When did you learn you were a flashaholic?

When I was a child I remember going over to the flashlight section when my parents brought me to Target or Walmart. I remember being intrigued by my grandfather's waterproof flashlight when I was about 12 years old. My first EDC light was a red LED Tekna Light that I attached to my keys. Later I replaced that with a Photon Micro Light which became my EDC for many years to come. When I got my first security job I used a Surefire 6P. I dropped it on my first job assignment & broke the lamp. I was blind for the rest of the night. This was when I learned about the superiority of LED's. I replaced that 6P with a Surefire Kroma. Then I found CPF. Since then, I have sold all of my old flashlights & most of my gun collection to fund new light purchases. So, I can trace my interest back to my childhood. I became willing to spend money for a good light when I started using flashlights for my job. But I connect my current obsession with CPF. How about you?

I knew I was a flashaholic since I was a kid. When I was in elementary school I used to have one of those flat Polaroid incandescent flashlights. We had desks in school where you could lift the top of your desk to store stuff inside the table and I used to bury my head in there and use my flashlight because I thought the flashlight was so cool. :laughing:

I didn't know I was a 'flashaholic' until I found CPF. For the previous 30-odd years I just assumed I was weird! :tinfoil:

I got into 'proper' lights after realising that my <£5 'Super-Bright LED Keyring Torch' from Maplins just wasn't cutting it. I looked around and was astonished at the prices of these other high quality lights - but I took the cheaper option of a Prolight999 200LA police torch, with 200 lumens of focusable light! I was amazed by the power and started looking for a forum, and I have found CPF and spend way too much time on here! (it's all for the best though ). I am now in search of a penlight to add to my rather small collection!!! BTW - great idea for a thread!!!

Power outages at night & rolling blackouts as well as storm outages at work...never again for me.

I never used to be a flashaholic, but last Christmas I accidently stumbled onto cpf when I was looking for information about a maglite I had got recently. For a while a enjoyed reading the reviews and looking at pictures, then curiosity got the better of me, I just had to see what these high quality lights were like for myself. Now I've got a fenix ld20, a romisen rc-g2, an ITP A3, and an ITP HO1. Then I discovered modding, the maglite that I thought was the bees knees just a few months ago had been displaced by the fenix LD20, so I decided to give it a new lease of life with an aspherical mod. Now I have several more modded lights aswell and plans for many more. THANKYOU CPF!! It's too late to go back now, I'm stuck with this obsession for ever.

I discovered that i was a flashahollic when i found CPF

When I was a kid I remember cops having them Maglites (could have been Kel-Lites) and thought that was cool. My dad later bought some that we had around the house and the garage. I was an explorer for a police department and that when I saw deputies had the Streamlight SL-20s. I was able to buy a used SL-20 from a co-worker that I used for many years to come as I later went into working security in armed patrol and in hospitals. Then I got my first Surefire it was the 8AX Commander that I bought at Gall's that was near $200. But like Tomcat said I thought I was also just wierd but one day I did a internet search on a light and a link introduced me me CPF. After only a few years of staying up late for countless hours on CPF I was able to absorb a great wealth of knowledge. I found out that there other crazy peolple like me that like flashlights, sometimes people can believe me when I tell them that CPF exists.

when I was a teenager I was stuck in the woods with a flashlight that died and had to find my way back with no light. Loved quality flashlights ever since!

................actually it took a few more bad episodes since then. But I eventually learned

After my dad had bought me a AA mini mag for Christmas one year (I want to say 85)... I would find every excuse in the world to use it. I carried it around with me daily for what seemed like years (kid-time distortion).

I would explore the storm drain systems near my house and would often fabricate a replica of my body from clothes and toys, to be covered with a blanket, so I could sneak out, dressed in black and run around the neighborhood with my flashlight. When both bulbs finally died out on me, I bought another with my saved allowance money since the anodization was well worn.

I gave my old one to my brother and remember holding my shiny new black minimag up and rolling it around in my hands, thinking to myself "I'm not going to let this one get a scratch on it"... I must have been... 10-11 years old at that point?

Ive loved flashlights ever since my dad gave me a Maglight 2AAA one day that he had gotten from a salesman at work. It was anodized gold and came in a plastic gift case with batteries and a pocket clip. I carried that light everywhere for years until streamlight came out with the stylus (also gold anodized) and I ordered two of them. One for my dad and one for myself. That first LED light really lit a fire under my flashlight obsession and despite other obsessions (guns and knives!) I still love good flashlights.

I still remember the thrill of getting my first surefire in the mail, a gunmetal grey E2. If i remember right it was $50 and the batteries were $5 a piece at that time. I remember thinking what an extraordinary light that little thing was. That first real high dollar light was probably 10 years ago and I still have that light and will treasure it until I die.

Tomcat! said:

I didn't know I was a 'flashaholic' until I found CPF. For the previous 30-odd years I just assumed I was weird! :tinfoil:

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Definitely my favorite answer and one that I identify with well.

I'm 27 now and loved lights all my life owning, of couse, lots of cheap raovac and maglight lights. It wasn't until I was 18 or 19 that I got my first nice light (strion) and then quickly decided I needed more. After that I got hooked on Surefires.

I'm not a flashaholic quite yet. Not officially anyway until I get a few more posts under my belt.

I have always liked alternative lighting sources. It goes along with the preparedness side of me. Some day we will not be able to just click on a light switch and have light. I always want to have differ ways to keep from being in the dark. Several types of lanterns. Lots of candles. Solar chargers that charge up battery systems. Generators.

Then a few months ago we had a power outage. I went to my flashlight drawer and grabbed a flashlight. It didn't work. I grabbed another and it didn't work. The third one worked. It really got pissed off at myself. As prepared as I thought I was, I didn't have a really good flashlight. After doing some research I decided on an Olight M20s and the game was on. My wife thinks I'm nucken futts.

I had bought a incan $20 light from source.

Went home and googled best flashlight for the buck, before opening the package of my flashlight so that I could return it if there was a better option. that brought me here.... Oh s^$%. Then it happened. Bought a Fenix LD20 Q5. Then TA21, 4seven preon etc...... etc......

BTW. I did open that light, regretting what I just spent on the LD20, thinking how can it be so much better than this awesome $20 one. Oh how naive I truly was. When the LD20 arrived I was like most, truly blown away. I never looked back and thats when the obsession and hobby began.

Mikeg23 said:

Definitely my favorite answer and one that I identify with well.

I'm 27 now and loved lights all my life owning, of couse, lots of cheap raovac and maglight lights. It wasn't until I was 18 or 19 that I got my first nice light (strion) and then quickly decided I needed more. After that I got hooked on Surefires.

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Although funny it's true. As a kid I was inexplicably drawn to torches (must have moth DNA) and collected an array of cheapo AA and D lights, usually freebies given away by Tandy (the British arm of Radio Shack back in the 70s & 80s). I didn't know anyone at all who was that interested in torches, much less collected them. I thought it was just my own brand of crazy. Once I started working, I could afford MagLites. I ask you, what sane person could possibly need a Solitaire, 14 Mini-Mags, a 2C, 2D, 3D, 4D & 6D? I only found CPF after I took leave of my senses and ordered a Night-Ops Gladius, my first proper high-end light, and then had an attack of guilt and wanted to find some reviews to prove I hadn't just spend $360 on an insane whim. Little did I know that there was this self-help group that didn't actually help it's sufferers not to give in to their addiction.

Brothers and Sisters I've seen the light... And now I want another one!

Suspected it with my first Tekna led keychain light.

CPF gave me a definition for my affliction and a fantastic support group (to support my habit). Thanks everyone.

Rest assured I don't suffer from the madness of portable pocket luminosity... I enjoy every moment of it :duh2: .

Before I discovered CPF, I just thought I was looking for a good flashlight and that would be the last one I woul ever buy. I always did like flashlights, but never thought it could be a disease until I read about it on here. Once I started consulting CPF (about a year before joining) I quickly understood it would never end and I was now calling myself a flashaholic.

I think I always was attracted. Imagine my relief when I found CPF and saw I was not alone.

Geoff

I've been playing with lights since I was a kid. I was always attracted to the ability to illuminate dark places. I was a kid 60 years ago. Finding CPF made all things (light) possible!

About ten years ago when I thought it would be cheaper than buying guns... I was wrong