I dont want to stop forever- just a few weeks/months. Since starting this thread I've bought more lights/ batteries lol. Actually its been out of control since I joined BLF.(damn those reviews).
Example: I bought a quark xm-l yesterday after getting an email from 4- 7's. Then I had to buy batteries and I'm not even into lights that take cr123's. Then I saw DX (why I still buy from them I dont know) split my order and aren't sending my light. So I went to Kd and bought a xm-l light from them.( which I thought I had already ordered-maybe I did who knows) Day before I bought a light from Manafont.Also bought 12 eneloops and am trying to resist buying 12xx eneloops .Maybe I can deactiivate my paypal or something. I find lately that I buy everything on-line. I don't even go to shops anymore.
Is there an AA for flashaholics? I need therapy. I have to make sure I get home before my wife to check the mail. Even started getting packages sent to work. hahahaha
I spend much of my working week with addicts. Mostly alcohol, heroin and cocaine though diazepam (Valium) comes a close fourth. Chlordiazepoxide (Librium) comes a very distant fifth. All the rest (sex/gambling/porn/lights) comes way behind those 5.
Denial is the basis of the problem with all of them. And do you think I am any different? I stopped taking amphetamines, cannabis and opiates 35 years ago. Like I gave up on addictions - just don't ask about lights, caffeine or nicotine.
When I changed doctors last year they said they didn't want to continue prescribing the diazepam I'd been taking for the previous 7years. They offered to send me to the addiction program at the local hospital.
I've completely failed to be addicted to any of the apparently very addictive medication I've taken, but sugar on the other hand has an iron grip on me.
I eat very healthy, mostly vegitarian food...and then stuff my face with sweets, which rather ruins the previous good effort.
So now I don't sleep much and when I walk at night, I just happen to pass the 24hr petrol station that sells Fruit Pastels...bah!
Torches on the other hand, I can stop any time I like...hmm that reminds me, we really should try to convince the retailers to make your first one free :P
I gave my next door neighbor a pocket size light that came in a 3 pack from Costco. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow. Any way, he loves it. He walked over the over night with the flashlight and I took out a Stanley HID and started shining it on the trees in the woods. He came over today and told me he is now hooked on flashlights. He said he's going a sprinkler system repair job and buy one for himself. I told him "wait 'til you see the lights I have ordered" and his face lit up. Too funny. I turned my buddy into a flashoholic like myself. LOL
I spend much of my working week with addicts. Mostly alcohol, heroin and cocaine though diazepam (Valium) comes a close fourth. Chlordiazepoxide (Librium) comes a very distant fifth. All the rest (sex/gambling/porn/lights) comes way behind those 5.
Denial is the basis of the problem with all of them. And do you think I am any different? I stopped taking amphetamines, cannabis and opiates 35 years ago. Like I gave up on addictions - just don't ask about lights, caffeine or nicotine.
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Have had other vices in my youth. Some of which have been mentioned above (slow horses and fast women). Still have caffeine/ nicotine. Thanks Don. I will tell my wife its a healthy addiction.
In my case batteries (cells to be more accurate) were the gateway addiction. I've allways been fascinated by batteries and never more so than when I became a Ham and started using them in my hand held radios. Then when I got into digital photography I wanted more batteries and better chargers so that I could get the most 'run time' from my flashguns.
It was while researching good AA chargers that I discovered that other big forum and now I find myself with a growing collection of lights ranging from hardware store cheapos to the brass and titanium lovelies that I've become so enamored of. Two more arrived today, and I orded two more hosts from Solarforce-Sales just last night!
It has become less compulsive and is now more considered and deliberate, but I can easily identify with the OP. It is slowing, and I hope to slow it even further, to the point where I only get an occassional new one without giving one away as well. Here's hoping, anyway...
I smoke electric cigrettes most of the time. I still have three or four "real" cig a day though. I don't fell like my flashlight addiction is a major problem (denial?).
I also don't have a problem with the alcohol, only without.
+1.....I've been using e-cigs for about a year, and haven't had a 'normal' cigarette for ages. Compared to the cost of a cigarette addiction budget lights do not even rate. This place would be awash with some very expensive lights indeed if I spent on them like I used to with 'the dreaded weed'.
I never really liked much those e-cigs... I'm going to stop smoking soon probably. Did manage a 2 full year and a half of non smoking but eventually managed to piss in the wind direction again. :/
Alcohol? Yeah, rearely but yea... I did celebrate the new year with schweppes bitter lemon because me and wife were both half asleep and no1 did care to drink or even bother to open some sparkling wine... :P
I have a severe addiction to rubber like candys. The most known are perhaps from Haribo. The sour hard coated version is heavily preferred. I cannot resist those. It's been like a 25 years constant addiction (25 years ago i started recieveing pocket money and i spent much of it on those candys). It must have been 10 tons of those already... :/
I tried buying an expensive one to stop buying torches. Now I have many more expensive ones..... Well that worked well...
I also dont buy torches the day I find them (from shops). So far I spend on average at least a month thinking about a purchase before even coming close to buying one. Doesnt work because I end up buying torches on BST forums when good deals come up and the impulsive has to take over to secure a deal (such as second hand D10s for $40). The other problem is I wait soo long with stores that they actually go out of stock, and I end up buying them for more money from BST forums. (eg. Nitecore Defender Infinity Siver limited edition, $57 from HK with box, spare switches, polishing cloth, lanyard, orings... Out of stock, I ended up buying a second hand one torch only, no box and acc. for $55)
So whatever technique you use to try to stop spending, you will almost always end up finding a way around it, but you wont notice it till its too late because you feel protected by the concept of the original technique (such as not buying for a month, but end-up spending way more in the end).
The only way is to simply Not buy any torches. (mmm... might be able to pay other people enough to gift them for you )
The method i found to refrain buying all i like is to cheat my impulsiveness. I put the flashlight in cart and wait 24h. Most often then not it gets emptied before the 24h pass. If not, it's bought and i know why em i spending the money. One aspect to look at may also be to realize that you don't need a ton of flashlights. If you're commited to collecting them god have mercy on your expenses but if that makes you happy who em i to try to stop you. :) But if not, i see no point in having a dozen flashligts. Keep the ones you can't live without and sell/gift the rest. You will eventually buy another light which will replace one you already have. Sell that one away.
It really depends on what you really want. Desiring a collection like Don's don't come cheap and it is unavoidable to spend some good money on it. IF you just like the hobby and not collecting them you might get away with few flashlights easily.
I bought 60 flashlights or more in half a year or a bit more. I keep 6-8 for myself.
Occasionaly i get in trouble when a true bargain kicks in. Like this one. I just missed it for a few hours. I would have bought 4 or 8 probably. Q5 emitter, reflector, driver, and 502B body for 6usd... kidding right? A steal! Later on they came even bundled with a low end 18650 cell and charger. <- which many tossed away upon unpacking.
I got flashlight "addiction" mostly because of e-cigs... e-cigs mods to be exact... I quit smoking over a year ago and I am "vaping" instead.
e-cig mods need batteries (18650, 16340, 14500 etc)... DX has batteries and chargers... So after a while DX felt like home... And I searched what other things home has... Hmm, flashlights...
So I decided to buy a couple of flashlights... which I liked... And wanted more... So I found CPF... And I didn't liked it... And then I found BLF and loved it...
I clearly remember what was my first thought when I found that some people are collecting flashlights: "what is the point of collecting flashlights? it is crazy!".
Well, I am crazy too now and love it
To everyone that asks me why I collect flashlights I say: I would rather collect ferraris but I can't, flashlights (or ecigs or knives or whatever) can be an acceptable substitute. They give me pleasure and I can afford them.
Hahahaa! No, it's a lot less dangerous than it sounds.
This kind of accidents are extremely rare and the best ecig mods has at least a couple of layers of protection (electronics, fuses, venting holes e.t.c.).
The one I am vaping right now, takes 2x16340 (serial) and uses electronics to keep the voltage to X volts (steady and independant of Amp draw) - max 2A (where X can be from 3.6V to 6.5V by turning a potentiometer screw, now I have it at 4.5V). It also has protection for over discharge, short, reverse polarity, thermal e.t.c. + venting holes. And the batteries are also protected. So, no hero here, there are some state of the art ecig protections out there.
I have my flashlight addiction well under control. I only buy cheap sub 15$ lights, mostly in crazy deals posted here (amazing value). I keep like 3 lights to myself, others I give away to my gf, family and friends.
I agree it is good not to buy on impulse, but to pretend to buy the light (put it in your cart, whatever) and then wait 24 hours and see if it is still something you want.
Also, the budget lights help pace me because I try to only buy one light at a time and then wait for it to show up before buying something else. Sometimes I slip up though. But it's a good rule to have and keeps you from buying more than one light a month basically.
) were the gateway addiction. I've allways been fascinated by batteries and never more so than when I became a Ham and started using them in my hand held radios. Then when I got into digital photography I wanted more batteries and better chargers so that I could get the most 'run time' from my flashguns.
, and I orded two more hosts from Solarforce-Sales just last night!
