that sickening crunching sound....

We've all heard it before... that sickening crunching sound of our beloved light smacking concrete :green:

was delivering boy scout pop corn tonight. my boy opened up the door and I heard that crunching sound of a light hitting concrete.
OH NO! my tri-Ubin maglite.. picked it up and it's now scarred up all over.

when was the last time YOU heard that sickening crunch?

I hate the thud and clatter sound my palm 3c makes the few times i dropped it on the tile floor at community college. I worried to death about the ribben cable coming undone inside for the touch screen or display.

On the other hand, nothing like hearing the sound of a mag light hitting a metal object. I used it to beat the crap out of an old tandy computer and old GM 8 track car radio.

Thank God for type III hard anodization.

Not even HA will survive concrete; the metal under the HA will still flex from impact.

Last time I heard it: last week, I dropped my GL3 on the floor of my lab (not a scratch )

When I used to tout a maglight, that had hit the pavement quite a few times but I have yet to scar one of my HA lights. I have dropped my G2 w/ BOG quite a few times, but thats my work/beater light and it handles it quite well.

I dread that first ding or scratch.

After that it's a free-for-all, no more solitary confinement in a pocket or pack. I had my humble new 2Cx123 in my back pocket last month and ran it along the brick outside the garage, arrrrg! Now it's thrown in the pack with everything else and tossed around the truck without a thought. Kind of a relief actually. My favorite lights have lots of "character".

That's what's nice about Maglite bodies with modded flashlights. No worries. You drop it? No biggie, if the scars bother you that much just buy another body.

ArcAAA, lots of times. Not any significant damage.
Latest time, 2C R/O luxeon1 mag, hit the dirt, crunch. A tiny hole in the bezel ring (if I was really anal I could get a new bezel ring) and a small scratch in the head (once again, could replace the head). The body has the HS epoxied to it, but no damage there. The luxeon bin is quite special (really red for a r/o, and uber low Vf (F)), so this one is a keeper no matter what scratches.

I know I'm going to regret saying this but I have never dropped any of my flashlights. When that dreaded day does come.......OH CRAP!!!!


Lisa

A simple solution for this problem would be flashlights made from plastic... no dents, just flexes a bit and returns to previous shape (at least from moderate height)

The sickest of the light falls on concrete was when the SF L1, my EDC at time, landed on its rubber tailcap. The tailcap died immediately.
The A2, the L2 and L1 have a "Achille's heel" that is in the dual stage tailcap. I was pretty unlucky to drop it that way.

I regularly drop my E1e/KL1 and U2 on the floor, with no visible effects.

Anthony

cy said:

when was the last time YOU heard that sickening crunch?

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My knees are starting to make that noise when I stand up.

I was at work checking something in the ceiling and dropped my Peak Meditteranean 2AA. The thick marble tile layed the smack down on the head but it survived intact (gotta love LEDs!) The 3 meter drop did marr the HA-III but did not remove it. Character marks... what EDCs collect.

The one light that I have the most fear of dropping is my LuxeonV nFlex mod with an 8AA to 2D battery carrier. It will survive a meter drop off a desk but I would not want to try the ceiling trick. With my luck, the battery holder would crack or somehow I would break my LuxV photon cannon. Maybe I should get one of those Mag accessories that has that rubbery plastic lens holder to protect it. Wrap a 5mm layer of F4 tape near the tailcap to cushion the hits.

Thanks cy, now you have me paranoid!

Don't remember the last time, but I do remember the one that bothered me the most at the time.
I just got my BlackBird from Jets and pulled it out played with the different configurations for several minutes. Then all of the sudden I had a brain fart and it fell from my lap and hit the bricks of the hearth. Several dings in it from that. I turned to my wife and said well I guess that I am keeping this one now, darn. Then I got a big smile on my face... I am keeping this one.
Now I look at it like this. Once it is dropped and dinged it is a much more valuable tool. I can use it without too much babying.

mut

When my Surefire M3 that was hung around my neck (with an official Surefire lanyard no less) unhitched itself and plunged 4 feet onto concrete.

I say unhitched itself, because that is exactly what happened - I had both hands occupied turning a black limited edition A2's tailcap. I figured the M3 would be safe and secure on my neck lanyard.. or so I thought.

This is not the first time that the quick release has unhitched itself. Last time it was the L4 LumaMax unlatching itself while I had both hands inside the fridge getting stuff.

Surprisingly I didn't scream bloody murder after both incidents. I just picked up both lights, wiped them off, looked at the damage, lit them to ensure functional integrity, and life goes on. My M3's just got a couple more dings and the L4 has a tiny little stress fracture in the Pyrex.

First time I dropped my mclux PD (UWOJ, wiz2x2-150/950) on concrete
was very sickening. put a nasty dent on the tail. subsequent drops
were much better Now i just toss it around all the time

Hey KevinL, Are you using the new style SF spring hooks?

I refuse to use them for exactly that reason, if the hook gets turned around the eye on the lanyard ring, pulling it will overcome the clip's spring and release the lanyard from the ring (very bad).

I now either knot the lanyard around the ring, like this

or stitch the lanyard into place (see photo).

I will not use the spring hooks for my lights, except for the Jil CR2 (DD) around my neck. I use the hooks for other things, but I found they could come unhooked early on. :mecry:

i had my tri-lux on my lap in a car. forgot about it. stood up to get out then "crunch"..

Yeah those clips are ridiculous. My L6 came unloose 3 times the first time I was playing with it. Screwing the ring onto the loop directly seems to be working alright.

BigBaller said:

Yeah those clips are ridiculous. My L6 came unloose 3 times the first time I was playing with it. Screwing the ring onto the loop directly seems to be working alright.

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Another reason for me not using the clips.... I don't like the metal (clips or split ring) scuffing the flashlight body as it gets ground against it in transit.