what is your best "I´m glad I had a Flashlight" experience ?

[pec50]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

Although I have since switched to the Nextstar lamp, I suppose there is merit to those wimpy low amperage but long lasting minimag lamps. But, truthfully, I am indeed embarrassed to admit that I stretched battery life through the use of candles.

 

[txwest]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by pec50:
But, truthfully, I am indeed embarrassed to admit that I stretched battery life through the use of candles.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hey, don't knock candles...they were around long before flashlights, & are still here. Besides, this is the CandlePowerForum...

TX

 

[lightlover]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by brightnorm:
...
NOTE: Some Flashaholics may find this next part a bit distasteful, so they might want to skip the following paragraphs.
...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Brightnorm,
Sorry to hear about your loss, and the ordeal you have obviously been through.

I don't find anything *distasteful* in your account - it's just a sad aspect of *Real Life*.

My sympathies.

lightlover
menber #260 CPF

 

[brightnorm]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by txwest:

Originally posted by pec50:
[qb]But, truthfully, I am indeed embarrassed to admit that I stretched battery life through the use of candles.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hey, don't knock candles...they were around long before flashlights, & are still here. Besides, this is the CandlePowerForum...

TX[/QB]

pec50,

Txwest makes a good point. NTL, I feel your shame.

Brightnorm

 

[brightnorm]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by *something ridiculous ?:
Brightnorm,
Sorry to hear about your loss, and the ordeal you have obviously been through.

I don't find anything *distasteful* in your account - it's just a sad aspect of *Real Life*.

My sympathies.

lightlover
menber #260 CPF<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Lightlover,

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

Best regards,
Brightnorm

 

[Deanster]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

Arrived in Munich, Germany for 2-week assignment around 8-am. Made it to office, I was supposed to have the first day to settle in. Instant crisis came up, spent full day fixing problems. Finally cut free at 2:00am, to go to my company-rented crappy cheap apartment.

Arrived, stepped inside the foyer, absolutely pitch-black. Realized that like many European apartment bldgs, the lights in the halls turn off automatically to save energy. There's a switch somewhere, but thrashing around in the dark, I'm just as likely to hit someone's doorbell or knocker as the lightswitch. I need to find the stairs, go up, locate my apartment (floor unknown, only a letter to work with), open the door and find interior lights, all without making any significant noise (Germans get mighty grumpy about late night noise).

Reach into my computer bag, MiniMaglite is right where I left it, turn it on, and I'm on my way. Found out later that the lightswitch was supposed to have an indicator light, but was burned out.

Not life threatening, but a great example of having a light turning a potentially big hassle into a no-worries situation.

 

[Amplite]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

OK! My wife has been giving me dirty looks when she sees charge card statements that reveal my flashaholic activity. A couple weeks ago a tree fell down the block and took out a transformer or two in a loud and violent style. Next thing you know we are in the dark with transformers outside fizzing and hissing and to top it off (we live in Los Angeles)helicopters are all over the place! SO!

I quickly hit my stash and hand out2 scorpions, 2 miniQ40's and I hand my wife a PT surge! I of course grabbed my SF G2 and my Magcharger! An unfortunate incident but no one wae hurt, my wife and family now like flashlights and MAN! Did I have fun!! Lights were restored the next day

!!

Amplite

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

Jumping off the Rig to connect 5inch to the hydrant, and realising that I forgot to grab the Litebox as the truck was pulling away. Pitch dark. M2 to the rescue!!!!

 

[Josh]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

when the weather is nice i ride downtown rottenchester on a 20" bike and almost always end up at a dark and creepy place, two weeks ago being no exeption. i ride with a friend that mentioned the old subway tunnel, so we went down there. the place has some lights for the first 10 yards then nothing so i gave my friend the long life and i used the m2. the m2 is the best 2 cell light i have ever owned, it ran for almost 20 minutes with p61w/half used duracell ultras batts! maybe i did't notice dimming because of the absoulte dark, still glad i had it. just a tip when a crackhead asks for change shine the m2w/p61 in their eyes and they forget what they asked you for

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

The most boring "I'm glad I had a flashlight" story of all: it's 8 o'clock at night, I flip on the bathroom light, and *pop* there goes the damn bulb. There are no windows anywhere nearby, so it's pitch black. I groped around for a flashlight and came up with a PT Attitude, which I used for finding the tilet and then for changing the bathroom bulbs afterward.

I suppose I could have made up a great flashlight story from last year's big earthquake, but our power never went out and the building did not need immediate evacuation. Some of the fluorescent light bulbs in the hall fell out of the ceiling and blew up all over the floor, but not all of them. So there wasn't really anyplace that was totally in the dark.

I still used flashlights a lot for digging through rubble and making repairs, but I could have made it through fine without them by dragging around a smashed lamp (I had lots of those) on an extension cord.

 

[RevJim]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

Several years ago on Palm Sunday, our church was presenting a musical. A friend, LEO, had his radio and warned that some bad weather might be on the way. I was an administrator at a nearby middle school, so I went to school and picked up an armload of flashlights from our emergency kit (my job to keep it going). They were the heavy, rubber "work" flashlights. Sure enough, partway through the musical the lights went out as a tornado devistated a subdivision about a mile away. The ushers already had the flashlights and instructions. (The emergency lights were placed to help us evacuate, not go to the basement!) We had a string of flashlights in ushers' hands helping everyone go calmly to the basement. Our pastor did a great job of giving instructions (and not bringing panic). Those flashlights were beautiful! As others have said, any light is great when it is really dark.
Jim

 

[Graham]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

This is more of a "I'm glad I had a flashlight - to show off.." I guess, but anyway..

A couple of weeks back I had gone to the local shops on my bike in the late afternoon. Didn't think I'd be gone long, so didn't bother taking my bike light (I have a velcro loop light mount which allows me to use any smallish 2 cell light).

Anyway, I was out longer than I thought, and it ended up dark on the way back. Plenty of street lights where I am, so I wasn't too worried about riding home. But as luck would have it, a policeman happened to be around on the way back, and decided to stop me.

Told me I should have a light etc etc, so I told him that it was still daylight when I left, and forgot the light. He said I should walk it home if I didn't have a light, and then I remembered my E2 in my backpack. So I pulled it out, put it in the light mount, turned it on, and said "Will this do?" The policeman does a doubletake, eyes bug out a bit (the usual reaction to the first look at an E2, I've found..) and he says, "Umm, yeah.." and I ride away, managing to blind a few pedestrians who happen to look my way..

Ahh, if only I'd had my M4 with me..

Graham

 

[Frank C.]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

Long time lurker, first time poster...

THis is more of a "I wish I had a flashlight" story, and what got me into this "hobby" of collecting various flashlights over the years.

Years ago I worked in a 12 story building, on the 10th floor. There were various power problems in the area, and we'd occassionaly lose power to the entire building for short periods of time. At one point while using the restroom the power went out. It was only for a few minutes, but it caused the thought to occur to me that I should get a flashlight for such situations...

A week or two later that point was driven home when the power went out and it appeared it wasn't coming back for a significant amount of time. To top it off, the emergency lights in the building failed. After a short time the buildin management ordered everyone out. EVERYONE had to file down pitch black staircases (as the emergency lights failed). The only light at all was that of people with lighters holding them up lit until they were too hot for them to hold.

Since then I've collected tons of lights to carry with me (photons, cmg infinities, more recently Surefire E1/E2e). I guess I have that incident to thank for my obsession with personal lighting instruments.

 

[Darell]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

Whew! Well, I just had a good one on Tuesday. About three hours into a five hour flight, my daughter suddenly, and odoriforously signalled to me that, like it or not, a diaper change was in my very near future. Daughter in my lap, diaper bag in the overhead storage. Bummer. At this point in the flight, it is dark outside, and the movie is in full swing, so there is minimal ambient light in the cabin. Since MY personal bulb isn't fully lit yet (having been awakened by the aforementioned odor just seconds ealier) I stand up and begin to rummage blindly with one hand in the overhead bin for the elusive tools of the diapering trade. After several seconds of this, I realize that I'm searching in the wrong bag, and am quickly becoming frustrated by having a stinky, squirmy kid in one hand, and no luck searching with the other. DING. I suddenly remember that for the last four months I've carried an Arc AAA around my neck about 24/7. I do the one-handed turn-on/mouth-insertion (with the light!), and I'm off to the races. The evening was saved, and father and daughter lived in odorless harmony for the remainder of the flight.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

I was working as a security guard one early Saturday summer evening in 1985 when the power in the factory I was assigned to went out while I was out on rounds. I was in a part of the building where I literally could not see my hand in front of my face (I tried, but couldn't). It was full daylight outside, but nothing inside the building. When the power failed, I did not have a clear path out without the usual "nitelite" of the few HPS lights that remained on after hours.

The 3D Mag-lite I had just bought, being new to that job and wanting a durable and reliable flashlight, got me out of there. I still have it today. While not used as much anymore, it rides in my vehicle, and continues to serve me well.

 

[sunspot]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

While on a white water trip, some years back, on the Chattogga River near the Georiga/Carolina border, I took a side trip in the area and came upon a State Park where I saw a map that showed a old train tunnel that was started just before the Civil War and abandoned during the war. When I found it there where iron bars across it and an old gate that was broken. My wife and I started in and after about twenty feet could no longer see my hand in front of my face. I went back to my car and got my trusty 3D Mag and 2AA Mag. The inside was muddy with some boards across the worst spots. On the way in I noticed a young father with his daughter following. I asked if they where all right and he asked if he may follow. We went the whole way (about 1/4 mile) to the end of the hard rock tunnel. It was amazing to me what was done with hand labor over 140 years ago.
Shortly after my trip I read that the tunnel was closed. I'm glad that I carried flashlights with me as I was able to see something that is no longer available to view and to share that with a young lady and her father whom I hope will remember their trip in a train tunnel.

 

[AlexGT]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

Any more stories?

I have another one, I give classes at the University at night when the building transformer blew, needless to say the whole building went black, Everybody was looking for the way out with miserable butane lighters since we found out there is not enough emergency lighting, out comes the trusty E2 and nuke some students eyeballs at close quarters in the process!!, now everybody can see all the way to the parking lot, the joy of pitch black didn`t last long, since the guards "Invited us to leave" as the power would`t be back for the rest of the night.

My students never knew I had a Flashlight with me EDC and were surprised, they agreed that my E2 really Kicked A$$ in brightness, If only they knew I have brighter lights at home...

There`s the new story, What´s yours?

Alex

 

[SUREFARC]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

I turned my M2 on when all the lights went off on a concert. you gotta see the surprise in their eyes.

 

[sotto]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

How about a "I wish I had a damn flashlight" story? I was driving on the northshore of Kauai in a heavy downpour at 3 a.m. on my way to the airport to catch a flight back to the mainland. My entire car and trunk was jammed full of bags and other junk. Right in the middle of the blackest unlit section of country road, I had a flat. I had to unload the entire trunk, change the tire, load the flat back in the trunk, and reload the bags in the trunk, all in the dark and in the soaking rain. No, the headlights didn't do anything but spoil my night vision, and the passenger compartment overhead light didn't work on the rental car. I made it onto the plane just as they were closing the door. I've never been without a carry light of some sort since.

 

[LEDagent]

Re: what is your best \"I´m glad I had a Flashlight\" experience ?

I posted this last year in March. I'll post it again:

I have a great story with my trusty LSI spotlight.
Me and my family went to Yellowstone National Forrest for 3 days. Our first stop was the Old Faithful geyzer where we spent the night at the Old Faithful Inn. Our long drive from California with a 2000 VW Jetta with 4 people was cramped to say the least. So to break out in the wilderness after such a drive was paradise.
BOY you should really see this place; crisp, clean air tall trees EVERYWHERE and beautiful tall geyzers all of over the place. Anyway, we were able to catch a glimpse of Old Faithful erupt during the afternoon while there was still sunlight - mind you this was about 6:00pm Mountain time. It wasn't hard to see at all, it was just about sunset at the time. There were HUNDREDS around us and you can tell they were all going to wait for the next eruption. Unfortunately though, the next eruption would happen a few hours later at around 10:30 - 11:30pm that night. So in the mean time we checked into the hotel - which is VERY OLD - and rested from our long drive and hikes that day.

WHO KNEW that the darkness in the mountains was even darker than in the city. HOLY CRAP i said as night fell! No moon - it was a new moon - was out to light any paths and there were minimal path lights to light our way in the darkness around the hotel. But the hotel did not give off enoegh ambient light to light up the geyzer which was about 500 - 600 yards away from the hotel.

10:30 rolled around and i went to my room to unplug my newly charged spotlight, i went downstairs and out to the seats that surrounded the geyzer. These seats were about 100 -150 yards from the geyzer itself and there were about 50 - 100 people sitting around it at the time. I sat next to this family who all had cheapy plastic flashlights that were unusually brighter that what i expected - maybe because i adjusted to how dark it is in the mountains. Anyway i flashed my light to the dormant geyzer and in the air a couple of times and i caught the eye of some starry eyed kids and their parents. "WOW" they said, "that is some flaghtlight."

Here is where it gets good. I'll skip to the point. 11:00pm came around and the gezer started to bubble and spout. I looked around and more people have gathered around the seats, i looked back at the hotel and noticed that the patio (500-600yards away) facing the geyzer was full of onlookers. In the next 5 minutes the gezyer started to spit out water randomly, but it was so dark that we couldn't even see it, only hear it. So i KNEW that the people back at the hotel surely could not see it. So guess what? WHAM! I turned on my spotlight and you could hear the OOoos and AAaas from the crowd around me and even back at the hotel. I kept the light on the geyzer for the 15 minutes that it erupted. Being that it spouts water some couple hundred feet in the air, the tight beam of the spotlight was only able to illuminated a section of the spouting water at a time. My dad who was at the balcony told me over the walkie-takie to move the spot in various places - "left","right","up","down" he said - just to prove that it was his son with the spotlight. He was so proud

So when the whole thing was done, i had people comming up to me thanking me, and asking "what the hell kinda light is that?" By then i was almost in tears and shaking from adrenaline. Can you imagine yourself supplying light to HUNDREDS of people and making them happy? That was the best experience in my life with a flashlight. This is what fuels my passion for light till this day. You just never know when they will come in handy.