quality of a D cell Maglite.

There are cheap 2AA, 4AA, 2D plastic things, and anyone who needs a real torch buys an Eveready Dolphin.

But back to my theme. 20 Years ago, you could buy metal 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D and even 8D torches, metal 2C torches, sealed beam throwers, torches with variable focus, metal reflectors and glass lenses. In any local hardware store.

Not any more. Disposable plastic rules the shelves.

And camping stores? Mini-Mag knock-offs and 9-LED junque.

maybe in melbourne
here in perth we have Ananconda, who sell gerber lights, along with Princeton tec and Petzl headlamps
ranger camping, who have maglites and led lensers
MDS have mags, miltec, photon, petzl and black diamond
places like paddy pallin, mountain designs etc have petzl, photon and mags

Wellington surplus in the middle of perth's cheapest lights are minimags
they have Surefire, Pelican, Streamlight, Fenix and quite a few other brands, their website isnt updated too often, but they have a lighting section on it ( www.wellingtonsurplus.com.au )

perth is nothing like anywhere else, we have the freeway running from the northern end down to the southern end, and slightly smaller roads, running out into the suburbs. driving from one end to the other takes maybe an hour and a half, 2 and a bit during peak hour, so i dont mind driving the 30 mins into the CBD to go have a look at wellington surplus, just to see if they have anything new

 

[lctorana]

maybe in melbourne
here in perth we have...

Yay! That's fantastic. I've never seen a better torch than a Maglite for sale in a shop, ever in my life, but I'm obviously missing shops like this. Thanks!

PS I love Perth.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

I have to agree with the never crowd. Many on CPF belong to one (or both) of the following mentalities imo.
The prepared crowd, and the electronics/ engineer crowd.
The prepared people put value on the thought that when the poop hits the fan they are going to be in a better position to survive than the average Joe. They have a respect for the real world and how much modern society is so dependent upon its conveniences. They are not going to be asking for help... they will be the ones giving help.
The Electronics enthusiast/ engineers etc are, I suspect, here for the hobby. How bright can you make that thing? What's new in bleeding edge technology? They enjoy the smell of solder, etc.

These two examples would generally stand a bit outside of the average. So with such little market, why bother educating the masses? Selling lots of cheap crap that breaks often gives way more profit than selling one expensive, quality item that might last a lifetime.

 

[Marduke]

The prepared crowd, and the electronics/ engineer crowd.

What about the prepared engineer crowd??

 

[2low]

I echo what's been said already! Most people place very low priority on a battery powered lighting device. I'm a wafer fab equipment tech, and it blows my mind that most of the techs in my area (about 99 % of 'em) have crappy throw away flashlights that wouldn't be able to help them find the light switch in the dark. I have found many problems when repairing equipment because my Streamlight revealed it to me. :thumbsup:

 

[Lightfantastic]

And then there's those of us that have a MH ready to go, 125 watt solar panels, generators, and all the goodies. For some of us it's just being prepared and ready for whatever comes up. The classic here is when I got up to go to work and the water was off. Broken pipe in the street. I went out to the MH, fired up the water heater and took a shower out there. It's all about having more than one option.

 

[FlashSpyJ]

With the number of daylight hours during winter at those latitudes I would have thought that having a good torch would be mainstream.

I dont get it either... It get really dark here early in the winter time. If the street lights dont work it would get really dark, and in some parking spots there no lights at all.. People here are a bit strange according to me, when it comes to useful gadgets!