Its amazing what non-flashaholics will use for light!

I was at the beach Saturday night with my wife. We were just north of Arcata CA. For those not familiar with the area it is your typical Northern California Beach. Cool, rocky, misty, and the water is literally deadly cold. It was dark and misty. I had a Arc6 and my wife had a E2x (a hybrid clipless E2e). We both had Arc AAAs on neck lanyards. We were enjoying the darkness and a series of blue LEDs in a circular pattern approached. It kind of looked like the mothership had come to probe ...er... examine us. It turned out to be 3 people taking a stroll using a Nite Ize LED flying disc!

And you wonder why they laugh at us!!!

I have, on several occasions, watched people flip open their cel phone and use the light from the screen to navigate around movie theaters, and once to change a tire on a rocky riverbed once light had waned during fishing season. I wandered over and offered help with my truck headlights, but had a G2 available in case he needed it.

I admit I've done the open cel phone method to find my way upstairs in the middle of the night in my own house, but I'd never use it for anything serious.

I've seen drywallers and painters use the light from their cell phones to do their jobs with. I can understand someone using that method for a movie theater, but if you need a tool to do your job correctly, buy it.

WOW!
Painting by the light of a cell phone, I am sure that was high quality work. :shakehead Somebody got robbed.

my neighbor takes his dog out to poop with a lamp and extention cord.

NICE:laughing:
I think I'd just GIVE the poor ******* a light.

From a utalitarian POV a cell phone does a fine job of helping you navigate around a movie theatre.
Hey, if your light is in a backpack for example, why bother open it up to reach in for the torch when I could just pull the phone from my pocket. It will do the job, especially with one push of a button that gives me access to the inbuilt light. In those situations its about reaching for what ever is handiest, be it the flashlight or the phone.

The Nite Ize LED flying disc and the extension cord guy are pretty damn funny though.

I usually see people using their cell phone for a light, and sometimes a weak half dead 2D cell Incan. I have been the only one in a movie theater twice to have a light, the second time I had my powerful Coleman MAX 115 lumen CREE and it was like a spotlight in there and lit the way for other people. Next time will be my Task Force.:naughty:

bobli17 said:

my neighbor takes his dog out to poop with a lamp and extention cord.

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That is pretty funny.

Before my buddy and I were flashaholics we would sometimes use the flint spark from lighters to see outdoors on windy nights...:shakehead

Cellphones should come with 10+ lumen lights built in.

I have a very basic Nokia, and it has an LED light built in to it. Not very bright, but brighter than the screen, that's for sure.

on an camping trip with school someone lost his light during one of the night time acticities. so when he was in his tent he used the matches he had for the gas stove he had to iluminate the inside of his tent (yeah not the brightest bulb ever ) after an while i just gave him my cheapo 9 led 3aaa light since our tent were basicly 2 ft apart so an fire would be an bad thing for both of us

I'll admit that I once stooped as low as to myself use my cell phone's light to navigate a rocky field. Yes, yes, I know, stupid, but this was years ago, before I knew of decent flashlights and of this board. I would never be caught so unprepared today.

a true flashaholic, should have a Light within as easy reach as his cell phone is.

The low mode on the Zebralight is perfect for movie theatres.

Crenshaw

Crenshaw said:

a true flashaholic, should have a Light within as easy reach as his cell phone is.

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Very true but the problem with my family is that there phones are as often left on the charger as in their pocket when they go out.

TONY M said:

Very true but the problem with my family is that there phones are as often left on the charger as in their pocket when they go out.

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That's when it's time to hand out some cheap coin cell lights.

Everyone else will always look ridiculous when they done share the same hobby I could go on with the same kind of stories for everything else

I was once told by a river "guide" that he had walked a mile thru a forest using his Timex Indiglo watch. He wasn't much of a guide either -- no knife, spare rope or first aid kit. We were far better prepared than he and we were just along for the ride.

It's definitely a good idea to be prepared with a light when going into a dark theatre, but I think it's also important to be mindful of others who don't want their dark-adapted eyes blasted. A Zebralight on low would be a pretty good choice, a big brute of a cree light probably wouldn't, and a cell phone would be acceptable if it did the job adequately. I always set my HDS/NT to between 0.08 and 4lm before going in. But, in my experience, even that can be irritating to some, though I think that's more a reaction from those who are familiar with my hobby... The last time I went to a movie with someone and pulled out my light, she threatened to embarrass me by reenacting the scene from Harry Met Sally if I didn't put it away... I had to stop for a few seconds and really ponder what my next move was on that one.

As a kid, I once captured 20-30 fireflies in a jar. You know, cheap, rechargeable, and eco-friendly. Unfortunately, they are not a very useful light source.

As some of you know, on a caving trip you are required to have at least 3 independent sources of light. Can you guess where this one is going??



On a recent caving trip, I noticed the secondary light of one girl was a $1 grocery store 2D plastic job with carbon zinc heavy duty batteries. I didn't want to be rude and say anything, but I had a quiet chuckle to myself. But hey, at least the light was new.... :shakehead