Do you actually get regular use out of most or all of your nicer lights?

I've 'donated' quite a few of the nice LED lights I've bought in the past almost 5 years. There are 2 reasons for this: The recipients didn't have a decent light, and I just wasn't using most of my lights, aside from my carry light.

I've got 4 of the single 18650 lights, 1 single CR123 light, 2 AA lights that use 6-8 AA's, 1 single AA light and 1 single AAA light. Most of them sit in their boxes and only come out a few times a year. But I use my Spark SL5 daily. Its right in front of me now. I've given away 8 nice lights and sold 3 others. I only used 1 of them regularly.

I don't not like the lights I've gotten rid of, or the ones I still have, but my regular light is adequate for 98% of its tasks and it's sort of a pain to unbox other lights and have to rebox them later, plus I don't want to scratch or dent the others.

Those probably aren't perfect justifications for not using them, and I probably should swap them around and use different ones here and there at days end. But I don't plan on carrying them daily like my edc light, because I may want to trade or sell one or more at some point, to be replaced with something newer.

What about you? Do you rotate your lights and use all or most of them somewhat regularly?

I'd bet many CPF members have usage patterns similar to yours. I'm similar in that I have one main light that I use every night on my job as a chauffeur, and it's clipped in my pants pockets most days too. It's just perfect, like yours, for 98% of my needs.

However, I do have a few other lights scattered around the apartment. One is at my computer station, for searching behind gear, etc. Another one is on my bedside table, used for those midnight visits to the bathroom, while yet another is next to my closet, for searching in there.

And of course, there's my key ring light. Those few times I really do need it make it worth carrying around the rest of the time.

And finally a light in the car, just in case.

And that's not to mention the lights I have in my bug-out-bag, etc, and the couple of AAA lights in a dish on the dresser, just for fun.

All of my lights are workers, no boxes here. However, I can fully understand your not wanting to scuff up any nice lights in case of future trading. It's always hardest to get that first ding or dent..... but after that, it's no big deal.

I'd actually love to be able to collect lights, but I've got two other seriously expensive hobbies...... playing and recording music, and photography/video production, so those tend to eat up most available funds.

Still, I do keep finding my way back here from time to time, just to see what's new in the world of flashlights.

Cheers : )

Yes.

I can not use all of my nicer lights every day, so I rotate them.

I set the MMU-X3 aside, and use the EC50Vn for a week. Then I set the latter aside, and use the former. After another week, I set both aside, and use the SX25L3 for a few days.

Same with my larger lights: I rotate weekly between them.

I have not sold, given away, nor mothballed any of my nicer lights.

Most of lights are used for light painting photography, or have a specific purpose such as running, so I tend to all use light reasonably often.
Only a few lights (mainly headlamps) have been moved on to flashlight heaven.

If I don't use them I sell them, so I try to rotate what I am carrying...., so larger lights will typically be sold. I do have two mag mods that stay in the house and one in the car.

I have rare and old Surefire lights that are still mint in box and never opened or used. Others I have taken out of the box a few times and used once or twice.

I try to rotate and use my normal lights when possible and get better usage in the winter months when it gets darker earlier. Ace Beam, Armytek, Fenix, Foursevens, Jetbeam, Olight, Thrunite, Nitecore, Eagletac, Sunwayman, Dereelight, Xeno, Rofis, Tiablo, Creelant, Spark, Manker, Oveready, Mac and others.

I currently carry the Armytek Predator Pro V2.5 XP-G2 and Eagletac DX30LC2 XP-L HI. Other lights I keep around the house in every room so I get to use them when it gets dark :candle:

Well....

You have hobbyists and you have collectors here. And here some are strictly flashlight 'users' in terms of need to know what is the most (fill in the blank) for their purposes.

Being a collector there was no way they all get rotated. It's kinda like a Jay Leno car collection. The newest ones added get played with at first then go in the museum. Like Jays car collection each one in my "museum" is in working condition. and have batteries available (if not in it). The non working are in the 'restore someday' box.

Yet as a collector I do have a rotation of a few. They are purpose lights that I enjoy but have a tough time picking just one for said purpose. Mostly modern lights but I do have a few classics in the rotation as well.

Most of my lights I don't use are older or dirt cheap lights I got over a decade ago when I was rather broke and was trying to mod incans to use LEDs (luxeon days). I do have several ebay cheap chinese lights that I enjoy playing with that cost $4 and under I find a use for all of them as they vary in output and beam pattern enough. One is an 18650 with a deep reflector that throws like crazy another a brighter 18650 that has a normal reflector that puts out a broader beam and I have a 2AA penlight that does well along with a 1AA focusing and a 1AA optic light both have their uses. I think many of us who are on tight budgets get cheap lights that "do the job" and use that for a framework to get a higher end light that does the job better or best. Once we get the higher end lights the cheapos end up gathering dust for the most part or end up doing tool box or glove box duty.
I think if you use a light in your work, you probably need a backup light that is close to or equal to you "go to" light.
I like the cheap lights as I don't worry about dropping or losing them and use them a lot more than my more expensive lights.

Lynx_Arc said:

I think many of us who are on tight budgets get cheap lights that "do the job" and use that for a framework to get a higher end light that does the job better or best. Once we get the higher end lights the cheapos end up gathering dust for the most part or end up doing tool box or glove box duty.

Click to expand...

This.

For starters I don't keep lights in the box lol, they are simple tools. The technology keeps advancing, making them 'out of date' relatively quickly, so they should be used and scratched and banged up during their relatively brief moment in the sun. At least that's how I see it.

That said the irony is I don't use my nice lights very much. I can't even remember the last time (talking years) I ran a battery low (not even dead, just noticeably low, like turbo won't work or something) on a nice or favorite light. I like feeling as though I always have an Ace up my sleeve, errr, a pile of fresh lumens in my pocket. Start using it on anything more than a mild medium setting and it gets warm/hot (less efficient) while draining battery (fewer lumens left). So I'll EDC pocket carry a light I really like (I've been on a ZL SC62w for awhile) and then try not to use it for more than a brief moment, even when I have a good excuse, so that it stays fresh in case I REALLY want/need it for something, and want all it has to offer.

Every time I have tried to simply carry a spare battery (doesn't get past the light itself getting hot and less efficient...) I end up putting it through the wash so I don't do that any more. And I carry a large enough light that it's too impractical to justify carrying multiple of the same. (I do and have always carried a small keychain light in addition to the pocket light, a solid 1xAAA minimum)

It's a shame, really.


Mostly I use a one generation old light that doesn't get into the EDC rotation any more, but is kept around as a backup in case something happens to my primary EDC light...that one I'll use every night around the house after others go to bed, when I turn out the lights and get ready for bed.

If I had more property and use for a light outdoors at home maybe it would be different

Ive pretty much sold or given away all my handheld lights

went thru the Surefire phase and still love the old SF lights. I still love to look at all the custom lights and new designs . and if I had unlimted funds I would own a lot of them and put them on a shelf and pull them out to play with once in a while

But I will always have a small light on my person and it gets used a few times a week to look for the cats or when bringing the trash to make sure I don't step on a skunk !!

I just realized that handheld lights have a fairly narrow useage window and though I love the concept and looks of them I am almost never in a situation where I would use them. even when out walking the dog or if I was on a trail hiking I would want my hands free most of the time so would grab a headlamp

the light I have come to value more than any other is a headlamp even of people make fun of me when I come out from under the car with one strapped to my head I don't care. Its the best hands free system around.

still have the Maglite 2 cell leds around the house

the other lights I have held onto are led lanterns for power outages. something else that rarely happens but area lighting is gonna be much more useful than a concentrated beam

handhelds have their place but for me it stops at a small AAA format.

I think a lot of people are in areas like myself where lighting is everywhere and constant . if I lived in the woods or desert I would have more lights

The majority of my lights are for blackouts or shtf situations. I carry a keychain streamlight microstream & an extra aaa lithium battery.

Most of my lights sit in drawers and rarely get used.

Typically I have a few lights in use at any given time. Usually whatever is newest, whatever I just modded, or whatever I happen to feel like at the moment. Almost all of my collection are pocket lights meant for pocket-EDC, but I only carry one at a time.

My current rotation of lights includes:

• Sipik 58 clone - 1xAA zoomie. Heavily modded: Lens replaced with LED Lenser style optic, LED swap to XPL HI 5000K, copper heatsink added, driver swap to FET driver with moppydrv e-switch firmware. Clicky switch replaced with tailcap mounted e-switch. Bored out battery tube to accomodate electrical connection for e-switch. Excellent flood-to-throw zoomie. Only thing lacking is the battery power. IMR 14500s just don't give much runtime with a FET driver, and with the e-switch connection there just wasn't room for a larger 16500 cell. This was quite a complex mod and is the light currently in my pocket.
• Skilhunt DS16 - 1xAA side-switch light. Modded with 5000K neutral tint XPL HI, FET driver with moppydrv firmware. With its smooth reflector this light is extremely throwy for its size. Basically the same innards as the Sipik 58, but without the zoom function.
• Zebralight SC600w III HI - The only unmodded light on my list. excellent all around light. Great runtime. Bigger than my other lights though so I don't EDC it much.
• Sunwayman V11R mirage - modded with electronic switch with titanium button, XPL HI neutral. Beautiful light to look at, but not as bright as the other EDCs on this lights.
• Securitying 1xAA zoomie - another budget zoom light. This one feels great in the hand and has great anodizing. As a twist-zoomie, it is also waterproof. Modded mine with an AR coated glass aspheric lens, XPL HI 5A2 tint (4000K), 3-mode 3-amp driver. The glass lens gives a fantastic wide flood beam with beautiful tint and high output. Spot mode isn't nearly as bright as the Sipik however, due to not having an LED Lenser style optic.
• Sunwayman C10R - heavily modded: emitter swap to triple XPL HI, driver swap to FET driver with moppydrv firmware. Battery tube bored out. Battery upgraded from CR123 to much larger IMR 18500. Super-small pocket-rocket. Around 2500 lumens from the smallest light on this list.
• Cheapo 1x18650 budget headlamp. Not sure the brand. Has an aspheric lens and a zoom. Quick-n-dirty mod: driver swap to 1.5 amp Nanjg 105c. Emitter swap to XML2 5A2 tint. Didn't upgrade the LED wires. Didn't even add thermal grease under the star. Despite the quick mod, this light is rock-solid dependable and is actually my most used light. I use it whenever I'm doing chores, crafts, or making flashlight mods. It's the only light I have that I regularly use until the cell is nearly empty (and then I swap in a fresh cell)

The only lights I do not use regularly are my older hds lights they cannot be replaced. Every other light I have I use in one way or another.

richbuff said:

Yes.

I can not use all of my nicer lights every day, so I rotate them.
.

Click to expand...

doesn't it drive you nuts having to switch UI [user interface] all the time?
i would like to rotate but i have 3 lights to go through and one has completely the opposite UI as the other 2!
@#$@#$!!!!

wle

wle said:

doesn't it drive you nuts having to switch UI [user interface] all the time?
i would like to rotate but i have 3 lights to go through and one has completely the opposite UI as the other 2!
@#$@#$!!!!

wle

Click to expand...

You are definitely on to something. Picking up one light after putting another down is like putting down a saxaphone and strapping on a keyboard. I feel like Edgar Winter, playing several different instruments in one session. I do not have any complaint about any particular lights' user interface, except that some are very different from the others.

One reason why there is no industry standard user interface is because different people prefer different user interfaces, and another reason is that different lights are used for different purposes, and therefor, have different form and different function.

I rotate through near my whole 50+ collection so they get used and I can remember why I blew yet more money on another light. When it is cold i happily have a full size D Malky Mag in a holster inside my coat and a small light front right pocket. Its pretty interesting. Seasonally I do night security at a nearby storage complex facility and man does everything come into play. From basic drop in Mags to Zebralights to even my huge Turbohead ET MX25L2. Love being able to light up any situation especially when I catch people hold up in a storage unit using illegal substances at 2 in the morning.

Like to night fish along the Potomac. The big lights come out and its all night. Always have a couple smaller lights on me as well. Used to work in an enormous government warehouse I mean literally its own zip code big. There were more pitch black areas inside there even with the expensive lighting that were a real danger.

I am a bit apprehensive about using nice light like my C2 as only own one and they're not being made. Other lights which are not made anymore but I own dups or are currently made I don't care about. Gear will get damaged if used but sooner or later like the sun everything is doomed. It's what happnes right now that counts IMHO.

It goes in phases but no, I can't say that all of my nice lights get regular use. They used to until my collection grew large enough that using them all became impractical. For instance I have three or four Surefire 6P's that I picked up over the last couple years; they're all being used as hosts for Malkoff M61 dropins of various types. Much of that has been to try all the different tints. To be sure they get some use but the 6P is a bit large/bulky for EDC. Most of the time I wind up carrying either one of my Malkoff MDC's or Elzetta Bravo's. My weapon lights are all nice but obviously not something I use everyday. But I do wind up using most of my lights around the house occasionally.

Does the cold, counting miser get regular use out of the fortune amassed? Aside from a wicked lust for each and every coin. No?