Oldest LED lights you own

[bykfixer]

I think I got a couple of those from my local Radio Shack, back in the very early 2000's, if I remember correctly.

Maybe that's where I bought mine. I used to go there from time to time.

 

[TPA]

I'm still using my 9v PALights from...? I bought a few boxes of them back in the day and gave most of them away as presents. Kind of wishing I hadn't given as many away now. I use them primarily as emergency lights, as their constant glow and shape/size make them perfect for all sorts of uses.

 

[DeLighted]

How about an "EARLY" Malkoff MagLite conversion????

 

[Flynn's Arcade]

Good afternoon, while cleaning my study, I ran into these two golden oldies:

View attachment 34731

Both AAA lights; a CMG and a very well used ARC aaa. I carried and used the ARC on a keychain for untold years. The CMG was little more than a glorified extra aaa battery holder I carried in my pack. I remember when the CMG was introduced it got compared to a male dog's organ, but I bought one anyways. I always imagined I'd use it to look for stuff in my pack but can't remember ever doing that. (The threads on the CMG are very sloppy and loose and I am sure it would have been lost if used on a keychain) I insereted batteries and what do you know, they both still work. The beams aren't anything special with the purple tints, but they are about 20 years old or so.

View attachment 34732

Ok now it's your turn, what's the oldest still working led light you own?

Pictures appreciated!

Grizz

Wonderful lights you have there! I still maintain and use a Photon Micro and a smallish Arc collection.

 

[cyberhobo]

HDS LE - Peak (forget which model it's some mountain name) - Orb Raw NS

 

[member 786209]

Here I have my two of my three oldest. The silver aluminium one of is unknown origin, I've had it probably about 20 years or so. There are no markings on it of any kind and I can't remember where I bought it or what the packaging was like, it is very well-built though, the body apart from the tail-cap is one piece aluminium with thick walls and the tail-cap threads on very smoothly. The output is roughly similar to an AA Mini Maglite but with a very purple tint! It takes two AA batteries that go in negative-end first, and Ni-Mh batteries won't fit. To be honest it's not great as a torch but I like it. If anyone knows what on Earth this thing is I'd love to know.

Also pictured is my Fenix E01, this thing has been dropped, gone through the washing machine where it escaped from the pocket it had been forgotten in and banged around the drum for the whole cycle, and had a Duracell leak in it so badly that it made an audible pop when I unscrewed the head - and it still works fine!

The third-oldest is an AA Mini Maglite that I have just converted to LED using the drop in from The Torch Site. I've not bothered taking a picture of that because it looks like a Mini Maglite, and it's only been LED since yesterday, so I'm not sure if it counts.

 

[haveyouseenthelight]

A CMG Infinity Ultra with a 5mm red LED
An early Peak LED CR123 light with multiple 5mm LEDs. One of the early ones with the flat front, from before the Inova patent issues.

 

[cave dave]

I found the box for this one about a year ago and looked all over for the flashlight but couldn't find it. But, today I stumbled across this Fenix L1P. This is a one mode light with a 1watt Luxeon, probably around 20 lumens. I bought it in a CPF group buy from David Chow (before 4 Sevens) and before he became a Fenix distributor. This light is the first high power LED imported from China, before this it was just multiple 5mm LEDs or niche Luxeon lights like the Arc LS. The tint is cool but its pretty good, I won the Luxeon lottery on this one, no cat urine green, and the small LED foot print has a tighter beam than many of today's lights.

Outside is in stellar condition, because technology was advancing so rapidly back then and multi-mode lights with higher power came out shortly after and made this somewhat obsolete.

When I came across it I got nervous opening it up expecting a leaking alkaline mess, but inside was a still working Energizer Lithium with a date code that means it was probably manufactured in 2001 or earlier.

There is an interesting story with this one, shortly after I got it, the light started flickering. I contacted David Chow and he had me mail it back to him, I expected he would send out a new one, but instead I think he put these solder blobs on the circuit board himself. At the time I was disappointed, but I think he said this would be more reliable, as a replacement might develop the same issue, and now I think its a pretty good story and sure enough the light still works 2 decades later.

 

[snakebite]

Have to locate it again but the oldest led flashlight i own is an advertisement trinket from hp showing off their new at that time ultra bright red 5mm led.
Ran on 2 n cells.
Around 1985.
And yes i removed the alkaleaks before putting it away

 

[ebuchner]

It shouldn't be worn out because the display turns off after about 5secs of turning on the light and after selecting a different mode. The only time when the display stays on is when the charging cable is connected

OLEDs necessarily degrade over time with moisture ingress through the packaging even if they display is never in use. Usually manufacturers will pick a sealing/packaging approach that will last only as long as they expect that someone would keep the device in service.

 

[Monocrom]

My oldest is actually older than I am.
1960s 2AAA Eveready ribbed chrome penlight.
(Previous owner clearly had it converted to LED.)
Considering the clip on it, guessing it might have been a doctor's examination light.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Have to locate it again but the oldest led flashlight i own is an advertisement trinket from hp showing off their new at that time ultra bright red 5mm led.
Ran on 2 n cells.
Around 1985.
And yes i removed the alkaleaks before putting it away

Maybe you can provide us an image of it?

 

[HighlandRanger]

Surefire L1 Digital Lumamax - has to be at least 20 years old. Still works. I have the L2 and a bunch more right up thru the P3x fury.

 

[ghostguy6]

Somewhere I have an old incan 2AA Mag converted with a Nite Ize 3led conversion kit. I remember having it in my glove box in late 2003 when I got my first flat tire. The first fully LED light I had purchased was an Innova XO gen 1 as a Christmas gift to myself in 2004. I still use it from time to time. I purchased a Pelican M6 2330 Gen 1 ( red tail cap) in March 2005. The switch had to be replaced several times but I still have it somewhere. When the gen 2 (black tail cap) came out I bought a few of them. I sold most of them but I keep one because it was my primary duty light for years and hold some sentimental value.

 

[rrego]

View attachment 34739
My first LED flashlight was this led lenser "tri-max" 3x N cell light. I do not remember where I bought it or when but think it was between 2003 and 2005 and perhaps from Home Depot.

View attachment 34740
How about that tri-max beam?

Yes! I had a version of this also in that same timeframe, in silver color. It was so cool and bright 😆

Batteries seemed so hard to get, I never used them up.

I carried it around in my pocket around the office and thought I was cool AF 🤣

 

[Poppy]

Somewhere I have an old incan 2AA Mag converted with a Nite Ize 3led conversion kit. I remember having it in my glove box in late 2003 when I got my first flat tire. The first fully LED light I had purchased was an Innova XO gen 1 as a Christmas gift to myself in 2004. I still use it from time to time. I purchased a Pelican M6 2330 Gen 1 ( red tail cap) in March 2005. The switch had to be replaced several times but I still have it somewhere. When the gen 2 (black tail cap) came out I bought a few of them. I sold most of them but I keep one because it was my primary duty light for years and hold some sentimental value.

@ghostguy6
Hey there, your post makes me feel better about myself, in that I also have a number of lights that I don't really know where they are! They are around here somewhere.

 

[letschat7]

Yes! I had a version of this also in that same timeframe, in silver color. It was so cool and bright 😆

Batteries seemed so hard to get, I never used them up.

I carried it around in my pocket around the office and thought I was cool AF 🤣

Oh I know that light well. It was never bright and had like an advertised 17 lumens or something. That said it was very modular and ergonomic. It felt heavy and seemed like quality which I guess it was compared to plastic Eveready lights. The run time was unreal.

The Coast one of these in the picture I got at Radio Shack. I'm not sure it was when I was active on CPF, probably afterwards in like 2010-2011 or so. It was just under 20$ before tax. I would run real European batteries in it of the type seen. Someone inculded one in a Lot recently and I keep it for nostalgia. Now the best I can find is USA made Energizer N cells.

I found a similiar model for sale and I wonder if it isn't a counterfeit as the quality just isn't as good as the first one I had.

 

[Christoph]

my first photon and a later ARC from '03-'04 iirc

 

[letschat7]

Cool key ring!

 

[rrego]

Oh I know that light well. It was never bright and had like an advertised 17 lumens or something. That said it was very modular and ergonomic. It felt heavy and seemed like quality which I guess it was compared to plastic Eveready lights. The run time was unreal.

The Coast one of these in the picture I got at Radio Shack. I'm not sure it was when I was active on CPF, probably afterwards in like 2010-2011 or so. It was just under 20$ before tax. I would run real European batteries in it of the type seen. Someone inculded one in a Lot recently and I keep it for nostalgia. Now the best I can find is USA made Energizer N cells.

I found a similiar model for sale and I wonder if it isn't a counterfeit as the quality just isn't as good as the first one I had.

Yep, that's the one I remember.