How do I educate myself on this stuff?

As you know, I am a flashlight newbie.
I have learned alot from you guys, but I am wondering if there
is a book, website, or whatever, where I can learn all about the
different kinds of lamps, filters, reflectors and stuff.
Kind of like, a high end flashlight 101, like a single source, instead
of learning bits of info peacemeal

www.candlepowerforums.com

Well, you can learn a lot by reading as much as you can here on CPF for starters. Also check out www.flashlightreviews.com, and www.ledmuseum.org .

Have you seen the Welcome Mat? CPFWiki? Carrot's Guide?

1. Read the Wiki article on Flashlights
2. Go to every one of their links
3. Google Flashlight and surf for a ciuple of hours.
4. Post another general question here.

Hope these help!

Good Q&A link at the top of the page, plus some older revews:
http://flashlightreviews.com/index1.html

Current reviews:
http://light-reviews.com/news.html

General Info:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/172991

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/161536

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/177171

Big_Ed said:

Well, you can learn a lot by reading as much as you can here on CPF for starters. Also check out www.flashlightreviews.com, and www.ledmuseum.org .

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That's where I got started. Great sites!

Read everything on this board, buy as many flashlights as you can afford. Then you will have a head full of knowledge and lots of flashlight experience. You will also have a lot of fun.

There's nothing wrong with "learning bits of info" over a long period of time.. I find this aspect one of the most interesting parts of being a flashaholic.. Also you must remember that as the quickly changing technology of the flashlight world changes you must learn more to stay up on the technology. (The basics still stay the same though.. Just because a new LED came out it doesn't mean the laws electricity change.. )

I learned what I know from reading a little bit here and there everyday. It's what I like about this place. It provides an enjoyable place where I can leave the world for a little bit.

Thanks guys, lots of great stuff here.

As popular as high performance flashlights have become in the past
few years, mostly due to advancements in LED technology, you
would think that someone would write a book!?

Oddjob said:

I learned what I know from reading a little bit here and there everyday. It's what I like about this place. It provides an enjoyable place where I can leave the world for a little bit.

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I agree.

I think this forum will be my number one source of info

Also check out www.flashlightmuseum.com .

I got lucky, I had a friend that got me here and will suggest posts that I should read to learn more. I must say that I have learned a lot from CPF, thanks CPF

This forum is the best tool. What you should do, is pick a forum, like LED lights (eventually do all of them), sort the threads by view count so the one with the most views are at the top, and start reading the most popular threads. Everytime you hit something you don't understand, open a new tab, and search for it until you do, then go back to the thread you were reading. In a few hours of reading you'll be well versed on that sub-forum.

I had written my guide in the hopes that it would be a good introduction to flashlights but there is so much to write about. The best I can say for it is that "it's a start," and hopefully it's a good one.

Pick a light, be it LED, incan, AA, 123, headlamps, HID, weapon light, etc., and start searching for different ways to modify it. It works especially good if you actually bought that light and have it in your hands to help you visualize the many creative ways to juice it up.

I like Carrot's guide too. It's good read.

With Aloha,

Clarence

If no ones mentioned it yet, batteryuniversity.com is pretty cool. :thumbsup:Understanding batteries is pretty crucial to understanding the operation of portable electronics.

You have come to the right place! :laughing:

Enjoy the ride

fire-stick said:

There's nothing wrong with "learning bits of info" over a long period of time.. I find this aspect one of the most interesting parts of being a flashaholic.. Also you must remember that as the quickly changing technology of the flashlight world changes you must learn more to stay up on the technology. (The basics still stay the same though.. Just because a new LED came out it doesn't mean the laws electricity change.. )

Click to expand...

+1. fire-stick, that's exactly how I feel. When I first found CPF, I knew nothing about LED flashlights other than some Cdn Tire ads about 'powerful LED flashlights'. Needless to say, there is a whole new world to flashlights that you can discover here. Reading the posts every so often has taught me a few things, even allowed me to do some basic soldering and modding on batteries / lights.

So, PsychoBunny, don't be discouraged by the enormous amount of info here, just digest what you need over time and you'll get it. Besides The Welcome Mat and Carrot's Guide - which are great resources - I would suggest the Batteries thread as well.

Cheers.