Love at first light, What was yours?

I remember the first time I saw a Spy 007. I was in awe of its beauty and how unique it was. I hadn't seen any flashlight so "State of the Art" before. I knew from that day I had to have one. I have spent many hours searching and have enjoyed a lot of other flashlights. I'm still looking for my 007, maybe some day soon? What flashlight started your passion? Did you get and keep yours?

I remember years ago, I was in the walmart flashlight aisle and came across a rayovac sportsman xtreme 1watt aa flashlight. I was on the way to a hunting trip with my brother and my dad. My dad bought the light for me.

At the time I had never heard of surefire, fenix, etc... This aluminum flashlight was awesome to me. It felt ridiculously solid, and I thought it was the coolest flashlight ever. It was fairly bright and had a good runtime. And, at the time I thought the 18 dollars or so plus tax was kinda pricey for a flashlight. It may not have been a spy, or some other super awesome flashlight. But, this is the light that really peaked my interest and brought me here to the forums.

Now I remember playing with some maglites we used to have when I was a kid, but this the one that really started it off. I just had to find out more about quality flashlights. Unfortunately, I lost the flashlight not to much long after. Now I have many other lights that I really like, maybe someday i'll come across one somewhere and get it just for kicks.

Moving this to General Flashlight Discussion...

For me it was stumbling randomly across a webpage showing a modded HID spotlight. I knew I had to have one. Then I found CPF, and the treasure trove of information within. I built the light, posted it, and was hooked.

I first saw the SF 6P in the early to mid 90's and KNEW I had to have one. Ok, so I bought two (6P's) and a 9P (in 1995), people thought I was carrying the sun! LOL! How times have changed. Now the spoiled kids here aren't happy unless they are blinding everyone (including themselves) with their lights (that are mostly a waste of light/money & a way to show-off, nothing more, IMMHO).

My .02 FWIW YMMV

My brother in law bought me a red minimag for Christmas about 10 years ago and I thought it was the best light ever. So pretty and shiny.

It's got a nitize drop-in with iQ switch and gets used now and then when something else is not within reach. It'll never leave my collection.

Well, back in the dark days before I'd discovered CPF and the black hole in my wallet, I had many torches, mostly whatever I could get from the local shops and hardware stores etc; a few Mags of various sizes, one Surefire 6P, which I could barely afford to fuel, and a few early led lights, a gerber infinity ultra, maybe a cybalight hybrid - you get the idea. When I came across Pocketlights.com ( now ended in less than satisfying circumstances ) and looking through the Longbows, Eternalights and CMG Reactors I saw a picture of the ARC LSP - a tiny bullet shaped and desirable hunk of HA green that quite captivated my soul.

The price tag was so high it hurt to even think about it. My fingers tingled at the thought of spending $200 on something so insignificant as a torch. What would my wife think? You spent that on THAT!!! How could I even bring myself to use it in public? Or carry something so valuable?

It would have been a pure indulgence of a sort that would tally with the most gross imaginable. Feeding my demon etc. But I tought of a way I could have it guilt free and family friendly.

So that year my brother-in-law was charged with securing me this light on behalf of everybody in the family - my only birthday present - they would all club together and get it. He was chosen because he was aware of the arcane craft of internet purchasing (it was a long time ago after all - I was a complete virgin in the realm of cyberspace) and also liked a torch or two.

Trouble is, and I'm not being ungrateful or unappreciative or anything, BUT....The owner of pocketlights talked him out of the ARC LSP and into buying the latest version - an ARC +4!

Ok, I know it was more versatile and had a load of features - it was the first time I found out how useless strobes were for me. I do still like my ARC +4 and what it means to me sentimentally - I will never part with it.

But I had my heart set on the LSP - and no matter how hard I tried, the ARC +4 just wasn't the same. What made it worse was that ARC went bust and ceased trading shortly after that and I could see my dream slipping away.

Eventually, after I had joined CPF, I did acquire a lovely ARC LSP on BST - and many other ARCs of varying outputs and battery sizes. They are still my out and out favourite lights when all's said and done. This is probably due to that first crushing disappointment on my Birthday.

Not sure what this proves, maybe I'm just an ungrateful git, but ARC did, at that time, make a superlative and desirable light that was way better than most led lights on the market. At least to me.

Peak's Brass offerings are what lured me in.

and yes, saw the spy 007 and had to have that too..but by then i was
already hooked.

I grew up (and continue) working in theatres, backstage. I always had a minimag when working, with a bit of blue gel over the lens to dim it even further . Then one day I found a Princeton Tec Blast, which was so much brighter, and smaller, I thought I'd found the answer, despite the horrific runtime, and bulb life.

That's when I discovered flashlightreviews.com, CPF, and Surefire. When the first U2 was announced, I wanted it more than anything, but being unemployed, and just in my teens, there was no way I could afford it.

I started lurking on CPF, which must be some sort of record, as I lurked for about 6 years before actually getting an account. After a while, I finally got a L2D. That's what really kicked my habit off. Now I've got about half a dozen various Surefires (including that original U2, which I wanted for over half a decade before finally getting one), and half a dozen various other lights.

Needless to say, lovecpf, but especially of late, boy has my wallet hated it!

Since I was old enough to hold one I've always had a fascination for flashlights. I remember being in my orthodontists office, I must have been around 10 years old. I was leafing through a magazine and came across a Surefire add for, what I would imagine was the E2D. It was love at first sight.
I continued to buy Maglites and similarly inexpensive lights.
Fast forward to 2008, i was browsing a "what's in your pocket" thread on an automotive website. A lot of people had Surefire lights. I found out that I had a few local dealers nearby, I stopped in and left with the E2D.

The only other light that I instantly fell in love with and knew I had to have was Mac's SST-50 EDC.

Eveready Big Jim.

Surefire A2 and McLux

The picture of the Nitecore D10 Tribute on the D10 tribute thread. That was the light that got me hooked on this crazy flashlight addiction. Then I saw a pics of the SF C2-HA in the C2-HA addict thread. That got me hooked even more. And THEN I saw pics of the Haiku XP-G. *sigh*

My love @ first light was the 4Sevens Preon 2. It was a gift to me and I love that light. For my uses it is about perfect. I will even go far enough to say that if I could only have and use one light then the Preon 2 would be it for me.

jamesmtl514 said:

Since I was old enough to hold one I've always had a fascination for flashlights. I remember being in my orthodontists office, I must have been around 10 years old. I was leafing through a magazine and came across a Surefire add for, what I would imagine was the E2D. It was love at first sight.
....

Click to expand...

My story is similar I would always see that light in magazines & thought it was the coolest looking light ever made (this was at a time when I only had Rayovac 2D lights).

Now over 10 years later, I haven't purchased an E2DL, yet.

Purple minimag AA. Then later upgraded to terralux drop-in.

All my early lights were 2D plastic lights with a magnet on the side and a sliding switch. Best early lights were Dolphin torches/lanterns... but about 1988 or some time around then, my friends older brother had a Mag4D... it was glorious!

Anyways, my first "good" light (this is Australia, so mags are still expensive) was the Mag4D, this was probably the light that got me interested, but what finally hooked me and really kept me was my first Malkoff... Since then, nothing has given me the OMG WOW factor... and yes, I am never getting rid of it

Surefire E2e couple decades ago. The L4 Lumamax was my first LED maybe a decade later. (Still have both and they're still running.)
THEN I discovered CPF. CPF led to HDS/Ra, Muyshondt and recently, Malkoff.
All were "Love at first light". :twothumbs

Streamlight Scorpion LED. I like the design of the anti-roll part on the bezel. Classic. While the tube is simple, offers firm grip and comfortable hold

Great Thread !


However, we've already covered this in a Previous Thread.




Here is my contribution to THAT one :


https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1910137&postcount=86


I'm really showing my AGE here !

:candle: