Please - someone - anyone - talk me out of an SR90

Hi everyone,

I have a big birthday coming up next month and I really have an urge to buy an SR90 (or something similar).

Now, I really want to get one of these lights as they look pretty phenomenal from all the pics I've seen of them. But I think all I'll do is take it outside a couple of times, think WOW that is amazing and that is it.

I have no practical purpose for the light - I don't need it for work and I live in a well-lit area of my city. It is also nearly the equal of one mortgage payment.

But I really want one for some reason I can't put my finger on.

I did think of meeting myself half-way and getting a Catapult as a compromise. But I know that deep-down I'll still be thinking - "y'know that SR90 has about 3 times as many lumens as this" and I'll still want to get one of those too.

Someone - please help me

Face

Well...I do live in the boonies and I benefit from this light. But I find myself taking it outside for no apparent reason and list lighting up the place. The light is pretty amazing indeed. And it IS a lot of money for a flashlight!!!

Just buy it, after you buy a few $400 flashlights it will become second nature

I had something similar with my WiseLED Tactical, I lasted about 2 weeks before giving in and I don't regret it for a minute.

I don't really have a need for it and I don't use it all that often but when I do it always brings a to my face. I think the SR90 would do the same for you.

Even if you do go and get something else, you'll just end up buying the SR90 eventually. I say save some cash and get it now.

Well, if reading your post doesn't talk you out of it I don't know what will.
What else could you do with that money?

Happy Birthday!

Sorry I cant really help you, I got to play with one yesterday and dont think I can talk myself out of one. Its an awesome light.

Face said:

But I really want one for some reason I can't put my finger on.

Someone - please help me

Face

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I can't talk you out of it, because after having one in my hand.....I want it real bad also. The only reason guys like you and I would even buy one though is the factor, and for bragging rights.

Here are a couple videos I made for the guys at LightJunction.com. They need a video camera with a more sensitive sensor for the outdoor night videos, but you'll see why I want the SR90 so bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpII1WriKas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YJwnXJjef4

Snap out of it man! Spending $400 on a flashlight is absurd. Think about all the other things you could do with that money. Go on a nice vacation or just a really nice dinner at a weekend getaway with the wife, or have a rager in Vegas with friends without the wife.
Buy 1000 rounds of ammo for your favorite gun or if you don't have a gun go buy a gun. Seriously that's a lot of money to be blowing on something that isn't needed.
And the tint looks so blue in the pics I've seen. Plus, you could get a couple realy nice pocketable lights for under 400 and still have a wow factor. Get yourself a ra clicky and and an MD4. Bet you actually them instead of that behemoth that you have to lift weights regularly to be able to bring with you.



Hope this helps you!

One more thing. If you decide you have to scatch the itch you can always resell in the marketplace at a discount.

Well, if you want reasons not to buy it, posting here probably isn't the best idea .

You can always try for a Maglite SST 90 mod.

I'm with dirtech, Snap out of it. Sure buy yourself something nice but keep the costs reasonable. There is no point in buying something that expensive if you will hardly use it, you are virtually throwing the money away because you feel you must spend it.

Do something diferent like take a helicopter ride with the wife to somewhere, buy a nice watch that you might wear. Just spend it on something that you can either treasure or use every day

Or spend 1/3rd of it on yourself and 2/3rds on the wife to give her something to treasure too.

Just dont spend that amount of money on a flashlight.



Ps I understand I will be marked as a heretic on the forum for these comments or that this is a test to weed out non 100% flashaholics

Get a Stanley HID spotlight for 1/8th the cost, that'll put out more light, and throw twice as far.

It's not like the Olight is really portable...might as well get the real deal HID.

Face said:

But I think all I'll do is take it outside a couple of times, think WOW that is amazing and that is it.

I have no practical purpose for the light - I don't need it for work and I live in a well-lit area of my city.


Face

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That's the biggest reason why you shouldn't do it.

I've got the same problem with living in the city. Lots of streetlights, everything's pretty well lit up at night except for occasional dark patches between streetlights. Before buying my TK30, I had the same thoughts as yours above. I went ahead and got it, and except for a trail walk, the light has been sitting on my closet shelf because it's just too friggin' bright to be used on a city street without disturbing people and/or attracting waaay too much attention. And that's only 600-ish lumens, as opposed to the SR90's 2000-ish.

Nothing more frustrating than spending a bunch of money on an item and then not having a use for it.

(though I still hope to get more use out of my TK30 when camping, if the mother-f-wording pollen will ever go away so I can go back outside again!)


Anyway, I vote don't do it, because with the advancement of the XP-Gs and new MX leds, you'll soon be able to buy a stupidly bright light that'll fit in your pocket for a heck of a lot less money than 400 something bucks.

My 2c.

Face said:

I have no practical purpose for the light - I don't need it for work and I live in a well-lit area of my city. It is also nearly the equal of one mortgage payment.

Face

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+1 with dirtech and squidboy. That's a lot of scratch for a light that you "have no practical purpose" for and which may end up just being a novelty item for you. I'm sure it would satisfy the flashaholic in you, but unless you plan on using it on a regular basis...it'll just make it a very expensive paperweight.

From my experience, I've bought the novelty lights that just end up sitting on my shelf and eventually end up getting sold on ebay at a discount. So, save yourself a couple hundred dollars and get yourself a more practical Catapult, M2S, M30, etc. that you'll actually use on a regular basis...:thumbsup: Just my 2 cents.

Well, I'm not too keen on trying to talk a person out of something they really want, especially in a situation such as this where I'd like to see Olight continue to be rewarded financially for taking a risk and making a substantial investment in creating an incredible flashlight that further (and significantly) pushes the envelope of what is possible with handheld LED illumination. This first production ready offering of a full power SST-90 torch has indeed set the performance bar high, and I suspect that as a result, we consumers will reap the benefits greatly as other manufacturers are now realizing the level of innovation that will be required to compete in this market space.

With all that being said, however, if the goal is still to dissuade you from making this purchase, I suppose the best rationale I could come up with would be the standard admonition of the technology era - why don't you save your money for now, wait 6 or 8 months and then see what's available. I don't think this would be good advice at all for someone currently looking to purchase a high end 1xCR123 light because it's likely that the advancements in that form factor will continue to be incremental for the forseeable future. But with the SR-90 being the first to market in this niche, it will be interesting to see how the other manufacturers will respond.

Portability is obviously the biggest downside of the SR-90. It's possible, therefor, that another manufacturer, or maybe even Olight themselves, could develop a smaller light of similar output that is designed to run on high for maybe only 50 minutes instead of the almost hour and a half that the SR-90 offers. Safe chemistry batteries with high discharge rates have increasingly been introduced in the past year. Perhaps these will be able to enhance the performance of such a torch. It seems that Peak may be looking in this direction. And since a light as powerful as an SR-90 will likely see most of its use outside, an emitter with a warmer color temperature will be a welcome improvement for most folks.

Bottom line - it just might be worthwhile waiting a bit and seeing what Peak, 4Sevens and other manufacturers are able to come up with to answer the awesome SR-90.

It's "ginormous", costs a lot, and you admit you have absolutely no need for what it can do.

To me that sounds like you are spending $450 on a paperweight.

Edit: and HID beat me to the paperweight comment

Get two, one for each hand.

as was already stated, you could always sell it if you do truly find you never use it.

Sounds like your mind is already made up!! I bet you are someone who likes his toys!!!! This is just that, I have no regrets buying this light. I take it to work with me for practical use but honestly so far, it has been something to play with while drinking beer on the deck!!! I LOVE IT!!!!! If you want it, BUY IT. You can always turn around and put it in the marketplace. Once you have it though, I bet you won't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, spend about half the money on an HID that's twice as bright.

Why would you want the most impressive, spectacular and high powered led flashlight that has been made so far?

selfbuilt's review shows that it is extremely well machined with immaculate regulation for 90+ minutes at 2200 lumens.

Its a cinch to charge and the UI is very staightforward.

The low level is equivalent to the high on the other high-powered led flashlights out there for 7 hours of uninterrupted 700 lumens output.

Why on earth would you want it?

LOL .... your asking in the wrong place

tx101 said:

LOL .... your asking in the wrong place

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Well put.

It's true, I am very impressed with the quality, output and regulation of the SR90. But I am also mindful of the financial cost of being on the "bleeding edge," especially for those of us in well-lit urban environments (aw, shucks! ).

In that vein, I would point out that the OP's suggestion of a Thrunite Catapult (at ~1/3 the cost and output, and an even lower multiple of weight) is a very attractive compromise. And you could still splurge on a nice dinner out or maybe a weekend getaway with the missus ...

EDIT: Just checked with Mrs Selfbuilt, and she suggests going for the SR90! As she put it, it's one heck of a cool flashlight - who cares if you don't actually need it for anything. And if it was the light I wanted for my 40th, she'd be happy to get it for me. Now you see why I'm a happily married man. :kiss: