Any logic to the lights that you own?

I have, one each, lights using a single AAA, AA, Cr123, and 18650 battery, Including among those are XP-G,XP-C,XR-E emitters (MC-E dive light as well).

As far as how each is used, I have a small pocket carry, a little bigger pocket carry and a coat pocket carry. Two primary cells and rechargeable for the bigger light.

This would include an average flood/throw combinations and one more for just throw.

A specialty light would be a neck worn ramping light.

I have both a green and a red laser pointer (ultimate throwers).

None of my lights now have strobe unless it's "hidden" nor do they have crenelated bezels or clips. I only have 1 single mode light (R2 thrower).

Anything with a clicky and a standard button now has a green button cover.

This is how I think of my lights, why I have them, and what the common thread is.

Is there rhyme nor reason to your lights or is there an underlying logic (even if only you can see it) to your lights?

To me, flashlights are like rifles, although they don't have nearly as much potential to be lethal, most of them serve a purpose. I choose the one that has certain characteristics that will benefit the task at hand (unless I'm not around my lights, then I use my EDC).

I relate this to a rifle because I do the same thing with a rifle, I choose the one that best suits the task at hand; some are better at one thing than another and vise versa.

After about $1,000 and many months of research (and buying), things are finally making sense with my collection.

I'm down to two types of lights: small EDC's that can fit comfortable in my jeans pocket or jacket. Then larger weapon mountable tactical lights with great throw. I just sold all the others that don't fit into those categories.

It just so happens my EDC RCR123 also has an adapter to take common AA batteries so it's good for a SHTF situation as well.

My logical progression started after I got sick of the el'cheapo lights packing it in after only a few months of use.

So I bought an 4D Maglite which in Australia are the benchmark quality light (better than an Eveready Dolphin). I've still got it though it has a P7 pushing out lotsa lumens now.

Then I realised it wasn't a very good EDC (though I did try) and got a Niteize led and iq switch for a minimag that had been laying around for years.

This was lacking in the lumens dept. so I bought a Nitecore EX10 SP and it goes literally everywhere I do.

Not content with only having this many lights I ventured also to purchase a Fenix TK40, TK20, E20, Nitecore SR3, Quark 2AA Tactical, Qmini AA, another EX10SP (for r'on), another 4D maglite (for Mac's MC-E dropin), and have ordered a HP10, Quark AA Tactical and am hoping to afford an SR90 by August.

Once this is done I am wanting to purchase a Surefire (just to experience what all the fuss is about), thinking E2L.

Err... it never ends.

LOL, ok, here's my logic.

Say I own N number of lights. Repeat after me, "N is none. N+1 is one".

See the logic? :thinking:

Well, on a more serious note, I think most of us are hobbyists, so the kinds of lights we collect probably change as our tastes change and as our tolerance to let our wallets lighten increases. People into lights more for disaster preps or for work (like police, maybe) probably have more fixed ideas about what to get and a more coherent way of selecting lights. But that's just IMHO. :tinfoil:

It logical to me, the more I get the more I want...this also applies to a few other things in life.

Finding the perfect light...

Read a review and buy another light. It's the trend here in CPF

When everything you need is covered another better light is waiting to empty your pockets.

It Just never ends, that's why some people think where crazy.

There's no logic at all to my collection. Once upon a time I did consider gaps in coverage as an excuse for new or certain lights. All bases have long since been covered. Now many of my purchases make no sense at all, except for the fun of it.

Geoff

So far I just get them for work, but I use the same ones for pretty much everything. I do however have a headlight that I use for geocaching (keeping my hands free for writing in the log and generally just handling the caches). I also want a good keychain light but that will be a little bit down the road

Oh I just want that brighter beam. I first bought a Thrunite XP-G 1.5A dropin mostly because I didn't want to wait 2 weeks with an empty 6P host while waiting for Nailbender to get some SST-50s in stock.

The SST-50 really rubbed me the right way with that fat hotspot, but still left me somewhat disappointed when I pointed it in the mirror and it didn't even make me want to look the other way, it left me with the impression that it simply wasn't bright enough.

So I went for a Malkoff M60 thinking that the optic with a Cree XPE would give me an intense enough hotspot to satisfy my needs. But a quick wall bounce with that proved beyond all doubt that the beam is dimmer in every way compared to my SST-50. Even at a distance the beam is harder to see.

Thus this time around I'm thinking about going for pure raw lumens with an SST-90.

You just have to make sure The One True EDC is covered, the rest don't have to make sense.

For me I'm pretty selective in my light purchases so I'm nowhere near the point of just buying lights to collect them. So far all of my purchases are based on sticking to AA batteries. One of my hobbies is traveling and I always need lights when I leave home. All of my electronics that I travel with operate on AA batteries except for my cell phone. (I really hate proprietary batteries that are spreading like wildfire in the electronics industry.) One of my other hobbies is photography and I never leave home without my Nikon F100 SLR and my Nikon SB23 speedlight. They both operate on, you guessed it, AA batteries. Thus, when I leave town, I only need AA batteries and my AA battery charger. In emergencies when I need batteries for my lights, I just pull some out from my camera bag where they are always charged and ready to go.

That's why when the Fenix TK40 came out, I knew that I just had to have it. Now it goes with me on the road and it never goes hungry with plenty of Eneloop and Duraloop batteries always along for the ride.

In my travels around the world, I take particular notice of what kinds of batteries are sold in the local shops. AAs are *always* plentiful so hence they are all that my light purchases are centered around.

I'm a minimalist.....But I have about a dozen lights I'm working on narrowing down to a few. I try to find the best light in each of my categories and eliminate down to the minimum. Same with guns. I find that the "categories" are all based on size and range. I have lights and handgun pairs that fit my Jeans pocket, Jacket pocket, heavy coat pocket, fanny pack, and open carry. If a gun/light will do more than one category thats great. If I could do everything with one light then that to me would be perfection. If I could do the same with my handguns ditto. I've recently narrowed down my handgun collection to 2. A Ruger LCP, and a Glock 32 with 4" barrel, 5.3" barrel, and 9mm conversion barrel with threading for a suppressor. A TLR-2 hangs on the rail at night.

Always before buying a light I have to have a reason for myself to own this specific light. So I don't have two lights for the same reason if that happens one has to go.

rayman

My logic for lights that I own is strictly battery type. CR123A/Li-ion equivalent to be specific. Around the house I use 17670 or 18650 lithiums for guilt-free lumens in my M1X, TK11, and P20C2. When traveling, I switch completely to non-rechargeable lithiums. Easier to pack a single battery type. In an emergency, you can take the two CR123A's out of the higher powered lights and use them in the single 123A lights for extended runtimes.

When traveling, I usually carry one high-powered search light (M1X), one general use light (TK11 or P20C2), and one smaller EDC pocket light (EX10), and one headlamp (Zebralight H30) along with spare 123As depending on the length of the trip. This setup covers pretty much all of my lighting needs which keeping things simple and relatively light.

StarHalo said:

You just have to make sure The One True EDC is covered, the rest don't have to make sense.

Click to expand...

AMEN

I have limited logic, "Here's a better light for an application for which I already own a light or here's a new application." I don't buy lights just to have them and try to move past the old ones, but I have to admit growing attached to a few.

Most of the lights I own pretty much suck except for the one that I came up with by trolling these forums... jetbeam rrt-0.

(I'm a service technician) My reasoning for purchasing it was to minimize space in my toolkit as well as upgrade my (handy, but not so great) key chain light. My toolkit light was a streamlight twintask 2d and my key chain light was a leatherman monarch 300.

The upgrade was much needed and I deeply thank CPF for convincing me to upgrade from what I had owned previously.

I am pretty open to all designs. Rechargeable cell capability is an absolute must. Unfortunately this rules out some of the most popular fenix, and surefire EDCs. Alkaline only designs are also off my list. I am also done with 3AAA lights. I've tried them over and over, only to be burned.

My logic is to run 123A batteries for all normal / duty use lighting needs. This I have 123A throwers, floody, combination beams, headlamps, and a fairly powerful Coleman ultralight lantern. That way I need to carry only one very small and lightweight type of spare battery no matter which combination of lights I am carrying. Most of my EDC lights are either multi power for longevity or if single power offer at least a respectable two hours of run time.

For armageddon on the run use I have four of 4Seven's AA powered MiNis and as a final fallback two direct drive AA Inova X1 Gen2 and four nine volt packlite style lights. When all else fails you can always rob smoke detectors and remote controls. I should add that I also have two Streamlight Stylus Pros in there as well.

There are also three D Cell powered maglites converted to LEDs that provide absolutely insane run times for home use.