it's 3:30am, and my power just went out...

Thanks goodness I'm a flashaholic. I've got 9 LED flashlights (one really good one - Fenix L2D Q5), 3 incandescents. It's really reassuring to have so many lights in the pitch dark.

I've got 15 minutes of power from my UPS backup to the cable modem, so I'm able to post this online via my laptop right now.

I was asleep but the beeping of the UPS woke me up, so I grabbed my L2D Q5 and my other lights before going back to bed.

I've going to shut the laptop down to conserve power but it's very nice to be reminded why I'm a flashaholic.

:candle:

Lucky you with the black out. :nana: Now you get to break out al the toys and show people why you needed all those flashlight's in the first place.

LOL yup.

The power was out for only 30 minutes. During that time, I placed the LED flashlights near the bathroom as well as near the bedrooms, so anyone who needed to go to the bathroom would be able to see their way.

My wife woke up briefly during the power outtage, and I asked her "aren't you glad I'm a flashaholic?", to which she groggily replied "yup" before falling back to sleep.

I conserved the power on my L2D Q5 although it's my best light, and used the feeble and dim LED converted 2AA maglite, which worked just fine with my night sights.

I had my L2D Q5 in a detachable lanyard around my neck should I need a brighter light, but it wasn't necessary most of the time.

Also coming in handy were some cheap $10 Energizer Weatherready rechargeable flashlights I got from Walmart. They plug into an outlet, charging its internal nimh battery, and act as a night light when the power goes it. These acted nicely as night lights since my AC powered LED night lights were off.

I learned that 3-10 lumens works great in total darkness, but it's very reassuring to have a more powerful light available.

I'm sort of disappointed the power came back so quickly, but it was fun while it lasted. :naughty:

Anyhow I've reset all the clocks and appliance timers. Hard to go back to bed after all this excitement, but need to try to get back to sleep.

Experiences like these affirm my hobby in flashlights. You can never have enough flashlights!! :candle::candle::candle::candle:

Three to ten lumens is really perfect for total darkness and being able walk around safely and do different things.

I on the other hand will for fun break out the big boy toys when the power goes out. You know, put the ROP (HOLA) in candle mode and light up half of my place. Is it overkill, yep and my girlfriend really hates me when the grid goes down and I power up the big boys.

Sometimes it is always nice to fire up the Power On Board 35watt HID and light up not only my place but the neighbors to.......

Well congrats and I'm glad you had a good time.

You should probably go [back] to sleep.

J