Am i crazy?

I was browsing the epinons.com and came upon a 20 dollar mag 4D cell. A bunch of guys were saying how tough and top of the line mags are even though they are expensive. Am i crazy for considering a 30 dollar flashlight to be cheap. Will i ever be able to look at my friends economy lights with out lecturing them on Surefire flashlights like some kind used car salesmen?

Kershaw said:

I was browsing the epinons.com and came upon a 20 dollar mag 4D cell. A bunch of guys were saying how tough and top of the line mags are even though they are expensive. Am i crazy for considering a 30 dollar flashlight to be cheap. Will i ever be able to look at my friends economy lights with out lecturing them on Surefire flashlights like some kind used car salesmen?

Click to expand...

Well, far be it for me to judge if you are crazy. However, as to the flashlights it is all relative. You just have a higher sense of awareness.

And the correct answer is....(drum roll please)

No, you are not, and...probably not .

Let your friends decide...seeing is believing. Once I saw the output out of an E2E compared to the Mag there was no looking back. I have still converted a few of my friends over to "premium" lighting.

P.S. No you are not crazy.

No, you're not crazy, you just have a wider spectrum of lights that you are aware of. Most of the people who gave those opinions probably aren't aware of the higher end lights. And I doubt any of those people would think that the higher end lights are worth the money for their uses. Remember, CPF members are in the minority. Most people wouldn't spend the extra $$. A Mag will do just fine for their uses, and are probably overkill in those people's opinions in many cases. They are right, though. Mags are tough.

As far as lecturing your friends about the Surefire lights, you are just trying to help them upgrade. Hopefully some of them will listen.

No you are not crazy. I say you bring your lights to your friend and have them give it a try to "show them the light" :candle:

Chris

Kershaw said:

I was browsing the epinons.com and came upon a 20 dollar mag 4D cell. A bunch of guys were saying how tough and top of the line mags are even though they are expensive. Am i crazy for considering a 30 dollar flashlight to be cheap. Will i ever be able to look at my friends economy lights with out lecturing them on Surefire flashlights like some kind used car salesmen?

Click to expand...

I'd be interested if any of them have Spyderco knives, Browning shotguns, etc. If so, they already appreciate quality equipment, just haven't made the transition to flashlights.

Lumens, runtime, size, quality, tactical features, or style. All of these drive the price. For those that don't have the need or interest, they will find the "good" lights on sale this week at Wal-Mart.

Regretfully, when I see Titanium Gatlights, and 1300 lumen Mags on discount sale at my local K-Mart, or other local store competing with Wal-Mart, I won't be buying them here. But, don't hold your breath.

Meanwhile, I am reminded it costs $200/hour to run my M6 by purchasing batteries at my local Wal-Mart, and only $20/hour buying from Surefire. Look at all the money I'm saving with Surefire. :laughing:

Naw your not crazy. Don't try to convert them, they will just compete with us for nice lights.

Here is what you do, but a couple of Maglights when they are really cheap and stash them away. They have those two packs you know with the 3-d cell and a minimag for cheap. If they ever come alookin to borrow one of your "good" lights give them a Maglight filled with batteries for keeps!

But first you offer them a cheap plastic 2-d cell job, then you say to them naw you deserve the best! Give them the Maglight.

Man will you be the most generous buddy they have!

Kershaw said:

I was browsing the epinons.com and came upon a 20 dollar mag 4D cell. A bunch of guys were saying how tough and top of the line mags are even though they are expensive. Am i crazy for considering a 30 dollar flashlight to be cheap. Will i ever be able to look at my friends economy lights with out lecturing them on Surefire flashlights like some kind used car salesmen?

Click to expand...

surefire (S) and mag-lite (M) are 2 different lights, designed for different purposes and markets.

mag:
tough
much more reliable than a $5 light
focusable
spare lamp
cheap batteries
great general purpose light

surefire:
tough
more waterproof than mag
non focusable
specific purpose light, lots of different models
high performance and high cost to buy AND run

Each are good at what they are designed for.

I think Big_Ed nailed it when he said "Most people wouldn't spend the extra $$."

As a basic example i have shown several people a SureFire 6P when they were standing there with their C and D cell Maglights or their 2.99 EverReady plastic lights and could not even tell the difference.

They couldn't fathom paying $50-60 for a flashlight. That's exactly how they put it too.. "Its just a flashlight". :shrug:

I have a completely different philosophy regarding "flashlights". If i'm going to own a flashlight regardless whether it sits in my glove box and i use it once ever 6 months or i use it hours per day i want to educate myself and make the best possible choice of illumination tool that is available.

I can be with friends and they ask me something specific about a flashlight and as i begin going into detail about what type bulb/lumens/lens construction/battery life of the flashlight i can see their eyes start to glaze over. I can tell i've just lost them in the conversation.

I find its just easier to agree to disagree. They're happy with their $2.99 plastic flashlights and i'm happy knowing i have several high quality flashlights in transit to me via UPS. :naughty:

YES, you are crazy! All of us here are or we wouldn't spend our time online looking at (of all things) FLASHLIGHTS

Seriously though, I have the same problem. My friends and family all make fun of me and because I have flashlights all over the place...in belt pouches, leather sheaths, shoulder bags, waterproof cases...not to mention spare batteries... :shrug: I just let them keep using thier cheap lights, and try to convert them if the opportunity arises. The price is usually what turns off the "unenlightened" If they only knew how much I've spent on these beautiful little things, they'd probably lock me up!

But here on CPF I have found my people, and we can all embrace our affliction :rock:

Come to think of it, I am totally out of my mind. I spend far more time on the internet looking at flashlights and things like battery chargers, batteries, two stage tailswitches, reviews of flashlights and the like than I do looking at porn. In fact, I almost never look at anything but flashlight stuff, political blogs and frequent flyer stuff when I am on the internet. What has happened to me

Im so depressed I might have to buy a really cool flashlight. The A2 I bought last weekend is great, and I love the McES and the Pilas I got, but well, maybe a Lioncub

yes, you are, and so are we

Dont worry kershaw. At least were all spending our money on something that is truly useful. And when the time comes that we want to sell them, we can still at least recover a good amount of our "investment". Which reminds me, after my gladius last week, an Orb Raw and McLux PD might me coming my way soon :laughing:

Crazy? Umm, yes, a suitable case for treatment... Nazareth.

Everyone's got something they love. Revel in it!

Kukula,

An Orb Raw and a McLux PD? I've got the Raw on the way, and a PD has been callign to me for a while. So have a lot of his other lights! Our signature lights are going to have a lot in common, they already do. I like your taste in lights!

Don't forget the HDS EDCs, or the LionCubs. So many lights!

To paraphrase Tony Montana: The world, and all the lights in it!

iNDiGLo said:

. . .Big_Ed nailed it when he said "Most people wouldn't spend the extra $$." They couldn't fathom paying $50-60 for a flashlight. That's exactly how they put it too.. "Its just a flashlight". :shrug:

Click to expand...

This would sum up my scenario with friends of mine. Even with the G2 they find it hard to believe that it costs $35.00+ dollars for its diminutive size and will not justify the purchase. Most snide comments I hear is: "I would never spend XXX dollars on a flashlight!" and "I prefer my Mag-Lite. . ." which most of them have.

Same ole situation with some of the other construction workers on the jobsite I happen to be on. . .The VTA Caltrain people I see have that yellow industrial grade Eveready(?) flashlight. Hmmm. . .

I think you might seem a little crazy while lecturing them during the day, but at night time I think you'll appear to be a little more sane. (unless you're lecturing a bunch of them at the same time and they decide to gang up on you and insist you're nuts. If they gang up, you'll probably still be crazy.)

Ey torchman now that you mentioned it we do have alot of lights in common. Nice to see that you too have excellent taste in lights :rock: I say go get the PD. I ordered mine in chrome. I will be getting the Raw sold by gregw in the BST too. It has the excellent two stage mode done to it and is a Ubin. Another light that I would like to add to my collection is the K.I.T. Maybe after the Raw and PD huh? :naughty:

Chris