Wonder Why Freeplay is not ever mentioned here?

Freeplay lights may not be the ideal light for all occations but they are nice to have around. I have one and it does see occational use and is not all that bad for its intended use. I wonder why there is not more mention of them here. I find the new Sherpa to be intriguing but can't seem to find one around here. Also the 2020 looks interesting.

They do a decent job for what they are designed to do. But they are large and heavy, and don't really fit into what most flashaholics think of as a very desireable flashlight. As an emergencey light, especially ssomewhere where the electricity isn't reliable, they would be handy to have. But considering most flashaholics tend to have *lots* of batteries on hand, certainly enough for a few days without power, the Freeplay just isn't very appealing. At least not to me.

I keep enought batteries for a few days but that is not always enough. Newkirk Ok, was there 6 weeks ago. They were out of power for 2 weeks. Ponca City Ok, out of power for 1 week. Blizzard of 78, out of power for 4 weeks.

I also thought flasaholics could like all types of lights. I always carry an arc and two surefires on me. In the car I keep a dozen batteries. Sometimes the Surefire is not what I need but a cheap to run light for utility or emergency duty. A crank light can go along way towards saving me money in 123's and have the added benifit of keeping my Surefires bright and ready.

I did a review of the 2020 in this thread, last summer.

I haven't felt a temptation to use my freeplay since the time I bought it; it's simply too much work. It has a role as a "last resort" in case of a truly long-term power outage, but there are a lot of flashlights and a lot of batteries I'd go through before I got to that. An Eternalight and a bulk pack of AAs would last me a week or two, without the sore arm.

But heck, I'm a flashaholic, so I'm not going to get rid of it. And I'd agree the Sherpa does look interesting; I'd like to read more about it.

Cheers,
-- Jamie

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JonSidneyB:
I also thought flasaholics could like all types of lights. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks! Sometimes our comments might make it seem that we have a grudge against some lights. There are actually few flashlights I'd toss, and my poor crowded rooms verify that. There are some I like a lot, some I only like a little. While Freeplays may not attract me enough to pay the price, if one should become mine, I'd take it into my big flashlight lovin' heart and treat it right.

I would hope that our comments would never discourage anyone from commenting on new lights they find.

Incidentally, another type of light that is seldom if ever discussed here is the home type of rechargeables like rechargeable First Alerts, Garritys, and Lumilites. They're indoor use only lights, since they can't endure the elements. I'm partial to the Garrity 4AA rechargeable, since they've got replaceable standard cells that I can recondition about every six months. I run a 3D lamp in it, and it rivals the beam from my Surge.