my every day carry history (with visual aid)

This is titled EDC history, but it's also the story of the start of my addiction.

I've always been fascinated with light in general and specifically flashlights. I remember on the drive back from disney world one year in the green family station wagon with wood paneling. My parents bought me this little yellow rounded rectangular flashlight from disney world (very odd shaped flashlight). It had a little white wheel that you would turn for on and off. I must have been around 5 or 6 or 7 years old; somewhere around there. My half-sister borrowed it from me to read a book in the station wagon and then refused to give it back. It started a little family feud.

I never really carried a flashlight around until I worked in this machine shop (this would be around 2004; the beginning of my flashaholism) and we had to check the oil level in this pan that was obscured by all light. You absolutely needed a flashlight to see the oil. It was sometimes a hassle to find a flashlight. Passing through wal-mart, I came upon the maglite solitaire. I thought this would be perfect.

Well, the distance to the oil pan was too much for the weak light that the solitaire put out, so I started searching ebay. I searched for "LED flashlight" and looked for something small and bright. I set my eyes on the Fenix E1 (my first LED light). I think it was around $25. Once I got the light I was amazed at how much brighter the light was compared to the solitaire, and using the same battery. This of course peaked my interest and looked up Fenix which brought me to fenix-store.com. That was when LED innovation was unveiled and brought into the light for me.

Since then, I've gone sort of bananas. My name is Mike, and I am a flashaholic.

my flashlight EDC history (in chronological order):

-Maglite solitair (silver)
-Fenix E1 (natural)
-Fenix P1D CE (natural)
-Fenix P2D Q5 (natural)
-Nitecore EX10 Q5 (now my light i carry at work)
-Nitecore D10 R2 (w/blue trit)
-Liteflux LF5XT R2 (black) (my current EDC)

...the P2D couldn't make the initial photo shoot due to being my rear bicycle light and so was photographed separately.



My entire (lights worth mentioning) current collection:

-everything mentioned above and...
-Fenix LOD CE (black) (keychain EDC) (extremely scratched)
-Fenix TK40 (with tritium glowring attached)
-Fenix P3D Rebel 100 (black)
-Fenix TK1 (olive)
-Fenix LD01 SS
-Olight T15
-Zebralight H30
-Quark AA
-Tiablo TL-1 (great floodly light if you remove the top)
-Maglite 3D LED
-Maglite 6D (w/terralux TLE-6EX LED)

EDIT: -Liteflux LF2XT (natural) on its way to me

I'd be interested to hear others' inductions into flashaholism and/or EDC history.

cheers

I first saw Surefire lights being advertised in firearms magazines. Had a chance to buy an L4 at an Upstate B&M shop. But was unemployed at the time, and couldn't justify spending that much on a light. Then, a few months later, took a firearms class for Security Officers. Noticed my firearms instructor carried a Surefire G2 next to his Glock on a daily basis.

Took a closer look at Surefire's line-up, and decided on a black C2 model....

And it was all downhill from there. I now own 14 Surefires, and a ton of lights from other companies.

Why do you choose the Liteflux LF5XT over your Quark AA for your EDC?

Looks like a D10 clip on that Liteflux.... Hmmmmm....

Monocrom said:

I first saw Surefire lights being advertised in firearms magazines. Had a chance to buy an L4 at an Upstate B&M shop. But was unemployed at the time, and couldn't justify spending that much on a light. Then, a few months late, took a firearms class for Security Officers. Noticed my firearms instructor carried a Surefire G2 next to his Glock on a daily basis.

Took a closer look at Surefire's line-up, and decided on a black C2 model....

And it was all downhill from there. I now own 14 Surefires, and a ton of lights from other companies.

Click to expand...

a surefire guy, huh? man, that's got to be really expensive. what would you recommend for someone's first surefire? i've been meaning to check them out.

thanks!

get-lit said:

Why do you choose the Liteflux LF5XT over your Quark AA for your EDC?

Click to expand...

main reasons:

the programmability is just completely awesome. you can change the frequency AND brightness of the beacon and strobe modes. it has a memory feature to remember the last mode, which you can toggle on or off in the programming. instant access to max brightness when light is on or off simply by pressing and holding the button. there've been a few times that i wanted a particular mode to be just a hair brighter or dimmer. you just triple click and then press and hold; then you can adjust the brightness two different ways. in steps, or linear like the Nitecore PDs.

no rubber switch boot, which i very much dislike about most lights. the LF5XT doesn't make the traditional clicky sound which i also very much dislike. it's not as quiet as the Nitecore PD 'click', but almost as quiet.

i like the beam much, much better; the hot spot on the LF5XT bleeds nicely into the spill and gives you a nice, wider area of light due to the deeper reflector. i like more floody beams. the quark's beam has a more defined hotspot.

Krotchitty said:

Looks like a D10 clip on that Liteflux.... Hmmmmm....

Click to expand...

yeah, i actually learned that from CPF member Kanai in this thread.

i used a 3/32 inch drill bit to slightly enlarge one of the circular lanyard holes. the other elongated lanyard 'slot' is already wide enough for the D10 clip screw, but the circular hole has a smaller diameter/width. it's super easy, just be careful to not keep drilling and drill through the button.

it's a perfect fit. made me quite happy, as i love deep pocket clips.

get-lit said:

Why do you choose the Liteflux LF5XT over your Quark AA for your EDC?

Click to expand...

I can't speak for burntoshine, but I currently carry the QAAw and, based on my experience with my wife's LF2XT, am considering getting the LF5XT for the following reasons:
1. wider hotspot with smoother transition from hotspot to spill than the QAAw
2. ability to check battery voltage without a DMM or even having to pull the battery out of the flashlight.
3. no twisting the head of the flashlight during normal operation.

It turns out that the quark hotspot is so intense that it can be awkward to use the flashlight for close up work. It also turns out that I don't depend on my EDC in situations where throw is important, so the beam of the quark, while beautiful, is less appealing to me than the LF5XT's beam.

Back to the original topic, my EDC history is pretty basic. My wife bought me a purple 2AA minimag about 10 years ago that I got into the habit of wearing on my belt (before this light, the only lights I owned were maglite 3D or 4D lights for each car and under the kitchen and bathroom sinks). I upgraded it a couple of times using different NiteIze LED upgrades and tailswitches, but finally decided that I wanted something small enough that I could hold it easily between my lips to free up both hands (the minimag was too long/heavy for this type of use).

After a couple months of research (this is when I discovered CPF), I narrowed down my short list to the D10, QAAw, and LF5XT. I chose the QAAw because I figured that if I didn't like the light, I could use the accessories that came with it with either of the other lights. Turns out I really do like the QAAw, but am playing with the idea of either replacing it with a LF5XT (for the reasons mentioned above) or supplementing it with a H501w.

--flatline

burntoshine said:

A Surefire guy, huh? man, that's got to be really expensive. what would you recommend for someone's first Surefire? I've been meaning to check them out.

thanks!

Click to expand...

I'd honestly recommend the classic 6P. Not the brightest, or the best runtime. But the overall package is one of elegant simplicity with great build-quality.... And if you ever want more out of it, there's a ton of aftermarket drop-ins for it. My 6P currently has a handmade Malkoff M60 in it.

If you really prefer an LED light, then Surefire's best is the U2 model. Surefire is actually a bit weak in their LED offerings. Thankfully with models such as the E2DL, A2L, and LX2, that's starting to change. (Still, Surefire LED lights with optics tend to put out pencil thin beams). With the U2 you get a very versatile light. Anywhere from 2 - 100 lumens.

If you want flood, there's the classic L4. Tough to find another light that size with the same floody beam. Generally, a light will either be bigger than an L4 or with a much higher price tag in a smaller size. I've heard that Inova's current model T1 is a good substitute for the L4, but cannot verify that. If it is, it's the only one out there in a similar size, and without a huge jump in price.

Date. Flashlight
?/07? Maglite Solitaire (???)
?/07? Maglite 3D LED (In my car)
10/08 Jetbeam Jet-I MKII R (Gifted)
10/08 Jetbeam Jet-I PRO EX V2.0 (Sold)
11/08 iTP C7 Tactical (Gifted)
11/08 Fenix E01 (Gifted)
12/08 Fenix L0D (Gifted)
04/09 Fenix P1D (Gifted)
05/09 Regalight EDC DX (Broken)
05/09 iTP C6 Tactical (Shelf queen)
05/09 Nitecore EX10 Q5 (Sold)
06/09 Fenix LD01 SS (Gifted)
06/09 iTP C7 Regular (Gifted)
06/09 Fenix E01 Purple (Gifted)
07/09 Titanium EX10 (Sold)
07/09 AAA Killer Ti 90mA w/ TiCN (EDC'ed neckchain)
08/09 iTP EOS Upgraded (Shelf queen)
08/09 Fenix L1D Q5 (Shelf queen)
0X/09 Nitecore Defender Infinity Q5 (Lost during shipping?)

(We all know whats happening below ^^)
XX/09 Quark AA Titanium LE
XX/09 Quark 123² Titanium LE
XX/09 Quark AA² Ti Tactical TE
XX/09 Quark 123 Titanium LE

As you can see, I don't have much flashlights myself. Not sure whether i can be considered as a flashaholic or not....

15 years ago I used to work event security, carried a 3D Maglite. A few years later, I happened to be at a hardware store w/ a friend, and noticed a rack of Pelican Stealthlite 4AA's. On a lark, I picked one up and was impressed by how small/bright it was, and it became my first EDC. The rest came as follows.

Streamlight (7-led) Propoly 4AA - Quickly abandoned due to overheat issues. Still own.

Inova X5 (Green) - Still own, handy for signaling.

Various Photons - ditched/broken/lost as they died

Gerber Sonic - Still on keychain. Replaced once under warranty.

Surefire G2 - Eventually got tired of chewing up 123's. Now on nightstand, "WTF was that?" duty.

Dorcy Super 1W - Given away

Inova X03 (TIROS) - Still own, mostly as backup.

MiniMagLED 3AA - Abandoned (given away) after developing a bad flicker and a heinously bad warranty service experience (i.e. NOT fixed), as listed in the Jeers Post.

Inova Bolt 2AA - Still in service

Task Force Cree 2C - Still in use, mainly as a bike light

Coleman MAX 2AA - Still in service

River Rock 1AA - Loaned out, confiscated by Airport Security in Belgium. :thinking:

Fenix (Leatherman) L1T rebrand - still in service

Gear+Life 1AA - Bought to replace the Sonic, which I thought I had lost. Then I found the Sonic again. On test drive.

Energizer 1AA (XR-E 65lm) - On test drive

Because I have mostly worked in the aircraft industry since 1979, I got used to seeing mini-mags on peoples belts all the time. And so my first edc was a black mini-mag in a leather belt scabbard. Over the years, until 1991 this was my edc, and I replaced them about once a year when the finish got to beat up for me to stand any further.

In 1991 I first saw an advertisement for the Laser Products Surefire 6P. Local gunshop had one, so I bought it, and it became my edc until 2003.

In 2003 I replaced the 6P with an E2e and an E1e. These stayed my edc until 2006. In January 2006 I purchased a Surefire U2, which stayed my edc until this month.

Around the first of the month I purchased a Olight M30, which is now my edc. Some say it is too big, I do not find it so. One can get used to everything eventually, and after carrying it for two days I have reched the point where I do not notice it anymore, unless sticking my left hand in my left front pocket. As for the diameter of the head, carried bezel down it is no more noticable than the Surefire U2s head.

So now the question begs, how long will the M30 remain my edc? Who knows, its gonna be hard to replace this since the 700 lumen output is exceptional, and I like the flood style beam way more than a thrower. So untilsomeone comes out with a light of similar size that puts out around 1000 lumens, the M30 will be here for awhile.

My lights so far, in order of purchase.
1. Mini-mag AA with LED mod.
2. Mini-mag AAA stock.
3. Surefire 6P.
4. Surefire 8X
5. Surefire 9n
6. Surefire E1e
7. Surefire E2e
8. Surefire M2
9. Surefire U2
10. Coast LED Lenser V2
11. Fenix P1D-CE
12. Olight M30

While I often carry a variety of different lights, my main EDC's would be.

1. Fauxton on key ring
2. Arc (from around 2001-02) on my key ring.
3. Fenix P1D-CE XR-E P4 (First light I actually carried on my person besides any lights on my key ring. Holster carry)
4. Fenix P2D Q2 Natural
5. Nitecore EX-10 Cree
6. Nitecore EX-10 Osram GDP
7. Liteflux LF3XT (Current)
8. Maratac AAA Natural HA (Current)

I keep the LF3XT in a Fenix P2D holster on my belt. I just like the UI, the way I have it programmed, etc.

The Maratac AAA is so light weight, small, with a good clip, that I just left it clipped in my left front pocket, which also holds my phone.

I will often toss my Quark 123 in another pocket (wearing cargo shorts this time of year) if I'm going outdoors when it's dark out.

The Quark does have a tight and bright hot spot, which makes it a great compact thrower, but for close up tasks it's not as ideal as a floodier beam. Still hoping a Surefire F04 style diffuser becomes available for the Quarks.

thanks for the responses! it's interesting to me to see when other people started EDCing lights and what people switch to. also, why people started carrying them in the first place. i've always had the fascination, but my flashaholism didn't start until i noticed how innovative flashlights had become. it was only a matter of time before i noticed and got caught in the web.

the same thing happened to tattoos. it used to be all plain jane black outline typical biker stuff. i've got a pretty cool dragon tattoo with all colors, shading, and no black outline. my friend's dad has a picture of his son playing guitar on stage and it looks amazing. shading looks so nice and detailed. ...here i go off topic...

flatline said:

I can't speak for burntoshine, but I currently carry the QAAw and, based on my experience with my wife's LF2XT, am considering getting the LF5XT for the following reasons:
1. wider hotspot with smoother transition from hotspot to spill than the QAAw
2. ability to check battery voltage without a DMM or even having to pull the battery out of the flashlight.
3. no twisting the head of the flashlight during normal operation.

It turns out that the quark hotspot is so intense that it can be awkward to use the flashlight for close up work. It also turns out that I don't depend on my EDC in situations where throw is important, so the beam of the quark, while beautiful, is less appealing to me than the LF5XT's beam.

Back to the original topic, my EDC history is pretty basic. My wife bought me a purple 2AA minimag about 10 years ago that I got into the habit of wearing on my belt (before this light, the only lights I owned were maglite 3D or 4D lights for each car and under the kitchen and bathroom sinks). I upgraded it a couple of times using different NiteIze LED upgrades and tailswitches, but finally decided that I wanted something small enough that I could hold it easily between my lips to free up both hands (the minimag was too long/heavy for this type of use).

After a couple months of research (this is when I discovered CPF), I narrowed down my short list to the D10, QAAw, and LF5XT. I chose the QAAw because I figured that if I didn't like the light, I could use the accessories that came with it with either of the other lights. Turns out I really do like the QAAw, but am playing with the idea of either replacing it with a LF5XT (for the reasons mentioned above) or supplementing it with a H501w.

--flatline

Click to expand...

it hasn't been all that long since my D10 R2 (w/blue trit) replaced my EX10 Q5 as my main EDC, and i expected the D10 to be my EDC for years. the liteflux just blows it away IMHO. the progammability/UI and the beam are just perfect for me. and with the D10 clip, it goes right in the same place my D10 went. i say get it; it's amazing!

berry580 said:

Date. Flashlight
?/07? Maglite Solitaire (???)
?/07? Maglite 3D LED (In my car)
10/08 Jetbeam Jet-I MKII R (Gifted)
10/08 Jetbeam Jet-I PRO EX V2.0 (Sold)
11/08 iTP C7 Tactical (Gifted)
11/08 Fenix E01 (Gifted)
12/08 Fenix L0D (Gifted)
04/09 Fenix P1D (Gifted)
05/09 Regalight EDC DX (Broken)
05/09 iTP C6 Tactical (Shelf queen)
05/09 Nitecore EX10 Q5 (Sold)
06/09 Fenix LD01 SS (Gifted)
06/09 iTP C7 Regular (Gifted)
06/09 Fenix E01 Purple (Gifted)
07/09 Titanium EX10 (Sold)
07/09 AAA Killer Ti 90mA w/ TiCN (EDC'ed neckchain)
08/09 iTP EOS Upgraded (Shelf queen)
08/09 Fenix L1D Q5 (Shelf queen)
0X/09 Nitecore Defender Infinity Q5 (Lost during shipping?)

(We all know whats happening below ^^)
XX/09 Quark AA Titanium LE
XX/09 Quark 123² Titanium LE
XX/09 Quark AA² Ti Tactical TE
XX/09 Quark 123 Titanium LE

As you can see, I don't have much flashlights myself. Not sure whether i can be considered as a flashaholic or not....

Click to expand...

funny; i can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not about not having many lights, but i know from my own experience that anytime anyone learns of how many lights i own, they always get this look on their face(s) like, "say wha?".

it always amuses me what we on CPF consider not that much. all perspective i guess.

me, i know i don't have enough. just a few more should do it, right?

Arc AAA
Jill CR2
Fenix P1
Peak Caribbean
Amilight Neo T5
SureFire old L1
SureFire E1e stock
new SureFire L1
SureFire E1e with several LF assemblies
SureFire A2 Aviator Red
Muyshondt Aeon Black-HA

For years I EDC'd an incan minimag, then I switched to Solitaires because they are smaller and I could clip them to my SAK. Then a couple years ago I switched to a Dorcy Spyder. I picked up a G2 two years ago, but couldn't EDC it for size, then I got serious about Surefires. I'm up to ten and have tried several E series lights for EDC before finally settling on an E1B with Defender TC as my current EDC.

MY SFs:
G2 black
E1E
E1B (silver and black)
E1L
E2D
E2DL
L1
L4
6PDL

The L1 and E1L are serious contenders for my EDC purposes, but I prefer the UI on the E1B and E1L, and the E1B wins for its clip and output. I know, I know, a lot of folks here prefer the UI on the L1 and I can appreciate why, but the E1B UI just suits me better. Plus it looks really cool with a Defender TC which allows for tail standing and lanyards that attach at the rear.

My other EDC is a Streamlight Nano which is clipped to my Wenger SAK. That style of EDC goes back to the days when my EDC was a Solitaire clipped to the same knife.

When I go into the city, I also carry my E2DL. A toothy kubotan that can momentarily blind an assailant.

I have several lights made by other manufacturers that I use and enjoy on a regular basis, but there's something about a Surefire that keeps me plunking down the big bucks.