Hey how are you doing man? Welcome to BLF! :partying_face:
“Unlike most rabbit holes, this one isn’t dark. In fact there’s so much light down here it’s positively brilliant!” — haha, but dark news ahead to your finances…
Well, even just being here in BLF can give you a small ‘kick’!
First and foremost, always remember to recharge your credit card. 
Welcome slmjim.
I can guarantee that your rabbit hole is expected to be very deep, especially if you keep on reading reviews and mods 
You remember that movie “RUN FOREST RUN”
Welcome to BLF slmjim.
It's a pleasure to have you onboard, slmjim!
I hope your card can handle a large draw 
With a super low interest rate!!
Since 13 Dec 2017
BLF-GT (x2) ,bags, OpTech hoods, 16/3500mah batts
Acebeam K70 (x2),
Nitecore TM26GT,
Noctigon Meteor M43,
Niwalker BK-FA30s,
Fenix TK75vn KT XML2,
Thrunite TN42cw,
Opus 3400’s (x2)
Miboxer C4-12’s (x2)
Aluminum carry case
Pelican 1010 micro cases (x4)
…so did I…. so did I. :person_facepalming:
Welcome to BLF!
Budget doesn’t always mean cheap.
The army has a budget too :confounded:
If you’re into big lights ….it’s probably cheaper to buy a small apartment complex and set it on fire .
I came here (and into flashlight “communities” in general) looking for a small edc light. I spent weeks researching and reading before buying my first “good” light. I wound up with a 47s Preon, 35 bucks or so, and it was great. Still have it. But like you fear, it started something for me. Now 4ish years (and 150ish lights) later, here’s one of my latest acquisitions:
So yeah, its very easy for this to get a bit out of hand
(If you’re not familiar, that’s the new Sinner Ti350, serial number lucky 13. I’ve added some blue anodized highlights, an Okluma clip, and 14 trits (iceblue/white). Not obvious from the pics is the LDB4 driver setup and triple 219b sw45k r9080 internals I swapped in.)
^ Absolute stunner! :sunglasses:
Welcome slmjim!
One of us… one of us…
It’s going to be fun!
Welcome!
Need has little to do with a flashaholic condition. It does however start out “budget” where you will find yourself buying C8s and Utorch units. At some point you will be consumed by the obsession with “brighter, more efficient” and phrases like “UI and CRI” come out frequently. Then, God help you when lumens per watt figures constantly cruise around your head.
Lastly, a full demonic possession has occurred when Nitecore and Acebeam make your shopping list.
I completely agree with you, except that last phrase 
I think there are equal or higher quality lights for a lower price (This is budget light forum remember ? )
Darnit…I was so gonna use that
Hi all,
Thanks for the entertaining welcome!
I've spent the past week browsing the site, and must say that I'm gonna be surrounded by vertical learning curves for a while.
I'm a little disheartened by the thread about fake emitters. I've read the entire thread and branches thereof, and now have a rudimentary understanding of whet to look for.
I'll be posting some noob questions in appropriate forums for a time, so please bear with me, and thanks for the schooling!
Briefly:
I see modding in the not-too-distant future. Much of my previous life was a hardware Tech on copiers & printers. I've flashed thousands of copiers, printers, scanners and NIC's with firmware, so all I have to do is learn the interfaces and locate the files.
I have a basic understanding of color temps, less so of CRI but that will come with time.
Later in my career I was in a gig as Network Analyst for xerox. I cringe now because of all the laptops/battery packs we disposed of that could have been harvested for cells. I'm still coming to terms with cell sizes and such. The compatibility of some flashlights re: length of protected vs non-protected cells, flat tops working in a specific light yes/no/maybe, etc. will be a stumbling block for me until I get a better handle on cell formats.
A Surefire Stylus Pro currently on sale at Cabela's for $14.99 hasn't popped my flashlight cherry just yet, but it did get to third base. Eyes are gettin' glassy & I'm breathing hard anyway. But now I find that I want more! And so the affliction begins...
Welcome to BLF slmjim! I hated it when those Duracells leaked in my old flashlights. Supposedly they were the best batteries, right? Now with NiMH and lithium ions, that’s no longer a worry.
And WOW emarkd, that’s an awesome looking flashlight!