What year did you become a Flashaholic?

Ok gang, think hard and spill the beans...

What year was it when your interest in flashlights really took off and you became a Flashaholic?

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

I'll start.

The year was 1990 when my local Police Supply started carrying Laser Products (Surefire).

That spoiled me for everything else on the market.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Probably for me in the noughties, had light prior to that but no where to the level............being honest CPF has brought me out of the shadows and into the bright light!

I cant see it ending nor slowing within reason, i have too many now(most of us do) but i like variety from brands to tints to UI etc..........

My little one became a flashaholic at 5! not bad........:thumbsup:

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

For me, it was around 1986. Now that I'm a little more knowledgeable I tend to be a little more picky, and lately I have been thinning the herd a little.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

No clue.

Whatever year my parents gave me...


This...

Circa sometime between 1968 and 1973?

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Got a Kel-lite back in '76, but didn't really get completely bitten by the bug until about 2006.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Mid 2000,s I guess for me.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

I started with a playskool flashlight by Fischer price- I used to go to my attic or basement and shut the lights, then I got a plastic single AA flashlight and I was done! ... At least until I got a minimaglight and then...

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Pretty much right after 9/11 when I realized lives were saved in the WTC because someone had a light.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Around 2000 or '01

Sometimes these things just happen.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Well first you need to define Flashaholic.
Looking up addiction, i get:

• : a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)
• : an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something

I'll define it as when you have the urge to buy more than one flashlight not because you need it, but because you want it Or crave it i guess. That would be around 2008, but i liked my mag solitaire way before that (around 1980) and i've used them as tools for a long time.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

We had sealed, incandescent lights.
They were "flash" lights, turn then on, get a good look, turn them back off and walk a bit, flash them again. Otherwise the first bright moments got dimmer and dimmer, very demoralizing.
Something like this: http://m.sears.com/maxiaids-life-li...PM6360530701?tName=heavy-duty-flashlight.html

I also read for hours with sub lumen incandescent penlights at night, the light goes closer and closer to the page till time to sleep.

The red Infinity Ultra was a game changer .
My first cave light was an incandescent 2AA Maglite backing up a short, fat candle and a Bic. I used the candle because I could see the remaining fuel, and to save the Maglight's batteries. It made small caves seem plenty big.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

I just got into lights seriously in the last year, so it would be "2015". Before that I carried a microstream stylus pro for a few years but never felt the need to get anything else. Then I started to get more into edc and that's when it took off. I now am at about 20 lights within the last 11 or so months. Lots of fun though and seems like a great and very educated community here that I look forward to learning much from.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Probably back when i'd saved enough pennies to buy a Radio Shack ( Tandy stores ) 6 D grey plastic incan with the red bezel. Then i couldnt afford to feed it, and its output never seemed to live up to the promise of its appearance. With led stuff, early/mid norties with a little bit of LL, then late norties and enlightenment with CPF.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Interesting thread here !

lovecpf


For me, it was certainly by 1957.
That was the year I turned 4 years old.

Got one of THESE flashlights, as a gift,
and treasured it, even though I quickly learned
it was Very un-reliable and quirky !

Was only a Momentary switch,
which greatly limited its usefulness !

And the AAA cell it had didn't last long at all,
and the bulb (believe it was #122 ? )
flickered a lot from poor connections.

Oh, and couldn't fit a Replacement AAA cell,
unless you first SCRAPED OFF THE PAPER LABEL !




http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2990091937_4e408e1962_o.jpg

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

WOW burgess, you have seen some flashlight evolution !!!

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

After last Halloween was basically embarrassed with my old lights. First "real" flashlight got after browsing Amazon reviews, bought a Fenix E12. I was really unsatisfied with it, so it starts my journey..

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

maybe next year... judging by the norms of flasholism here in CPF, am still far from the worse. 😇

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

1979, when I got into the Fire Service and EMS, and got my first Mag light.

Other years that fed my addiction were.....

1982 when I got my Smoke Cutter.

1984 when I got a Mini Mag, starting my EDC of a falshlight.

1995 when I got my first SureFires, 2 - 6P's and a 9P.

Re: What year did you become a Flashoholic?

Thinking about this, really i bet most of us were kids! You pick any 4yr old boy(and probably girl) give them a torch to shine in the dark and i bet none would turn it down..............

Now funding is a problem at 4 :laughing:...........ok it is now!!!! But if we had lots of pocket money and the choices "what do you want another torch for??? you have 10 already, get a batman figure instead!" I reckon our flashaholism would have reared its bright head a lot earlier for most!

Come the age of 16 and start of apprenticeship............and a certain mr snap on man in a very shiny spanner dressed interior tempted me to my 3D mag..........ooh £40 or about $65 of awesomeness at the time(well there was hardly much competition back then unless you wanted a plastic eveready ).

From then and till this day........and future days , i will always look at the lights in hiking /camping shops(usually with rolled eyes and a shake of the head at £40+ lights that are cr*p!.........but hey what a nicely lit glass display:shakehead)

Before here i had already kind of got a bit more with it......lenser the nitecore to find crazy names like olight and fenix. Searches that revealed the best torches in the world(well not quite :laughing: ) but definitely compared to ones i was looking at!!!

Searches later brought me here most of the time, till i gave in and joined..........rest is history..............just like my bank balance :laughing: