That is one of the points I repeat the most when people question my addiction. An emergency is bad enough even when it’s not on that level, and it’s only made worse if you’re blind during it; now imagine both. I kidded about the South American blackout of Itaipu, but that was one HECK of an emergency, not only because of how many places went entirely dark (practically half of Brazil and Argentina and the entirety of Uruguay was just black on the world map) but also because it lasted hours. It was a night of nightmares for millions of people, and I’m afraid to so much as glimpse at the death toll. :zipper_mouth_face:
There are thousands of uses for a flashlight even though the power hasn’t gone out.
Especially a bright one.
Just one example: Look under a car in the day time for a lost ‘something’ - let’s see your phone app do that - usually needs about 500 lumens at least, 1200 is best.
Another one - look under a sofa for lost kid toy, 10 feet away from the light…
Another - enter dark room without waking your kids up by turning on a too-bright light.
I, too, once lived a tragic and empty life. Then I found [portable] light.
You forgot to mention clothes. I sold most of my clothes to fund my light collection. This is actually fine, since I only go out after dark, and most people can’t see me.
Finally, I got my priorities straight.
My response was not to all people that carry flashlights, just those people in this thread who are like “HOW CAN OTHER PEOPLE LIVE WITHOUT TWELVE FLASHLIGHTS???” without understanding that maybe some people don’t need or want it.
- How the heck do you lose something UNDER a car…
Even if you did, a normal person’s eye sight is good enough to see underneath a car.
2) or just move the sofa 3 feet over?
3) What if you don’t have kids? Or, there is this thing called a “dimmer” which allows you to turn on your lights at very low brightness like a candle.
I’ve dropped stuff under my car/truck too many times to count. The worst is when you are working on your vehicle and drop a nut/bolt down into the engine bay and then have to figure out it if got stuck on something or fell all the way through. Even working in bright sunlight, it’s hard to see inside an engine bay because of the harsh shadows. The dynamic range probably makes it worse.
I’ve also dropped stuff while standing next to my car and had it roll underneath.
Not everyone wants to move their sofa every time something rolls under it. Especially if you have kids because in this case, it happens a dozen times per day and frankly I just let stuff accumulate and do a full sweep later.
Regarding kids, I don’t have a dimmer on any of their lights but I’m actually in the process of installing them this year.
Maybe none of that stuff happens in Canada.
We don’t have kids in Canada. It’s too cold to ever remove clothing layers.
I don’t even know of a single place in Latin America that has a dimmer switch.
lol
You need to be exposed to a really good flashlight, small and powerful with several levels, before you know how handy they can be. And not everyone has had that exposure. Too many people have used nothing but a cheap plastic piece of junk and don’t realize there is anything better. Some of those may have bought into the X700 hype and been disappointed and still don’t know there are real good lights.
I have several friends who are now owners of a great LED light, the type we like. And one of those has joined BLF and is nursing an addiction.
I’m pretty sure most of that post ought to be in purple font….
Clearly someone has never had a flat tire. Not all vehicles have roadside service at the touch of a button (that you have to subscribe to anyhow). So, established: the only two reasons to ever have a flashlight are walking a dog at night or going for a nighttime run. Got it.
Seriously… the short-sightedness in this is unbelievable. Let’s hope it was meant as sarcasm.
My sister-in-law was in the Oakland hills late at night across the bay from San Francisco. As most know this is a very urban and heavily populated area. Parts of the Oakland hills are also very winding and not highly populated, which of course is that part where her car broke down. In that particular location there was no cell phone service so “hitting the service button” or making a call was impossible. Of course she didn’t have a flashlight so she ended up walking about a mile in pitch black to get to a location where she had cell phone reception. Naturally she didn’t have a flashlight, flares, or any other sort of emergency equipment in her car.
A flashlight, even a cheap one, would have made her walk much safer at the minimum.
1) How the heck do you lose something UNDER a car…
Even if you did, a normal person’s eye sight is good enough to see underneath a car.
2) or just move the sofa 3 feet over?
3) What if you don’t have kids? Or, there is this thing called a “dimmer” which allows you to turn on your lights at very low brightness like a candle.
*you are right, you obviously can get by with your phone or a lighter.
wle*
… and someone else will take care of it. Or there is an app for it…
child of the times
we did it, you know?
My 2cents to all your comments it comes from not keeping up the times when it comes to what someone said stoopid things. Me myself was always into flashlights or battery powered lights my mom use to gift me flashlights when I was a kid use to run the batteries down to nothing.I worked in places that always needed a flashlight just wish they were better. When I was older and lived in FL had so many 6-12volt giant lanterns for when the power went off it was nuts. Now that Leds and wonderful yet crazy safe Lions (PUN MEANT) I look forward to blazing new beams to see the Zombies I know are coming to my hotel room I live in yes I am homeless and do live in a hotel.
Love that cartoon Jack Kellar, had to save it to my computer! Thanks!
I work in a dark environment. But really all of them around me just said phone flash is good enough to work with.
because their wife told them they don't?
Yes, that was sarcasm. But many of my friends say my sarcasm isn’t obvious enough 
I obviously agree that flashlights are useful, it is just many outside of BLF won’t. They believe nothing will ever happen to them because the odds are small or it never happened before.
Yes, their wives told them that flashlight with price more than $2 is too expensive and useless toy. 