Like many of us i have learned a lot from others here too, and enjoyed offering my own info on builds i have done, (though they are only small and insignificant compared to many other members awesome work here)
+1
And sorry for just say “+1”
Hehe, another aussie responds to my post. I think that highlights some cultural differences.
I can add my point of view but I’ll really just be re-hashing what others have already said.
Yes there are more members now and as a result more traffic. It’s hard to get to know new individual members when there is so many. So there is somewhat of a lack of connection.
Yes it is more cliquish. Those that are into producing and/or programming drivers, those that have some machinery to use on hosts, those that use a few hand tools (e.g. soldering iron etc…), and those that enjoy collecting lights without having to do anything to them. This separation is inevitable as IMO as everyone has different interests and things usually get more specialized.
Cultural and personal differences. What is perceived as rude to one person may not be rude to another. I try to keep my oka humour out of forums as they do not translate well. Where I come from we try our best to offend our buddies and best mates and then hold our tongue and are polite around people we dislike. Things are slowly changing on that point though, maybe I’m starting to age.
We don’t get a lot of flaming on this forum which is great. I do think this was a good thread to start just to be mindful that we don’t go in that direction.
I also do not read everything as it just seems too much. A lot of interesting threads seemed to have bundled up into the ‘What did you mod today’ thread and there are one or two others as well. The forum does have a different vibe for various reasons.
Nowadays I dont feel the need to post a lot as I’ve been lurking. Other than several PMs with certain members for collabs, I think everyth here is okai
Sigh. I remember discussions like this long ago on CPF. It too was a place of genuine people with a kind and jovial atmosphere. It too changed over time. As much as the original crews would like it to never change there is just no getting around the fact that size in and of itself will change the dynamics and interrelationships. As this place continues to grow it will change. The larger the group grows the harder it becomes to oversee. To administrate. CPF became more rigid in many areas in response to the changing dynamic. It is what it is. You simply cannot operate with a small cadre of people as you can with thousands and thousands. I believe they call this being a victim of one’s success.
I remember in the early days of this site I would pop on over to look around and was disconcerted by the amount of disgruntled exCPF folk. So much negativity. It was a big turn off to me so I stayed away. I like positive people. I encountered even more negativity towards the fruits of my labors of love because of the cost of the products I produced. So I stayed away. In fact I know quite a few of the CPF cognoscenti have stayed away because of the negativity here. I would say that it probably started with a seed of disdain at CPF itself against budget lights. It was this that fractured our shared community. It saddens me to see this continued by members here who speak of all the ill mannered people showing up here as people “coming from that other site”. As if CPF is the source of all the community’s bad members. As if BLF couldn’t possibly have some ill mannered individuals who first found home here.
It should be kept in mind that a great many of the amazing members here today came from there. It was there they learned the deep knowledge they did. It was there their love of lights grew. It is with blinders, lack of historical context and understanding of human relationships one demonizes the “other side”. I am genuinely amazed at what the BLF community has been able to accomplish. My hope is that everyone will rally around our shared passion not denigrate those who like other “classes” of light than they prefer to indulge in.
Another thought. When I first started reading the talk about drivers & building, then “flashing” them…. I was totally & completely lost. I had no idea what any of it meant. I mean nothing. I did not even know what “language” these people were using. I figured it was some secret code they were using to converse with each other. 
After a while however I started to recognize the “language”… it was Greek. Greek to me anyway.
I was amazed, and still am; that these “people” had the knowledge to actually make these “driver things” and then were able to program them to do what they wanted them to do!! Wow……
But now… even though I still do not understand “Greek” as a whole; I am beginning to recognize & understand a few words.
In other words…. flashing or reflashing a driver might not be totally out of the realm of possibility for me afterall. Just maybe I could actually learn to do it.
So far, to date; any dumb question I have asked one of the “brainiacs”…. the ones that really know; has been answered in a way I could understand. (In other words… they dumbed it down. 
).
Not in a condescending way mind you… but in a way I could understand.
To me… that says a lot. :+1:
One example is when I had a question about mode power percentages. Tom E explained it very well and then TK stepped in HERE and just explained it in a manner that made it crystal clear.
That was priceless to me… to finally really understand it.
And that is but one example… Dale, KawiBoy, J-Dub and many others have always been extremely helpful.
So if they “talk” their own language in threads sometimes, it is OK with me. Cause each time I read it a little more rubs off on me & I understand just a tiny bit more.
Been here for few years, found it to be friendly until I got into situation that some older members imposed their views as unquestionable and got even offended by my views being different. That’s been a turnoff and I’ve drifted away. For me the most important measure of person’s maturity is the humbleness regardless of person’s status.
A big problem with forums is people who think that they should be treated with special respect or privilege just because they joined at an earlier date or have a high post count.
These are just pretentious people who think they are better than “newer” people because of some irrelevant number on their profile page.
Typing more words on a website does not make someone superior to another person who could possibly know more or just have a different opinion.
True, but I’m also on forums with hundreds of thousands of users and through not-too-strict moderation as well as a good reporting system the atmosphere is still really nice.
Arguments happen, as in any community, but instead of having a dislike/thumbs down/rude button there is just a report button, and a moderator will either let the argument fizzle out or remove posts as necessary or sometimes lock a thread.
IMO a dislike/thumbs down button can turn any community toxic, just like reddit or several other places.
You’ve probably noticed a downward trend in the level of quality in the humour on this forum in the last year and I have a sneaking feeling the shift downwards happened as soon as I joined …. So for my part, I apologize
Gearbest’s classic I WANT IT giveaway - now THAT was hilarious
This topic comes up from time to time… I have only been here officially for 1 year and 11 months, but I had lurked for many years before that. I actually have been a member at the other forum since 2009. But, I was not active over there… mainly I looked at the eye candy I could not afford and would not carry. I did not learn much over there, and was put in my place a couple of times for asking rookie questions. Another indication of the difference between the 2 sites… I owned 2 decent lights during my time spent there… In my 2 years here, I have purchased 50 or so lights and only maybe 10 of them are stock! This forum always looked so inviting and full of information on “basic” lights, so I finally signed up. I found out that this site is much more than “basic” lights, there are innovators, movers and shakers and all around good people here. This site has helped me learn a lot over the last 2 years that I would not have learned elsewhere. I have gotten to the point that I reflow some of my own drivers, I am not really worried about taking any light apart and improving it and I have even managed an ok OshPark contact board for the D01! Once I acquire tools, I may even try a couple of complete machined builds, with confidence!
What has changed? Let me try to sum it up from my perspective…
I think many of our core users are up to their eyeballs in stuff here, likely it takes most of their spare time. I hope we do not use them up and spit them out. I think this level of production with personal drive has lead to some short answers, maybe they seem a little gruff sometimes. Hope we do not loose some to burnout.
Modern technology causes problems as well, I think. I know that getting time in front of the PC can be difficult with a wife and kids. So, many times I reply to questions that I can answer from my phone. These answers can seem brief and very direct since I hate typing on it. But, I do want to help when i can.
Failure to search the site before asking basic questions…. we have all done it, but it seems that it happens often and seems to frustrate some folks. Maybe it is best not to reply until you cool down. Trust me, there will be many of us that can and will reply! But, I am not at the level of some of our members.
Lastly, general crustiness… is that a word? I am 51 and I know there are many active members well over that age. I do think that as we age, we get a little crusty. Sometimes that may translate to a gruff reply… Crap happens!
I really do not see the perceived change here as a big problem, but I do see change. I think it really is a result of the breakneck pace of things here, after all we do influence the LED lighting industry! That is a good thing and would hate to see that aspect of BLF falter. But, we do still have a responsibility to nurture when we can, teach when we should and treat others with respect at all times!
Of my soapbox now!
Matt
Thanks Matt! It’s true. The only thing that doesn’t change is the fact that everything changes. BLF is growing up! If we want to keep it friendly, we have to keep ourselves friendly, and have the patience to teach the new-comers how to keep it friendly. And, I can’t remember who said it above, but the point about ‘knowing’ each other is worth repeating. Over time, we figure each other out until we know what not to be offended by. With so many new members flooding in, it can be a little uncomfortable when we find ourselves surrounded by people we don’t know, saying things we’re not sure how to interpret.
As said above, it was the willingness to help, even after such “obvious dumb questions” that I kept coming up with. I think I alone pestered Comfychair into leaving. 
What made me stay here initially though was not only people’s willingness to help and how they posted links to the answers so I could find out on my own, but that they could, ya know? When I left CPF you couldn’t post a link to the outside without getting it deleted or getting reprimanded by moderators. The heavy hand of the moderators drove me away. As much as the helpful nature of BLF made me stay. This forum seems to suck you in, make you want to learn more, and before you know it, you’re not only cracking open a $10 budget light but you’re also modding $200 - $300 lights with reckless abandon! 
I once only “fixed” a light that was not working, now I order a light with the sheer intent of modifying it, many times taking it apart straight from the box without ever seeing what it could do natively. And because so many were willing to show how to do what they did, I got in the habit of showing pics, telling the details, so any newcomer could read it, look at the pics, and get the feeling that they too could have a better light than the factory was willing to produce.
And now, I believe largely due to BLF, manufacturers are beginning to step over the Cree data sheets, the max listed current draws, and follow us into the realm of Mega Blasters and Massive Throwers! Sweeeeet!
Pretty easy to see who joined up on BLF strictly for the giveaways and group buys, they seldom post anywhere else. That’s ok, I guess, sort of denigrates the family feel by sheer effort of greed, but they’re still being plunged into the addictive realm of the flashaholic, they’ll be back, and want to learn more, and soon enough they too will have flat wallets and boxes of bits and pieces to play with, as well as shelves full of a new committment to their hobby… lots and lots of high powered flashlights.
DB, well said! I know that feeling… buying a light and knowing you may never even turn it on stock! I do mods for a few folks that just really are not comfortable with the idea of a soldering iron, vice or heat gun and I love doing them. I have been thinking about making videos of most of them and posting to my youtube channel. Maybe it would help someone over the edge of using a stock light with a crappy led or bad UI get into modding on their own.
Sometimes I wish I was better at teaching. I enjoy helping someone work thru a problem or upgrade, personal satisfaction I guess. I wish I had time to dive into firmware like Tom and TK or into driver design like others here. But, I just do not have that kind of time. Right now I am in a mod for other lull and am lacking some key leds and a quad board for my own mods… never fails, time an no parts or parts and no time.
Looking at the driver development going on, the LED limit testing and the custom machine work that is showing up here… BLF has a long future established from humble beginnings!
Let’s all keep up the good works that we can do and keep the goal post moving further out. We must remember that our crop of newbs may lead into someone special that may make the next leap for our family! Even if only 2 or 3 out of 10 new members becomes a regular contributor… we have gained as a whole.
Matt
Your post is spot on and sums up my feelings about this place much more succinctly than I could hope to. Cheers to you man!
Being a newbie to the flashlight hobby and to budget light forum I find there is alot of good members here. You do have the occasional member that don’t care and write stupid things but you can’t let them bother you. You have more good member than bad.
^
Is that a poison apple?
Kidding of course, good praise delivered with venom.
Most forums have lost some of the pleasantness because of a couple underlying serious national (USA) and International issues.
When someone or something threatens your way of life ( Unaffordable or Non existent Healthcare) or your ability to provide for your family (Downsizing, Loss of Jobs)
It will lead to lots of stress and high tension.
Threats of another War in many parts of the world is serious stuff and is hard to ignore. Troubling times as it were. This cannot be ignored.
Personally I have taken to not reading the news just before bed time as it just torques me off and is not conducive to good rest.
So as others have said, if you read something here that hits your buttons, just walk away and come back later or just ignore it.
This group has grown as all popular groups do, and I have no hatred to new blood and also do not think time of membership or high post counts gives anyone a higher rank or super powers, we were all the newbie once:)
The recent amount of members joining only to re-list/copy and paste well known discount links just to spam their affiliate links is depressing, however it is easy enough to just ignore those folks and use the couple good members that have actually done the work and provided support to the group for a long time and still support them.
In closing, BLF is still the best damn flashlight forum on the web, hands down.
Later,
Keith
Well said!!!
Nope just the forbidden fruit.
Ah, you must be married! ROFLMAO
I’m lucky, my wife is ok with this addiction of mine. She doesn’t gripe at my 100+ lights, and really enjoys the 6 or 7 she has of her own. She comes home telling me stories of impressing Dr.s with a light, or how she used the brass beauty or the 4Seven’s pen light… (she’s an LVN) So yeah, I consider myself lucky…
Edit: Ya know, that’s brings to mind another aspect of BLF that I can’t take lightly, the way members here will rally for a fellow member. Like when Justin lost his Night Security Officer job and this forum rallied to buy him a Lathe. Remarkable! And I ended up with that lathe when Justin couldn’t keep it. Justin made a choice, kept the lathe in the family instead of selling it off on Craig’s list or something, and virtually everyone was cool with all of it. There were some grumblings of course as some really wanted to see what Justin would come up with, sadly he went downhill from there and we soon lost him. 
And when I found myself overextended, with 2 new car payments and insurance on both while Volkswagen took their time buying my Diesel back in the big scandal… my wife was totally freaking on that one, no way could we afford 2 new cars and the insurance on both! So I sold some 30 or 40 lights here to help make ends meet til all the plans came through. And members here bought up the lights in mere hours! This really REALLY solved a lot of stress with my wife, and just couldn’t have happened without the support of BLF. Great place, for so many reasons….