What was the light that got you hooked as a hobbyist? Still have it?

I grew up getting many cheap $10 Walmart flashlights for Christmas to the point it became a running joke. I was never really fascinated with them though. Later on, I'd been given shitty 10 lumen 4xAA lights at work that were a burden to carry around more than anything else. As I changed jobs and was more on my own, I decided I needed a good light, and I chose the Surefire LX2 Lumamax and got a P2X Fury a year later. I thought that was all I needed, thought they were very bright and high quality, but still wasn't hooked as a hobbyist. I'd heard of the Chinese mega lumen lights, but sort of scoffed at them thinking they'd never come close to a Surefire.

Fast forward another 3 years or so, I'd quit carrying the LX2 in my pocket because it was too bulky to me. As a huge knife hobbyist, I was browsing a forum and laid eyes on the copper Maratac AAA. I'd never seen a copper light and thought it was great looking and actually small enough to pocket carry comfortably. Was impressed by the brightness too of a AAA light. That started my serious research of other lights and serious CPF lurking. I was hooked. LED and driver technology today is outstanding. Discovering the major advancements in rechargeable battery technology was a huge factor in getting me hooked as well. I love guilt free lumens.

As I became introduced to other tints, high CRI, and better UIs, the Maratac became nothing more than a novelty to me, and I sold it, replacing it with a copper Prometheus Beta which I enjoy. I've bought probably close to 10 lights since the Maratac, including several Chinese lights, all filling a different niche and love them all for the most part. I even have two custom modded lights including a Vinh light which is incredible. I can definitively say I'm hooked by now, constantly reading and trying to learn as much as possible.

So while I'm at work this weekend and bored, I thought I'd strike up a discussion about what got you hooked and do you still have that light?

On a local gun forum that I frequent, we had a flashlight discussion.

I chimed in with my LED Lenser P7, which I thought to be pretty nifty.

One of the mods, an American ex-LEO, sent me a PM asking for my mailing address.

He sent me a Surefire 6P Defender with Malkoff M61 upgrade and 12 CR123 cells.

It is one of my most prized possessions. It will be the last light I get rid of, ever.

This is the light that got me hooked on "proper" lights.

Skaaphaas said:

On a local gun forum that I frequent, we had a flashlight discussion.

I chimed in with my LED Lenser P7, which I thought to be pretty nifty.

One of the mods, an American ex-LEO, sent me a PM asking for my mailing address.

He sent me a Surefire 6P Defender with Malkoff M61 upgrade and 12 CR123 cells.

It is one of my most prized possessions. It will be the last light I get rid of, ever.

This is the light that got me hooked on "proper" lights.

Click to expand...

What a guy, is all I can say... [emoji106] [emoji106]

Three cheap lights:

* A Smith & Wesson 2xAA with 3 5mm led that while tough wasn't very bright and had crappy regulation
* "Upgraded" to a Kobalt 90 lumen 2xCR123A light that ain't batteries like they were going out of style, again tough as nails (literally I used it as a hammer) but runtime wasn't the best
* "Upgraded" again to a magnet XL50. Loved the light except I had to change batteries once a week

By then I was hooked on having bright lights and always EDCing one but wanted better so I started researching which brought me here which lead to a Fenix E21 (darn good light I wish wasn't discontinued). I guess you could say the E21 was my first "true" flashlight but if it hadn't been for my dad giving me that Smith & Wesson I'm not sure I would have gotten into lights at such an early age (probably 10 or so) or even at all.

Started with the usual Maglite.
I had a Mini Maglite in black (incan, back in the 90s) when I was in college, followed by a green Maglite Solitaire as my EDC.
Once I started working, bump into this forum and the "in-thing" those days seem to be Surefire E1e or E2e as EDC, so I bought an E2e back in 2003 which I upgraded to KL1 LED head sometimes later.
The light, with the stock incan head and KL1 head is still going strong today.

Besides two 6D MLs back in '95ish, it would be my Fenix P1D in '07ish.

Saw a guy selling two of them on SnipersHide and didn't even know what a LED module was, apart from the little LED lights we find on older stereo gear, or common appliances.

I knew what a CR123A was, because my ADT alarm sensors use them and I was into NiMH rechargeable batteries for my RF mouse/keyboard and Pronto remote, so I wasn't a total noob on that front.

Fast forward a couple of years and AR15.com had thread about a Lowes in Texas running a 50% off sale on the SF 6P and that Lowes stores had to price match with their other stores.

This started a stampede across America and I got ONE of my local managers to price match, since the original poster had posted his receipt for us to copy and show.

I went into 2012 with just those two, until I revamped all of my batteries and chargers and then moved into some more lights.

The rest is history.

Chris

It may come as a surprise but my first light which forced me to find better options is still with me and is my Maglite Solitaire Incandescent.

LED Lenser P7 and Nitecore NEX. Don't have the Lenser but still have my two NEX's.

Mine was 3x AAA Stainless Steel leather man Monarch 500

I found it with belongings from when my Papa passed away last year. I haven't been collecting as long as others but being here on Cpf changed my life.

After finding the Monarch 500 i became obsessed with lighting up the dark!!!

"Fiat Lux"--- Vinh

The Streamlight 4AA for me. I was out on the road managing bands and that light was a big step up (and down) from daily carrying of the D sized Maglites. Still have it and use it occasionally.

The first light that got me hooked is looooooong gone.
A ray-o-vac 6 volt lantern when I was a kid. Back then you'd use the light for a night then the battery was dead. Somebody would inevitably give me another one for Christmas or something. So I had lots of shells for parts until about 12. Then our garage burned down...there went my parts, bikes, skateboards etc. Soon after I discovered girls.

As a young adult it was mag lite or bust. Usually the 4D type. I knew what 1,2,3 batteries were from using Canon film cameras since the 80's (now I'm a Nikonian, but that's a different story) and Legos were what my kids played with.

Actually when I resumed working on cars (after my son got me hooked on compact hot rods) a few years ago was when I resumed my flashlight collecting. Mainly while looking for bendy/clip on/magnetic lights to peer into crevices as my 50 year old eyes aint as focused as they used to be, and invariably what I sought was somewhere out of the focus area of my glasses.

But until this summer I thought malkoff was a word Russians said when another Russian sneezed, and that Sure Fire was a brand of waterproof camping matches.

Now , in late 2015 when somebody asks for a light I instinctively whip out a Coast HP1 instead of a cigarette lighter.

I still have several old incan mag lights of various sizes a couple of LED Lensers and some $3 checkout counter multi led lights. Today another package from Malkoff arrived today for a Sure Fire lego I'm doing.

Surefire Beast II.

Sold it a few years back. I do miss it sometimes though.

Those cheap Eveready 2xD, the 6v spot lights and the fisherprice 2xc light. Then upgraded to the Brinkman 5xD (the one that you can convert to a 2xD or a 3xD)

First generation Surefire G2, before the lockout tailcap. Bought it in the late 90's or so. Alas, it has long since run away from home, never to appear there again. Over the years I got another one, and some LRI Photon IIs, then I found CPF. It's been all downhill since then. Luckily I am divorced so no better (?) half to worry about. Recently got a TM16 for $128, which I thought was a great price, but now Gearbest is selling them for $115. Don't know how long that will last tho.

As a kid, we always had the 2C Maglights when camping. As an adult, I bought a Maglight XL100 when they first came out...not sure how long ago. Very shortly after owning and using that light, I discovered that I needed to carry a light all the time; it was just so useful. Once I discovered CPF it became an obsession. I live in a very rural area, where it gets really dark at night and I am never without at least two lights at all times now.

I gave the XL100 to my dad, he still uses it.

It was the JB PC 25 for me. Still have it. But before I was "into" lights I had the mini-maglight.
Its really humorous to put it against anything LED today.

My story is here . . . .



http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-first-loved-flashlight&p=1910137#post1910137



lovecpf
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Old Kel-lite 2C aluminum black - maybe before Maglite? One of those old Eveready chrome flashlights with a push/slide button switch. A chrome 4D light, with a handle stem you could raise up with a red flashing light. Sanyo Cadnica from Japan, 2 bulb, clear and red lens, plug in rechargeable. Eveready, 2AA, "Captain" penlight. Had to reach far back in the cerebral vaults to remember those. They went they way of all things. However, my Fenix lights will outlive me. Thanks for the memories!

Mine was a NexTorch T6a, in 2007, still have it now.

My first LED light: the-LED-that-got-you-started > http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-you-started&p=4635334&viewfull=1#post4635334

After that, the MiniMag LED Pro. Next baby step was the Rayz 1000 lumen on sale at TrueValue for $20. My next toddler step was the Coleman Ctac 60. That got me motivated to do do more research into what was available, which led me to the MMU-X3. My thirst for more power was still unquenched, which led me to the MM15.

I still have all of these lights, and the SX25L3 (that I got to fill the gap between the MMU-X3 and the MM15) and the M43.

Which one got me hooked as a hobbyist? It was a little bit of each one, a gradual progression.