Hi gang,
Hailing here from mostly sunny North County San Diego.
I just want to say this is a great site of talented techies & possible assorted near-misses if I ever saw one. I’m honored to be amongst such a grand group of obvious great minds, budget-minded skinflints, and anti-hoatie-toatie down to earths. It’s refreshing. No attitudes, just dudes.
My first foray into flashaholicism began in retropect with this little guy……The David 19 or the Digitac II, Model 7847 in satin sexy black which was lauded as one of the great gadgets of the year by Wired Magazine. I fell for it. It’s actually still my primary EDC to this day. It’s (even with a gasp Luxeon LED) one of the great bargains of all time at the time, IMO. I mean, it’s got 24K contacts for Gawd’s sake. Who does that now with the price of gold in quad-digits when I paid $14.95 for it? What is this lite for some you may ask due to it’s antiquated nature? A Coast Led Lenser that I bought in severe irrational quantity when being blown out I would say a good 5 years ago at Costco. (Or as I say, Cashgo ’cause most of my cash goes there.)
Anyway, I’ve abused this little lite like nobody’s biz. Dropped it, kicked it, thrown it, you name it, its had it done to it. And it keeps ticking. So much so that I’ve never replaced it even though I still have aplenty in their original clamshells. It’s put together like a veritable little tank, and oh the machining and fitting on the little bugger including the super tight clean-cut knurling, the tuff anodizing, the forward clickie, the way it curves here and there into the hand so comfortably, well as you might tell I just love this little rascal. Only about 42 lumens but man for what it is it works for about 95% of what I encounter every day. It’s strapped to me like a Presidential Rolex and I feel naked if I ever leave home without it. You know the feeling?
But for those who don’t know here it ’tis in bits and pieces as it’s still being barely sold (though Coast Mfg. has discontinued it)……
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/coast_round-up.htm#LL7847
Anyway, that little stupid Digitac II planted the seed. And what a big seed it’s starting to become. Within just two months of falling victim to this TERRIBLE DISEASE in earnest I now own, a Skyray King, a TrustFire X8, a poopy load *of those XP-G LumenMasters 200’s (of course, bought at Cashgo) , an X2000 in 18650, a Mini-01, a Jacobs A60 in shipping, an XinTD C8 Version 3 in NW also on the way, and others in the queue which I just couldn’t resist. I’m running out of room. Why o’ why sweet mother of mercy didn’t someone tell me how addicting these things are? I’m in bad shape boys and girls. Bad shape. Please help. Is there a 12-Step Program?
As an amateur machinist with a home hobby shop (lathe & mill, plus other sundries) I will try in the future to cobble together some flashlight ideas I have to which no doubt will probably appear to most of you as pretty laughable compared to the stuff I’ve seen being done here and elsewhere. Amazing stuff. The electrical wizardry alone leaves me speechless. I’m trying to learn, but man there is a lot to learn. I kinda feel overwhelmed. Anywho, I would really like to see someone here update that little ancient Digitac II to today’s master-blaster standards. I’d turn purple with pride. But I’d still keep on me an original just like it is. 8)
Later,
Lumatic
