I think perhaps the testing frenzy is going off on a tangent. Real world examples are what we’re looking for. I don’t think the majority of us would be prone to drop our light in liquid nitrogen. I mean, sure, we have it around for keeping Bull sperm ready for another season and all that kind of stuff but not likely to drop a flashlight in there by mistake.
I’ll try to do a series of graduated tests that would represent things most likely to happen to it in an EDC role. Tossing a light out the window of a moving vehicle was representative of the light that gets left on the hood and doesn’t fall off till there’s enough wind to blow it off. Pretty likely when people are getting kids strapped in the car seats and that kind of stuff. Dropped in the gravel and run over with the car, yada yada yada…
You’re right, I got a bit carried away. It’s better to concentrate on real life situations. In the realm of my close relatives would that be: leaving it in the garden overnight, driving the lawn-mower over it, dumping it in a ditch (or toilet bowl), doing a full cycle in the washing machine, leaving it under the hood and than starting the engine. And one of my furry assistents likes to hide and bury things in the backyard.
Dry ice can work for a real world test. Some people live in areas that can easily get very very cold. You won’t get it that cold in a freezer but dry ice will do it. And dropping a light certainly happens in all seasons.
So you have liquid nitrogen on hand?
That would make a fabulous final “test” after all the real world tests. :evil:
I mean, are you talking about trying to scratch it with a keychain pen knife or cutting on it with an CPM-154 blade? I could always toss it up in the air and try to hit a homerun with my Samurai Katana…
Ok, it should be fairly obvious that acid tests and things like Greased Lightning that are used as anodization strippers would be counter-productive to do further testing. We are out to see how the finish reacts to normal EDC carry, not an all out attempt to destroy it. in10sivern can do that with his guns.
Haha, whatever you wanna do Dale. May be a slight delay in them. I didn’t get a chance to spray the light today as my son was sick. I will try tomorrow my son and weather permitting
Ok ok, can we actually get serious about this and be real? These are sk68 zoomie clones, cheap a$$ lights that won’t have a strong factory finish, right? We already know some of these suggestions will destroy an aluminum light. So wouldn’t it be reasonable to think in terms of testing that would likely mar or destroy a normal to good factory finish without totally annihilating the metal underneath?
How many lights have we all destroyed? I mean, really? For example, the Eagle Eye X6 skidded 60mph on pavement (I can still hear that horrid sound to this day!) without getting scratched at all. Yes, once it caught a pebble and started flipping it did some base metal damage that also gouged yellow striping paint off the road surface, but the light on it’s side skidding like on a giant sanding belt did nothing to it at all. I know this because I’ve built a triple out of it and use it regularly. The bezel is damaged from impact and the thin edges on the raised tail cap where the lanyard attaches are damaged but not broken. That’s a pretty serious test, and the light survived with only minimal scarring. So the real question is, to test the FINISH of the light as compared to other factory finishes, what kind of tests would portray normal everyday examples of what an EDC light might be likely to go through, with no or reasonable damages.
We can all think of a 1000 ways to destroy something, I don’t think that’s what this is about. If you pay $800 for a gun, and coat it with this ceramic coating, what would you expect that gun to endure before failure? (realizing, of course, that failure could mean death to you, the guy who wants said gun to defend you!)
Carrying a light clipped to a pocket that also carries car keys can be very damaging to the lights finish. The Eagle Eye X6 comes out of that with brass markations on it’s surface that can be wiped away, leaving the light unaffected. Perhaps the keys got more damage than the light, not sure. Will Cerakote fare as well? Simple things, that we all do daily, that’s the real question here. Simply to show that this is (or isn’t) a nice viable good looking alternative to protect our modded lil beauties.
Ok ok, can we actually get serious about this and be real? These are sk68 zoomie clones, cheap a$$ lights that won’t have a strong factory finish, right? We already know some of these suggestions will destroy an aluminum light. So wouldn’t it be reasonable to think in terms of testing that would likely mar or destroy a normal to good factory finish without totally annihilating the metal underneath?
How many lights have we all destroyed? I mean, really? For example, the Eagle Eye X6 skidded 60mph on pavement (I can still hear that horrid sound to this day!) without getting scratched at all. Yes, once it caught a pebble and started flipping it did some base metal damage that also gouged yellow striping paint off the road surface, but the light on it’s side skidding like on a giant sanding belt did nothing to it at all. I know this because I’ve built a triple out of it and use it regularly. The bezel is damaged from impact and the thin edges on the raised tail cap where the lanyard attaches are damaged but not broken. That’s a pretty serious test, and the light survived with only minimal scarring. So the real question is, to test the FINISH of the light as compared to other factory finishes, what kind of tests would portray normal everyday examples of what an EDC light might be likely to go through, with no or reasonable damages.
We can all think of a 1000 ways to destroy something, I don’t think that’s what this is about. If you pay $800 for a gun, and coat it with this ceramic coating, what would you expect that gun to endure before failure? (realizing, of course, that failure could mean death to you, the guy who wants said gun to defend you!)
Carrying a light clipped to a pocket that also carries car keys can be very damaging to the lights finish. The Eagle Eye X6 comes out of that with brass markations on it’s surface that can be wiped away, leaving the light unaffected. Perhaps the keys got more damage than the light, not sure. Will Cerakote fare as well? Simple things, that we all do daily, that’s the real question here. Simply to show that this is (or isn’t) a nice viable good looking alternative to protect our modded lil beauties.
