Who else gets the stink eye from freinds/family members over flashlights?

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https://web.archive.org/web/20221220093741/https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/72705

A freind threatened to beat me over the head with it if I bought another light.
I was curious to see who else has to deal with the unenlightened.

Today, you laugh at my flashlights, tomorrow, i laugh at your darkness

Lightgecko, obviously you have failed to spread the Flashlight gospel to the UnEnlightened...

Seems that nobody can maintain the stink eye while staring directly into an overdriven emitter*

(*disclaimer: only weird flashaholics should look into emitters, and then only by accident. seriously, don’t do this.)

Being somewhat “green” to the flashlight community (not referring to my tint) but quickly amassing a decent little collection to support my new-found addiction, I am frequently given the “eye”.

It’s like when you buy a new car, drive it to work the first day and invite your buddies outside the first break to show it off. The same is true when I get a new light, I have to show it off - spilling off stats that they totally don’t understand, demonstrating the modes and user interface, and trying to educate them on the difference of the LED and the color/tint differences. The first one or two small lights were acceptable, but week after week of a new, different light triggered the “eye”. Most recently, it was the BLF A6 that resulted in numerous “eyes” but was the most fun response. Showing off the 1A and 3D flavors. To them, the exact same light. Both were bright, complicated interface for them, dazzled by the bike mode. Then the “eye” followed by the “why”. My response- “Why Not?”

I like the attitude of breinrules, “tomorrow, I laugh at your darkness.” I enjoy setting in darkness, setting the mood with light from one of my little friends and contemplating the wonders of technology in the palm of my hand - the flashlight.

Never got the stink eye. All I ever got was the, “Holy @#$!, that’s bright!” :slight_smile:

I work around many guys in the various trades and when they drag out their 2AA mini mag and it does not put out enought… I can usually make and sell them a good light. Many have looked at the Fenix tube lights and balk at the prices, so a cheaper just as bright option looks really good to them.

My friends children love my torches, I take along beaters so that when we go walking, and it gets dark, they can use them. There are worse obsessions.

+100000… :bigsmile:

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”

If you think folks look at you for collecting... tell them you build flashlights!! The normal question is "Why would you build something you can buy for $5 "??

My barber did that. So, the next time I went in, I took a flashlight. I said "I brought you something" and handed it to him. He oooed and awwwed over it for ten minutes and still excited, said... "Oh, I see now, thanks for the light" . I took the light from him, reached in my pocket and took out a little plastic light I had bought at Office Depot for $3 or so.... I said... "Oh... no, this was the one I brought for you"... He almost cried!! I teased him for 30 minutes before giving him the light back. That was a couple of years ago. Last count he had sold 27 lights for me.

I think the eye givers secretly love flashlights... but just in the closet!! TL

Fixed that for you!

I get it all the time. I even ended up taking down a load of reviews off Youtube due to the leg pulling I was getting at work over them as it had started to move from chop busting to getting a bit nasty. The sad thing is though is that in my job I do actually need a good light and partly thanks to my efforts all the staff are now issued with torches (even though they are a million miles away from the ones I would have chosen).

My Mrs is always moaning about the fact that I have torches all over the house too and yet she uses them a fair bit herself when she is searching for lost small items or inspecting the back of the kids throats when they are ill etc.

I currently have four more lights that will be arriving at my home anytime within the next few weeks and after that I have three BLF specials that will be ready for purchase within the next month or so too! So maybe they do have a point after all

I started getting the raised brow from the wife, but then I got her a couple quality (and useful) lights and now she’s a convert:) Why turn on the light switch when all you need is a few lumens of ceiling bounce for a minute. But I also know not to push it too far…

My friends and family are probably being nice when they refrain from giving me the stink eye. But, I can sense they are silently rolling their eyes. Therefore, I try not to overdo the flashlight geekdom.

[quote=HighCaliber The same is true when I get a new light, I have to show it off - spilling off stats that they totally don’t understand, demonstrating the modes and user interface, and trying to educate them on the difference of the LED and the color/tint differences. The first one or two small lights were acceptable, but week after week of a new, different light triggered the “eye”. Most recently, it was the BLF A6 that resulted in numerous “eyes” but was the most fun response. Showing off the 1A and 3D flavors. To them, the exact same light. Both were bright, complicated interface for them, dazzled by the bike mode. [/quote]

So true.

[quote=HighCaliber The same is true when I get a new light, I have to show it off - spilling off stats that they totally don’t understand, demonstrating the modes and user interface, and trying to educate them on the difference of the LED and the color/tint differences. The first one or two small lights were acceptable, but week after week of a new, different light triggered the “eye”. Most recently, it was the BLF A6 that resulted in numerous “eyes” but was the most fun response. Showing off the 1A and 3D flavors. To them, the exact same light. Both were bright, complicated interface for them, dazzled by the bike mode.
[/quote]

So true.

Not proud of my newfound purchasing habits, but I have sunk quite a bit into lights the last 4 months or so. What’s really ironic is that shortly after beginning my new addiction, divorce papers were filed. 45 days left in our 90 day wait period before the judge inks his final signature. In our papers listing property distribution, I listed my flashlight collection - not individually but as a collection. Not enough lines on the worksheet to list them individually.

I just tell them not to come to me looking for a light when the power fails. :bigsmile: