Just when you thought that I was going to forget about flashlights and turn into an IT geek, another package showed up to remind me about what’s really important on BLF. And no, I’m not referring to flashlights. Guys, this forum is privileged to have some of the nicest and most generous people on the whole Internet. Proof of this showed up at the post office.
Now, I have to admit that this package was weighing on my conscience, because I received it last week when I was in the middle of solving the terrible BLF website performance problems that cropped up. I managed to find time to pick up the package at the post office, after which I returned to my little underground bunker that contains only my laptop and a single bare lightbulb, where I know not the passing of time. OK, I admit I’m waxing poetic and that I don’t have an underground bunker. But suffice to say that I was crazily busy last week with the BLF website configuration and I didn’t feel right enjoying a new package while the same users who sent it to me were stuck in the darkness outside BLF. So, what might be contained inside this latest manifestation of friendship and generosity?
Bubble wrap! How did they know that this is exactly what I need, a whole box of bubblewrap to pop instead of bashing my head against the wall when the BLF website goes offline or throws a cryptic error. I guess I should have opened this thing last week after all.
So, as I was about to start jumping on the box to pop the bubbles, it occurred to me that there might possibly be something more inside the bubble wrap. Something more, you ask? Yessir, without a shadow of doubt, although I have to admit that with all the lights I’ve received lately I’m starting to forget what a shadow looks like. Anyway, there was a LOT of stuff inside this box:
First disclaimer: The SALMIAKKI and TYRKISH PEBER packages are not flashlights. They are purportedly edible, although I have my reservations about trying them since there is obviously some sort of conspiracy here on BLF to Kill The Admin. So if we can’t knock him out with generosity, we’ll do it with salty Finnish licorice, right? 
Whooeee, whoever invented this stuff? So anybody want to hazard a guess on where this particular package came from? 
So, setting aside the toxic items for later, I decided to open the most nondescript little white box first. I was pretty sure it was going to be a battery for something else inside this veritable treasure trove. It turns out I was both right and wrong at the same time:
Yep, inside that diminutive box there was both a battery AND a flashlight. And a really nice one at that. This is the famous Trustfire mini-01 “BLF Mini” light, with the BLF label and everything. It’s a really attractive stainless steel light with a simple twisty 3 mode interface and a fantastic brightness that belies its small size. And in typical fashion, the conspirators of this gift somehow figured out that I don’t own any 16340 batteries, so they thoughtfully included one in this package. So nice and thoughtful!
So, what might be inside the “High Brightness LED Flashlight” box? Possibly a high brightness LED flashlight? You betcha!
Once again, the wonderful fellows who sent me this knew that I don’t own any 26650 batteries, although I can assure you that they very much interest me. So, they included a big beefy Trustfire Flame 26550 5000 mah (count ’em) Li-Ion battery with a charger to boot. And take a closer look at the flashlight itself:
Ah, another light with my website’s initials on it! How cool. This particular beauty is the Trustfire A8 “BLF Edition”. Super handsome isn’t it? As mentioned in the reviews, the machining and build quality easily matches the big names. The light tailstands nicely, and it looks and feels very nice in the hand. The modes are perfectly spaced, with a nice ultra low mode and a BLISTERING high mode. It’s REALLY impressively bright. And, the LED tint is a beautiful neutral white. Absolutely fantastic.
Moving on, we have a really exciting Eagletac D25A Clicky!
This is a very exciting light for me, because I have never even seen an Eagletac in real life, much less handled one. And there’s something else very special about this particular D25A. See that sticker on the top right corner of the packaging? This light is made of titanium, which appears to have the highest specific strength (strength/weight ratio) of any metal. It’s also significantly more expensive than pretty much any other metal, which is why I am astonished to receive a flashlight made of it.
In my hand, this light feels extremely lightweight, and it’s very slim and not much longer than an AA battery. It’s an incredibly attractive knurled design, enhanced by the titanium that makes it look and feel like a precision surgical instrument. And in typical fashion, the senders of this beautiful instrument ordered it with a wonderful neutral white CREE XP-G S2 emitter. It looks like it will be an incredibly efficient light. The moonlight mode is so low that I can comfortably stare at the emitter and study the details of the LED. I can’t wait to do a run time test, given the 150+ hours of advertised runtime on low. Looks like it would be a great survival light.
Finally, I turned to the last box, a tantalizing Sunwayman V10R… also in Titanium!!!
Truly unbelievable. This humble website admin now owns two of the most desirable AA flashlight models on the market, both made of incredibly expensive and durable titanium. These lights will last like fine heirlooms in my now vast collection of nice flashlights.
In addition to the titanium finish, the V10R has the advantage of an incredibly useful magnetic control ring interface that allows for brain-dead simple brightness changes. Now, I just mentioned that the low mode of the Eagletac is so low that I can easily stare into the LED. But the Sunywayman V10R has a low mode that is so low that it doesn’t even appear to be turned it. It creates a feeble glow that is almost undetectable unless compared with its appearance when turned off. But from there, it slopes up to a really nice high output on the other end of the scale. This light also has a truly beautiful neutral white color XM-L emitter. Thanks to the 16340 battery that I just received I can use this light. Since the 16340 is Li-Ion, it produces really bright output on the highest mode.
But there was another curious item inside the Sunwayman package, a round black plastic cylinder. What would it be? I imagined it was probably lip balm to reduce dryness and chapping of my lips after sucking on these crazy Finnish licorice candies. 0:) But to my surprise, it was not lip balm:
The schemers who thought up this gift know that I’m an AA battery guy at heart, so they thoughtfully included the AA extension to make the V10R compatible with AA batteries.
Whaddya say? Is that not the most elegant and attractive flashlight you ever saw? It also came with an optional clip that I’m going to try out for size.
So, in summary, this gift attack has been the most emotional and touching experience I’ve ever had on BLF. Your generosity knows no limits. And my cup runneth over. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all who worked so hard behind the scenes to organize this incredible gesture of friendship and generosity. It will not be forgotten as long as the titanium lasts on these beautiful flashlights.
and thanks for providing this wonderful forum.
