Why are you a flashaholic?

[pjandyho]

I have yet to see any kid not having any interest in a flashlight. Maybe there is but I have yet to see one. I guess we are just born flashaholic, but when we grow up our culture or whatever believes sort of dictates that it is wrong or abnormal to be seen carrying a flashlight around. I love flashlights ever since I was a kid.

 

[StarHalo]

Because awesome.

 

[don.gwapo]

Because I work at tight and dark places. A flashlight is a must.

 

[lightseeker2009]

Because awesome.

Wow! What light is this? Do you have a link to its built perhaps?

 

[Z-Tab]

For one thing, I think that we tend to overlook having good quality basics in our lives. A good quality flashlight, an umbrella that won't break in a strong wind, well made shoes, and some other simple items can easily turn a miserable situation into an enjoyable one. Stumbling through the dark sucks, having a reason to play with your cool toys is awesome.

 

[Richub]

Ever since I was a small child flashlights fascinated me.

I remember locking myself up in my grandparents basement with their flashlight (I still own that over 40 year old flashlight, btw) and getting really p***ed off when my parents turned the light on.

In my teenage years I developed an eye condition that made me lose my eyesight slowly and got me photofobic too.
At that time flashlights became my enemy, looking at a flashlight beam gave me such discomfort so I started to avoid them at all costs.

At age 32 I had successful eye surgery which cured both problems for good. I now have normal vision again.

A few years back I got interested in flashlights again, and after buying my first LED flashlight, there was no stopping me.
An old childhood fascination struck me again after some 25 years.

I love the way LEDs improved flashlights, both in runtimes and brightness.

I remember back in the early 70's, burning up a set of batteries in just over an hour on that old 2 D cell flashlight. I bet it wasn't brighter than 25-30 lumens...

And look at our lights now: 800 lumens (or more ), about 2 hours runtime on turbo, and after that just recharge your batteries and turn it on again.
Or what about having literally hundreds of hours runtime on the low setting.

Something I could only dream of in my childhood.

 

[StarHalo]

Wow! What light is this? Do you have a link to its built perhaps?

That one's old school; Ttran97's "Transgressor" Milkyspit M3, you can read about it here

 

[lightseeker2009]

That one's old school; Ttran97's "Transgressor" Milkyspit M3, you can read about it here

Perhaps old school but still nice!

 

[mwb01]

When I was really young I would love digging into my family's drawer full of old plastic incans and finding one that didn't work. I would find out what the problem was then fix it by either getting a bulb from another light I didn't like as much or taping paperclips in to fix contacts. I knew only to mix and match bulbs that used the same number of batteries and the basics of these simple circuits and would always be happy when I got one to work successfully.

Nowadays I'm interested for a few reasons. There's the cool gadget/toy factor, the technology factor, and of course the usefulness. I think it's a good hobby to have; compared to some it's actually cheap and more useful. It's also in a hotspot of innovation with LEDs and batteries.

 

[deww]

Can't say I know why. Growing up, glow in the dark items like light sticks and flashlights were my preferred choice of toys. I mean I was still interested in robots and legos and whatever, but when it comes down to it, I've always had a flashlight with me. I used to take apart VCRs just for the LEDs or take apart cheap watches with light to find the light bulbs.

 

[Echo63]

I have always loved gadgets, knives and lights.
Watching mcgyver when I was young, then scouts (and needing a good light when camping, back then it was an aa minimag)
Then I started doing security work, and needed a good bright reliable light (started with that minimag and a 3d mag, went through a pelican M11, streamlight stinger, surefire 6p and magcharger)
From then I discovered CPF and I have continued to buy good lights.
I love the feel of quality machine work, silky smooth threads, and high tech electronics blasting a beautiful beam across the scenery (or just seeing the warm beam from a bit of tungsten being tortured in a pressurized glass tube)

the friendly atmosphere around here is great too

 

[Swedpat]

The simple answer has to be: I just love flashlights. It's an interest I have had since I was a little kid.

 

[Napalm]

I need them because im a bouncer at a strip club

Now you have to tell us about your fav light for this kind of use:

Nap.

 

[B0wz3r]

Now you have to tell us about your fav light for this kind of use:

Nap.

Something with a high CRI and a lot of throw!!! LOL!!!

 

[B0wz3r]

For me, it's just about all the things that have been mentioned already.

Shiny, neat, toys.

Cool technology.

Preparedness.

Utility; looking under my desk for things I drop, reading menus in a dark restaurant, walking the dog at night, etc., etc., etc.

 

[someguy4747]

I would say for me it is also about the gadgetry. I love gadgets in any form. I guess I find flashlights to be particularly interesting and useful on a daily basis. Sometimes I also wonder if there is some sort of primal cave man ah ha "fire!" moment every time I turn one of my lights on. I think there might be.

 

[bodhran]

For me, it started with finding the perfect flashlight. When I soon learned that there is no perfect flashlight the search turned to the ideal flashlight, which is different for everyone. I have, and have given away, many flashlights over the years but the one that stands out is the Mini CR2 warm white. Something new may come along and that's part of the fun of being a flashaholic, but for now the Mini works for me. I learn here by reading others opinions and respect the fact that their ideal flashlight may not be mine. The warm vs cool, throw vs flood, moonlight vs barn burner rivalry is all taken in good fun as it should. The bottom line I guess is being a flashaholic is just fun, and meeting others with a similar interest makes it that much better.

 

[mrlysle]

I'm definitely a gear nut. LOVE gear! Great gear! All things gear. Like the guys above me, I love knives, guns, flashlights, multi-tools. Appreciate quality machining, cool alloys, (like titanium), and the neat technology that's LED's.

Jeff

 

[00Moonshine]

For me, it's a combination of reasons, several of which have already been stated, or at least alluded to:

• The ability to light the darkness. After all, that's what makes modern man modern. I think the History Channel recently named the light bulb as the top gadget of all time, as that was the invention that allowed us to turn night into day.
• An active interest in the tools of my profession (law enforcement) - firearms, vehicles, flashlights, knives, boots, sunglasses, harsh weather clothing,etc.
• The gadget factor - I'm fascinated by pretty much any well made precision tool.
• The pursuit of perfection - With many of my chosen gadgets I'm always searching for the "perfect" tool for a given task.
• Age - I'm pushing on 50, and with a decrease in night vision as well as a decreased ability to focus on close objects I find that I need additional/artificial illumination far more frequently that I would have a decade ago.
• Preparedness - Even absent an attack of the zombies, with electric deregulation electric providers aren't investing in infrastructure. They're just going for the short term profit, and that's making electrical outages increasingly common.

 

[jabe1]

I have a weakness for cool tools.
As a hobby, it's cheaper than Harleys.
They serve a real need and function.