Do I Really Need Another Flashlight?

I started thinking about why I had so many flashlights and why I even wanted or needed to have more new flashlights. The ones that I have are more than adequate for the job and my needs, but I find myself wanting more. So I decided to take a closer look at my real needs for flashlights and where I might need one.

1) Two Cars - one flashlight each for emergencies, plus I have my EDC on my key-chain that could do the job.
2) House- two or three with plenty of batteries in case of power failure.
3) Boat- two flashlights, one for a back-up for my 12 volt million candle power light that has a good throw to be able to see the bank and marker buoys at night and another with a flood beam to be able to look around in the boat, plus I have my EDC on my key-chain.
4) Camping and hunting light. I guess that I could one of those emergency house lights or boat lights for that, plus I have my EDC on my key-chain.
5) EDC for everything else.

It is easy to see that my EDC is my most important and used light that I have. Right now I have a Photon Freedom with a white LED and a Photon Clone with a white LED that has a single 2032 battery in it for a super long run-time and is used as a back-up for my Freedom. I have bought and given away scores of Photon Clones and the people that I have given them to say that they use them all the time and they are still burning bright and useful even after a year's use.

Anything that I buy will have to be small enough to go on my key-chain and I know that I will most probably use my Photon Freedom as a back-up for whatever I decide to buy. I am thinking along the lines of something like a Fenix EO with a Cree XR-E LED that is twice as bright as the current EO with the same super long run-time. It would be simple to use and because I really do not need a EDC light that has different light levels, since I have my Photon Freedom as a back-up light that already has the dimming feature that I could use if ever needed.

So I do not need a new complicated expensive light with all those light levels and features, because I will always have two lights on my key-chain in case one of them fails.

I have come to the conclusion that if Ceiling Bouncing and Wall Hunting were illegal, our prisons would overflow. I am guilty and I really do need another flashlight. :lolsign:

I reached a point where I could not objectively justify the purchase of more lights. That doesn't stop me from wanting more lights, or making up needs for them, though.

Since when has NEED become the key issue for light purchases???

I don't NEED any more lights. I don't NEED my lights modded with Cree or Seoul LEDS.

I don't NEED an X1 reflector or an X0 reflector.

But I WANT all of the above!!!

the feeling wont go away...

I know...

Always!

The right tool for the right job.

greenLED said:

I reached a point where I could not objectively justify the purchase of more lights. That doesn't stop me from wanting more lights, or making up needs for them, though.

Click to expand...

I think most of us are at this point whether we admit it or not

There isn't really anything a new 500 lumen light will reveal that my current 200 lumen one doesn't... Did I get the parts to get over 500, Oh yes

I'm also getting some Seouls....

Last night while laying in bed, I wondered if there were a power outage, would I be able to find a flashlight easily enough, then I realized, I had two on the night stand and 4 within reach under the bed. Every room in my home has flashlights within reach from any sitting location. What I ultimately concluded, was that none of those lights were Cree, so it's good that I have two ordered. It's not that I have an addiction; it's just that I'm a good person and am drawn to the light.

If you can easily afford it, why not? Instead of getting another light I accesorize to excess. My 9P now sports a turbohead, two SC2 spares carriers (one for both the MN15 and MN16 LAs), and a beamshaper. Its hopeless trying to stay current with LED tech. Be happy with what you got. I have a rather modest collection of very nice lights. But my grab and go lights almost always are my E2D in my jacket pocket and a stock 9P in my backpack. If I was a rational "sane" person I wouldn't have bought the other $2,500 worth of lights and accesories.

So my answer is no, you don't need another light.

No headlamps in the cars and boat? What if you need to do something with both hands?

Well...I honestly didn't read through your entire post, because I saw the question and said to myself "Yes, you need more lights"....the only reason I am on hold from buying more is b/c I just purchased a house...wife put the squash to any new light purchases.

I need 5 lights to serve 5 specific needs. Problem is, better lights come around and replace my service lights and the old lights don't get retired. They get put on standby mode and dusted off lubed up and recharged every couple weeks. What I need is someone to give / sell the older ones to who'll appreciate them. Then there's the modder side of my brain that says, "what if....?" and my soldering iron follows in lockstep. It's a disease I tell you.

As far as hobbies go, it is (relatively) cheap, safe,and useful.

Hi,

It's written in the Bible somewhere...
"Thou canst not ever have enough flashlights".
It's somewhere around the same place where it says:
"Thou shall not covet thy neighbors goods, unless of course it's a flashlight."

Thus sayeth the Lord.

You can newer have enough Flashlights

A real flashaholic says, "I don't need no stinkin' reasons."

Geoff

just kidding man.

MrAl said:

Hi,

It's written in the Bible somewhere...
"Thou canst not ever have enough flashlights".
It's somewhere around the same place where it says:
"Thou shall not covet thy neighbors goods, unless of course it's a flashlight."

Thus sayeth the Lord.

Click to expand...

Raptor# said:

No headlamps in the cars and boat? What if you need to do something with both hands?

Click to expand...

You are right about that! But, I really hate all of those bands and straps on those headlamps. Beside being bulky and nerdy looking, they mess up my hair. Usually, when I am out hunting or boating I have my baseball cap on and I have been thinking about devising away to attach my small lights to the bib of my cap. My Photon Freedom comes with a clip so it can be attached to my cap, but who wants to carry that around with them. Been thinking about using some Velcro to attach my small lights to my cap. I gave a hunting buddy of mine a Safe Light and he says it work great on his cap when attaching his climbing stand to the tree in the dark. It also has a magnet on it so it can be attached to the fender of your car when changing a flat tire in the dark. I got a PT Attitude that would great, but the stupid manufacture put the clip on back-wards. I looked at a LED headlamp at Walmart that was made to attach to the bib of a cap, but it ran off of those button batteries, which I hate and it is a lot more bulky than my Freedom would be with some Velcro attached to it. Needless to say, I have a headlamp that I never use.

Bearcat said:

I am thinking along the lines of something like a Fenix EO with a Cree XR-E LED that is twice as bright as the current EO with the same super long run-time.

Click to expand...

Is this possible? I don't check out the modding forum very much. If so, it could replace the Arc-AAA I have on my keychain, which doesn't provide quite enough light as I would like.

A fenix clip can be attactched so as to facilitate attaching to a baseball cap.

Bearcat,

you make some excellent points! Now that you mention it, I, too, have been making lists of needs. Although there are plenty of flashlights around here, I did find that I need more. It's a bit like TVs, in principle, you only need one to fulfill your needs where you live. But in the end you get several, so you can watch it in different rooms, on different furniture, etc. (And then you start saying, each SHOULD also have its own DVD player,...)

Plus, flashlights really do come in different forms, with different capabilities, and some fit a given need better than others. E.g., lanterns - the formfactor and function is different, and additional to, carry flashlights.

FInally, there is the issue of upgrading as technology improves. Why not get better runtime, even if you are satisfied with the amount of light you get from your existing flashlights?

I think you make one more excellent point and that is to say that one can carry more than one light, so you don't need to try to get the one ultimate, multifunction light. For outdoors, I've been thinking along the same lines - one smaller light for close up work (I have the SF L1, with two modes, in red light output, for this), and a bigger, floodier light (which therefore doesn't need to have a ton of functions). Plus, it's safer to have TWO lights on you, even with today's nearly indestructible LEDs, it is always possible you'll lose one! Better have a backup, I say.