Why are you a flashaholic?

silentlurker

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 6, 2010
Messages
107
Whenever and wherever my friends and colleagues need light, I can provide it, yet they still stare a bit funny at me for having such a fascination with flashlights. At first I wasn't sure why I liked them (flashlights, that is). I like flashlights because it's a reliable tool I can carry to help me when I need it. The sense of being prepared. I also like watching the march of technology. Every new lights means a brighter LED, a more efficient circuit, a streamlined interface (hopefully). It's like the PC industry in the 90's when newer silicon was coming out left and right and I built, overclocked, and tweaked my builds to no end. Maybe this means I should build my own flashlights, but I digress.

What is it about flashlights that keeps you coming back for more?
 

scout24

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
8,869
Location
Penn's Woods
For me, it's the elusive search for perfection... Perfect keychain light. Perfect EDC. Perfect night stand light for middle of the night and getting ready for work. Perfect car light. Perfect outside at night light. You get the idea. :) Preparedness is a big part for me, I've got more batteries than most people would deem reasonable, and a pile of long running, low output lights put aside, as well as some zombie proof ones... Technology and output interest me, but a few of my keepers are a generation or three old, and I'm comfortable with that. It's been a long, fun process, I've settled on a few "perfect" lights, and the search goes on... I hope it never ends.
 

HotWire

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
Messages
1,651
I'm always fixing something and peering into a dark space somewhere.
 

Frankiarmz

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
258
Childhood fear of the dark and a need to be prepared! I have a fascination with flashlights, butane lighters, tactical knives and so forth. I have had a recurring dream/nightmare for years in which I am in a dimly lit house and every lamp or light switch I try fails. I can at least have some control over my waking hours!
 

Napalm

Enlightened
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
735
Location
Canada
I like good quality tools. I'm doing a little bit of woodworking (just for fun) and have realized that good tools not only do the job faster and better, but are also highly pleasurable to use. So from power drills to flashlights I make it a point to choose only the best stuff I can afford.

Nap.
 

ScaryFatKidGT

Enlightened
Joined
May 19, 2011
Messages
918
Yeah I show people a Quark 123 Turbo X and there like... Its a flash light and I'm like But look! and turn it on and there like ok its bright.... its a bright flash light with different modes... $80!!! your crazy I can get one for $15 and they walk away and I face palm ha

and because flash lights are awsome.
 

ragweed

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
711
Location
USA
I have several that fit my needs! No new flashlights bought in a while.
 

burntoshine

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
965
Location
the local group
i've always been fascinated with flashlights in particular. i remember being at summer camp when i was a kid and having about 5 or 6 lights lined up in my tent. like Frankiarmz, i like being prepared; we rely pretty heavily on other people sending electricity to our houses. if the power goes out, i at least want to be able to see. you need to be able to see if you want to do much of anything.

and like scout24 said, it's partly the search for perfection. i buy lights, figure out my preferences, buy duplicates and triplicates of lights i really like; sell ones that aren't for me. it's a fun hobby; constantly tweaking the collection. there was quite a revolt when i realized i loved neutral white tints and started really disliking cool white tints. it was quite a process going from 99% cool white to 100% neutral white. it took a long while, too.

i'm also really into other tiny EDC objects. and i like kershaw speedsafe knives a lot.

it's just like my obsession with bicycling. i've always loved to ride, and when i switched from single speed bmx bikes to geared bikes, and then to some decent mountain bikes, i started riding more and more. now i ride everyday; sometimes multiple times a day. i'm always trying to find obscure, new and interesting places to ride. just like how i tweak my flashlight collection, i'm always tweaking my different bike routes (cutting through woods, parking lots, parks, etcetera). there's so many fun places to ride that most people wouldn't think of; especially if you have a mountain bike that's made for tough riding.

when i discovered how awesome multi-level LED lights could be and all the options and variety there is, i got more into it.
 

Flying Turtle

Flashaholic
Joined
Jan 28, 2003
Messages
6,509
Location
Apex, NC
I think it's always been the "gadget factor", and that flashlights offer relatively cheap thrills. Portable radios get a good deal of my attention, too.

Geoff
 

brembo

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
203
I'll let this statement sum it up:


"Ohhhhhhh shiny!" *drools*
 

lightseeker2009

Enlightened
Joined
Jul 29, 2009
Messages
681
I like them because you do need them. Even the people who don't approve can't argue that even they also sometimes would have loved to have a flashlight handy. Nobody can say without lying that they never needed a flashlight in their life.
I'm 40 years old and only started buying so many lights lets say from 4 years ago. I always had a max of 2 lights, but after having experienched failures I thought of getting better more robust, more modern and more efficient, and more lights:)

My biggest reason for always wanting more than I really need is that I love technology. I'm interested in all the gadgets. I also read that you live longer if you are interrested in new tegnologies and if you play games so my reason for buying more lights is that I want to live longer:)

To add. Last night I was at a friends farm for a braai. One of the sheep had a twin. We had to make a warm place for the one lamp that was the weakest. He only has a Maglite 3D (non-led). The only light I had with me was my LED Lenser P5 that I keep in my glove compartment. Well I can only say he could not believe his eyes at how much light it makes, that while being so small and using only one battery. Then when using its focussing ability, he was totally dumm strucked! As its so dark out of town, I could really appreciate how brite the P5 actually is. It makes a lot of light compared to old technology. If you set it on flood in use it like that for walking back to the farmhouse you just can't be anything but impressed..
 

kramer5150

Flashaholic
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Messages
6,328
Location
Palo Alto, CA
Definitely the gadget and gear factor in full effect. Watches, flashlights and guitars for me. I'd add more knives to my small collection if I could afford to do so. Collecting flashlights is considerably cheaper than watch or guitar collecting... and just as rewarding.
 
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