Are CPF'ers too picky?

Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Please pardon me if this is in the wrong forum.

This is NOT a flame, nor is it directed at anyone in particular.

That said, are people here too picky? I am extremely meticulous and hard to please when it comes to the things I use and choose to surround myself with.

It seems that there are people here who are worse than me! I never would have believed it! I enjoy being around people who seem to be as meticulous as me, but when I read of people complaining about "artifacts" in the beam of, say, the CMG Ultra-G, (an $18 light) I kinda have to wonder if they aren't being a little unreasonable.

Even complaints of a slight green/purple/whatever tint in an L4 seems a bit extreme to me, since the tint is, in most cases, only evident when viewed side-by-side with other lights. I can fully understand wanting your money's worth on a $140 light, but unless the LED tint is rather severe, I think its a bit overkill. Not to mention that it really doesn't affect functionality at all.

And to me, complaining about beam artifiacts in an $18 light is a bit absurd; I think its far more important whether it is bright, long-running and reliable, as I believe the CMG's have proven themselves. If your life somehow depended on producing flawless beams on flat white surfaces, I could understand the pickiness, but since that isn't the case, I wonder if people aren't being a bit unreasonable.

Again, I'm a stickler for quality too, but I believe there is a line between quality and getting your money's worth and simply being unreasonable.

Again, this is not a flame, so PLEASE don't take it as such, and don't flame me. I'm just airing some thoughts.

What do you think?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Your fellow flashaholic,
Drjones

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Drjones...
How DARE you sir!!!!!

Nah, just kidding. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I am VERY picky also. Although I dont complain about $18 light beam quality. My problem is, I want more bang for my buck all the time. I always find myself saying,, "thats way too expensive". Even though it may be fairly priced.

Now, one thing I can not stand is, $100+ lights, that have uncentered beams, rings in the beam, or baddly off white.
For example... if my Arc LSH-P wasn't perfect, which it is, I would have a fit, and want a replacement.

I also find myself wanting too many features or charateristics on one light. I want BRIGHT, smooth light, dimmable, small, long runtime, reliable, white light. Well, good luch finding all that in one light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[EDIT] Well, not till the LS4 comes out anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Well, I'm a perfectionist, so you can understand why I do any picky stuff...

Dan

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

I compare all my lights to my LSH-P. Now is this really fair on the other lights? I am very picky now that I have an LSH-P, and I want all my other lights to be as perfect as it is!

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Not TOO picky, just VERY picky. I have no problem with anybody analyzing a light, even a $2.00 one, and I don't consider it complaining when someone offers a critique that informs others of the quality of the product.

If the person is just telling us that the $18 light is imperfect, that's one thing, but if they actually expected it to BE perfect, that's quite another. Didn't see this post you speak of... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Probably better in the CAFE, since we're talking about perfectionism here, and not really flashlights. I'm moving it there now.

Mark me in the perfectionist column - though you'd never know it from my spelling. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Interesting thought. I would say people can be too picky.

Although I would be very picky if I paid say $50 or more for a light.

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

I think pickiness has to do with expectations. Which is partially magnified by advertising. If you buy a $10 light, you expect it to be imprefect, have poor beams, etc...but if you buy a $100 light, and both the company and other people have hyped you up, but you get something less than what you imagined it to be (which is almost always true), then you want to complain or send it back.

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Are CPF'ers too picky--I am, but I can't speak for others here. Sometimes I'm too picky for my own good.

I'm with Hawkhg11 here--If a $10 light is off color and has artifacts, I take it for what it is, a $10 light. If another light that costs nearly 5 times as much looks nearly the same, well, then I sure do get disapointed. I work my *** off for my money and when I pay top dollar, I expect near perfection.

-Jason

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Uhhh...test...

We had (For the second time ever) a wierd phantom double thread where the thread moves but, instead of moving, simply duplicates itself and carries on in 2 forums. It seems to have taken care of itself now but I locked the one in the other forum, so if this one locks itself all the sudden give me a little /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif via eMail and I'll open it back up.

Thanks,
Ryan

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Well look at like this, if we were not picky then we wouldn't have much to talk about. I didn't know there was so much to know about flashlights until I started reading all these picky post. So go ahead guys (do we have any gals?) be as picky as you want to be.

I just checked my crystal ball and it said there was a Streamlight Scorpion in my future. I have been hanging out down there in the ARC section. I was thinking about getting an Arc LS but then I read about the Arc LS5 and decided I would wait a little bit. The Scorpion is definitely going to happen before the Arc. Every year for the past 10 years I spend the two nights in a cemetery during October. No street lights and with all the trees it is dark in there. It's a long story and I am not going into it here. I will say it has nothing to do with Halloween. For the past 2 years I had a female companion with me, that helps. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Every year I have had a military battle lantern and a couple of 3 cell mags to get me through the night. This year I am not going to tote all that heavy crap around. The Scorpion will be my main light and my back up will be a Streamlight 3C TT and a Brinkmann Legend LX. I will also have my 3 EDCs. Guess I am getting picky in my old age. I want something better than a mag even though the mag has always worked.

James

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Well of course we're too picky, that's an acknowledged part of our delightful fanaticism, though ultimately we're feet-on-the-ground pragmatists, at least most of us are.

Perhaps we could be called obsessively idealistic pragmatists.

Brightnorm

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Maybe some of us have seen "near perfection" in some ways in some of our lights. For example the beam of my Arc LS hybrid as even enough and accurate enough in color and intensity that I actually use it as a 'highlight' light in photography ... even if it is just a flashlight. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And yes, I'm more the perfectionist than not.

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

There are $18.00 lights???? hmmmmm

I thought the Arc-AAA was the cheapest light price wise in existance, thought lights averaged about $150.00 each

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

These are the good old days. Yesterday, it was m*glight.

You have a voice, people are listening, things change, albeit slowly. What could be better?

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

DrJones, you make some real good points. As flashaholics, we do tend to be real picky in our lights.

When I am evaluating a light for usefulness, I look at the light on its own merits. I do not impose preconceived notions of what it should be. The Usefulness is according to my needs.

When I buy a light, I do not expect it to be absolutely perfect. I do expect it to have a reliable mechanism, and a reasonably perfect LED (some tint variance expected).

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

[ QUOTE ]
xrayzebra said:
Not TOO picky, just VERY picky. I have no problem with anybody analyzing a light, even a $2.00 one, and I don't consider it complaining when someone offers a critique that informs others of the quality of the product.

If the person is just telling us that the $18 light is imperfect, that's one thing, but if they actually expected it to BE perfect, that's quite another. Didn't see this post you speak of... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, I agree completely: We all depend on honest evaluations of a product so that we know what we're getting.

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

[ QUOTE ]
LightofMine said:
Every year for the past 10 years I spend the two nights in a cemetery during October. No street lights and with all the trees it is dark in there. It's a long story and I am not going into it here. I will say it has nothing to do with Halloween. For the past 2 years I had a female companion with me, that helps. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
James

[/ QUOTE ]

If you thought you could drop THAT on us and get away sans explanation, you suck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif (I mean that in a nice way)
Spending nights in a cemetery?? Looking for Freddy & Jason??

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

isn't that why the motto is "buy both" ?

Re: Are CPF\'ers too picky?

Regarding the $18 Ultra-G (which USED to be $15! grrrrr... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif ) (just kidding)...

...anyway, I'd comment about artifacts in the beam, then go on my merry way continuing to use it several times a day. There is of course such a thing as being too picky, but there's also such a thing as seeing what needs improvement in a particular product despite being happy enough to use it as-is. Every product, regardless of cost, can be improved bit by bit, until it's reached perfection. Of course, the perfection part rarely if ever happens, but that doesn't mean the journey isn't worth taking.