Photos of workhorses and worn, dirty, or patinated lights

My tools with taped Astrux s41.
My friends love the beam pattern of s41.

You win. Better buy the SS version on sale for $28.05 with coupon code. That aluminum one has about had it.

I think what you see is duct tape, not corroded aluminium :party: . But it sure looks worn like that!

Think you are right, considered that myself before I posted the first time.

I have been underground again, but the main objective had to be postponed due to lack of ice to safely climb up into the tunnel where all the muck is. Instead we spent our time at bottom level taking some photos and exploring. The lights I used didn’t get very dirty at all, but still took a photo of them once home again:

THIS…is the most glorious looking E12 I have ever seen. Glad it’s serving you so well. Such a cool, simple, and tough light. It always reminds me of the old school Fenix L1D :+1:

This is the greatest E12 I’ve ever seen. Glad it’s serving you so well. Such a simple and rugged light. E12 reminds me of the old L1D.

Im not trying to be rude, I am asking in earnest……

why would anyone grind, batter, rock bath or otherwise abuse a light or any other tool to make it look used? why not use it and let life provide the tarnish?

seems kinda poser-ish IMO.

my favorite shotgun (Remington 1100) has a big scratch on the stock where I dragged it over a fence when I was a teenager.
I don’t like the scratch but it is a memory and a reminder to be careful with my belongings.

same with my scars, they each have a memory.

thoughts?

Intentional wear is its own form of patina and it makes subsequent damage from real use less pronounced I’d think.

“why would anyone grind, batter, rock bath or otherwise abuse a light or any other tool to make it look used? why not use it and let life provide the tarnish?

seems kinda poser-ish IMO.” (smithd1)

I agree with this and would never intentionally beat my tools or anything else to make them look worn/used. BUT, with that being said, I have to admit that I think i42dk’s UltraFire, and Emisar D4’s that were posted on page 1 look really good scuffed up like that.

Thank you good sir :wink: :beer:

I love the amount of :ROLLEYES: my wife produces, when the mailman has dropped off a new light; and five minutes later I’m rubbing it with sandpaper :smiley:
But those bare-aluminum contrast lines just floats my boat on black/dark/etc.-anodised lights.

I wonder….it makes sense.
On a shiny new light any damage is a change in colour and surface. Such irregularity easily stands out. On a roughed-up surface you get a kind of a pattern that combines raw alu colour with the one of of ano. And surface is somewhat uniformly rough. Actual wear will reduce regularity, but less so than on a new light.

Actually such thing could be done not before use-related damage occurs but afterwards.

Can anyone show their artificially worn lights that have received a lot of use and some real damage?

It does not get much use but just being in my pocket with keys and stuff has produced this look of the Sofirn C01 prototype in just two months.

My Astrolux S41S with some patina :slight_smile:



Definitely looks like a burrower’s light set, the clay stains don’t lie. :smiley:

Also….I wonder how does Convoy with clear ano stand damage….
Is the “clear” colour pretty much exactly like the aluminium below?

Can anyone chime in with photos of their lights?

She’s retired now but this quark has >5 years of true every single day carry on it all the way up till this year.

Year 1 it got an LED upgrade to a 219b 9080, year 2 I was in my buddies wedding party and wrote 47’s and they sent me a new tail cap since I planned to carry it in my tux clipped to my back pocket and wanted the end of it to be nice atleast lol, year 4 the driver died and it got upgraded to a Mtn-20 with bistro.

MagTAC Rechargeable in its natural habitat. 5 years as my main light I also used a Mini Maglite AA Pro+ but was forced to upgrade to the 351lumen one, I’m still waiting for the tempered glass lens to arrive then it’s on duty.
Here it is compared to a shiny new one (one of two) I just picked up from Botach Tactical (They’re blowing the first gens for $50 ea!!)

Gentlemen, I beg of you to keep your tool(s) clean.
Because you know: the tool of the Fool is the toy of the Lady.
And the ladies know: a Fool with a tool is still a Fool.

Oh it gets ragged of well before it goes back in the holster.