Me, I have always loved lights, from as young as I can remember I had the playskool light with the green & red filters, when I got a little older and in Boy Scouts I got my first D cell maglight and it seemed like each summer for summer camp (where I worked for 7 weeks a year from age 13-17 and attended even more) I would get the next size larger D cell light, I ended up my last year there with 2 2D, a 3D, 4D and the big boy 5D. I also had a B&D “snake light” for hands free and several 2AA mags that were advertisements from my dads company I gave to other councelers.
After that I wasn’t much into new technology lights all threw collage, I still had most of my mags plus several mini-mags and few surefires (a G2 and a C2 i bougt for $50 for from a guy at a gun show) mostly incan and all very low output.
I guess the light that really got my into LED’s was a NEBO redline with a Q5, I remember when I first bought it I was amazed how bright a 3xAAA light was vs. my huge mags. That was the light that got me looking at LED’s and then it died and I opened it up to replace the emitter and while researching it discovered the world of P60 drop ins and it took off from there. I still have that light, albeit in pieces in a box.
I also remember the day I first started carrying a light on me, I just happened to have my (at the time factory incan) G2 in my pocket on a stormy day picking our oldest daughter up from school when she was in preschool 4 years ago. This was an old converted building that only had windows in the rooms around the edge, the interior of the building had no windows. I just happened to be in the center of the room at the desk signing out my daughter when the power cut off and the emergency lights at the door weren’t illuminating much. I got up on the desk and shined my G2 all around so the teachers could get their students into classrooms where light was coming in the windows. I was the only person there who had a light on them and i decided from then on i would always have one on me.
From that point on I have EDC’d a light, infact I now carry 2 lights (foursevens quark on my belt and a single AA light [usually my H51] in my pocket) so I have a back-up or can hand one to someone else.
Everyone uses flashlights from a young age, what light, or what event made you into a “flashaholic”?
Well, I always liked lights since I was little.
My parents had a little bit of land with some trees back then, and I started to sleep in a tent or a hut in this ‘woods’ in the summer when I was 8 years I think. For some reason my parents would not allow me to use my kerosene lantern when alone :D, so I needed a flashlight . . . or two, or three?
The love for the outdoors made me own always a couple of lights, all of them quite cheap plastic stuff and of course incandescent.
I started carrying a small penlight daily in my apprenticeship for field service at the customer’s homes and converted it to LED when the first ‘almost white’ LEDs with stunning 3…5 candela were available from our spare parts distributors. The Love for LEDs stayed with me from then on.
Was always fun converting old incan lights to LED, I never really cared for store bought LED lights until I discovered DX ~6 years ago and bought my beloved Akoray k-106.
I still enjoy the look of classic lights, but modern lights also join the fun now, especially since joining this forum!
I (use to) build/fix/update a lot of PCs and laptops, both for myself, and for friends and family, so I bought a headlight (one of the Coast ones… the big bulbous one) at HomeDepot, and thought that was pretty cool. Then my wife bought me another, much brighter Coast headlight (the 1-mode 6-LED one, and I now have 5 of them).
At the time, we use to have a couple of 2AAA maglites around the house, but it was mainly for emergencies, and I didn’t pay much attention to them, but Coast had a free offer for a small flashlight, so I ordered that ($3.50 shipping) and when I got it (still have it on my keychain), I said “wow, that’s bright compared to the maglites!”.
I was on Amazon once after that, and saw and bought a Sipik SK68 clone (“Fordham”) from Amazon.
Then, I wanted to use 3AA with that SK68 clone, and I found some posts here on BLF about buying some cheap AA lights from BIC, which I did, and also registered here on BLF, and that was the beginning of the end for me… Batteries, charger, etc. followed, and well, I guess you all know the story :)…
I stumbled on CPF many years ago, just after I had my stroke and started being a guard. I wanted something brighter than a stock Mag Incan. I thought I needed a light for guard duty, but I found out I didn't have a need for them... But, since I have always been a DIY guy, I immediately started making hot mods with incans, like the ROP. Modding lights got me hooked.
I never carry a light or use one. I have one light and that one is a Thrunite T10 that was gifted to me.
As a kid/teen, living in the country, I walked miles and miles at night on dirt roads. I never had a flashlight. Moonlit nights I could see well enough, but cloudy nights were harder. You never knew what might be out there, we had bobcats and a few black bears around, but in all those years, nothing ever bothered me at night. Some nights I would walk 5-10 miles in the dark and if it was for fishing, it would be through the pine woods when I came home, not on roads, but I was so used to the trails that I knew them by heart. Lights aren't really necessary most of the time and now, living in a city, I never need them for anything. There's always plenty of ambient light around in cities.
I love to mod them, but really don't have any desire to have them or use them.
It was in the mid 90's when I was working as a structural aircraft mechanic and all we had then were maglites with up graded bulbs then some one came in with a streamlight stinger and I was hooked I went into snap on truck gave him a big deposit and a couple weeks later and 176.00 $ less I had my Streamlight Ultrastinger!I thought that was the light of lights untill I stumbled upon this forum , I have yet to get into serious modding but iam working my way there .it is pretty sad my 17.00 $ ultrafire C8 blows my 176.00 $ streamlight out of the water.
