Stories about accidental drop tests

[ven]

I do tests every week, sometimes every day and then it can be multiple. Butter fingers springs to mind, most dropped light would probably be the old lenser t7. I dont care what anyone says about lenser, but that light took some crazy drops and i dont mean 5 or 10. We are talking 100's and either onto a shop floor or metal floors of machinery. That light was a tough cookie, no doubt there! Ano was almost all worn off, the plastic zoom lens had a crack(beam still fine though). Maybe the zoomy bit helped absorb shocks................not that it always landed head down.

These days its usually a 6p and L2T stainless for longer duration's(not a couple of mins here and there, more like 20+mins to hours).
Pic is hard to tell with marks/scratches on the stainless, but its pretty much covered in personality.

My 6p gets held whilst i sometimes ascend/descend metal ladders, gets side swiped as i forgot its bezel stood next to my elbow.
Few more little dings since this pic

A little concerned with the older head(lens pressed in and no bezel ring) for durability, but its been fine so far.

Although not tested yet, there has been times where i have thought " it wont survive that" with up to 70ft drop onto metal(depending on level). Hopefully i will never find out............I would not be happy about an exploded 6p and triple 219b!

If the TOOL 219b rolled off there

It would go between the gap of the floor and silo up there

It would hurt
Hosts can be changed, one thing i like about the p60 format. However a mention should go out to vinhs quads and even the sportac triples. Both have had many many drops, usually a minimum of 3ft, but can be near 6ft onto hard factory floors. Maybe not as unforgiving as tiled floor, but not far off! Never had a flicker or a fail to light up.

Most common drops are from places like

down or onto the steps, maybe 6ft ish drop

Wonder what drop tests i will do next week, as it becomes pretty much the norm in work.

 

[bykfixer]

Whew! I held by breath as I read this post! So glad all is well with the A2.

I think it liked it.

But it did prompt me to purchase a Tads custom bi-pin bulb kit. I have a supply of original bulbs for my A2 collection, but would rather burst a $2 bulb than a $45 one. Them suckers are expensive (when you can find 'em)

Dude, I love that light. Blue-mens and all.

Ven, you might consider a wrist lanyard....

 

[ven]

I have used lanyards on some lights mr fixer, but my trouble is i am always putting it down/picking it up. So a light with anti roll(6p bezel works well with the flats) or a clips if a roller!. Also coming into contact with oils,greases and dust, lanyards tend to get messed up all too quick. Also wearing gloves a lot, not ideal for slipping on and off the wrist............left dangling when i need that hand and it gets swung/clunked against stuff(yep done that many times). Then i end up contaminating other things(be it hands or tools)with oil from the lanyard. They are defo a good idea mr fixer, but for my uses not ideal unfortunately.

So I am still contemplating a headlamp for some of my work uses, still not come to a decision. It has to be around 5000k, needs a good 200lm level for a few hours.............NC hc30 so far seems to be the winner. Also a zebralight i like, olight h2r as well(maybe get 3 in CPF style).

 

[timbo813]

I was carrying a streamlight stylus pro at work a couple years back and I dropped it. The light slipped through some grating and fell about 30 feet to a concrete floor. It landed on its side and went off. After making my way down I found that the light still worked. I did have some problems with the switch after that but for the most part it worked.

 

[zespectre]

Wow, these are some great stories.
I have a few as well, some going back a fair number of years.

I had an incandescent Surefire 6P I was using while I was repairing a tractor out in a field. I set the light down on the radiator while I went back to fire up the tractor and just as it revved up the light fell down and hit the fan blades (metal) which threw the light straight up in the air about 15 feet, then down to land sticking in soft dirt pointing up in the air. All of those impacts and all the light had was one slight nick in the side. The freaking bulb didn't even blow!

 

[Skaaphaas]

Wow, these are some great stories.
I have a few as well, some going back a fair number of years.

I had an incandescent Surefire 6P I was using while I was repairing a tractor out in a field. I set the light down on the radiator while I went back to fire up the tractor and just as it revved up the light fell down and hit the fan blades (metal) which threw the light straight up in the air about 15 feet, then down to land sticking in soft dirt pointing up in the air. All of those impacts and all the light had was one slight nick in the side. The freaking bulb didn't even blow!

Best story ever

 

[bykfixer]

Best story ever

Agreed.

I had an audio and visual going in my minds eye with that story.

 

[jdboy]

OK my stories of drops aren't from the extreme distances that some of the prior stories are but still are drops non the less. I've had 2 lights dropped while at work that I can remember. One was my Zebralight SC600w MIII and the other was my Malkoff MDC 16650. Both were dropped from the same height, approximately 4 feet. Both doing the same task. I touch up welds and perform PMs on robotic weld equipment on a daily basis. The drops I mentioned were both done during weld touch-ups. I had been inside a weld cell touching up a weld and left the light laying on the table being welded. I climb down the steps, reset the cell, and hit the start button. To my dismay I see a shining light from under the weld cell and each time I knew what I had done. Both lights survived with little more than a scratch. The only other damage was a dented battery positive terminal from the Zebralight but that's it. Both are still working to this day.

 

[zespectre]

Best story ever

LOL... Thanks.
It would have been more entertaining to watch at the time if I hadn't been cringing because I thought I'd just destroyed my light.

 

[bykfixer]

I feel sorry for anything my Elzetta Alpha lands on. Seriously. Drop it on concrete: the concrete gets dented.

 

[sbslider]

Well, not nearly as dramatic as some of the stories above, but here is mine. I was using my Olight S1R for a short term bike light this morning as I headed out on a long ride. Normally my bike light is a TN4A, and I have a light holder set up for its ~40mm body diameter. My 16340 diameter S1R is much smaller, but my plan was to just use the pocket clip to attach it to the strap. Well, after I thought I had attached it securely, I went about 2 feet and the light fell off. Fail on my part, but the light stayed on. So I reattached the ligh properly this time, but to just one strap. It did not stay in place great, but with the street lights the light was more about being seen instead of seeing. I got about 2 miles down the road, going ~20 mph, and the light falls off AGAIN!! I thought it was a goner this time, but I turned around and it was lying the road, still lit.

Next time I attached ti to two layers of strap, it stayed in place well, and stayed attached for the next 20 miles, until I removed it and put it in my pocket. One tough light, but be much more careful with clip attachment in the future. Oh,and not only does the light still function perfectly, but there are to very small nicks in the anodize. Just glancing at the light you would not know it took a spill, you need to look closely to see these two small spots.

 

[lumen aeternum]

Dropped a Ryobi 18v worklight from about 6 feet to a concrete floor. Lens/head popped off & bulb filament broke, but worked with new bulb.

 

[DIPSTIX]

Once I dropped my Acebeam K60 off the nightstand. The tail mcpcb shorted out. Acebeam replaced the mcpcb under warranty. No questions

 

[NorSar]

two years ago i was on a search operation for a missing hiker on a local mountain, i was on the "incline team" a group that searches area in challenging terrain where you can not search safely without ropes. We had roped up and was searching a fairly deep ravine from above. This sounds very professional but in practice it is just a matter of leaning over the edge, resting on the rope and look down. Since it was dark i used my light to sweep sector for sector. Once i felt confident i had checked everywhere i could see without repositioning, i put my led lenser p17 something ( i was not into flashlights at that time) under my cheek to access something on my harness, i cant really remember what. needless to say the Led Lenser dropped into the ravine, hit a rock and went dark. I retrieved it when the operation was over, but it was junk.

Missing hiker was fine, My light not so much...but that was how i got into flashlights, so i take it as a win....

my bank account does not tho

 

[bigburly912]

I dropped a sipik sk68 off of a 12 foot catwalk while looking at a water leak. Didn't phase it. That flashlight lasted about 4 more months until I dropped it off of a JLG lift inspecting a fire in a boiler room. I've had several of them. Tough little buggers

 

[Tachead]

I dropped my new ZL SC64c off the top of my bathroom vanity 4 feet onto the rounded edge of a porcelain sink. It put a little dent in the bezel but barely touched the anodizing. I am glad ZL pots their electronics as I have a feeling lesser lights would have died from that drop(porcelain is hard stuff).

Oh, in case you were wondering why my new light was on top of my bathroom vanity...

It was tailstanding to light the bathroom while I took a leak of course. Do I not have AC lighting? I sure do but, I am a flashaholic:shrug:.

 

[GasganoFJ60]

Wow, these are some great stories.
I have a few as well, some going back a fair number of years.

I had an incandescent Surefire 6P I was using while I was repairing a tractor out in a field. I set the light down on the radiator while I went back to fire up the tractor and just as it revved up the light fell down and hit the fan blades (metal) which threw the light straight up in the air about 15 feet, then down to land sticking in soft dirt pointing up in the air. All of those impacts and all the light had was one slight nick in the side. The freaking bulb didn't even blow!

Great story! While I don't doubt you one bit it does surprise me. Between 2004ish and and 2007ish I had a Surefire g2 and Boker lights both with surefire P60 lamps in them and I had to quit using them as I'd constantly be breaking bulbs. I went through 4 or so on the Boker before I got fed up with it...also the heat from the lamp coupled with a few pocket high drops destroyed the lens. Got a G2 as a gift and in the first week shattered the bulb from rolling off a truck tire.

 

[sbslider]

Oh, in case you were wondering why my new light was on top of my bathroom vanity...

It was tailstanding to light the bathroom while I took a leak of course. Do I not have AC lighting? I sure do but, I am a flashaholic:shrug:.

Been there, do that ;-)