Does anyone else not sell or trade their lights?

I know I'm probably in the minority here but reading another thread got me thinking more about my lights and how I have no plans to sell or trade them.

I think of lights as tools and prized possessions and things of value to have even if I don't use them all the time. It just goes against my nature to get rid of something that I worked really hard to earn the money to buy and might be or real use in the future.

I know a lot of members here get rid of lights to make room for new ones but that just never made much sense to me. The lights I have don't lose their usefulness just because a new LED comes on the market. By the way, I put guns and knives into this category too...I have no plans to get rid of any of them either.

So is there anyone else out there like this or am I just three standard deviations from the norm (again)?

me
buy only, If I must get rid of them...I give them away

Gosh, if i have the money, i would like to do the same thing. But apparently not all of us has the capability in "buy and keep" mode.

Cheers.
Giandi

well, I stick to buying second hand off BST, generally cheaper than retail for most lights and a REAL advantage for surefires:huh:

I have to admit I have enough disposable income to be able to buy lights and not have to sell them (when I was younger there's no way I could have done this). I do a lot of research before I buy a light so rarely am I disappointed with a purchase.

It's just my nature to buy a light for certain qualities that it has and as long as it keeps those qualities I see no reason to get rid of it. It's like a girlfriend/wife. I'm with them for the qualities they have and as long as they keep those qualities I see no reason to end the relationship. Their personality can change but as long as those core qualities remain I will most likely stay with them.

I've made a few trades, but for the most part, if I buy I'm keeping it. I can't imagine parting with any of the lights I have right now. My collection is not nearly so extensive as some here.

Illum_the_nation said:

me
buy only, If I must get rid of them...I give them away

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+1

and I know how fortunate I am to be able to do this...:twothumbs

I sell stuff that I have been wanting a long time if they dont get used! I would rather want ONE of each thing, and that I used much. Rather than binding up my cash in stuff I dont use...

I might be on the recovery of this flashaholic hobby..

Me too; rather than selling or trading I just end up giving it to friends or relatives if the light itself is good but get superceded with something better. I do have couple of light which I have been thinking of selling such as Arc AAA original and dual mode Jetbeam CL-E V1.0 (no SOS or Strobe!!) as a package deal but have not gotten to it yet.

- Vikas

I tend not to sell mine. As a rule of thumb I'd only part with a light if I really need the money, but I've never been one to buy a light to try it out, then sell it if I decide I don't like it.

Regards,
Tempest

So far, I have managed to keep them all. Brainstorming about my next hotwire light at the moment to add to the litter.:thumbsup:

Tempest UK said:

I tend not to sell mine. As a rule of thumb I'd only part with a light if I really need the money, but I've never been one to buy a light to try it out, then sell it if I decide I don't like it.

Regards,
Tempest

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Same here. If I buy a light, it's because I want it and am going to use it. I don't buy things just to buy them.

I buy fairly few lights. I own 10, but 4 of them are X1s, and I am not counting Photon style keychain lights. I don't really sell or trade them because I am not always looking for new ones. Fora time I would sell and trade knives pretty often, but don't really do that much anymore either, unless it is for something I need and don't have rather than the latest and greatest "cool" thing.

That said, I am lusting after the upcoming SF UA2

I give them away too. My friends know its a really big deal when I give them a light. I give away entire kits, light, holster, lanyard, spares carriers, extra lamp if applicable, and batteries.

I've never sold or traded a light, only given a few away when I've found someone who could make better use of it or just liked it more than I did. I have some lights that don't really get used anymore, but I'd miss most of them if I got rid of them. I tend to get sentimental about my lights, so a big part of a decision to buy would be weighing the money I could potentially recover from it against the memories of the time and discussion involved in buying it, the phase of my flashaholism that it represents, the adventures it's been on with me, the times when it provided good service for me when I needed it, old friends who have used it... In the end, I don't desperately need the money, so the cash potential is usually insignificant compared to everything one of my lights can represent to me.

Also, I've given up denying that I'm a collector, I've gotten way too involved in this hobby to pretend that I'm still only motivated by sensible and practical reasons. I've got my lights displayed on a shelf—high tech new ones next to now superseded older models and vintage lights going back as far as 1914—so even the ones that don't get used as tools are still serving as appropriate decor for the flashlight obsessed.

Illum_the_nation said:

me
buy only, If I must get rid of them...I give them away

Click to expand...

same here

I guess I still have every light I've ever owned. I should give some away. Just a pack-rat by nature.

Geoff

I'de love to keep every light I've ever owned, but if I want to buy a new one I usually sell one to be able to afford it...it's a college student budget thing. I've sold a "twok-sabre" which was a black mag with TWOK emitter that I modded, I sold my Raidfire Spear in order to afford a Pelican 7060, and then I sold the 7060 in order to afford my Inova T1, and I just sold the T1 yesterday in order to afford my Inova T2. I think I might keep this one if it's that awesome. But long and short of it is that I would definitely have kept them all if I was able to afford it.

But I have given some away to friends and family. Brother in-law Fenix L0D, Dad Fenix L0D, good buddy moved away took the Orb Raw with him, Girlfriend got an Arc AAA-P, Sister got a Ultrafire R1, mom some cheap diamond shaped LED light thats actually brighter than the Arc!

For many people, selling on the BST is a cheap way to try out an expensive light. Ilikeshinything's post is an example. If I want to try out a $100 light, I can buy it, test it, and then sell it for $90. If I like it, then I consider the money well spent and I use the light for what it's worth. People do this with lights costing in the hundreds to thousands of dollars.

I buy mostly cheaper lights ... often on a whim or a "I wonder what that one is like" kind of thing. None over $30 so far.

I've given away a third to a half of the lights I've bought. Most are appreciated by the recipients. Last Christmas, I gave my staff flashlights and/or chocolate and all went over well. All of the lights given were used ... at least for a few minutes of 'white wall hunting' ... but none more than 15 minutes. Before giving a light as a gift, I take it out, clean and lube the threads then put in fresh batteries. I had one DOA right out of the box 6 months ago so I feel this is prudent.

One of the women sent me a picture of her using her new flashlight at a New Year's Eve bonfire.