Anybody else burned out?

Maybe I just have the flashaholic blues, but lately I haven't seen many lights that make we want to go out and buy them. I was really interested in the Proton as it was shown at the SHOT show this year, but that's about it lately. I've got big lights, small lights, bright lights, dim lights, LED's and incans and I just can't think of much more that I want until we see more of the "next generation" of LED lights show up. Anybody else go through a phase like this where you pretty much had all the lights you needed?

Well I haven't hit that phase yet. There is still so much I want - and some of the lights I want don't exist yet, so I want to build them..... Time is kind of the limiting factor here...

But maybe its kind of like getting married, you keep looking for the right one, trying this and that, until you find the person that is just perfect. Maybe there is a similar state that can be reached with flashlights - if so I am happily waiting to reach that state.

With any of my hobbies I tend to have periods of intense interest and then lulls of a few months when I'm not particularly vibed.

I'd been in a torch lull for several months (the LRI proton was the only thing that really interested me) until the Fenix popped up. Now I'm interested again, but there doesn't seem to be much in the immediate future that I really get excited about.

The good thing with torches as a hobby, it's guaranteed that new and interesting technologies are around the corner. And as a member of CPF there's always interesting things to talk about, even if your torch addiction is temporarily sated.

My personal opinion is that anyone with more than 3-4 torches has all that they need. For a true torch enthusiast, they never really have all that they want though!

For me it's settled down. Things I want I can't afford. And things I need I have now. Mainly it's stuff I tinker with and build then ok that was cool, time to sell.

Then nothing comes along but something you've been looking for for years, then uh-oh! my secret.

Yes, I've been on a (possibly) temporary hiatus from CPF and a lot of other light related stuff. Being busy plays a part as well, but I've found I'm enjoying other hobbies for now (firearms, paintball, and the like). It also seems that I do enjoy the lights more when I'm not dealing with them every day. I can stop by CPF every now and then without getting deeply envolved and really enjoy it.

My advice would be to follow your interests and what you enjoy, but don't make any drastic changes (like selling your lights off) until you are sure you would be missing them greatly in the near future.



-Mike

I went through this recently, one of the things that worked for me is to let things rest for a while. Go out, do other things.

I'm also buying less lights. But the thing is, after a while your collection will settle down and you can then become very selective in what you buy (unless you buy just to collect). At this time you also know exactly what you want in a light. I feel it's pretty normal, I'm at this stage. In fact, in the recent months I've had to step up to the workbench myself and create the new lights I wanted to see. Some of them haven't been seen before, either. Then I decided to take a break.

Ironically, while I was taking a break, I took fewer lights with me, but I used them and valued them more. I was lucky enough to find the One (light, that is.. as for significant other, the wait will probably go on forever) and that is the U2 - I'm practically married to that light. Of course, there are other lights for other roles but nothing sees as much use as the One.

Take a rest, settle down and your wallet will be happier too.. give yourself a treat and sit back and wait for the next big thing. I know that's what I'm going to do

I haven't hit that phase yet, either. There are still quite a few lights I want. I can't really afford them right now, so I guess I'll be "on the jazz" until I get them, and every other light I might want. I'm currently in my binge buying/irresponsible phase. Not a good thing, actually. There are some cool lights, like the Spy, that I knew were way to much for me at the moment, but guess what? I've spend much more than the cost of that light in the last few weeks on lights and stuff that I had no idea I'd be wanting or buying! Yikes! Somebody stop me! (said like Jim Carey in "The Mask")

my bank account is burnt out..:mecry:
does that count???

I kind of felt I may be approaching burnout...but the longer days of "Arctic Darkness" are upon us now ---> "FLASHLIGHT SEASON"!!!! Extra photons are a certain requirement for sure!!

That and I've been procurring lights for some "power outage" kits that I'm putting together for family, friends, co-workers, & neighbors...doing that "good deed" thing I hope! Procurring "affordable" long run lights is a challenge indeed (not to mention fun as well)...

So I started going through some lights and selling some here and there to "recycle torch funds". Am I done - certainly not yet!!

I'm having a money burn out, does that cound?

Mattman said:

Anybody else go through a phase like this where you pretty much had all the lights you needed?

Click to expand...

Yes. I've been absent from the forums a lot. I haven't bought anything recently except for a 2Xaa light from Target. Not that I have all the lights I need, but I kind of have more than I want.

I've recently lost interest in a lot of things due to some other things going on in my life.




Hint--look in the forums in the next few weeks for some of my lights for sale.

I'm not burned out on lights yet, but I think I'm nearing it. I look at all my lights, and think to myself that I have too many. Not sure if I'm ready to sell any, but that's a different attitude from "I'll never sell them". Probably I won't.

Not much I really need. Maybe a really powerful M*g mod, but I've got the distance thing covered okay for my needs with the 74 and a spotlight. HID is expensive, even by my new standards, and don't see what it can really do that any of the others can't. I can't seem to stop buying adjustable brightness LED lights though, and now modular ones are getting the better of me. At least I can carry most of them, and small ones make it possible to carry more than one.

I do tend to go full tilt and then stop on hobbies. Life events, and the high cost of night vision equipment pulled me away from that, even though I still have a couple of decent scopes.

And the wallet is close to burned out. I'm a lumen glutten, I want them all! But in truth I think I've had all I need for a while!

I am not sure if I am burning out or if I have just spent enough money this year. I use and enjoy all my lights..
I have saved alot of money since the B/S/T changed formats, I never (rarly) go there anymore.
The last few lights I want are $200+ each, figures.

i admit after alll that fighting a while back i kinda realy lost interest in lights.but not in all my freinds ive met here.im ssure ill get back into it again

I get a bit tired of all the Asian lights, and the high priced custom lights that use low quality materials/parts in them (often accompanied with lots of hype in an attempt to support the pric).

Seems we see less folks creating their own and less modding. This seems to have been on a decline for the past two years.

And most the electronics talk has died off.

Oh well.

I'm still as amused as ever by flashlights and headlights, but the drive to know as much as possible about what's going on and what's coming soon just isn't the same. With that said, I still have to stop in the forum once or twice a week to make sure I know more than Joe Sixpack about the world of flashlights, but lately scanning thread titles is as far as I get unless something jumps out at me. It's probably true that some of the modding and homemade market has died off, but I think that the next generation of LEDs will spur on some more creativity - or at least I hope so.

Here's something interesting that I've noticed now that I'm not checking here every day: I don't get irritated by the repetitive questions from new guys on the forum - I felt this way before, but it didn't jump out at my like it does now. I like seeing the interest and enthusiasm from someone who's just discovered the world of the flashaholic - I remember feeling that way once and I know what a smack in the face it would have been to me if someone had just replied to a question with "Use the search". Every time I check the forums, I hope to find something like a "What's a Mag85?" thread with no replies so I can jump in and enlighten a newbie like I'm some kind of flashlight genius. You guys take the hard questions and I'll take the easy ones!

With any of my hobbies I tend to have manic periods where I'm totally into them, and then periods of ambivilance or outright disinterest.

With photography I simply put my gear on a shelf and make myself leave it there for a week or so and usually after missing a few shots I'm itching to get back to it.

Flashlights are a little different because even when I've lost the thrill, they are still in my life as excellent tools, especially now that we're in the "dark season".

Seems like we may all be feeling a bit burned out. Not much that's new and different, and too much vaporware or delays. It's also tough for us, or me anyway, to act out on our flashaholic impulses when we know a light is backordered for months or might never happen. Something better might come along during the wait. On the other hand, the less than $20 lights like the River Rocks, have probably ignited some new flashaholics and help keep cheapskates like me in the game.

Geoff

Like others have said, this interest as well as others go in cycles. Seems in the last few months that there haven't been a lot of new offerings from manufacturers. Probably when some of the 2006 stuff starts to come out the cycle will rev up again and interest will be peaked.

I think our relationship with CPF evolves somewhat too from newbie to connoisseur. Then the relationship transcends to appreciating the friendship of the CPF community. This is probably the better value of CPF rather than chasing after the next 'thrill of aquisition.' At some point the materialism aspect of CPF has run its course and the non-material qualities (virtual community) are what become valued.