Posted: 12/11/2002 5:48:57 AM EDT
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After reading the thread yesterday on 1" diameter flashlights, my interest was sparked in the Brinkman 6v Xenon light -- clearly a poor man's Surefire wannabe. So after about 12 hours on the job, I HAD to stop by Wal-Mart around midnight and pick up one of these babies. So I'm sitting in the parking lot, dropping in the 123A's -- wow, great flashlight -- then it hit me. I am clearly a complete flashlight whore. I've got this new gadget in my hand, Surefire Nitrolon G2 in the console, keychain light, and a LED light in the glove box. I started counting the sheer volume of lights I own. Surefire Z2 Surefire G2 x2 TACM III (weapon mounted) x2 Minimaglite Maglite (4D)x2 at least 4 no name 2AA lights (toolbox, drawer) at least 4 no name 2C lights at least 4 penlights Brinkman Xenon Brinkman LED (2AA) x2 keychain light 2AA borelight thingy I quit counting there. My children will not be able to attend college because I will be buying batteries. I am an addict. I know you can't own two many guns, or too much ammo, but I'm addicted to flashlights though. Help me. What is the source of this problem. [>(] |
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Yup. I'm setting here, in my office, with a Surefire Centurion clipped to a front pocket in my pants, an Inova 5-LED in my back pocket, and a little single LED keychain light in another pocket. Only reason there's not a Surefire E2 in the other front pocket is my girlfriend has it. In my defense though, it's dark when I come to work, dark when I leave, and when I'm home I'm usually working half the night in a construction site. Plus there's at least a half-dozen other Surefires on other toys at home. Afraid of the dark? Noooo, just curious about what's in it! Roger too on the batteries! I keep two solar chargers pumping up AAs all the time and have to limit the food in my fridge to make room for all the DL123s. Think it's time to get one of the Inova's with the IR laser in the center...... Pat |
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I share your illness! Sure Fire M2 (60 and 120 lumen lamp assmby) Inova X5 LED (x2) Inova Keychain Brinkman 1 LED 3 LED clip on (brand?) Mini Mag AAA (x4) Mini Mag AA (x2) Mag 5D Mag 2D (x2) Brinkman LED 1MCP Spotting light 12V head lamp assmbly 33Ahr 12V light battery pack 37Ahr 12V light battery pack Siemens 20W solar array and charge controller Edited to add 2 TACM III lights A bunch of lanterns, emergency lights (flashers and lanterns) and other assorts things that light the light. Ohhh, and I am addicted to lightsticks. |
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If you want to kick your flashlight collection up to the next level in a BIG way, I've got a nine inch, 1000 watt, 115 volt aircraft landing light bulb applicable to a C-141. I've used it as a beacon in the sky around Christmas so Santa knows where to land. It's so intense that the beam is hot on your hand and bugs BURN UP because of it. The heat kills them, they fall on the bulb face, and they burn to carbon ash! I have never been dumb enough to look directly into the beam and I never will. It lights up planes flying by at night! It wouldn't make a good flashlight, but if you were creative and had a sufficiently beefy inverter, you could use it as a spotlight for your car or truck after constructing a handle assembly for it. CJ |
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Hi, I'm Jon.....and I'm a flashlight-o-holic. (All Together)Hi Jon! It all started in 89 when I was 18. For my first hitch in a volunteer ambulance corps I bought a 3 cell"D" maglite. Plus various penlites for patient assessment. I got tired of the constant trips to the store for "D" cell purchases. It was beginning to interfere with my girlfriend and hiding the wrappers so she wouldn't catch on was growing tiresome. So I got a rechargable maglite, and things were great for a while. Of course, it set me back $95 and I had to get a new duty belt holder for it because with the plastic ring, it kept slapping my leg when I walked or ran up stairs. And since I was working in NYC for EMS, and we were issued helmets, I needed a helmet light. So I bough a Crane headlamp that screwed onto the side of my qrange helmet. I thought I had it all covered. Then in '93 at the first WTC bombing, my rechargeable maglite(due to a low charge) went out on me in a stairwell. My partner and I navigated our way out or of the stairwell into the NJ PATH station with our penlites. So obviously I needed a backup. I bought a mini mag, some small Pelican lites, but they weren't the same. Not enough light. And the battery problem came back. Some AAs here, some AAs there. "why won't the remote work?" "I took the batteries for my minimag honey." I had to find something, and that something was a Surefire 6P. I bought batteries while at work and my now wife was none the wiser because the remote always had batteries in it and has no idea how much it cost to use two 3v batteries for one our then throw them away. I was really OK for a long time with my rechargeable maglite and 6P. Then, in '98 I joined the nevy reserves, and was stuck with a marine unit. Now, I went to the field a lot. And that stupid red lensed crook neck flashlite was lame as sin. I started again with the minimags. Just a few, one for my LBV, one for my medic pack, and one just in case one broke. Now I have six on the things, one or two in camo, the rest black. Then lights stared getting really small, I mean really really small. I saw all the cool things they were doing with LEDs and went nuts. Since I was activted for a year to camp Lejeune it's been all down hill. There a gear store right near base. I couldn't stop. Fiber optic attachment for minimag(clear, because some military maps are not red lense friendly and those red features wash out under red light. Red LED finger lite Red Photon II Red Photon III(they had to make a III, didn't they!) CMG Infinity task light(green, because red skin due to swelling, hives or rash and small amounts of blood don't show up well under a red lense.) Princeton Tec headlamp. Photon II sapphire blue for the keychain. 1 AA pelican light. I can't stop. Please help... Send all your unloved flashlights to me. I e-mail you the address. Thanks for listaening Sherm |
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Quoted: ...and I'm a flashlight-o-holic. I'm moved by your honest testimonial The other post about the 1000w light hurt me deeply. I wasn't going to broach the subject about plug-in lights. That's kind of personal. My collection of drop-lights, halogen work lamps and par-64 cans is completely off limits to this discussion. Don't go there, man. |
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That's what I love about this place! Whenever I start thinking I might be a little weird, I just come here and verify that my illness is shared by a great many! FWIW: Surefire: M500A M510B 870 fore-end weapon light 9N (x2) 9P 6P 3P Sage Tactical SMG light 2D, 3D, and 4D Maglights Too many AA and AAA Minimags to count Pelican LaserPro 4D Several military type 90deg lights Several keychain LED's by Photon Several 1M C.P. spotlights - some cordless, some not A big box of those yellow industrial safety lights, all new, rescued from a dumpster at work (future eBay auction?) Countless other cheapo plastic 2D lights about the house Don't get me started on the drop light farm out in my garage! |
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THANK GOD!! I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE!! My name is QS, and I'm a lightaholic. SureFire 9AN Commander with red and IR filters 9Z with red and IR filter 6P " 3P " Surefire field spares carrier x3 for all the above 6P mounted on carbine with tapeswitch Integrated forend on Benelli Assload of 123a batteries 5-cell Mag-Lite 3-cell Mag-Lite 2 GI angleheads 5 Mini-Mags ASP Sapphire in red Photon in red Mag Solitaire Coleman fluorescent lantern 4 kerosene lanterns those tap-lights mounted in nearly every room in the house I feel better now. QS |
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Quoted: It wouldn't make a good flashlight, but if you were creative and had a sufficiently beefy inverter, you could use it as a spotlight for your car or truck after constructing a handle assembly for it. CJ key phrase = had a sufficiently beefy inverter [:D] Estimating a car battery at 80Ahr and the inverter 100% efficient, it could run the lamp for about 45min. Realistically, it probably be way under 30min, the typical DC/AC inverter is about 70% efficient max. Note that a typical car headlamp is 68/80W! |
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Where'd ja get it? How much? Quoted: If you want to kick your flashlight collection up to the next level in a BIG way, I've got a nine inch, 1000 watt, 115 volt aircraft landing light bulb applicable to a C-141. I've used it as a beacon in the sky around Christmas so Santa knows where to land. It's so intense that the beam is hot on your hand and bugs BURN UP because of it. The heat kills them, they fall on the bulb face, and they burn to carbon ash! I have never been dumb enough to look directly into the beam and I never will. It lights up planes flying by at night! It wouldn't make a good flashlight, but if you were creative and had a sufficiently beefy inverter, you could use it as a spotlight for your car or truck after constructing a handle assembly for it. CJ |
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Quoted: Hi, I'm Jon.....and I'm a flashlight-o-holic. Then, in '98 I joined the nevy reserves, and was [red]stuck with a marine unit.[/red] Sherm Hey! You hung out with 2/25 and you got a free year's vacation in scenic Jacksonville..Poor ChrisLe was forced to remain on the homefront... One doesn't get [b]"stuck'[/b] with a Marine unit (note please the capital "M"), one is [b]privileged[/b] to move in the same spaces and breathe the same air as these demi-gods....[:D] PS - Welcome home! |
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I see numbers, but it's quality that counts. 1 6-D Mag-lite 1 2-D Mag-lite 1 ASP LED OK Seriously now, 1- 10X, with the upgraded secondary lamp 110 lumen 1- M3 Combat light 1- IR illuminator 1- M500A AR Carbine light 1- 6R, modified with, 120 lumen bulb, or 20 lumen LED bezel, with a "clickie" tailcap, lanyard, and fast charger. And to go with my IR illuminatr I have an AN-PVS-7 3rd gen NVG. |
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Quoted: I just bought my first "gateway" flashlight, a Surefire G2. After buying batteries at $10 a pop, I'm not sure I can move on to the harder stuff. DL123's are avilable for much less than that! Often, they can be purchased for under $2 each. I see them on eBay in lots of 20 or more with even better prices. |
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WOW!! And here I thought I was the only one [peep] Just from memory, my inventory includes the following: -2 AA Mini-Mags -1 AAA Mini-Mag -1 3D Mag -1 Pelican Sabrelite -1 Pelican Mini-Mite -1 Photon keychain (blue) -1 Petzl Zoom headlamp And I'm eyeing a Surefire 6P! When will it end? |
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Quoted: Are those new surefire LED flashlights any good? They were $59 at the last fun show but didn't have any demo models. The one I have is for the 6-P/R series. It has 1 LED. It has a small "hotspot" and a wide secondary beam. Very good for a utility flashlight. Has a bluish tinge to the beam. Seems brighter than 20 lumens. Probably not bright enough for tactical use. Built like a steel ball. Seems very easy on the batteries. I have a rechargable battery that holds a 2 minute charge. It WORKS FINE with the LED for quite some time. |
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Hmmmmm, not as fancy, exotic, or expensive as most of the previously mentioned lights, but I get these and 6 volt batteries for free and they work great for cracking hobos on the head or smacking vehicles whose operators need a reminder that trains have the right of way, so they will have to suffice. I've probably only got a dozen or two scattered through my home and various vehicles. [img]http://www.star1889.com/292thumb.jpg[/img] |
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I mistakenly identified a kerosene lantern as a preban light source earlier in the thread. It's technically a C&R illuminator. Anything ppowered by a 6v lantern battery is not a simple assault flashlight. It's more properly classified as a Destructive Light source, or some such. |
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Quoted: Quoted: The one I have is for the 6-P/R series. It has 1 LED. The one I saw had multiple LEDs (7?). I will check it out again this weekend at the fun show. I think originally, the LED's were 1.5 lumens each. The KL3, for 6 or 9 volt "old style" (non-M) flashlights had 13. I'm not sure if those were just proto's or some were actually sold like that. The one I have, got it this week, has 1 BIG LED, SureFire rates it as a "1 watt" LED. QuietShootr, Yes it is for the 6-P/R among others. Seems real neat so far. A good "task" light. SureFire says 4 hours full power, followed by 4 hours reduced, but usable power, then a little glow for a long while after that. Thats on a 6 volt flashlight. 9 volt last a lot longer. |
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Quoted: Afraid of the dark? I could go on about have flashlights crap out on me when I was trying to process a crime scene. Or the difference it makes when you are trying to locate very small pieces of evidence, in the dirt, in the dark. Very frustrating not to be able to see. Also eye opening when you work a night time scene, and then see the same scene a few hours later in daylight, and find out you missed a good deal of the physcial evidence in the scene. Or, afraid of the dark? No, I own it. Or, gadgets, whoever has the coolest gadgets wins. |
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Quoted: I could go on about have flashlights crap out on me when I was trying to process a crime scene. Or the difference it makes when you are trying to locate very small pieces of evidence, in the dirt, in the dark. Very frustrating not to be able to see. Also eye opening when you work a night time scene, and then see the same scene a few hours later in daylight, and find out you missed a good deal of the physcial evidence in the scene. You want to not miss any evidence? I recently obtained another toy, this one being the new Optronics 2,000,000 CP Night Blaster, re-chargeable spotlight. HOLY SHIT!!! This thing lights up a shed in my yard that is 100 yards away, like it was daylight. (also lights up the whole surrounding area)Just don't look at the light, or you can say goodbye to your eyesight. I have more flashlights, lanterns, camp lights, spotlights, glow rings, aircraft landing lights, etc. than I can count readily. Am I a light junky? HELL YEAH!! |
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I am the only one here who has a Krill Lamp! I have the green Extreme 180 model, but am selling it — it just doesn't seem to do anything that a LED flashlight won't do better. The battery life is reportedly just 50 hours, and the brightness doesn't compare with a single white LED flashlight — and this is Krill's brightest model. Nice package, though — waterproof, and very compact. Beats the hell out of chemical lightsticks. My personal "habit" is modifying LED flashlights so they operate all the time, albeit at reduced brightness. I have a couple of PAL lights that already do this, but it's often no problem to solder a 10K resistor across the power switch of other brands, producing a soft glow that allows you to find the flashlight in the dark. Makes a nice night light, too! 10K of resistance will cause just a couple dozen microamps of current drain, so the batteries should still last for several years. Aren't LEDs wonderful? |