Would you use a modern flashlight in a reasonably rough job or not? CONCRETE BELOW!!!

[langham]

I agree with highlander, except I will add that a big light doesn't have to be able to hold up to that much of a beating because no one is going to use them all that much. It is inconvenient to carry something lets say the size of an SR90 around for daily use so you will most likely not be using it all of the time and it will therefore be less likely to hit the ground. My TN31 came with a great carrying case for when it is not being used, a belt holster for when I am using it but need to put it away, and a wrist strap in case I do actually drop it. Besides it is made out of some pretty durable material and the most expensive component that will break is probably the LED and that isn't more than $10. The driver is probably more expensive, but the chance of destroying more than one component simultaneously isn't all that high.

 

[ScottFree]

Generally for me it's the lens and occasionally the body that gives up, never the LED. My two most abused lights are a HDS 120T and a old Quark 123, with my G2X Pro and Tactical coming in joint third.. The Quark suffered more abuse than most being my daily EDC for about two years. I've dropped it on stones, rock and one time concrete from a three story building. In terms of damage there's scrapes and slight dents but the lens is still intact. The HDS is cosmetically the same and the glass is still intact apart from some of the AR coating on the front.

I did have a Surefire G2 where the lens broke last year from a drop from my kitchen table from about three feet in height. I had never dropped that before. it had always been on a lanyard, but the head had been knocked a few times.

 

[LedTed]

I think one of the thoughts brought up in this thread is the abuse of flashlights verses accidental damage during their intended uses. To that thought I have two points.
One - Purchase flashlights you believe to be the highest quality you can afford.
Two - In practical use you will probably, if only superficially, damage your own flashlights. However, don't give anyone else the chance to do the damage. I've seen and certified HVAC guy use a side-cutter as a pliers. I've witnessed a mechanical engineer use a folding knife as a hammer. What you consider abuse may be considered casual use by another.

 

[TEEJ]

I think one of the thoughts brought up in this thread is the abuse of flashlights verses accidental damage during their intended uses. To that thought I have two points.
One - Purchase flashlights you believe to be the highest quality you can afford.
Two - In practical use you will probably, if only superficially, damage your own flashlights. However, don't give anyone else the chance to do the damage. I've seen and certified HVAC guy use a side-cutter as a pliers. I've witnessed a mechanical engineer use a folding knife as a hammer. What you consider abuse may be considered casual use by another.

That's true too.



There are plenty of guys out there who are quite free of functional fixation issues.

 

[JerryM]

I don't have any Safe Queens either guns or flashlights. I would not own something that was too precious to use.

Jerry

 

[HighlanderNorth]

I think one of the thoughts brought up in this thread is the abuse of flashlights verses accidental damage during their intended uses. To that thought I have two points.
One - Purchase flashlights you believe to be the highest quality you can afford.
Two - In practical use you will probably, if only superficially, damage your own flashlights. However, don't give anyone else the chance to do the damage. I've seen and certified HVAC guy use a side-cutter as a pliers. I've witnessed a mechanical engineer use a folding knife as a hammer. What you consider abuse may be considered casual use by another.

As a small business owner(very small business), that illustrates one of my biggest fears. Often when you hire blue-collar workers for landscaping oriented work, or carpentry, or whatever, you'll find that some employees dont take nearly as good a care of tools and the work vehicles as the owner does! I've worked at places myself where the guys there just threw stuff in the back of the truck with no concern for breakage, while scratching and denting up the truck body, etc. I'd hate to witness my $29k new trucks getting ruined in a few years by careless employees....

So you're right in that there's a difference in what one person considers abuse vs proper use! I dont have a problem using my lights, I'm just not in a big hurry to destroy them! Besides, who knows, you might buy a light, then see a better one, and want to sell the last one. If its all scratched up prematurely you arent going to get much for it....If you can sell it at all. Or you may decide to give one or more lights away, but if they are all scratched up it wont be appreciated as much.

So I just EDC 1 light and take care of the others as much as possible.

 

[sbbsga]

Oh yes, as long as they are used within context. If they are dropped accidentally and died, then it is fate - move on, repair if needed or buy another.

After spending so much time, money and effort into the purchases, storage and maintenance, the experience in using them is the most important - overkill or not. :laughing:

It would be sad if there is reluctance to use them freely. Just like buying a pencil and not use it for writing because the fear of it getting shorter after each use.

 

[neutralwhite]

i use mine mostly on airside, and apart from that , no one else touches it, except me,....unless they know about flashlights well, and are a member of cpf lol.
i don't try to bang it up, just try my best more to keep the lens in tip top!.

 

[Shooter21]

as u can see here if the light is built well it can withstand tons of abuse

 

[neutralwhite]

wow. do you not worry about the Lens, like scratching it up, or being broken?. are they tough as well ?.

thanks.

as u can see here if the light is built well it can withstand tons of abuse

 

[HighlanderNorth]

as u can see here if the light is built well it can withstand tons of abuse

Have you been using the bezel on that light to break larger rocks into gravel or something?

 

[jamesmtl514]

I have beater lights, that take severe abuse. And i have shelf queens.
My EDC is an expensive (to me at least) Ti light. I wouldn't be happy if i dented it.

 

[Shooter21]

wow. do you not worry about the Lens, like scratching it up, or being broken?. are they tough as well ?.

thanks.

the lens is pretty well protected by the bezel so its still nice and clean but im sure if the lens took a direct hit it would break.

 

[Shooter21]

Have you been using the bezel on that light to break larger rocks into gravel or something?

yes i have done that as a torture test.

 

[AutoTech]

Once you have passed through that first ding/scratch/drop, its all good

This ^

I've always been careful with my stuff, even as a kid I'd keep boxes and put stuff away after playing etc. My job brought me to this forum in search of a flashlight. I bought a fenix pd31, it was a thing of beauty and remained in the box. My job would involve the light getting battered so couldn't bring myself to it. I sold the light in the end. I the bought a jetbeam BA20 and after a few days of wiping it clean and holstering it after use it now looks worn and tired. I love it now though and it's a great tool.

I remember when I bought my sunwayman V10R titanium. I literally babied it until the day it dropped off my lap, out of my van, onto the Tarmac! Ouch! I stopped caring when that happened and it's a much nicer feeling to actually use these things! I'm sat in the airport with my V10R kicking around in my pocket with my keys.

My personal life has changed dramatically recently and it's made me realise some of the stuff I do (like having flashlights in packets) is crazy. Life is too short and you'll get far more satisfaction using them!

 

[blah9]

Oztorchfreak, the following link might give you some type of an idea as to how durable some of the Fenix lights are: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?233856-My-Extreme-Fenix-TK40-Torture-Test. I'm not sure whether that experience would scale to the larger TK75, but it might!

 

[kralyevski]

i always use my zebralight h51w as i used previous lights like sigma ellipsoid (bike light) and mini maglite AA and so far i have no problems with it, but i must say that when zl hits the hard surface the amount of "OUCH" is higher then with my previous lights but i guess that is because of the higher dollar paid...

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

I think most opinions have already been brought to light in this thread so I will only throw out a few more thoughts.

There seem to be those who worry about buying a light for work use and then having to worry about upgrading a light with dings on it. I think that a light bought for work is one that is intended to be beat to hell until it is dead and then replaced. With so many considering the MagLite to be the defacto standard worklight I don't think care over light quality is a factor. Mags are anemic and produce lousy beams - if an owner of one of those moves up the ladder to a Fenix or Jetbeam then they will probably stay there till it dies.

I would say you best bet - assuming you are a flashaholic and love your lights - is to buy a few select lights that are dedicated to work lights. That way you know they will get beat up and wrecked and you won't stress over it. Then keep your nice lights for hobby/home use. I don't need a light for day to day use, but I also have no issue EDC'ing a small nice light in my pocket or belt. There will always be 2 or 3 lights of mine which are prized and get extra TLC, but they still make it out and get used regularly for light home duty at night.

 

[Steven8976]

I brought two flashlights for work. I expect them to get scratched and or dented. They are quality lights and are made to work in harsh environment.

 

[TEEJ]

I agree with highlander, except I will add that a big light doesn't have to be able to hold up to that much of a beating because no one is going to use them all that much.

LOL

I disagree about a big light not having to hold up to that much of a beating...as, at least in search and rescue work, etc...when it IS used, it IS under harsh conditions.

When you DO drop a big light, its own mass and momentum cause much more force to be proportionally inflicted. So if you drop your AAA edc, say 3' to concrtete, weighing mere ounces at most, it doesn't land that hard...force = mass times acceleration and all that.

If you drop a Fenix TK70 3' to concrete, weighing a few pounds...it hits HARD....and the potential for damage is greatly multiplied.

I dropped a Thrunite TN30 on Monday, I was climbing around in a building that had been whacked by Sandy down at the shore, and dropped the darn thing about 5' onto concrete. It was off when it fell, and I was worried when I picked it up and hit the switch, half expecting it to not light/work. Well, it worked, and had a scratch, it hit on the edge of the bezel, bounced and rolled a ways...but nothing to get excited about. I was relieved the lens was OK. IE: It held up well. It was its FIRST drop, as I JUST got it a day or so before that.

I've dropped the TK70, SR90 and others, and they held up fine. None of them had to survive more than ~ 5-6' onto anything hard though...that height down though, or higher than that, but onto ground or the water....ow, yeah.

The smaller ones HAVE survived longer falls, but, I EXPECT them to, as, again, the same fall just is not as hard for a lighter light.