Any "Rest of your life" lights?

Are there any flashlights that you think you will actually use for the rest of your life? I think several of my lights could make it but the ones that I'm most sure of are my HDS EDC's and my McGizmo. Both are expertly designed with enough lumens to make them useful far into the future. Plus the quality of each is unsurpassed. So do you have any that you think will still be useful and work in 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years?

My HDS has pretty much curb my Flashoholism.

arc aaa and ultra g.

As much as I currently love a few of my lights I highly doubt they will stay with me for anywhere near the rest of my life. I'm gonna hang on to my original L1P (got me started in the hobby) for as long as it is still operational, but who knows what it will look like when I'm an old man. :laughing:

My Xeray 75 "Barnburner". Its near 8000 bulb lumen and over 5000 usable lumen will never go out of fashion. Its size and weight will be difficult to make obsolete. Unless they can capture lightning in a bottle and call it on demand I think this light will last the test of time.

carlsjrman said:

arc aaa and ultra g.

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Me too. I'll probably be using mine as long as they keep working. I see no need for something "better" to replace them. A lot of times, I just don't need much light...

I fully expect my Arcs (AAA, AA, LSL) to still be hanging around and probably the old standard Infinity, too. Actually, given my pack-rat tendencies and the fact that none of the lights get used or abused too much, they'll likely all follow me to the grave.

Geoff

my FF3 will be with me as long as it's operational.

Gee my 20 year old Mag 2Ds still work great (though much brighter now) and I fully expect new technologies will keep arriving to put in them.

my AAA-P and my Ultra-G, and my HDS and PD.

I can't see ever giving up my U2 and HDS B42 XRGT. They meet pretty much every need I have.

I expect to use my Surefire L4 for the rest of my life.

Trashman said:

I expect to use my Surefire L4 for the rest of my life.

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ever thought about the whole lumen-maintainence issus?


don't get me wrong I have an excellent L4 that's white and bright. But it will not last as long as my Lux III and 5MM LEDs lights, most likely.

Technology marches onward, but workmanship remains.
The electronics inside the XR19C, as new as they are, will be obsolete in a few years,
but a light like that is worth upgrading.

I'm thinking mine will be my first, E1E converted to E1L and then reflectorized. There's
just something about that light, I dreamed of it when I saw my first Surefire catalog.
It was like model rocket's and being a kid again. Of couse an HDS or 2 as well.
The chances of it wearing out are pretty slim.

The LED lights I have will last for 50 years, no problem. Always be something there when I need it. On the other hand, I will replace my personal lights several times in my lifetime. In 5 years when the LED are running at twice the brightness and efficiency of the new Cree XR-E, I'll want a couple of the newest lights. Something the size of the Fenix P1D-CE will 300 lumens on max and perfect beam and better user interface? How many of us will pass that up? Still have the old ones. I paid for them and I don't like letting go of useful items that I own. I'll let the family borrow some of them.

It's true that the amount of light we need to see will never change no matter how many years pass (except for failing eyes ), but when you can have 5, 25, 80, 250 and 500 lumens in a CR123a package that can run 2 hours on max, I'm sure some of you will retire the old lights.

60-100 lumens is more than enough for most needs and will never 'go out of fashion', but 100 lumens for 1 hr on max always loses to 100 lumens for 5 hrs with the option of 500 lumens for 2 hrs, right?

Of course, upgradeable and collectable lights of high quality/workmanship (like orb, Mclux etc..) that can keep up with technology may remain in the race for a long time as they have special qualities to them other than usefulness. Classics.

I hope to have a few beauties which I can hang onto and mod.

XR19-PD
Brass Lion Cub
Ti CR2 Ion
FFIII
& Maybe the L2

I hope "the rest of my life" be will be quite some time, so new things might come out that will make me switch. But for now, my HDS B42 XRGT and Surefire L4 aren't going anywhere. I think the M3 is staying with me too!

Probably the first flashlight I ever bought (1987?), and which I still have: my camo 2AA MiniMag, currently pretty banged up but putting out plenty of light with an LED upgrade and a new lens.

I bought it at the uniform store on Sembach Air Base (Germany) when they first came out. Still works in spite of me letting a battery leak in there a few years ago.

Almost 20 years old already!