To carry or not to carry?

I recently acquired a beautiful limited edition Surefire A2 in black, as some of you may have already heard. And now I'm looking at it and wondering whether I should subject it to the torture of everyday use - I'm wondering whether I should carry this wonderful light and risk it getting marred, scratched, and even if it does not get scratched, eventually the HA-BK coating will wear at the edges, just like my U2 (the EDC light). The U2's bezel had little points of silver showing even after just two short weeks of carrying

So the dilemma.. should I let this wonderful light sit on a shelf and only use it from time to time, or should I let it go out with me and be all that it can possibly be?

And to think once upon a time I told myself I wouldn't buy lights just to collect them....

well, i like to use the lights i buy, so that tells you what i would do....

Flashlights have feelings too. So use it before it feels ignored and gets depressed.

P.S. Did I mention Buba's home for ignored and depressed flashlights? Just box that A2-BK-WH up and send it to me for daily consoling and safe keeping.

I say let the light shine forth! :rock:

Life is too short to. Enjoy it to its full potential. Then you will end up with a collection of well used lights with the scars of use that show how much you really value them. The older and more worn I get, the more I appreciate using tools that are the same.

You need to decide if it is an "object de art", in which case frame it and put it on display...or is it a tool, in which case, put it in a holster and put it on you belt!

Given the rarity of these I probably would not. But I have a HA to carry. I would certainly take it out, and stroke it affectionately once in awhile.

I'd get another A2 in HA to use and keep the black. But thats just me.

yeah, or just buy another HA Black one to carry
buy both, remember? :nana:

I don't "collect", I own, whether it's flashlights, guns or motorcycles. So, no shelf queens for me. Since you asked...

I would not.

Carrying for regular use does not risk dings and scratches; it guarantees them.

It sounds like the light is a special one. I would keep it for very light duty around the house, etc.

Scott

I used to be the same way as you. But now I have gotten into the habit of purposely scratching or damaging something I own (flashlights, cameras, etc.) so that I then won't feel squeamish about using it. I recently got a nice Nuwai Q3. I immediately took it to a wire brush and brushed off the anondizing, then I cut off the crenulations and smoothed that down and then polished the front. The flashlight looks worn, used, and very nice. Now I carry that in my pocket, knowing it has been personalized.

I did the same thing with an expensive digital camera - I etched my name into the body with a diamond pen. Now with the thought of never being able to sell the item, I use it without reservation.

Somethings I buy just to collect and know that I will probably eventually sell them when I get bored with them, but most other things, I buy to use, even if it is a little.

So you need to ask yourself of why you purchased this light. If it is meant to be a shelf-queen, then let it be and admire it for that. But if you really want to carry this light, but don't feel the pain of the seeing the first "scratch" or mar on it, then consider running it up against a wire brush mounted on a 1/4 hp motor. That'll give it that well worn look in about 5 minutes.

Of course, if this is a special edition, save it and buy another SF A2 to use!

I'd say no. If you worry about it, then you shouldn't EDC it.

Face it, some things you might use just to give yourself a reason to have them, while other things you have so you can use them, and there's a difference.

I wouldn't EDC anything which I would regret losing or breaking.

Each of us will be taking an extended dirt nap someday, and we won't be caring about those pristine lights sitting on the shelf. Use it while you can.

:twothumbs

Hey KevinL,

Use it!

Here's my story. When I started buying highend lights I became obsessed with keeping them in perfect shape. Therefore I would never take them anywhere. I would go hiking at dusk with a Opalec/Minimag while at home sat an L2 and a E2D because I didn't want to F-up the finishing. Well that didn't make any sense especially when you hear something moving around and you can't see beyond 20 feet. Then when I did bring them camping, my friends would think I was being a **** because I wouldn't let anyone use them. I had hundreds of dollars of lights collecting dust. It got so bad I bought 2 G2s so I would have a un-blemished one in my collection. Then one evening I was hiking in Kings Canyon National Park (home of the worlds largest tree!, volume wise that is) and I watched sunset/moonrise from a ridgeline and couldn't find the trail because my beloved E2D and L2 where sitting at home safe from abrasive objects. Thats when it dawned on me my obsession was going to get me killed. On that trip I also ran into a bear that I should have spotted a lot further out than what my Opalec allowed my to. So now I use all my lights except for my Arc LSH-S which I only carry when I go to business meetings because the pouch is very small and nobody pays any attention to it when I strap it onto my belt. I even let others use them when camping! I just tell them don't scratch up the lense. So now I don't care what they look like as long as they work. Oops, sorry about the rant.

Besides, how you gonna show it off if you never bring it out. Technology changes so fast these days and SF lights are so robust, by the time you have to replace "Black Bart" there will be something even cooler like a plutonium powered IR beam that you have to have a retinal implant to see that you can buy cheap at Costco...

powernoodle said:

Each of us will be taking an extended dirt nap someday, and we won't be caring about those pristine lights sitting on the shelf. Use it while you can.

:twothumbs

Click to expand...

noodle hit the head of the nail in the coffin! (pun intended)

USE THE DANG THING

Doug

It is a tool and we are tool users... Use it.

Kevin, don't use it, i'll be a pal and gladly take it in and put it in my uber-safe deposit box in Federal Reserve building for ya...

It's a tool, and should be used. However, if it is so valuable to you that you are going to lose sleep over it, then it's a collector's item and should go in the safe. Are you a tool user or a collector? I'm a user. Generally.

That said, my KI sits in the safe all the time! Now, if it was my only good light, I would use it. But since I have a choice of others, I leave it at home. For example, I have only one DSLR, so it gets used and bumped and scratched. I can afford more torches than DSLRs, so some lights get to collect dust.

cheers,
daloosh

It's a tool. Use it.

I always feel bad if I'm not using the light. I don't care for the finish. The result is that my expensive lights (Gladius, U2, etc.) get used and their finish is damaged (on the edges), while all the cheapos collect dust and are in mint condition...

Kevin,

I bet that if you have four or five of those, you can spare one for your pocket.

It may sound like a joke to most of you, except... to who knows what I mean...

Anthony