Flashlight Collection Downsizing

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Hey guys, Just wondering if any of you guys are taking a stand to downsizing collection?

Due to financial restrictions, space, conflicts with family members, girlfriends, etc……

I do not even consider buying any flashlights at retail stores. Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc…. UNLESS super great deals. Even then, I will purchase just 1 only to test. But lumen count has to be at least 1000. That helps eliminate compulsive buy disorder.

Selling away lower lumen count models. Anything less than 1000 lumens is not even considered for collection.

Selling off same multiple brand new sealed lights considered ” GOLDEN QUEENS STYLE ”

Condensing down to avoid any conflicts with family/girlfriends for have too many lights taking up a lot of space.

Feel free to chime in.

2

Well yeah, i tried to sell as many as i could at one time, before the emitter becomes “outdate”. Eg XP-G, XM-L then.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to sell, even in enthusiast forums or second-hand forums. Unless you drop it significantly, ie close to 50%, for any used light.

There were many impractical lights. Such as ultra big aperture HID lights (extreme throwers), or pocket rockets, due to the fact that it’s alway hot nights here at 29-31 deg C.
Nobody wants them, except some of the pocket rockets maybe.

3

I use to own hundreds of lights, literally (hell I owned 2 dozen of one model SRK that I really liked). Now I limit my collection to 30 production lights (I also own 2 custom lights who I dont count towards this total).

If I find a new light I want I gift away / sell some others. It’s enough I can keep one in every location I deem necessary to have a light (my EDC, ones for quick use by the front & back doors, window sills, vehicles, work etc) and still have a small group clumped together on my work bench that don’t get used except to play with.

I find it makes me enjoy the ones I own more, before when I would just buy any light that peaked my interest even momentarily I had a lot of duds (lights that worked fine, or were fine mod hosts but just never did it for me). This way I really have to think about the ones I buy, whether or not I really need it and will enjoy it before purchasing.

4

out of the few hundred i have, i’ve downsized and sold 6. i feel better now

5

LMAO. I have downsized. With aginthelaws help.

6

I have a habit of buying 2-3 of the same light if I really like it and then later on selling one or two of them. Got to stop this sooner or later.

7

I was up to about 75 lights at one time. Starting thinning them out bit by bit. They just weren’t getting used. Sitting around on a shelf didn’t really seem right. Truthfully I felt kind of bad about spending the money on them just to sit there in some kind of weird shrine to flashlights. I was down to around 30 but have slowly crept back up to 40 and 4 in route. I have two sitting in the mailbox right now but I am too lazy to walk the quarter mile to get them out. Almost forgot, I have a 10 year old with a bicycle, I can send him up there. :slight_smile:

I think I am really going to slow down my purchasing of new lights and start making a few changes on lights that I have to make them more appealing to me. I have 6 or seven lights sitting around that are begging for some new emitters and drivers. Think I will get to working on them and start a few giveaways. Think I am sneaking up on 1000 post so I better get off my dead butt and do something.

8

True… i only buy interesting lights…

9

Someday I will get around to it. I say that about a lot of things though.
Everytime I think of downsizing some that rarely get used, I think of reasons to keep them.
Someday I will get around to it.

10

Oh, bruddduh…

Yeah, I got way too many nice lights that just don’t get used. It’s called “EDC” for a reason… The rest end up as box-queens, even those I played with when new, really liked, still like, but they just haven’t displaced Ol’ EDC for whatever reason.

And I consider “EDC” to be anything that I use everyday, not just carry around. So… just “ED” lights? :confounded:

That includes my bobofett light that burns down moribund AAs as a ceiling-bounce nightlight, other AA lights like my TK4A, SF13, etc., for similar reasons, my “nighttable lights”, etc. So right there, that’s almost a half-dozen lights. AA, 18650, you name it.

You don’t want to know how many C8s I have, from how many mfrs. Or S-series Convoys. Hosts, moddable, blah blah blah. Like when’m I gonna use all them?

So yeah, I thought about selling off a lot of all-but-unused lights, but do I really want to take a bath on ’em, as mentioned above, selling for almost half-price, and eating shipping costs? Ouch. So, I’ve given away a few, but still not enough. And most muggles go all wide-eyed when they hear I bought a light for 60bux+. Or even 20bux. They still think of “flashlight” as a plastic tube with 30lm hotwire bulb and a coupla D cells that they could pick up free with a 4-pack of Enerleakers.

But hey, next time there’s a huge deal on a Thorfire or Sofirn, yeah, I’ll probably pick up a couple. :person_facepalming:

And I’ll love ’em, but hardly use ’em. They might be all variations on a theme, like one has a WW LED, or usb-charging, or a FC instead of RC switch, whatever. Still…

11

I had hundreds at one time… tested many hundreds more when I had my integration sphere.

These days I keep around 15… still might sell a few more or give a few away.

I will buy around 3-5 a year and I usually sell them after a few months of playing with them.

Favorites are a Zebralight sc63w and a sunwayman d40a neutral (resistor modded)

12

Feel better already as I just ordered the d40a last week.

13

I owned literally every 4aa light from 2012-2015 and the d40a was the only one I kept :slight_smile:

That includes 4 different nitecore Ea4s, one modded by oldlumens that I wish I kept :frowning:

14

I just started collecting the 4aa's last month. Because of their convenience using aa's, I don't think I could part with them. By end of this week I will have five of them I'm hoping one day to find a good deal on a new SD4A. There have been some deals on the sd4a but I've always missed out on them.

15

I should probably do this & see if I “feel better”.

BUT…… The reality of it, when I actually think about doing it; is pretty much what cabfrank mentioned below…… :person_facepalming: …… :wink:

16

The problem I find in giving away Or selling torches.
Is I can’t feel comfortable with the 18650/26650 cells with people that don’t Know or understand the peculiarities of them. IE Safety requirements.
The average person wants a switch and a beam.
with almost every torch you sell also NEEDING a special (to them) charger.

I put a box of over 30 in the bin with Garbo’s on Wed. All cheapies. under $35.
But you get nothing for them here, I live Rural/Coastal Queensland.
and it costs a zillion to post O/Seas from AUST.
I’m gonna keep around a dozen or so. Then wait for the next generation of heat beads/ Drivers.

Everybody just copying everybody else at present
Mostly based round a coke can, C8 or S2 in smaller sizes. L2 and L6 the mid ranges.
then the super lamps that burn your morning paper but don’t last more than 30 seconds
before dropping down to what everybody else puts out.
Then a few Micro toys.

They reaching the boring stage nowadays. So bring on the super beads and boards.
NEXT GEN.

17

I’m not feeling as guilty anymore. I would guess I’m at a 100 lights. Lots of C8’s for modding, some S2’s which make up for 25. The rest are group buy lights for the most part. The one light I have at hand is my Wowtac A4. Just like the way it handles. My EDC 75 of the time is a Jaxman E2L. Guess I could have just bought 2 lights and I would have been fine. :person_facepalming: Doubt I would ever sell anything unless I had financial dificulties. I’m more likely to give some away as gifts. Christmas is coming quickly.
We all have an adictions. This one isn’t as bad as the ones I had in the past.

18

Agree that the D40a is the ultimate AA flashlight.
Nothing else has come close.

19

Yep. Doom (I and II) and The Angry Birds. Almost did me in…

20

Yep, I have the same habit. But if I really, really like one… it goes on to 4, 5, 6, maybe more. :person_facepalming: . :person_facepalming: . :frowning:

I just never seem to get around to selling any of them… :person_facepalming: . . :open_mouth:
I do give a few away however from time to time.

For the last couple of months I have honestly been making a conscious effort to stop this insane behavior of overbuying. There actually has been some limited progress. :smiley: