What do you guys do with all your flashlights?

What do you guys do with all your flashlights? Like, I get the obsession with flashlights. I love flashlights myself, but I'm a student (read: little $$) and just getting into it. I have a bunch of junk LED lights and a Fenix TK10 which I just recently got. So my question is, how do you use your different LED flashlights?

I'm comfortable in my role as a geek, so I have no problem wearing several flashlights on my belt. However, I'm sure most people don't. Do you pick a certain flashlight depending on where you'll be heading? Or do you carry several?

I guess my question is just a more general inquiry of how you use your different flashlights, and how having different types is useful.

Oh yea, hello everyone; I've been reading here for a long time but it's my first post :twothumbs

Very good question. I don't live in an especially dark area, don't hunt, don't have a dog to walk, don't go for night bike rides, and am not a firefighter or night watchman. Except for my two EDC flashlights, they mostly gather dust.

I use a low setting for moving around the bedroom since my wife goes to sleep before me. Occasionally I have use for the pocket EDC lights too. Some get used around the yard at night. Sometimes I used a flashlight to find things in darkened areas of the house, like under the desk or in the garage. I also have used them for camping and that was just great. I also have one in my glove compartment. However, do I need 18 + flashlights for this? Well, you know the answer. I do rotate using them and there are slight differences in which I use for each occasion. I could probably get away with just 5 or 6 versatile lights, but an addiction is an addiction. The latest clever light is like a magnet.

Yeah, I used to make fun of all the flashaholic geeks on here that had multiple lights. Now I've more lights than I know what to do with.

The biggest trick is not how to carry them all at the same time. No, it's how to hide them from your wife.

1 on the keychain. A few fauxtons in my bag to give out. Somtimes a second small 1 cell light for a brighter edc. One on the nightstand for various late night illuminations. A thrower and a floodlight on the shelf for whenever they are needed. A few more cheapo lights to lend out or for spreading the sickness.

Billy Berue said:

The biggest trick is not how to carry them all at the same time. No, it's how to hide them from your wife.

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+1,000,000

I give her my old keychain lights though when I upgrade and she likes them. Also GF not wife, but same thing applies. And hey, none of her shoes help anyone see in the dark. Not yet at any rate....mwahahaha

Iamdabobo said:

What do you guys do with all your flashlights? ........
I've been reading here for a long time but it's my first post :twothumbs

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:welcome:

If this is your first thread started, I think you may have hit a homerun. Great question you have submittted to all these flashaholics here.

I always have a small powerful 1-aaa light (Fenix LOD) in my left hand pants pocket. I use it at least a dozen times a day, especially now that it gets dark at 5 PM here.

I don't think that it is so much how many lights you carry on you, but how many lights you have readily stashed in likely areas, such as in the car, garage, basement, suitcase, and drawers everywhere in the house.

I sell a lot of them in the CPF Marketplace, so I usually only have a few at any one time. Of those, one usually has bedside duty, one is the general house light, and one becomes my favored travel light (usually whatever AA light I have in circulation). The house light or bedside light might also double as a night walking light. I also currently have a closet light. Oh, and a MagLED in the car.

Once upon a time I just had "a flashlight" -- and I could never find that flashlight when I needed it. Now I have a flashlight for every occasion. That's part of the lesson in becoming a flashaholic -- you learn there is no single light that will do everything, and it's downhill from there

:welcome:

I am in Security and my life and others depends on my wits and my gear and when it comes to flashlights that make the bat belt, it has to be tough and bright. I carry a Surefire C2 in V70 holster and Z2 holstered in V85a both with Malkoff M60 modules running off of AW 17670 cells and plenty of spares. I also keep a Mag 3D with Malkoff XP-G module in my duty bag. Not to mention when I start and end my shifts now since it is dark at the beginning and ends of my shift I also carry my Malkoff MD4 Wildcat:rock:. Usually I have a vital gear FB2 with Malkoff VME head and M60 outside of work or today my Quark 18650 tactical. It really depends on the situation, but I can promise you that my flashlight that I carry throughout the day will get used at some point :candle:

Iamdabobo said:

What do you guys do with all your flashlights? ....

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:welcome: Welcome aboard, Iamdabobo.

Most daytimes, I carry a 1AA or 1xCR123A flashlight in a shirt pocket and a 1AAA light as a backup.

For my nightly walk after dark, I replace the shirt pocket flashlight with 2 larger, more powerful flashlights. I live in a rural area without street lights and prefer to remain aware of the surroundings as I walk. I bring 2 lights in case the batteries in one run down, a situation which has happened two or three times in the past few months.

I use a small flashlight indoors at night when most lights are off to avoid awaking the family.

A small keychain light or two go with me as giveaways should I meet someone who is in need.

Hi and welcome

I have a Fenix P1D on my key chain which gets used occasionally whenever I don't have another light with me.
I EDC a Fenix TK11 R2 for work mainly and also out and about stuff where I don't want a bulky light.
I keep a maglite 3D LED in my van door pocket. My Tiablo A9 is my rifle lamp or for when I'm out walking and I need a bit more range than my TK11 but still want a small light. I have various incans that get little use but make good night vision illuminators with a bit of pass filter over the front.
I have a mag style HID light that gets rarely used as it is just too big to carry around but throws a wall of light if needed.

I have yet to buy a multi die emmiter light and don't really need one but it would fill the gap between my LED and HID light.

Steve.

The number of things I use my EDC for (Romisen RC-N3 II) would be way too big of a list to type.

My 6P/M60 on the other hand is more of a shelf queen, or rather a pocket queen. I do carry it with me anytime I go out at night, but it's mainly there for the rare times I really need serious light, or as a potential last ditch defense tool, and as a spare battery holder for the EDC.

I'm more of a "lightaholic" than "flashlightaholic" - I do like having good lighting tools, but I will never collect flashlights as a hobby. I plan on getting a Malkoff Wildcat at some point, then maybe a Quark, and a Photon Rex. MAYBE a real cannon of an HID for fun too, but at that point I really don't see myself buying more lights, at least until what I own becomes seriously outdated.

I don't have a big collection so, at least so far, all my lights still have a purpose.

The Quark AAw is my most flexible light and performs backup duty for every other light I own. I almost never use it since for most uses, I have another light that I prefer for that particular use, but it's the only light I have that can do everything well. If I travel, it's usually the light I take with me.

The LF5XT is my nightstand light. I use it inside the house late at night. It's lowest low is brighter than the Quark's, but it doesn't seem that way since it's a much floodier beam. It's lack of throw and cool tint make it uncomfortable to use outside, but it's great indoors.

The Photon Freedom Micro with red LED and covert nose is my reading light when my wife is asleep.

The MG L-mini II is on my belt whenever I put clothes on and is my primary EDC. I love the 5C tint outdoors and indoors and the long runtimes I get on a single 18650. The size and weight are extremely comfortable in the hand, but it's unnoticeable on my belt.

The warm MG PLI is for when I'm outside in the dark with others. It lets me light the way for *everybody*. Also useful for lighting up the back yard at night (the L-mini doesn't have the oomph to light up a full acre lot).

The rest of my lights are mostly to have as loaners to other people (family, friends, coworkers) should the need arise: ITP AAA on my keychain, 4D maglite with dim but super long running Nite Ize LED upgrade in the kitchen, variable output 2AA Energizer lithium light in the car, and some 3AAA 9-LED lights with lithium batteries stashed anywhere I have a fire extinguisher and first aid kit.

I don't have any shelf queens yet (I do not consider emergency lights to be shelf queens, even if they're never used), but the next light I buy will probably retire one of my current lights from active use.

--flatline

I've one light on the nightstand which I use at night. being a geocacher (but not a night-cacher), I always have a light in my pocket, 4 in the backpack in case it gets dark. Two lights are in the car, there's one in the basement and one on the upper floor. One more in my coat pocket and one in my office-suitcase, one in the bedroom too. All those are subject to variation, not always the same.

While that sounds like heavy use, it isn't true, most of them are never used and all the other lights are in my showcase. Mostly, the lights only serve for test purposes, to feel and to enjoy them. I also unscrew them often and wonder how dirty the lubing of an unused light looks after 3 months!

The area I live is well-lit too, unfortunately going out for a walk isn't a great occasion to enjoy a flashlight. I would have to take my car and drive to a nearby forest. I guess I should do more night-caches now, that days are short. Nightcaches are great for using different lights, you need flood for the way, throw for reflectors and everything in between to seek for waypoints!

A great question as there are a lot of answers - I think in some cases the answer is "they sit on a shelf" and in some they get rotatated around...

Once upon a time I lived with 3 flashlights (in my post CPF world, we won't discuss the dark ages!) - a Photon Microlight on my key ring as a backup, an HDS B42XRGT as my with me multi purpose utility light and a Streamlight Strion as my high powered light with throw.

Arguably I could do that again albeit with different lights in those roles, but the principle for me is the same - based on my typical uses I could live just fine with my Novatac 120P, Liteflux LF2 and either my Dereelight or 6PL (albeit with a drop in replacing the P60L). But I do have other EDC size lights that serve different purposes depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going - I have to admit that either my E1L or E2L is nice around the house in the evenings as we have a puppy and I like to see what she is doing when I put her out at night - so the TIR optics and throw are helpful. So even within EDC lights depending on what I'm wearing (i.e. how big a light am I willing to pocket that day) and what I'm doing I may carry a different light.

I think much of our relative collections involve various permutations around the conventional flashaholic tradeoff continuum size/output/runtime as well as beam quality issues of spill/tint. If you want a flamethrower you're much better off with a light that isn't the size of a Lummi Wee, at least if you want to run it for more than 30 seconds. And then there are emitter upgrades/updates...

• EDC. I have a Quark 123 with me at all times.
• Second-layer EDC. I have a Maratac 9290, an iTP EOS A3 Upgrade and a Fenix E01 in my laptop bag.
• Third-layer EDC. A Fenix 4in1 Powerpack (a P2D with an L1D body and a diffuser), a couple of fauxtons, a couple of SO-LEDS, and a couple of E01s in my BOB.
• In my wife's BOB.
• At least one per gun safe (two small handgun safes and one larger one).

When I actually think I'm going to need a flashlight, I'll carry a Quark 123^2.

Thanks to CPF lovecpf, I've now got enough flashlights that some aren't used regularly or committed to one of the purposes above. Those I mostly hide from my wife :laughing:.

There is this thread from just a couple weeks ago also...

How do you carry your EDC?


Here is my post from that thread....

I have since added to my EDC line-up a nice little Maratac SS AAA...



And the JETBeam RRT-0...

Nary a day goes by that I don't use one of my flashlights.

In the last 24 hours, I have directed traffic with a Surefire 8X Commander in combination with a Fenix LD10 clipped to my traffic vest on strobe mode. My partner was sick and I had a nighttime traffic gig that is somewhat dangerous. Those two lights got attention.

Early this morning, I used a Nitecore EX10 on it's lowest setting to navigate the house while getting ready for work.

I searched an abandoned house today on the job. And now, I am using a Nitecore EZCR2 to check on my Jamaican jerk pork loins.

Matter of fact, they should be about done.

I take my little Spotlights caving or fishing. They are great for both applications. Plus there is not such a thing as too many flashlights

i live deep in dark woods,

and i mean dark, at night if your outside the house, and you dont have a light, you cant find your own hand.

i have several 400+ lumens lights around the house,

a few 250 lumens in the car

single AAs in the kitchen

one by the bed

and the whole family uses them.

all the time.

these modern leds are such a joy compared to the dim lights i grew up with

every time i switch one on it makes me happy :candle:

i always have my Liteflux LF2XT Titanium with tritium button on me, unless i'm at work, then i carry my Fenix P1D which i just modded with a neutral white emitter. also on my keychain, i've been carrying for years a Fenix LOD-CE with a lithium.

i have another Liteflux LF2XT with tritium button that is my nightstand light and is programmed for its duty.

my trusty Zebralight H501w i just used to rewire the basement and to install a ceiling light in the living room; great for home repairs and camping.

my Fenix TK40 (wish it was warm/neutral) is also on my nightstand (locked out) with a tritium keychain for easy finding, but is also one of my camping/general outside lights.

my Fenix TK20 is one of my camping/general outside lights.

my Fenix P2D Q5 with red filter is now my taillight on my bike with my Dosun M1 bike like for my headlight.

i use a twofish lockblock to hold my Fenix P3D Rebel on my girlfriend's bike and she usually uses that for camping and such, too.

i keep my Fenix LD01 SS (just modded to neutral white) in my shop.

my Fenix olive L0D (purchased already modded neutral white) i keep on my desk in my studio.

put a purple E01 with lithium on my girlfriend's keys

and i have a Fenix natural L0D (modded to neutral white) that sits in the living room.

i also have a maglite 3D LED that sits by the front door and 6D LED that sits in the basement.

...that's about the gist of it for me.