How many members will admit that the 'majority' of your lights are toys? I must have over a dozen flashlights & all i really need are four. Most of my lights are for amusement purposes. I'm an adult who enjoys shining my lights at the ceiling or going outside shining my lights at trees, on the water etc. I like to compare most of my lights to see which one gives off a wider beam or which throws further. It's similar to watch collectors i know of who have over 20 watches. Lights are fun! It allows me to be a kid again. The gee whiz & wow reactions i get from friends & neighbors delight me. If i ever win the lottery i'll probably buy most of the flashlights produced & have a ball.
Flashlights Are Basically Toys
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thedoc007
Flashlight Enthusiast
I don't totally agree - you're certainly right that we don't have to have a dozen different flashlights. But toys, to me, are not useful except for entertainment value. ALL of my lights are useful. It is a hobby, and there is no rational reason other than your own pleasure to get dozens of lights, but every single one can perform a function.
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PhotonWrangler
Flashaholic
They are toys until the power goes out. Then they become lifesavers. 
skyfire
Flashlight Enthusiast
ive stopped buying "toy" lights awhile ago, although i still have a few, such as my armytek predator. its very rarely ever used when i actually need a flashlight to use, but i like shining it around because of its nice beam. most my lights consist of surefires, and i consider them all tools, but i do have more than i actually need. what can i say? ive liked flashlights since i got my first maglite mini as a kid. big boys like big boy toys.... its actually not a very expensive hobby when you think about it. knives, guns, cars, planes, bikes, RC models, fishing, watches, are all more costly.
. what can i say? ive liked flashlights since i got my first maglite mini as a kid. big boys like big boy toys.... its actually not a very expensive hobby when you think about it. knives, guns, cars, planes, bikes, RC models, fishing, watches, are all more costly.+ 1They are toys until the power goes out. Then they become lifesavers.
EZO
Flashlight Enthusiast
Flashlights are fun to play with, no question. They are also technically interesting and sometimes challenging. For many of us though, flashlights are tools, not toys.
There do seem to a lot of people on CPF who buy lights they really have no need for but just like to play with. The OP states he likes to shine his lights at the ceiling or at trees for "amusement". I've noticed there seem to be an inordinate number of beam shot photos posted here on CPF of high powered throwers pointed out the windows of urban apartment buildings. People often talk about taking their lights to places where they can use their more powerful ones. Some want the perfect light for walking the dog when for many most any decent light will do for this purpose. That's great. Why not? But I think the OP would be wrong to assume that most "will admit that the 'majority' of your lights are toys". A lot of people use them for mission critical purposes every day on their jobs and keep a wide selection to deploy as they deem necessary. A lot of us use them out of necessity rather than for recreation. Some of my neighbors live off the grid with solar power, lanterns and flashlights. Every member of the various families I know who live that way, right down to the small children carry a light on their belt. They are not toys.
There are people like me who live in a rural environment, out in the countryside, miles from the nearest street light, indeed almost half a mile from my nearest neighbor. I use a variety of flashlights every single day both inside and out whether checking on things in the barn, in the shed, in the basement, outside my door or grabbing a thrower to see what made that loud splashing noise down in my pond a hundred yards from my house. An SC51w on the lowest low lights my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night without having to turn on the lights and disturb anyone or mess with my dark adjusted eyes. And the power goes out here all too often and so there is always a light handy when that happens. Several are in my truck where they are vital out in the middle of nowhere on the dirt back country roads on which I live. As much fun as I have with flashlights and indeed, I do consider them a hobby, one that I've enjoyed for many decades ever since I've been a kid, they are primarily tools and all my purchases and customizing etc. are in the pursuit of that purpose, no matter how much fun I may have with them.
There do seem to a lot of people on CPF who buy lights they really have no need for but just like to play with. The OP states he likes to shine his lights at the ceiling or at trees for "amusement". I've noticed there seem to be an inordinate number of beam shot photos posted here on CPF of high powered throwers pointed out the windows of urban apartment buildings. People often talk about taking their lights to places where they can use their more powerful ones. Some want the perfect light for walking the dog when for many most any decent light will do for this purpose. That's great. Why not? But I think the OP would be wrong to assume that most "will admit that the 'majority' of your lights are toys". A lot of people use them for mission critical purposes every day on their jobs and keep a wide selection to deploy as they deem necessary. A lot of us use them out of necessity rather than for recreation. Some of my neighbors live off the grid with solar power, lanterns and flashlights. Every member of the various families I know who live that way, right down to the small children carry a light on their belt. They are not toys.
There are people like me who live in a rural environment, out in the countryside, miles from the nearest street light, indeed almost half a mile from my nearest neighbor. I use a variety of flashlights every single day both inside and out whether checking on things in the barn, in the shed, in the basement, outside my door or grabbing a thrower to see what made that loud splashing noise down in my pond a hundred yards from my house. An SC51w on the lowest low lights my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night without having to turn on the lights and disturb anyone or mess with my dark adjusted eyes. And the power goes out here all too often and so there is always a light handy when that happens. Several are in my truck where they are vital out in the middle of nowhere on the dirt back country roads on which I live. As much fun as I have with flashlights and indeed, I do consider them a hobby, one that I've enjoyed for many decades ever since I've been a kid, they are primarily tools and all my purchases and customizing etc. are in the pursuit of that purpose, no matter how much fun I may have with them.
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idleprocess
Flashaholic
Really depends on what you buy and what your usage is. I don't go looking for opportunities just to use flashlights, but find that the AAA light on my keychain is quite handy to the point that it gets used about every other day largely because it's always there.
Like most, I went through a period where I bought lights just because with little consideration for how I would really use them besides playing with them. I ended up with a drawer full of lights that aren't used, even some HID spotlights I have no need for (thankfully, my tastes were generally mid- to low-end pricewise). Now I have become far more discriminate in my purchasing and typically buy lights for a purpose - a flashlight to keep in the glovebox, a flashlight for my desk at work, a new keyring light, a light to keep in my backpack, a light to mount to a rifle, etc . As such, I buy far far fewer lights - none of which are for just because.
Like most, I went through a period where I bought lights just because with little consideration for how I would really use them besides playing with them. I ended up with a drawer full of lights that aren't used, even some HID spotlights I have no need for (thankfully, my tastes were generally mid- to low-end pricewise). Now I have become far more discriminate in my purchasing and typically buy lights for a purpose - a flashlight to keep in the glovebox, a flashlight for my desk at work, a new keyring light, a light to keep in my backpack, a light to mount to a rifle, etc . As such, I buy far far fewer lights - none of which are for just because.
LightWalker
Flashlight Enthusiast
Sometimes they are toys but Sometimes they show me what I'm shooting at or aiming at.
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I can't speak for everyone but, for me, and the people I KNOW that use lights, they are tools. Mine are used as tools, and as such, perform functions. I don't have a "shelf", the lights are in my truck or tool boxes/bags, etc, and they are mostly dented and so forth after a while.....because they get dropped, thrown, etc, and have a working life.
So, sure, they are fun to use, but, so are many power tools, etc. Just because I might ENJOY using a plasma cutter, etc, to do something useful doesn't mean its just a toy.
As for pics, well, its hard to SHOW a light in action, in a pic, that really illustrates how well or poorly it works in a relevant context, for other people. So, yes, most pics seem to be of lights pointed at trees or power line towers or building walls, walls in peoples homes, and so forth.
If I use the lights for disaster response for example, I can't really ALSO take pics...its too distracting and might cause me to miss a clue/not find who/what's being looked for, etc. If I use it for forensic investigations, I DO take pics from time to time, but, can't of stuff that's identifiable or likely to offend a reader, etc. Some pics are with wavelengths that will not display representatively as well, etc.
I see a LOT of dog walking, hiking, and other recreational uses posted here. I would say that is a use as a tool as well.
The "non-tool" uses are out there of course. I'd say that the ones who just collect lights, do white wall shots and keep them in display cases might fall into that category. That would be akin to collecting stamps, in that they collect them, they look admiringly at them, but really never stick them on an envelope and use them as postage.
For them, its still a hobby, they just enjoy a different aspect of their lights.
So, sure, they are fun to use, but, so are many power tools, etc. Just because I might ENJOY using a plasma cutter, etc, to do something useful doesn't mean its just a toy.
As for pics, well, its hard to SHOW a light in action, in a pic, that really illustrates how well or poorly it works in a relevant context, for other people. So, yes, most pics seem to be of lights pointed at trees or power line towers or building walls, walls in peoples homes, and so forth.
If I use the lights for disaster response for example, I can't really ALSO take pics...its too distracting and might cause me to miss a clue/not find who/what's being looked for, etc. If I use it for forensic investigations, I DO take pics from time to time, but, can't of stuff that's identifiable or likely to offend a reader, etc. Some pics are with wavelengths that will not display representatively as well, etc.
I see a LOT of dog walking, hiking, and other recreational uses posted here. I would say that is a use as a tool as well.
The "non-tool" uses are out there of course. I'd say that the ones who just collect lights, do white wall shots and keep them in display cases might fall into that category. That would be akin to collecting stamps, in that they collect them, they look admiringly at them, but really never stick them on an envelope and use them as postage.
For them, its still a hobby, they just enjoy a different aspect of their lights.
spyderjohn
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2013
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I live in the woods, the deep woods. No security lights, no neighbors for 1/4 mile, and no security lights there, either. A family friend once described it as "the darkest dark" she'd ever seen. So my flashlights are essential, and I never go out at night without a sidearm and at least 3 torches with varying degrees of brightness. But, it is a nice place to view meteor showers.
Yes, most of the time I don't "need" to use my lights because I live in an urban environment at the moment, so a lot of the time I play with them for fun. However, they are still tools to me as well. Some of my favorite activities these days include night hiking and backpacking, so the lights get good use then as tools. I also prefer to use flashlights instead of a normal droplight when working on the car because of how convenient the small size of the light is (depending on the job at hand, of course). So at this point, even though I don't use them in situations as mission-critical as many others do, I still don't see them as strictly toys.
LightWalker
Flashlight Enthusiast
I had a girlfriend ask me if I was playing with my flashlights again and I said "no, I'm testing them.":fail:
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They are toys until the power goes out. Then they become lifesavers.
Ain't that the truth.
While I have many more flashlights than I could ever "need", they are all on standby and, if needed, would be critical tools. In that mindset, I have built my collection with nothing but lights that I would absolutely trust with my life, should they be needed.
So yeah, they are all toys... until they aren't :thumbsup:
There's a pretty large grey area in the transition from tools to toys. I have more lights than I can justify as tools, so some might be toys. I have security lights, a headlamp and handheld in each vehicle, a few for camping and power outages and a few others for specific applications like in the garage tool box. So maybe I can justify 15 or 20 as tools, past that are they toys? Are spares tools or toys? Maybe I can justify afew more, but again probably not all of them. I have a tool box that I'm pretty sure has at least one wrench I've never used, is that a toy? It might be until I encounter the bolt that requires it. Rationalization is a funny thing.
The one thing I'll admit is I spent more on quality flashlights then I probably needed to. I no longer work in an environment where a good light is an everyday necessity so now some of these light are sitting around and get little practical use. On occasion I'll take one out and do a runtime test or check the brightness but not often. Some of them have become hiking companions and others given away when they just sit and sit with no purpose. Lights are cool and fun but in the end they need to have a practical purpose for me. Just before I left my job I picked up a Malkoff HD thinking it would be useful for a specific task. Sadly I found it a little too big and didn't use it as I thought I would. Since then I've yet to find use for it which would be fine if it was an inexpensive throw in every glove box Mag, but it's a HD $$.
smokinbasser
Flashlight Enthusiast
Considering I have two of the Arc AAA RGB lights and several other not necessarily needed lights yep!! Concerning tools as a retired mechanic one can never have too many tools unless you have to carry all of them someplace.
fyrstormer
Banned
Anything that you don't use for a productive purpose can be considered a toy. So yes, most flashlights are toys.
