What was your first 'real' LED Flashlight? Have you still got it?!

I was a flashlight fan ever since I can remember (although we called 'em torches where I come from..) There was always an old disused railway tunnel or air raid shelter to explore, :candle: or a Dandy or Beano comic to read under the bed sheets, or just for a camp out in someones back garden..

The trouble was the torches/flashlights available at the time were not that much better than a candle or a traditional burning torch (a stick with cloth and scavenged pieces of plastic or anything else we could find which would burn and give off a few lumens and of course toxic fumes :sick2 plus any torches owned were pretty much redundant after the first outing due to lack of funds for replacement batteries..

Then came LED's... Every new LED torch that came out I would buy off online auction sites with 6... then 9... 12... 16 LED's!!! They looked so cool and were advertised as for 'emergency services' and 'law enforcement' and made of 'military grade aluminium' (whatever that is?!)

Again though, a traditional burning torch (see above) had more throw. So although blinding to look directly at, they could only just about light your feet up. :thumbsdow

Then one day in a gadget shop in Scarborough (Yorkshire, UK) I came across a single emitter Luxeon LED flashlight 3 watt with 80 lumens (didn't understand the tech detail but sounded promising..) reduced to £10 only in a sale I had to have it...

Fitted the single AA battery when I got home and waited for dark.. Darkness eventually fell and... It actually lit up the corner of my garden nearly 20 foot away!!!

I was hooked and ever since then have been following all the forums waiting for the latest and greatest LED's/torches/flashlights to be revealed for my dark busting pleasure..

This is my first 'real' LED light and is still in active service on standby in the kitchen drawer with a fresh AA and will be for as long as it still works.

Bought a mini mag in the 80s and thought it was state of the art but first LED light was a Nitecore Infilux IFD2. XP-G R5, 2AA with magnetic rotary dimming from 0-260lm. I still pull it out occasionally for area lighting but smaller, brighter alternatives usually get picked first. It's a good loaner for novices since it takes little explanation - just press the button and turn the dial.

Nice light and a huge improvement over anything I'd had before but eventually I got the bug for more throw, better efficiency, etc. We all know the story, you can never stop at just one.........

I don't recall what my first actual LED flashlight was - I had a handful of different ones to play with when I went on vacation in 2006. Some broke, some I kept to give re-gift, some were garbage and got tossed.

A couple of stand-outs that were re-gifted: a Gerber Infinity in red, a Gerber 3.0 LX, and a couple of odds and ends.

I just ran across my first LED light today. It used 3 AA batteries.... As you can guess they were leaking and stuck in the light. I spent about an hour this afternoon drilling the batteries and inserting long wood screws and pulling them out. The first one was the hardest to get out. I sprayed PB Blaster on it and let it soak for an hour before using the drill. I remember when I bought it --- the salesman said, "These are almost as bright as a regular flashlight!" I don't know if it still works.... I used vinegar to neutralize the chemicals and got some in the lens and possibly in the electronics. I'll let it dry in the sun for a few days before I put new batteries in it.... Nice old light. If that thing could only talk....

(Edit) It works! It's a CMG Reactor with a twisty switch. Not bright, but like the man said, "almost..."

My first "real" LED flashlight was the Fenix L1T with the Rebel LED if I recalled correctly. Although I love it a lot, I gifted it to a good friend on one fishing trip back in 2008-2009. He has a boat and likes to fish at night. All he had was the 3AAA 12 LED light. I hope he put it to good use.

A solarforce P1 or L2 cant quite remember. It was attached to my belt by a pocket clip - Which was lost in a 1km urban foot chase of an offender. The flashlight was never recovered and needless to say I have never used a pocket clip again.

My first real one was a Fenix TK11 with R2 led. I still have it and gets a few hours of use ones awhile.

LED Lenser(!) V2 3xAAA Luxeon, bought 2007. It looked more silver than black by the time I destroyed it by repeatedly dismantling and finally overtightening the brass slug inside, crushing the back end of the optic and damaging the LED dome and phosphor.
That light caused a whole lot of flashlight envy in its heyday.

I'm sure i have had 1 or two in the past that I never gave any thought to, but My 226LM Mini Mag Pro ultra was my belt side go to light at work. used 5 days a week for over a year she is beat up, but still kicking... the contacts have started to wear to the point you have to give it alittle shake every now and then...




I recently upgraded to the Thrunite Archer 2A.

Led Lenser P7. Bought it together with my dad. He still has it, I've sold my P7

In the early 1970s my parents bought me a flashlight from Sears. It was a Craftsman with a great big cell, a handle and a big head. When the switch broke, my father and I put in a simple toggle switch. I carried this big thing everywhere. It was my EDC before that term was invented. I don't know where it is and it is probably gone.

My first real light was a Fenix PD head (sorry, I don't remember which model) and a Leef custom body from LightHound. I came across this by chance - I didn't know about CPF or Leef. This was my EDC for years and I was happy and content. At some point I figured there must be advances in led technology and started looking around. I lurked on CPF for a long time and decided I needed a new, better EDC. That's when my troubles began... I still have that light.

Fenix E21. Still got it.

I bought these about the same time cant remember which one was first

thats a nice TK, ripe for updating by someone ?
my first real light was the terralux tripple dropin XRE i believe in my 6D mag. sold a long time ago when i found my first real real light the nitecore extreme was dam bright and very very small. the circuit eventually blew after ~ 2 years so ive stuffed in a solarforce 3mode dropin running imr123. it has pure flood on the stock reflector and is the only light i use for inspecting / working on cars.

I plan on keeping that TK stock i also have one in black and one TK11,those might be up for modding some day but i usually tend to keep my non-P60 lights as they come from the factory

My first real LED was a second hand Fenix PD30. I remember how blown away I was when I used it the first time in the woods at night! compared to my old 2D cell Maglite, it was quite an eye opener!
I still have it, except my wife has it in here bag now. I've got an LX2 and a HDS for EDC these days. :twothumbs

Fenix PD30. Still own it but it's an emergency backup to the backup to... Well, you get the idea. It doesn't see much actual use these days. Nice gateway light, though...

Ken

CMG Infinity Task light. I bought it in 2000... I still have it and still use it.

I made my own red LED flashlight for Astronomy use in the 70s from a two AA penlight.

CMG Infinity Ultra, can't remember when I bought it. I still use it occasionally, but mostly, it just sits on the shelf, in front of all the others that aren't in regular use.

My first was a Peak LED Solutions Matterhorn in brass with a snow white LED. It is the only flashlight I've ever lost. I believe the second one was a Fenix L1T.

I don't keep my older lights around for sentimental reasons anymore--they come and go as technology advances. Some of them stick around if they fit a purpose particularly well.