Hello All!
I admit to being prejudiced but I think Boston and SF are the best!
About me - I spend most of my time volunteering with an organization that refurbishes and upgrades computers for use by the disabled and disadvantaged. I also teach computer literacy to the same community.
By the way, I earn a little on the side by assembling custom computers (and troubleshooting the ones with problems. (You don’t want to get me started about why a knowledgeable builder can produce a vastly superior product compared to the “off-the-shelf models," – regardless of whether your budget is $150 or $5,000.)
I’ve been following the BLF (on and off) for some time now and it’s been fun, interesting and instructive. Just so you don’t get the wrong idea, even though I went to that rather famous technical university on the Charles River, I am definitely a newbie when it comes to flashlights, batteries and chargers. Nevertheless, I am already intrigued – and see the “writing on the wall” that indicates that LED lighting is destined to “take over the world.”
To be honest, the group buy for batteries from Serena prompted me to finally join the BLF. I began my LED flashlight addiction by looking through the CLF and lusting after lights that usually cost significantly more than $100. I actually almost bought a couple (but couldn’t justify/afford the outlay). The BLF has been a “breath of fresh air” – and I’ve accumulated a few inexpensive lights that perform pretty well – mostly impulse buys.
I’ve bought a few lights from Meritline, Manafonte, a couple of eBay sellers, as well as Deal Extreme. They range in quality from ultra-poor to surprisingly good and they range in price from $1.00 to $17 (except for one at $25 and the SkyRay 3xT6 (which has been quite problematic). I LOVE the idea of “beating the system”. By that, I mean finding a way to get a high performance product (flashlights, in this case) for short money. Anyone with the resources can buy a great $100,000 car but only the savvy enthusiasts know how to find (and mod) a great performing vehicle for $20,000.
By the way I’m partial to wide evenly lit beams and “zoomers”. I haven’t gotten bitten by the ultra-long throw models yet.
For Chargers, I’ve got an UltraFire WF-188 and a generic charger that came packaged with one of the flashlights I’ve accumulated. (Interestingly, the WF-188 charges each side to different voltages and the low-end generic has been more consistent. One of the reasons I was interested in the UltraFire WF-188 is its ability to handle a wide range of batteries.
For (rechargeable) Batteries:
1) I have 4 SureFire 18650 2400 (blue) that I suspect are knock-offs because they came with the flashlight bundle from eBay.
2) The BLF gave me the idea to order 6 of the HI-MAX 18650 2600 from eBay and they seem to be working out well.
3) The BLF also prompted me to order 10 of the (Panasonic?) 18650 unprotected batteries from the fellow in Texas? They seem to be working out well but I didn’t know how to use them in a light that uses 2 until I read (in BLF) about using magnets – so I’m about to order some magnets (but I don’t’ know which ones to get or where to get them).
4) I also have several varieties of NiMH batteries.
Now I’m about to order 4 pair of the 2600 XTAR 18700 from SERENA – but I don’t know the email address to CC or PM (not sure what PM means) ledoman. I’m also unclear as to the advantages/advisability of adding the $2 for registered mail.
By the way, I’ll be looking to the other threads for advice regarding 14500 batteries and flashlights.
Among other things, I’m looking for a wide even beam 2x18650 light and will be reading (and asking for advice) about those.
About Modding: I haven’t yet made any moves in that direction but I’m anxious to learn some of the tricks and try them out.
About China – I have contacts over there and they may become useful for negotiation, research and GROUP BUYS.
Anyway, I’ve already gone on too long – sorry about that.
Best Regards,
KumaBear
) or a big gulp and a mini mag?