You call yourself a Flashaholic with a plastic light on your keychain?

I had a plastic squeeze light on my keychain for about a year. It broke. I replaced it with an ARC AAA 5 years ago. In the last year I replaced my trusty ARC AAA with a Fenix LOD. It is a giant leap ahead in performance. Other than cost, why do any of you still have a plastic light on your keychain? Can a "real" flashaholic really make do with one of those plastic lights?

No, not on it's own, but when you're in the dark any light is good light.

Personally I've never had a teeny plastic light on my keychain, but do accumulate them as freebies with orders for premium lights. I give away the plastic ones to family and friends in the hope that they will begin to appreciate the value of having a light with them all the time, and where better to start than with a person's keychain?

Nothing wrong with a small, cheap backup on the keychain. I used to have a arc-p on my keychain, used it myabe twice in a year, just to make sure it still worked. I guess my 120 doesn't need much backing up, i keep the battery charged, so a plastic lighthound light makes a fine backup.

I have been carrying a plastic coin cell light ever since I started out here. Its my keyhole finder and backup for my Fenix E0 also on my keys.

Well, sure it's possible. When I discovered this place I knew immediately I would fit right in. All my life I'd been accumulating assorted mostly plastic lights, except for a MiniMag and a few Solitaires. After the revelation that I was not alone I realized I needed an LED EDC, and my first two purchases were a Photon 3 and a Shorelite Vx1. Both still get some use, just not on the key chain, and I'm glad I got them. In fact, that lowly Shorelite was, I think, the first and only, for quite some time, 1AAA multilevel regulated light. Both, at the time made this flashaholic quite happy.

Geoff

I have bought one of these, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1253

Great when you need it for situation like cinema and finding a keyhole. They are pretty bright as well. One of them lights up my back yard!
Nothing like my TK10 though

I still like and edc my photon freedom. And also I edc my l0d Q4.

I managed for a long time with three primary lights - a Streamlight Strion (rechargeable very bright throw light); an HDS EDC B42XRGT (general purpose EDC) and a Photon Microlight II on my key ring (backup light).

I'd had an Arc AAA and considered that the extra size was not worth it on my key chain given similar output and relatively low use as a backup. Given my overall minimalist EDC approach I liked the very light weight and tiny size of the Photon, and unlike perhaps the one you had break I've found the Photon lights to be nearly indestructible and extremely reliable. I'd wanted a AAA luxeon light for some time but for some period didn't consider the cost differential, or in some cases the functional differences to be worth the premium. It wasn't until I found the Liteflux LF2 and it's very versatile funcationality that I considered the upgrade in size from the Photon to be worth it in terms of functional gains - as I can continue to use the LF2 on a low setting on primary with the associated long runtime and using lithiums, battery life, but have a much brighter light available should I need it.

I still ponder a Photon Freedom as a potential smaller but equally functional replacement for the LF2, but I much prefer the beautiful white floody beam provided by the LF2.

I keep a LF2 on my keychain as a backup to my pocketed EDC.

Often I also have a fauxton riding beside the Liteflux.

The fauxton is a good giveaway light. It takes up negligible space/weight and I consider it disposable. If someone wants to 'borrow' one of my good lights for 'just for a minute', I give them the fauxton and tell them to keep it.

It found its way into a tip jar once when I was just shy of the proper cash and felt bad not leaving a little something extra.

Last month my 7yr old nephew made a 'ufo' out of two aluminum pie tins. He showed me how his alien ship could fly. As it was getting dark, I told him it really should have a light on it. We attached the fauxton with a twist-tie and off it went, spinning across the back yard. When I got ready to go home, he sheepishly asked me if I wanted my light back. I smiled and said, "nah, you keep it."

I would think that a true flashaholic would not have just a coin cell light with them at any given time. I have an original Photom micro on my spare set of keys and a Fenix E0 on my main set of keys. The key chain lights are backups to my pocket backup.

nevar.

I have a D10 attached to my keys but also have a lighthound coin light
attached as well ...... its my backup

ugrey said:

I had a plastic squeeze light on my keychain for about a year. It broke. I replaced it with an ARC AAA 5 years ago. In the last year I replaced my trusty ARC AAA with a Fenix LOD. It is a giant leap ahead in performance. Other than cost, why do any of you still have a plastic light on your keychain? Can a "real" flashaholic really make do with one of those plastic lights?

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You should rephase your question. "Without a plastic light on your keychain, can you be a flashaholic"

I had a Photo Freedom on my keychain since I joined CPF in 2005. It is always there even if I forgot to grab my regular EDC light, SF E2D or intentionally left my E2D at home. If I am going for a trip, I may bring along another Surefire as backup to my E2D. Then the Photon Freedom would become the backup for the backup Surefire.

The only lights I use on my keychain are Photon IIs.Anything using a AAA or larger battery is just too big for my keychain.While coin cells do not offer the best performance a red Photon should run for a little while.
Of course I always have an EDC light so anything on my keychain is secondary at best.

I really dislike a bunch of stuff in my pocket so I'll just echo what ZMZ67 says.

I've changed my mind. You do have to have a proper light on your keychain to be a flashaholic!

The pinch lights seem nice at times but having to hold one without a lock feature motivated me to keep the Peak Matterhorn on my key chain. I have a couple pinch lights but use them as zipper pulls on jackets. To answer the question, I'd say it is a passable flashaholic.

You've got some mighty big pockets Tomcat

Black Rose said:

You've got some mighty big pockets Tomcat

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Naw, I just take one leg out of my trousers. I have two after all!

I use to keep a Photon clone on my keys, but it kept getting switched on by accident. An E01 has now replaced it.