For a long time now I’ve considered a flash to be ‘expensive’ if it’s over $15. :laughing:
Everything’s subjective of course when it comes to paying for things but perhaps it’s more psychological than anything else but $15 at least for me has been the flash-related demarcation line.
Afterall this is I think still BLF.
Nowadays tho’ peeps on this forum seemingly drop $100 on a flash as if they’re just topping off the tank in one of their Aston Martins.
I’m starting to have concerns if I can keep up with all these BLF Jones’, man. Ok maybe now with all these China tariffs $100 will be my new $15 INEXPENSIVE.
At this rate maybe I’ll ONLY be able to buy hosts.
Hey I’m gonna ‘coin’ a new word: FLASHFLATION. :laughing:
:+1:
PS….this may be BUDGET Light Forum but it sure ends UP being an expensive
F$CK!N’ ‘HOBBY’!!! I mean especially CUMULATIVELY.
It depends on what kind of light it would be and what the purpose is. A cheap banger for the garage could be 10 bucks and you can be happy with it. If you want a decent EDC other people are potentially going to see: here the looks, material, weight and overall quality come into play. Those price points could be higher and still be acceptable (say, 25-35 :money_mouth_face:.
If you are a hobbyist and enthusiast in the field of flashlights, a group buy with 150 $ or more seems fine for the ultimate thrower.
Also, all products and materials are facing inflation. 15$ 10 years ago went a lot further than today.
True, especially if you see the quality of a Convoy S2+ for 13 USD with biscotti UI and high quality parts, which are all interchangeable (did i mention the astrolux tube on the S41 head which did not fit in that other thread?)
Then you ask yourself, it that XXX really worth it?
Do i really need another flashlight?
Most of the time, no, but then greedyness takes over, i want it, NOW!
Ummm…I’m probably a bad person to be answering this, but honestly if I want it and I can afford it, I buy it. I’ve got no interest in making payments on a flashlight, but otherwise its all fair game. We all spend our fun-money on something, might as well be flashlights.
For me, above 50€ is expensive!
Prices from China are getting higher, more and more, and even the former “cheap” lights are getting more expensive.
One thing I notice, though, is that sometimes I pay more for some components (drivers or leds, or other stuff) to get the flashlight working “my way” than for the light itself!!
So…Expensive Light Hobby on Budget Light Forum, for sure
I will not hesitate at $15 if I see something that interests me, and it is normally $25 or more, but to grab something at much more than $25 it would have to either be exceptional, or something I have been considering for quite a while.
There are a few items I would jump on at $50 but they are normally much more expensive. $40 for the Q8 is the most I have spent so far.
well if you compare to the forum that-we-all-know the “budget” part is not false advertising
to me the expensive light is custom made, i still don’t get it when people spend over 1000$ for a flashlight that is not brighter than 15$ light
but who i am to judge
You dont pay for how bright the flashlight is.
You pay for premium materials (Probably) and for someone to Stand there and make it. And a lot of other stuff goes into a custom flashlight.
And custom flashlights is another market. Exactly as custom knives.
You can buy a Mora for 5$ That’s cuts just as good as a 1500$ custom knife.
I would love to own a custom flashlight, but Im not comfortable with paying 500-1000$ for a flashlight. It’s easier to spend those money on knives though. :money_mouth_face:
[quote=Touchofred
I would love to own a custom flashlight, but Im not comfortable with paying 500-1000$ for a flashlight. It’s easier to spend those money on knives though. :money_mouth_face:[/quote]
Why do you think that is? To be honest I started out the same way, much more comfortable with expensive knives than flashlights, but then I saw the light I dove head-first into the custom-light deep end and still haven’t come up for air! No regrets.
I’ve paid close to $100 (USD) for several flashlights (primarily Zebralights), but I don’t think I’ve ever paid more. (With shipping, it’s more, but I won’t count that.)
So, I’ll go with:
$100+ expensive
$50-$100 moderately expensive
$20-$50 budget priced
under $20 cheap
under $5 dirt cheap, probably not worth buying
Value, of course, is a whole different matter. There are lots of cheap lights that offer horrible value, while there are some expensive lights that offer good value. Most department-store lights have poor value, IMO, even though they’re inexpensive.
My top price-point is probably about 30bux except for a “specialty” light like a Q8.
My main criterion is whether/not I can afford to dump it if it goes south. Ie, I don’t count on warranties. If I got a shot fixing it, great. If not (proprietary driver, etc.), then it’s junked. But I’ve never ever bought a light because of some purported warranty.
I haven’t had to junk many lights (none that I can think of offhand, but I might just be misremembering), so thank B’harni (pbuh!) for that.
And especially nowadays, where you could’ve gotten a year or two ago a 7buk S2+ to hacque up, but now the same exact light is minimum 12bux on even a superfragilistic flash sale, but normally more than that, it’s made me especially price-conscious of lights. Forever gone are the 10-12buk F1s, too. 20-22 now on “flash sales”.
So… it’s either gotta be a “Holy Crap! I gotta have this light!!”-light, or it’s gotta be dirt cheap but still good quality.
All my lights fall into the $10-$30 range with one exception, the Q8. Well worth the price for what it is, though not the prettiest of the bunch . I would consider anything over $30 getting expensive.
Just ordered the JAXMNVE M3 for $9.30 on sale and also $4 off of $5 coupon.
