The feeling about price of flashlight?

This may be a strange questionbut I often wonder how are westerners feeling about price of lights.

Everytime I buy lights I would feel "guilty", for spent such a lot of money, and people around me also can't understand me about buying a simple torch with lots of RMB. I lived in China, here high quality flashlights are always very expensive. For example, my first flashlight, INOVA XO, costed me RMB 420, and then paid RMB 220 for the second one L1P. After that came JETBeam JET-I MK-II, I was attracted by the fantasy function and quickly owned it, the price was RMB 440. At last I found C-LE, deciding to taste CREE LEDs, I got it with RMB 168. These are only cheapie, Surefire lights often sells for over RMB 1000 or even 2000. I'm studying in university and get only RMB 500 every month for living.

Sometimes I heard that, a common person in western could earn the same amount of money as person in China, i.e. a common worker in China earns RMB 1500 per month and worder in USA earns also 1500 per month but in dollars. The price is the same around the world, C-LE selling RMB 168 are also selling for about $20 ( no shipping ) in western. So the same price, but not the same incoming, I wonder how are you feeling when buying lights? Is $60 meaning MUCH more expensive than $30 and hard to afford? Or is that about incoming true in western would?:candle:

As far as I'm concerned, if Surefire sells for RMB 300 (not $300) in my country, I'll be happy to get lots of them.

Thanks for all replies.

Some lights are just too expensive for anybody, but there is an income level that goes along with this hobby. There are great inexpensive lights out there - I'm STILL really fond of my QIII for example, and it only runs about $30 last I checked. It is a little rough paying hundreds of american dollars for a light, but I've done it. I've spent two weeks pay for a light (I guess it'd be like spending 750 RMB?) and it's a little sickening, but I still do it.. I love them!!

People who live above the poverty level often have hobbies that involve spending (what appears to outsiders to be) large amounts of money. Examples are golfing, photography, scuba diving, "tuning" their car/truck, etc.

As long as you aren't spending so much on a hobby that it hurts you or your family financially (or your retirement) then I don't think you should feel guilty.

Greg

We live in a captialist, materialistic society. I don't exclude myself from that. This year I've already spent $400-$500 in lights; lights I don't really need and I can't carry/use them all at once anyway. It's a hobby. I feel a little guilty, especially considering the overall global economic climate. However, having been raised to be materialistic and living around people who similarly define themselves by their possessions, I get over it. It's sad, but it's true. I try to not care about things like my HD home theater, my hundreds if not thousands of $$$'s of flashlights, my digital cameras, PDA's, smartphones, etc. But I can't...