Giving flashlights to everyone on the 25th, ashamed of myself

First post, forgive the newness smell wafting from this thread.
You heard me. Along with the usual gifts, all my friends and closer family members are getting flashlights this year. Before you nod and appreciate this, you must know I'm not giving out Surefires or even halfway decent LEDs like a true flashaholic should. No, I'm giving everyone Mini Mags, Solitaires, and for my friends who know what they're doing I'm throwing on a Nite Ize drop-in simply out of necessity. I'm giving a bunch of blue to white collar flashlight-ignorant loved ones, stock, unimproved Mags simply because it comes in so many colors everyone can feel somewhat special. Sure, a Mini Mag is better than the corporate keychain lights many of these people consider to be nice flashlights. Same with the Solitaire, it's just a solid little light that doesn't scream techie. Sure, I bought a few LEDs for the people who actually know what they are, but what about the unknowing victims of my tight-wad lack of creativity and care?
...is there a flashlight-loving saint I can light a candle to? Or an Egyptian god of bright shiny objects I can sacrifice a housecat to? Anything I can do to redeem myself?
This is just a poor attempt at first-post humor, I apologize. Odds are I'll hear about it after the holidays, and I should ave asked this before buying a dozen Mini Mags in every color I could find, but do these things make nice stocking stuffers? I have a few lying aound this workshop of an apartment, but I'm so obsessed with casings and add-ons that I've forgotten how normal people react to getting a fun-colored but standard flashlight along with their sweater or DVD player.

Welcome to CPF!

I find that some non-flashaholics (respectful pause while we pray for their unenlightened souls) like Mag lights better if the color matches their automobile. Consider the Nite Ize drop-in so they can use lithium batteries if they leave them in their cars.

You said *EVERONE* I'll be happy with a 35 w HID or I can send you my specs for my dream light and you can have it built.

On a more serious note most people don't seem to know about the small photon type lights that are fairly common.

I buy them by the dozen and give them to friends. They usually say thanks when they get it and a few days or weeks later I'll get a *BIG* thank you as they tell me how they used it for something. (They also don't make as much fun of you when you tell them you bought a new light)

I'm "giving flashlights to everyone on the 25th" . . . again.

You've got to start them somewhere and Mags still have appeal to the uninitiated and after they are "initiated" the Nite-Ize, Opalec, BadBoy etc. are easy upgrades. :thumbsup:

-LT

Welcome to CPF,

I am also giving Flashlights as presents to people for Xmas,
at least six that I know of

Welcome to CPF, Alex! (There's a lot of that goin' around. :green: )

Larry

Glad to be here, my other forum groups are mostly martial arts/weightlifting/police related. Needless to say, this is a very nice change of pace.
Odd as it is, I recently became a full-fledge flashaholic out of spite, but later out of testosterone-driven passion. My new step-mother, my father recently remarried, saw this old Mini Mag with some homemade and store-bougbht accesories on it sticking out of my back pocket. She shook her head and complained that I looked like a 'tradesman'. I'm a seasoned youngster, with a background in private investigation and four years of general police work, so you can only imagine how late this speech came.
"...Alex...We're very lucky people. Our stocks have never been better, we have good blood, and you're hopefully going to marry a nice girl. You don't need to walk around with pocket knives and fancy lights in your jeans, you should be carrying a briefcase!"
...Guess what they're getting for Christmas...every size Maglite, Solitaire through 3D...I still can't believe she had the nerve to say that. I could be Donald Trump, I'd still carry a tactical-clip light and a beat-up Leatherman Wave. After that little speech, I started wearing a few lights on my belt whenever I went to visit them, and every time they can't read the menu in some dimly lit wine shop, I whip out some random gizmo with more LEDs than I have braincells. Slowly, I realized I was doing the same thing when they weren't around. I once tried to hook a Mag 6D onto a keychain. Do they make a supplement drug to come off this, or is it cold turkey or bust?

AlexSchira said:

I whip out some random gizmo with more LEDs than I have braincells.

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LMAO. What a great quote.

-LT

AlexSchira said:

I once tried to hook a Mag 6D onto a keychain.

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Now thats funny I don't care who you are...

Humor is pretty much my career, I do pen-name comedy writing along with the occasional open-mike night. For instance, when I was buying about twenty mini mag lites for the purpose stated in the first post, the clerk raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. So, I said, smiling like a moron as she handed me the receipt...
"Gettin' ready for Y2K...grid's goin' down, I tell ya'..."
"Uh...It's...2005..."
I just slowly let my smile fall, then walked out seemingly in a daze with my flashlights and Snickers bar. I would have yelled a curse once I got outside for effect, but I'm more mature than that. The fact an entire add-on/holster company started out to support a single eight dollar flashlight is all the material I need, but there's this nut we make fun of on my martial arts forum who turned his MM into a 'pocket stick', basically a manly version of pepper spray for self-defense nuts. I'm serious. He took a Mini Mag, wrapped about eigh feet of paracord around it in a handle dealie to turn it into a 'koppo stick', a karate weapon which is the ongoing joke in the MMA and boxing community. the Nite Ize headband? kinda funny. A middle aged paranoid with coke bottle glasses and a spare tire around his waist, posing menacingly with his flashlight like he could kill a man with it...priceless.

Welcome to CPF.

Trying to turn everyone you know into flashaholics already. Good for you!

I'm doing the same this year. I'm giving the 7x7mm LED. Very impressive looking little torch, especially the silver and black. Brighter than all my Luxeon 1s. And inexpensive, about the same price as a Solitaire.

AlexSchira said:

"...Alex...We're very lucky people. Our stocks have never been better, we have good blood, and you're hopefully going to marry a nice girl. You don't need to walk around with pocket knives and fancy lights in your jeans, you should be carrying a briefcase!"

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I too believe you should be carrying a briefcase......



..... filled with nothing but lights (that'll show them!!)

In the mean time, no tradesman ever carries a flashlight that's fully rendered in titanium, microprocessor driven, with five levels, automatic sleep functions, has a multicoated glass window and 3 watt LED powered by lithium ion batteries. It's only $275. Indulge this Christmas. Your relatives may still not be impressed, but you will assuredly be :naughty:

There are only 14 of them being made, too.

If titanium is not precious enough there was one other light created in sterling silver, complete with hallmarks to certify its purity. Of course it is pretty dang bright too without the silver. Silver Orb owners, please stand up..


As for flashlight gods, similar to some Far Eastern belief systems, there are many gods in this Temple of Light. You'll eventually discover who these are..

Welcome to the Light!

I know this is going to sound corny, But....It's the thought that counts. I spent many a Christmas where I got few, if any, presents from my "friends," :huh2: l would have been very happy to get such a thoughtful and heartfelt gift.

IMO you have nothing to worry about...the recipients of your gifts should feel honored by your generosity.

Even if it was "just" a minimag.

Flashlights as gifts are looked down upon... sort of like Swiss Army knives.

Until a couple of months later and they tell me how my present saved the day for them.

I love the post-T-giving day sale at Lowes on MagLights. In colors. There's most of my gift giving. "Another flashlight..." My reply: "Yeah, that one's for your car, now shut up."

I also give away those 4-D lights as door prizes at my gun classes.

Humorous sidenote: I gave my girlfriend's mom a Brinkmann Maxfire because she wanted a "tactical" light after taking my NRA Personal Protection class.

She told her daughter the next day that "Sheesh! That sucker sure is bright. I looked into it and turned it on and I couldn't see anything for a couple of minutes!"

Next time I was over I asked her if she wanted to tell me how bright my new flashlight (just kidding) was...

John

AlexSchira said:

Do they make a supplement drug to come off this, or is it cold turkey or bust?

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For all your drug needs, please visit the CPF Specials thread (link on my sigline, or most visited sticky on the Dealers forum).
[/shameless plug]

Believe, me I've tried the cold turkey thing and... well, here I am... again! :wave:

I love some extra humor in life; I tend to do similar things as you did while shopping. Some people just don't get it; it's like it's painful to even smile! :twothumbs

I would agree with the minimags being ok, but the solitaires are pretty much junk!

True, true. But I figure if they don't like the Mini, they could at least slap the Solitaire on a key ring and it could earn its five dollar price tag back in lost change or something.