Never going to let a stranger touch my HID again...

So tonight I coincidentally met my classmate at my local convenience store. During classtime we chat about flashlights, which include HID's. I told her how I bought a Xenide and she seemed really interested, so tonight was a great time to show her. I grab the light from my trunk, click the switch, and astounded my friend with the output of the light. An accomplice of hers asked me if I could see the light, and I let him.

Oh boy, what a stupid idea.

He had no idea what an HID was, much less the operational nature of the device. Without thinking and out of complete ignorance, he starts clicking the light on and off in rapid succession.:sick2::green: I immediately told him to stop doing that or else it will break.:whoopin: Of course he stopped and handed me back the light, at which point I was well... you know. I said my goodbyes to my friend and left.

I should have never handed over a $300 flashlight to a complete stranger, I definitely learned my lesson tonight. I admit it was stupid of me to do that, but then again I was so tired and out of it I wasn't thinking straight.:sigh: It was just one of those absent-minded moments. It just makes me angry that he did that, as I'm sure any CPFer who spent their hard-earned money on an HID. Sorry but I just had to vent my frustrations!

Dudemar

I suppose it is annoying to have your stuff played with by people who dont know how to treat things properly. But if you do decide to let someone play with your stuff, just give a general warning before hand It saves from getting things broken after.

I never let anyone other than people in the know, touch any of my flashlights. Most people in todays world treat flashlights like just another tool, which most are.

But there are some that should not be toyed with and treated like poo, poo. So I do not let others touch my lights rule of thumb in my book. :thumbsup:

We all enjoy showing off our toys unfortunately, some are precious enough to require instruction prior to use---that tends to compromise the fun and the excitement. Better to leave the expensive "toys" to your own use. Live and learn--we have all made the same mistake.


Karl

I've had that happen, too. There seems to be an irresistible lure to turn ballasted lights, like HID or fluorescent, on and off rapidly.

Is it broken?

Tigerhawk is so right. I should have heeded that voice urging me to, first, warn another freaking FLASHAHOLIC not to cycle the switch on my new HID, but I didn't want to insult his intelligence. Unbelievable, but the guy instantly turned it on and off several times before I could stop him. This is a member of the CPF and we've met often and compared our latest lights. He never did that to any of my other lights.

Stinking Murphy. One of these years I may listen to that voice; it's almost always right.

It makes me feel better knowing that I'm not alone.:candle: It just sucks to see your light literally get wrecked in front of your eyes; it's tormenting to say the least. I'm confident my light can get run over by a semi-truck and survive; but as good as the ballast/bulb is on my light I want it to work well into the future.

Dudemar

dudemar said:

It makes me feel better knowing that I'm not alone.:candle: It just sucks to see your light literally get wrecked in front of your eyes; it's tormenting to say the least. I'm confident my light can get run over by a semi-truck and survive; but as good as the ballast/bulb is on my light I want it to work well into the future.

Dudemar

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Dudemar I understand what your saying all the way, as for me sure I know I could probaly take one of my lights out the desert and shoot it over and over with any number of my guns and it would most likely still work.

Point being is that if anyone is going to damage your stuff, it should be you doing the damge.

PSA Don't loan your flashlight or knife unless it's a beater.

dudemar said:

An accomplice of hers asked me if I could see the light, and I let him.

Oh boy, what a stupid idea.

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I have a pair of nice Klipsch floorstanding speakers. These speakers use cones that are treated with a special process that forms a very thin (few microns) layer of ceramic on the surface, rendering the cone thin, light, but very inflexible.

These cones also happen to be a very attractive golden color, which contrasts well with the black finish of the speaker. I used to take the covers off, to show off the pretty cones, when I had guests over. Plus, the high frequencies sound better without obstructions.

Anyway, to make the long story short... I have some people over, and a guy (who argued with me that Bose are the best speakers in the world) decides that it'd be interesting to touch the cone while the speakers are playing. I see him going for it, and tell him not to do it, because the cones are very delicate... especially when vibrating at >1000Hz.

I turn away, and guess what he does - reaches for the cone. Surely enough, his finger makes a nice 1 inch-wide 2-3mm deep dent in the cone. He looks at it (people told me, since I was turned away), and
proceeds to DENT IT AGAIN!

I can't afford to replace the cone (I got the speakers on clearance and paid only a fraction of their price), so I am stuck with a dented cone... and the asshole would't pay for the repair.

Suffice it to say, I don't take the covers off anymore.

I wouldn't mind showing my flashlight to a girl, i'd be proud of it . I usually carry medium size lights that just feel right in the hand . However i don't carry HID's.

It's funny.. When my buddy had my Mag61 this weekend he clicked the dam thing off on... off on... off on... off on... I was crawling in my skin!!!!


I was going to say something then I was like "Ehhh.... it's only a few cycles". LOL (or was it the beer talking? lol)


On the instances when I do need to instruct on my Mag85 or Mag61 i normal "this is way brighter than a mag and is kinda fancy.. the batteries can blow up if you don't treat it right.. Kinda like you wouldn't drive a drag strip car to the mall"

Normally gets the point across

I only hand over a "cheapie" to others these days. If they want to see someone using my good lights, then they'll have to just look at my own ugly mug doing it...

meuge said:

Anyway, to make the long story short... I have some people over, and a guy (who argued with me that Bose are the best speakers in the world) decides that it'd be interesting to touch the cone while the speakers are playing.

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I don't think he thought it would be interesting to touch it...

meuge said:

I see him going for it, and tell him not to do it, because the cones are very delicate... especially when vibrating at >1000Hz.

I turn away, and guess what he does - reaches for the cone. Surely enough, his finger makes a nice 1 inch-wide 2-3mm deep dent in the cone. He looks at it (people told me, since I was turned away), and
proceeds to DENT IT AGAIN!

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...I think he intended to mess it up!:mecry::sick2:

meuge said:

I can't afford to replace the cone (I got the speakers on clearance and paid only a fraction of their price), so I am stuck with a dented cone...

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Argh.

meuge said:

and the asshole would't pay for the repair.

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Take him out by the docks... I'm kidding.:naughty:

meuge said:

Suffice it to say, I don't take the covers off anymore.

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What sets my story apart from yours, is he actually wanted to mess your speakers up. *Ugh* it makes me cringe with fear... fear that I may go HULK! lol

Dudemar

As I've said here, "only lend loaners." It sounds rude, but it's a necessary evil.

And people wonder why I don't let anyone else drive my vehicles.

:buddies:

And people wonder why I don't let anyone else drive my vehicles.

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Well, there's borrowing a friends truck, forgetting that it has a diesel engine, and accidentally putting two to three gallons of UNLEADED GASOLINE instead of diesel fuel in the tank shortly before returning it.

I concur, I never let anyone drive my car, period. Not trying to being stingy, but I didn't spend $500/month for five years to have someone mess it up.

I thought it was funny how yuandrew's post matched DieselBomber's nick.:laughing:

Dudemar

Freud would have had a "field-day" psycho-analyzing the psyche of a person who would feel the need to rapidly click a switch repeatedly in a short period of time!!

it does make one wonder.

Meuge's experience with his Klipsch speakers speaks well for being cautious with expensive HIDs. Why the fascination with rapidly cycling the one type light that will suffer from that action is almost evil in its existence.

Dudemar is probably correct about the damage being done, intentionally, to meuge's speakers. Anyone who thinks Bose is the best, only to discover otherwise, was so PO'd at the money he wasted on his overpriced speakers that he took it out on meuge.

The fact that Bose has been a poor value, for about 40 years, and still has good sales proves that good marketing may be more successful than a better product.