Just started my part time job for 3 months
I guess I won’t be online shopping for 3 months then
25th June shall be my endpoint
I still have not bought anything since the X6 SE, but won a flashlight in a giveaway (not delivered yet)
I tried - and failed…
a Meteor is coming to Austria! 8)
I haven’t bought any flashlights or flashlight related materials in several weeks, but not because I’m so good at resisting temptation. I’ve been low on spending money. In fact, I was in the recent GB for the Nitecore EC11 and had to back out because of lack of funds. :_( I’m just hoping I get back in the swing before the Luckysun D80 and Eagle Eye A6 GB’s are ready, cause I’ve got spots reserved in both of those, too!
I have a new baby coming in the next few weeks. I was on the downward trend on lights till I discovered this forum. Now I get a lot more hosts and circuits to build my own. That and I find a lot more fun, cheaper lights (I like DQG and BTU brass lights).
That said, I intend to slow down a lot when the baby comes! Too bad Rey’s BLF ti hosts are coming at the same time…
I have to admit I have been jonesing for some Solarforce parts and pieces to upgrade my existing light. I like the mix and match aspect of the Solarforce line. It has been much more difficult to resist putting in an order than I would have expected. Very powerful stuff these flashlights.
So I have made a short list of various parts from various vendors and plan on working my way down until I collapse in a flashaholoc stupor. But I will be happy. The total cost isn’t very large but when finished I will possibly have two more flashlights and upgraded a bunch more.
Additionally I plan on buying a watch back closing tool that will allow me to change the batteries in my families watches. The cost at the shop to change a battery is upward of $15 each. The savings on this will help pay for even more flashlights. Funny how I will save costs in one area to pay for more flashaholic stupor.
OK so I have to admit I dove head first off the wagon. It wasn’t a little slip . I really like the Solarforce L2M’s. But I always wanted one in silver, but Solarforce doesn’t make them anylonger. So I have been chasing the ghost of copies. Whenever I found a site that had them listed they always were out of stock and didn’t know when they would have them again. This happened a number of times. Then a couple of weeks ago I found a TrustFire version on the Fasttech website. At first they also said they were out of stock and then they found a couple that came with a Ultrafire 16340 battery and cheap charger for a couple of dollars more. So I scooped them up. They are not quite as good as the Solarforce, they don’t take the 18350 battery and a couple of other minor things but all in all for the price, with a XM-L T6 drop in they were a steal. But the two weren’t enough so I sent in an order for the last one they had left. The XM-L T6 drop in isn’t quite as good as the Solarforce XM-L’s but they are quite a bit better than what I expected at this price. And the total price was only 40% of what I would have paid for a Solarforce and drop in. Now I am ordering various colored o-rings and rubber boots to jazz them up.
I don’t need any more L2M versions. So now I’m jonsing for a TrustFire TR-j12. This one I have to resist. :>(
So let me see if I have this right, you found different (not as good as) lights thatwere the same color as what you wanted you were tempted. Then they threw in a substandard battery and charger and because they were 40% … you bought Two and went for a third.
Ok just dont tell me “how much you saved” 
I say turn in your chip and start over!
You have it exactly right. I had been on the hunt for so long that when I finally found one I ordered two, just in case I did like them and wanted a second because if something happened to the first one and I lost it or damaged it I would have no way to replace it. Then I found it wasn’t as good but still close enough and at such a cheap price, including a surpringly good drop in, I couldn’t afford to not buy the last one they had. It was a steal at that price.
Let me say I didn’t want the dumb battery or cheap charger. I have a NiteCore D2 Digicharger that works great. But even if I threw out the battery and charger the price for the flashlight is the same as a Solarforce L2M host and I still get the XM-L T6 drop in. An additional note about the drop ins. The version they had in stock was the 1 mode drop in, which was OK with me because I expected that I would be tossing the drop ins and replacing them with a Solarforce drop in. But when the first two arrived they were not 1 mode but 3 mode (High, Low & Strobe) Which is exactly what I had wanted to order in the first place. And as they worked rather well I saved by not having to order more expensive drop ins from Solarforce.
As it turns out the UltraFire 16340 1000mAh batteries are working OK. Not 1000mAh I’m sure, but at least as equal to the 600mAh batteries I already had. So all in all for a shiny piece of metal it was a good deal. (Of course, I am just justifying my unexpected splurge on 3 more flashlights. So yes I should turn in my chip.)
I also ordered, in the third shipment, which should arrive next week an XP-L drop in. Since the ones that came with the Trustfire L2M’s were better than expected. I thought I would take a chance with an XP-L for $7.xx.
Lastly, I have found that DX.Com is also showing the exact same Trustfire L2m’s for the same price. I have more than I need but I am going to write and ask them how many they actually have in stock just to see if there are more of these available. If so then I did over pay even if it was just a couple of bucks.
I spent the whole weekend researching parts for various MT-G2 headlamp builds.
But it has been 20 days since I bought an h51 so I have started over now.
Congrats on getting your one year chip. You saved a bundle of money. But look at how cheap those flashlights have become in the last year.
Take a look at these photos and tell me how could I resist buying these.
Well, those gawdy external O-rings, for one… 
DaveEF, :>) that’s what we call styling. Getting a little dressed up. The bottom photo shows an Ultrafire XP-L V5 from Fasttech and the bezel is a ss from Solarforce. Unfortunately none of the o-rings are GITD only the green tail cap boots, not the orange. But if the o-rings would GITD that would be cool.
Oh… OK… They look great then… Yeah… Congrats on the purchase… H)
I bought 3 lights last week at HD on clearance, they take 4AA, but i partially melted the battery carrier after 30 mins on high and the carrier will damage the batteries because of the force required for constant insertion and removal. The light is clearly not designed for NiMH or rechargeables 
http://www.coastportland.com/polysteel600-led-flashlight.htm
t took me about 2 days and 100 tries to get the pix I posted the right size. I hope you didn’t get lots of emails alerts of a new post every time I did an edit. Think I finally got it right 600x450
THAT is what the ‘Preview’ button is for! :bigsmile:
I previewed it and thought it looked fine at first, but then after looking at it for a while thought smaller is better. Had to keep trying until I found the right size.
I know this thread is about not buying flashlights but when you see a flashlight this good looking how am I expected to resist buying them?
1) You are encouraged to post every month gone without making ANY flashlight or flashlight accessories purchases.
I bought some gift lights and they are all sent, does that count as falling off the wagon?
2) You are encouraged to report back each time you vow to go a month with no purchases, and then again if (when!) you fail. If you don’t post failures, this thread may well go dark quickly.
I have not bought a light or parts …(no wait a minute) ok I bought some xhp70 and commited to buy some nicha “c”emitters.
3) If, after succeeding one whole month (Hah!), a member wishes to renew their vows of non-spending, they are encouraged to re-post.
Let’s get in therapy. Everyone of us is LONG overdue!
I know I need help (in taking apart a 15 emitter monster that has a bum driver, help!
.