Why would you even KEEP a plastic flashlight?

tron3

Banned
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Oct 6, 2005
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NORTHERN NJ
The only plastic flashlight I have now is my 2 D cell "wand" light from Air Force Basic training. It has a krypton bulb now and I keep it mostly for sentimental reasons. Also great for comparisons against the hot new LED's.

Plus I have this little 2 AAA light I got when I worked a Barry Manilow concert at Radio City Music Hall about 1985. He told the story of how a lady lit a candle during one of his songs and it kinda became a tradition. However, fire laws wouldn't allow it, so we all got a little flashlight. The original batteries were those plain silver types and it looked to be mostly a disposable, but opens and closes easy enough to change the batteries.

Pick this kit up. http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=64-4338 I used it to clean the contacts on my old Air Force flashlight, and the brightness DOUBLED. Used it on my LED's to keep a good contact for electrical flow. What a difference swabbing the battery tips makes.

These are my amazon review. First 2 pages has some LED flashlight reviews I wrote. Plus a glowing keyboard! Please remember to vote on my reviews! http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3E3T8MS11VGKP/002-0715528-1432846?%5Fencoding=UTF8&display=public&page=1
 

daloosh

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New York
Welcome to CPF, tron3, and why dontcha stay awhile!

Well, there is the exploding light thing, and the dive light thing, and the better for kids light thing. That's three reasons, but of course the only plastic lights I have are a PT surge, the little 2xAAA Pelican, and I ordered some of James' neat little Pal-lights for kids and emergency use.

welcome again,
daloosh
 

jtice

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May 21, 2003
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West Virginia
"Plastic" lights hold up better in caves than any metal light ever has.

They dont show scratches etc as much, and tend not to dent like metal ones.

Buy a Streamlight 4AA and you might change your mind ;)
 

greenLED

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Mar 26, 2004
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La Tiquicia
I usually thing of water-logged environments and plastic lights. I don't, however, have Rayovac's 2D in mind... more like Pelican or Streamlight (and maybe even UK and/or PT) models.
 

John N

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Oct 12, 2001
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Seattle
There are some very good "plastic" flashlights. Reference the Underwater Kinetics (UK) 4AA or the Surefire G2.

-john
 

Unicorn

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Near Seattle, WA
Pelican also makes some good plastic bodied lights. I love my PT40, and the older 2AA headlamp that I put the LED module in.
Not too many metal headlamps around either.
 

BlackDecker

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Aug 11, 2005
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Okla, USA
I will never part with my Streamlight 4AA ProPoly 'plastic' flashlight. Plastic lights definitely have a place in any CPF'ers closet of goodies.

Not to mention all my headlamps which are all made of plastic.
 

nikon

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Another time, another place.
One day they'll find some new, cheaper stuff to make lights from and we'll all get sentimental about the good old days when lights were made from genuine plastic.:huh2:
 

Sigman

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"The 49th State"
Indeed there are some EXCELLENT lights out there made of "plastic" with eternaLight, Pelican, Streamlight, and Underwater Kinetics all leading the way!!
 

beezaur

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Apr 15, 2003
Messages
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Plastic lights don't make a clinking noise when bumped. They are lighter in weight. When dropped they transmit less shock to sensitive electronics. They are less expensive to manufacture, and therefore to buy. Each January I remember another benefit of plastic over aluminum, but I can't quite remember what that was ;)

Scott
 

daloosh

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New York
Oh, yeah, I forgot my Eternalights, they're great! As well as the Inova 24/7s in our house and car, and the Turboflashes in the trunk! And coinlights, they're all plastic, too, from the $1 CountyComm sort to the much more expensive Photon Freedoms!

daloosh
 

Beretta1526

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Jan 9, 2003
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SW Orlando
I have a "plastic" flashlight. It's a SureFire G2, and it's a pretty great light. My main reason for keeping it is that it's a non-metal flashlight. Many of the clubs and other venues here in the town that Mickey built do not allow any metal flashlights of any kind, not even an E1e
icon3.gif
. It's mainly aimed at the larger lights that may be used as a baton of sorts. It's really irritating because I had to take my U2 back to the car once and "check" it with everyone else's knives another time. The big parks don't really give a crap, but places like The House of Blues are picky
nana.gif
. My answer to those J.O.'s is the G2. It makes me wish that SF made an E-Series Nitrolon light.

au.gif
 

Mike Painter

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Sep 16, 2002
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"You break it, we replace it - forever" is the Pelican slogan.
On a regular basis they have full page ads in EMS magazines which show brusied, battered, and badly burned plastic lights. They still work but they live with Pelican now because the owner has a new light. They don't warrant against loss, bears or small kids but everything else is covered.
 

Grox

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Plastic lights also feel warmer in a cold environment and cooler in a hot environment. Add to that the incredibly durability of plastic. And the colour range you can get. And the shock resistance...
 

270winchester

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down the road from Pleasure Point.
What Grox said. Don't try to pick up a 6P in the middle of a New York winter snow storm without at least 2 layers of gloves...You just can't scratch those G2s, believe me I tried, and they look the same as the day I got it. My 6p? well not so lucky and lets just leave it there...

nick
 

Deanster

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Feb 17, 2002
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Seattle
Yup - I'm actually going a bit the other way at the moment - I like my metal lights quite well, but it doesn't take much to put a big ugly dent in the side of an expensive HA3 Surefire. By contrast, my Pelicans have been dragged across barnacle-covered rocks and otherwise abused in the water, and hardly show any wear.

Same story in my toolbox.

Add to that the desirability of non-conductive, non-sparking, impact-resistant, etc., and polymer lights will have a place in my kit for the forseeable future.

Now, the $2 Rayovac light? Still better than nothing if that's what you can reach first when you need it.
 

NikolaTesla

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Illinois
Thats a real easy question. I keep 4 or 5 around all the time. Just in case some wants to borrow a "Loaner" that never seems to come back...
 

whgreeniv

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Oct 14, 2005
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Mount Laurel, NJ
Hey plastic is not all bad... My UK lights are all plastic and have been bouncing around for years. I also have 2 NiteRider HID lights, one on my helmet and one on the handlebars of my MTB and they survive all kinds of crashes... and they are plastic. I agreen the feel of the metal lights is nice but when it comes to weight the good plastic lights have their uses.
 
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