Rock 'n Roll era lights

Minimoog

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Jan 13, 2005
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771
The rock and roll era - late 50's to early 60's - famed for chrome emblazoned cars, jukeboxes and style. Looks like the style and form also rubbed off onto the 1958 range of Ever Ready lights as I found this one new on eBay last week, still in its box. It has a 3 1/4 inch head, three position switch, brass and CHROME body, some bright red and the feel of the 50's all over it. It works fine, gives a pencil beam with weak spill - the prefocus 2.5V, 0.5A bulb is a little feeble though. Soon sorted with an 8AA carrier and 6D Maglite bulb for white beaming goodness (without having a meltdown). The only issue is a small crack in the metal tailcap which is caused by stresses during manufacture I think showing up over time - thus the black tape.

I took it into the pub on Friday and it got more attention than me! So, anyone here have any 1950's lights? Care to share?

Here's mine: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bqmk2a2m48supwc/2016-02-07 00.07.15.jpg?dl=0
 

bykfixer

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I'd always wondered what brand of flashlight Army doctors used over in Korea. Figuring a big ole chrome'd 6 cell light with 30 minute run time...maybe EverReady or Rayovac.
 

Minimoog

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Jan 13, 2005
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771
I'd always wondered what brand of flashlight Army doctors used over in Korea. Figuring a big ole chrome'd 6 cell light with 30 minute run time...maybe EverReady or Rayovac.

The more I use this light the more I like it - its a real thrower. By 1964 Ever Ready was 'plastic fantastic' quality dropped to be replaced by funky square headed lights in tangerine orange plastic with a plastic reflector just waiting to melt. Not my scene, but I suppose you had to be in the 60's to dig them. This was the last of the good ones I think.
 

bykfixer

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I found some pretty good info at 'flashlight museum .com' about several hand held light makers. They even place potential value on them for collectors to use as a guide for purchase or selling.
 

CelticCross74

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Aug 30, 2014
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OP that is one NEAT big chrome light with style!! Good job on the upgrades dftly a keeper!! My current project light is a 1930's 3 position switch light. Have plenty of good modern far brighter incan Mag bulbs for it but it takes an odd size battery I am not familiar with. Far as I know there were no equivalents to modern D cell batteries in the 1930's Idk what kind of cell it took I just have figured out they had to have been a couple mm longer and fatter than modern D cells as 2 modern D cells dont even make contact points in it there is juuuust a touch of room left between the contacts in the light and 2 modern D cells. The contact points in the light and the 3 position switch are fine with no corrosion. Guess Im SOL on the 1930's light.

Same flea market I got the 1930's light at has a couple flashlights from the 1920's for sale they look awesome I believe they are made of painted copper(?)and have massive aspheric lenses. When I was little I found an old chrome 50's era light in my folks basement. Inside the light were 2 odd batteries I had never seen before. The wrap of the cells looked and felt like it was made out of wax paper I believe they were Rayovacs they had near cartoonish printing on the labels. Amazingly the light would still turn on albeit very dim amazing considering at the time it was the late 1970's the cells must have been 20-25 years old. It was also a 3 position switch that I still do not understand the purpose of there was on off and what I have gathered is a "standby" as the 3rd position turned the light off. Maybe it was an off-on-off 3 position?

My late father served in Korea. For years he still had his army issue cheap thin metal green painted right angle light and another army issue early 50's light that was a regular 2 D cell format light but again D cells did not work in these lights. I guess these were the days when batteries were something else besides alkaline? My father told me they were worthless that they were very dim he just kept them to have them for some reason.
 

Pilotodude

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Dec 28, 2015
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130
The more I use this light the more I like it - its a real thrower. By 1964 Ever Ready was 'plastic fantastic' quality dropped to be replaced by funky square headed lights in tangerine orange plastic with a plastic reflector just waiting to melt. Not my scene, but I suppose you had to be in the 60's to dig them. This was the last of the good ones I think.

Yeah... I remember "flying" one of those red-headed 2D Ever Ready lights around the house like a rocket, watching the Apollo 11 launch in 1969. I was just barely out of the diaper stage and thought that light was the coolest thing ever... I got the bug early as you all can tell.

2Ds were the cats meow for years and years and years... Thank goodness Streamlight and Surefire came along. Better yet NOW with all of the smaller shops setting up creating some really cool lights! I just pulled the trigger on one of those HDS Rotarys. Just think if the modern LED had never been perfected... :sick2:
 

CelticCross74

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Aug 30, 2014
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lets see got out my project light. It is a Fulton Kwiklight that flashlightmuseum.com has as 1945. Still old. Not nearly as cool as OP's light though. Just put some D to AA adapters in the light with fresh eneloops. No more play in the light the cells are making contact light still wont come on. Bulb is a low power wally world Rayovac incan. 3 position switch reads off-flash-steady. Wonder why this thing still wont work?

Buying from the "little guys"? Where else can we find 50+ year old lights?
 
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