Challenge Week #7: De-throne your shelf Queen!!

Stress_Test

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
1,334
So, are we ready for another one? Let's do another one.

This week, we're gonna take that shelf queen OFF the shelf and put 'er to work! :D

Do you have a shelf queen? A light that you really like, and/or is really nice and/or expensive. A light that mostly (always?!) lives on the shelf. A light you admire when you look at it, a light you might pick up and flash around the room a minute or two then put back. But a light that you always hesitate (or outright fear!) taking out into the world and using as an EDC. You know, because it's real nice, or rare, or unique, or maybe discontinued, and you really like it and all.

Well for this week's challenge, grab that shelf queen and load 'er up with fresh batteries, because that's going to be your one-and-only light for this week!
:eek:

After all, what good is a light if it just sits on a shelf and never gets used? I once read somewhere that a shelf queen (or garage queen for cars), is just "keeping it nice for the next owner". Might as well get your money's worth, right? If it's kept pristine, some other jerk is just going to end up with it eventually anyway, right?

Now, a bit of a disclaimer. I'm not advocating that anyone take a genuine museum piece that's still "new in box" and subject it to the daily abuse of EDC. To me that's not reasonable. It'd be like taking an all-original 1967 big-block Corvette and beating the hell out of it on your daily commute through Chicago. Nobody in their right mind does that (I hope).

This challenge is about taking a shelf queen that in your own mind you attached a lot of significance to and you almost never use it because it's "too nice" or you don't want to "risk" it. And other than that, there's really no other reason to keep it pristine on the shelf.

For example, the Surefire C2 Centurion in HAIII gray that I bought on closeout years back. That's been one of my shelf queens. I really like the look and feel but I pretty much never used it because I just think about how nice it is and how they don't make them anymore.

The reality is, there's a whole bunch of C2 Centurions out there. It's not gonna fund my retirement or be a downpayment on a house. There's no reason for me not to use mine, so I shouldn't keep it a shelf queen.

See the difference between that and a genuine museum piece? I've written this long ramble in an attempt to explain what I mean in this challenge as a shelf queen. Hopefully some of you out there are like me and have similar lights like mine that should be used instead of left on the shelf.

--------------------------

See the first post here and scroll down for the challenge "rules": Link to Challenge 1 Thread

------------------------

That's it! Have fun! :wave:
 

Katherine Alicia

Enlightened
Joined
May 15, 2020
Messages
836
Location
Central UK.
After about an hour of consideration (I have so many "shelf queens"), I decided on using my KDLITKER E6 with the E6-EX18 extension tube, it has 2x 18650s driving a 9v 15W P60 incan dropin.
It`s probably way too bright for my everyday needs (so lots of ceiling bounce), but I`v never really used it as such, so much so that the cells in there I don`t even recognise or remember buyng!
They`re button top and wrapped in unmarked black wrapper, so it`s probably some I did ages ago because I needed button tops and didn`t have any, but knowing me they`re very likely Molicel P26 or P28 batts underneath, I guess I`ll have to trust my past self! LOL
 

daffy

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 13, 2019
Messages
425
Location
AU
Not my picture but i have the same light, its hardly ever been used.
I have 2 other Pele's, one of copper which when changing cells i dropped the head and dinged it.....
lztS0PO.jpg
 

Jean-Luc Descarte

Enlightened
Joined
Jul 29, 2020
Messages
802
Location
Where the sun sets fast
Stress at it again putting up a real challenge for the flashlight community!

Don't know how I could participate as I don't have any shelf queens (I do not baby any of my torches!), but regardless of my personal input I will keep a very close eye on this thread. It'll be fun :crackup:
 

bykfixer

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
20,351
Location
Dust in the Wind
Using the CPF apple app because using Chrome suddenly prompts "connection not private".
I have opted to use a 1970's 3 C Kel-Lite with low octane 18650's and a Maglite PR base 5 cell bulb for this one.

Edit: Now using chrome to post the pic. On the app it showed the photo but on chrome only the link.
End edit

786-DD502-ABE4-40-FE-8-E1-D-C11183-BA2971.jpg

I had forgotten about this one.
 
Last edited:

nbp

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
10,970
Location
Wisconsin
This is my one true Shelf Queen. NRA Blue HDS 325 with Moddoo clip and Blue Moon diffuse reflector. Sorry, I won't carry it to work as it is irreplaceable. There are only seven of these blue HDS in existence and a very small number of those reflectors as well.

Pfmiy1h.jpg


I could go with this Mac Tri EDC though. It gets generally light duty tasks but it is up to most anything I would throw at it and would do a fine job this week.

VT9kFPj.jpg
 

LeanBurn

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
1,355
Location
Alberta
I don't have a shelf queen per se as all of my lights have a use and purpose and get used on a fairly regular basis. So by default I'll have to my least used light which is the TN4.
 

Stress_Test

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
1,334
Stress at it again putting up a real challenge for the flashlight community!

Don't know how I could participate as I don't have any shelf queens (I do not baby any of my torches!), but regardless of my personal input I will keep a very close eye on this thread. It'll be fun :crackup:

I figured that for some, this would be a non-event. Others may hyperventilate at the thought of subjecting their "baby" to daily use! :D


This is my one true Shelf Queen. NRA Blue HDS 325 with Moddoo clip and Blue Moon diffuse reflector. Sorry, I won't carry it to work as it is irreplaceable. There are only seven of these blue HDS in existence and a very small number of those reflectors as well.
...
...
...
I could go with this Mac Tri EDC though. It gets generally light duty tasks but it is up to most anything I would throw at it and would do a fine job this week.

As I was scrolling that first pic, I thought the bottle of Gin was your shelf queen until I saw the light at the bottom! :D

But yeah, if you have a light that's just one of seven, I wouldn't use it for this week. It's not like you can just pop onto Ebay and get another!

I like the blue, by the way. Is that anondized, cerrocote, something else?
 

nbp

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
10,970
Location
Wisconsin
Haha. That was the one pic I had in my imgur album to show that one. I could definitely find or take a better one! It's Cerakote. So although it's pretty durable it is more prone to chipping than anodizing or bare metal lights. So it is the one light I "baby". Other than that I am happy to carry pretty much anything I have! Okluma, McGizmos, Oveready, HDS, they all get used!
 

bykfixer

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
20,351
Location
Dust in the Wind
I failed.
It dawned on me this morning that I had entered a challenge and when I woke up in the middle of the night Thursday morning then compared a couple of lights in side by side fashion while in a stooper, well…… and then last night I was using yet another light after still not remembering I was supposed to only use a 3 cell Kel-Lite, so yeah I failed.
 

LeanBurn

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
1,355
Location
Alberta
I also failed this one. I was looking at a dark recess of my engine bay and instinctively reached for the ugly E01 that was in the door handle hole. As soon as I twisted it off I realized what had happened. Usually I am pretty good at these, but those darned AAA light are so accessible sometimes they get used like second nature.
 

bykfixer

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
20,351
Location
Dust in the Wind
Yeah, those little dudes are pretty handy.

My issue was I didn't even realize "oh no I broke the resolution" until a while later. I went to my den and noticed the 3 cell Kel-Lite on the coffee table and (face palm) oh man……shelf queen challenge. But then again it was one of those type weeks where one day you climb in the shower still wearing your glasses or leave for work in your bedroom slippers……
 

Katherine Alicia

Enlightened
Joined
May 15, 2020
Messages
836
Location
Central UK.
this week wasn`t so bad for me, though I really don`t like reverse clickies that much, I was quite surprised to see that both batts only went down to 53% as well, but I`m used to using single cell lights on any regular basis, so to get the same light as 2 in series would kill a single cell faster I guess.
 

Sambob

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 17, 2015
Messages
140
:rant: GUARDS..SEIZE THIS MAN...Put him In the dungeon HE attempted to assault the Queen!

Choose your challenges more carefully In the future foolish mortal.;)
 
Top