Every dollar I spent on X, I wish I had spent on Y

Not sure if there has been a topic like this yet. The idea is, post what you regret buying and what you would have bought instead. I understand your local currency might not be dollars; that’s just a placeholder for money.

It doesn’t have to be a specific model. It could instead be a kind of feature or technology, for example battery size or rechargeable versus non-rechargeable.

Here are mine… The list is short but I’m sure it will grow. The order of my list shows my (short) learning process. I’m a newbie.

Olight I3E < Olight I3S
Olight I3S < Thrunite Ti3
Cool White < Neutral White (personal preference though)
Copper < Something other than copper
Costco Duracell flashlights < Something that takes rechargeable batteries (I returned the Duracell ones to Costco)

Edit: Adopted The Miller’s notation. Using examples from above the notation means:

Olight I3E < (less than / worse than) Olight I3S
Olight I3S < (worse than) Thrunight Ti3
etc.

I think this is a good idea. If you get enough participation, it will help people to see a kind of hierarchy of value. Your first two items show perfectly how that would work. One item is better than another, but a third item is better than both. That, expanded over several posts from several people, will be a great resource to help others who are considering buying some of these. I’ll have to think about mine, but I’ll try to add as many as I can… later. :wink:

Every dollar I spent on cheap Sipik clones (off ebay), I wish I had spent on Thorfire or Convoy lights (S2+, C8, C8s,…)

(edit: I know this is more a general statement, but all the cheap knock-offs I gathered were more expensive than the quality products from the brands I mentioned. I just didn’t know it better back then)

Sipik clone -> Convoy S2+
Ultrafire 502 -> Thorfire C8s
Ultrafire 18650 (4x) -> Samsung 25R

Crappy <$16 lights < Convoy lights

Cheap flashlights on AliExpress < flashlights recommended here.

Maglite < a lit match

Cheap eBay P60 dropins < dropin components from Mountain.

Lol.

Ouch.

They make some great hosts, though!

Yes, I can strike a match on the textured parts of the tube. :wink:

Though l had a Maglite when l was in college, kind of forgetten it until l happen to stumble in a local variety shop and bought a led light/charger combo with a mighty Ultrafire cell inside.

l don’t know if l regret or rejoice that light, that day.

That was my gateway drug that led me to CPF, then BLF.

Every dollar I spent on X, I wish I had spent on Y

X = manufactured lights (with some exceptions, such as Q8 and AA/AAA lights)

Y = hosts and parts for building/modding

When first got on here, I read a lot of people in various threads basically saying “just build your own”, but those sales and and coupon codes can be very tempting, even more so for a n00b. UT01 was my first purchase ever after joining the forums, and thankfully it wasn’t one with the switch problem. :smiley:

I disagree …Every noob comes to the forum with stupid love for their old mag light and dreams of modding it . IMHO they are a difficult light to mod and a sheer waste of time .As mad as i was when Duracell batteries leaked and got locked up inside …I’m glad it happened. It saved me from trying to do a difficult mod on a big dumb light . … 501B is a better light .

Mag < 501B

Fortunately for me, the last time I regretted buying a light was long, long time ago (Arc AAA) , I now wait and read the actual user reviews before buying, only 2 recent lights I have spent money solely on the trust of BLF members, the Q8 (Turned out good!) and the GT (Pending)

The 2×AA light? Ever heard of the “15min Match-mod”? Drops in the D26 of your choice with only a 20mm bit. Takes 20mm TIRs, even triples.

Nicely sleek and smooth, simple twisty, your choice of color.

502B > 501B. Nicer look, better thermal path.

I don’t think I’m gonna get the GT. I don’t like the logos. :smiling_imp:

olight X7 CW <astrolux mf-01 nichia :stuck_out_tongue:

Well, I didn’t come here to mod my MAG, but after seeing Old Lumens, I decided I wanted to try. It was definitely difficult. But the result was actually pretty good. I had a LED MAGlite, so the reflector was shaped right. A CREE XP-E2 R3 went into it. It out-throws all my other lights when tuned just right (the MAGlite ‘focusing system’ still works). It still contains some old worn out ‘D’ cells that have been in there for years. Since it’s a 3xD host, I’m afraid to put new ones. They might blow my XP-E2! I still have in mind to change it out to XP-L HI some time. THEN, I’ll put some new ‘D’ cells in there and see what it can do! :smiling_imp:

All this to say that I don’t regret it one bit. Yes, other lights are much cheaper and easier to mod, will put out more light and give better throw, and are much smaller and easier to carry. If those parameters are all that matter to you, don’t mod a MAG. But, for me, there are other factors. And my mod was worth it.

Maybe they should ship a black marker with every GT. :stuck_out_tongue:

Cree XPE Q5 < Any AA flashlight with protection circuity

Bought the above AA/14500 flashlight a couple of months ago for US$0.99. Put a 14500 battery (from a RC car) into it, and gave the flashlight to my kids as their own flashlight. They love playing with mine! :smiley:

Less than 2 months later, the 14500 battery which costs me nearly 4 times the price of the flashlight is dead! :frowning: )_#(:LKSDPO (#_)()@#

This battery was bought as a set of two, much earlier this year from BG when they were still shipping batteries to Australia. Nowadays, it is next to impossible to get batteries from any of the websites that sell them for reasonable prices. :frowning: The surviving battery is in the Klarus Mi7. I have checked and triple checked, and the specs say this flashlight does have protection circuitry. I guess I will know in a month or two.