For whatever coming occasion, what light are you hoping to get? Which one is on the wish list? Or do you just buy it for yourself?
Second part:
What is the best light you received as a gift?
What about the worst light as a gift?
I am new to the game really, but this is a question I have asked in my knife collection groups. One year my ex wife’s folks (knowing I am a knife collector) gave me a knife for Christmas. It was HORRIBLE. It was some gas station fantasy knife made of pot steel that must have cost a grand total of $3.99.
I wonder how long it will be before I get a $3 Walmart special light as a gift? haha.
People who know me, know enough to not even try to get me a watch, light, any camera equipment, etc., unless I explicitly specify right down to the catno/SKU/whatever.
“Hey, I got ya a light! You’re crazy about lights, right? Lookit this… it’s tactical! …and it zooms!”
They’re proud of getting me something so thoughtful and useful, and I’m thinking to myself, “Hmm, whom do I hate so badly that I can dump this onto?”.
Even when I make out a very specific Christmas list, b’day list, etc., I typically don’t get what’s on it anyway. So, I buy my own stuff.
My wife wouldn’t buy me a light for any occasion unless, she is absolutely certain it’s not glued shut so I can get inside of it. Now, my wife not knowing much about lights or how to tell if they are glued up or not, is perfectly comfortable leaving what I want up to me. I’m picky. I buy lights for me.
I made the mistake of thinking that other family and friends would be just as excited to receive a new light as I was to give it to them. They won’t be excited and to tell the truth they could care less about flashlights in general. As long as they have one in the drawer that they can use during a power outage, they are as happy as they can be. Which is exactly where that flashlight you gave them will end up. With no battery in it and no understanding of how it actually works.
So, I buy myself lights and buy other people gift cards. I hate shopping as much as they hate my flashlights. Unless I get asked about a light recommendation, I never bring it up. I have been asked exactly ZERO times.
Yesterday, I received a surprise package from Moscow containing a surprise gift of a 6 x AAA light from Kaspersky Lab. Non-tangible subjective value: Very high.
The funny thing is, most of the lights we are into are not really super expensive lights. I spoke earlier of my ex’s parents buying a cheap gas station knife, but the truth is, I have a ton of Swiss Army Knives (my favorite to collect) which can be had cheap and picked up anywhere.
I bought an extra Fenix PD36R for my daughters 18th birthday. She actually really appreciated getting a tactical torch for when she takes evening classes at college next semester, and evening walks with the dog.
