How many flashlights have you collected

I can't say I "collect" flashlights but I do have MANY more than I need or can use. In the "old" days we had Surefire, Streamlight & Maglite to choose from & they all made the "same" lights with little important differences. Now we have temp, beam, lumen levels, UI, power source, run times & others like IPxx rating to think over. My "collection" started when I started using 4 or 5 batteries in a day in my Fenix LD10r5. Was & still is a rock solid light but nowhere near the run times I was needing. Well one thing rolled into another & now I find myself with a bunch of mind blowingly great/good lights that most of the population have no idea exists. Even the "bad" lights I have today pretty much run the table on the best Maglite I bought new in every measurable area except for using it as a club. Still I'm not getting rid of the Maglite .. I might NEED a flashlight I can use as a club. I do have a few less liked lights that I'm going to get rid of at some point in the near future but that won't stop me from buying another that I think might be my "unicorn" of perfection. At least now my search is better informed & narrowed in scope
 
How many Flashlights have you collected in the past.
IE: what types, what vintages, any thing of historical value, any thing unusual, and how long for. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
Vintage-wise mine go back to around 1915 with a few examples of every decade after that. Part of that was to see how they used to conduct electricity from a battery to a bulb way back then. Part was to learn how to get one working again. As a rule I sought after "duty" lights, often military or law enforcement duty but one was the 1970's Eveready commader used by many movie ushers at the time. Along the way some unique ones like a 1960's Rayovac 2D with a compass across the lens, a hi/lo switch 3D Brinkmann, and a pistol shsped light made by Franco were acquired. I started collecting (on purpose) in 2014 and bought many until around 2019. I still buy a light from time to time but nothing on the scale like before.
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At one point, I had dozens, as I was examining the features of each in order to see what I wanted and required.

Ended up selling every one of them but a handful, once I decided what works for me.

Current "collection" (if it can be called that):

  • Malkoff M61 drop-in w/ SolarForce head and tube, McClicky switches, powered by 1x or 2x Panasonic NCR18650B 3350mAh Li-Ion -- several of these.
  • LambdaLights 2D MagLite custom XM-L
  • 4Sevens Quark 123 Tactical XP-G R5 LED, powered by 1xCR123A
Pretty much my experience now.
I'm in the process of cutting down and it is grating selling torches in brand new condition at much less than I paid for them.
But I am trying to declutter and only keep the few I really like.
 
I need to get rid of a few hundred. What surprised me is no one mentioned the fact that this thread was revived 18 years after it was started.
Clearly the majority of members didn't find this topic when it was new and CPF was more active than it is today.
 
My collection is purely for user lights, I don't really collect anything just to collect things, except my 5 hotwheels 😅
 

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Ive largely stopped collecting. Since getting my malkoffs im pretty much good to go. Only a few more lights I really want, most of them are older models anyway.
I'm in the same mind set now, Once I started getting some Malkoff's..I'm set.
Oh wait! I did just get a Cloud Defensive MCH EDC, I need help.
 

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