What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

[bykfixer]

Last evening I had two lights cause me to say wow a second time.

A few years back the first time I shined a Malkoff MD2 in an open field I said Wow! It was been in standby mode ever since. Last night I lit my vintage MD2 for the first time and said Wow.

Then I lit my shiney new updated Maglite ML25 at a garage a football field away. The first time in 016 I shined the 173 measely lumens at that garage and could see a dark cat walking across op's yard I said "Wow". Less than 200 lumens did that? Last night I shined the now 197 lumen ML25 at that garage and lit op's whole back yard.

I've only said "woah" one time and that was when I tried primaries in my ROP and they got very warm very quickly. That was more like "woah Nelly".

 

[lion504]

First was my Quantum D2. Last was definitely my BLF GT. The smallest and biggest lights I own.

 

[srvctec]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

First was probably a MagLite MiniMag back in the early eighties when I was finally able to purchase one with my own money. Spot to flood in one flashlight? Whoa!!

Last was my Acebeam K70 I got from @selfbuilt. The best thrower I own and made me giggle like a second grader caught with his hand in the cookie jar, the first time I lit it up outside.

 

[Rubicon1000]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

My first was a Brinkman 5D, you could take the middle tube section out and run it as a 3D or 2D. It looked exactly like a Maglite and I have no idea what happened to it. My favorite now is the g2x LE edition.

 

[JimIslander]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

First was probably a MagLite MiniMag back in the early eighties when I was finally able to purchase one with my own money. Spot to flood in one flashlight? Whoa!!

Last was my Acebeam K70 I got from @selfbuilt. The best thrower I own and made me giggle like a second grader caught with his hand in the cookie jar, the first time I lit it up outside.

Nice avatar GIF. You're welcome.

 

[Berneck1]

Years ago, the first light that got me hooked was the Olight M20. Had to be almost ten years ago. I think at most it put out about 300 lumens, which at the time was quite a lot compared to most flashlights at the time.

Recently I purchased the Thrunite TC20 and TC15. Just given their size, they put out an impressive amount of light, with pretty decent runtimes. I was thoroughly impressed...

 

[srvctec]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

Nice avatar GIF. You're welcome.

Actually, that's been my avatar here since WAY, WAY before you even joined here so, you're welcome! [emoji41]

 

[JimIslander]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

Actually, that's been my avatar here since WAY, WAY before you even joined here so, you're welcome! [emoji41]

I stand corrected! Please forgive me.

Great minds...etc. :thumbsup:

 

[Brawny]

Years ago, the first light that got me hooked was the Olight M20. Had to be almost ten years ago. I think at most it put out about 300 lumens, which at the time was quite a lot compared to most flashlights at the time.

Recently I purchased the Thrunite TC20 and TC15. Just given their size, they put out an impressive amount of light, with pretty decent runtimes. I was thoroughly impressed...

Wow, I had no idea Olight had been around that long.

 

[srvctec]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

I stand corrected! Please forgive me.

Great minds...etc. [emoji106]

[emoji2] No worries! [emoji106]

 

[Commodorefirst]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

1988 or 89? Memory is going bad. Surefire 6p purchased from surefire reps at the Chapman Pistol academy with Ray Chapman and Massad Ayoob there running night pistol operations with surefire's new flashlight "designed for tactical use." Was expensive and worth every penny. Leading edge incan tech back then.

More recent whoa, was about 10 years ago with some jetbeam RRT lights, including a 300 lumen thrower, next whoa was malkoff replacement heads for the ancient 6p and 6z lights. Even more recent was a thrower Thrunite 800 lumen.

 

[Berneck1]

Wow, I had no idea Olight had been around that long.

Yeah, I think they started around 2006. They focused on law enforcement in the beginning. In fact, it was a police officer friend who recommended the brand.

 

[Poppy]

I think that the first light that impressed me was a 3D incan maglite. Prior to that all we had were those 2D incans that you had to tap on the side to keep running.

Following that, I had a blocky sealed beam light from Sears that ran on a rechargeable SLA. I see that it is still available from Dorcy through online Home Depot.

I think the last light that really blew my socks off was my Thrunite TN30. That was a few years ago, and it throws a ton of light. Since then I've acquired a number of lights that are as impressive, maybe more-so, in one way or another, and if I had them first, they would have blown my socks off, but now, with the advance of LEDs, they produce what I have come to expect. So although they are impressive, they don't blow me away.

 

[bykfixer]

Exactly Poppy. "Come to expect" is a good way of putting it.

I was 15 or 16 when the mighty Mag focus beam could light up a small target some 2-3 doors down.
"$20? Are you kidding?"
- my dad to my mom

He had a 3D Radio Shack Kel-Lite clone he was very proud of. He had paid a whopping $8 for that one. My mom brought home a 3 or 4C Mag a policeman had given her. At first my dad was not impressed (probably due to the price). But it wasn't long after that his Radio Shack light had been replaced with a 3D Maglite. He probably traded a camera lens for it at his work or something 'cause for him to pay 20 bucks for a flashlight was about as likely as Richard Nixon being a commie back then.

 

[offroadcmpr]

The first was probably my 2D sized mag85. ~500 lumens at a time when LED's peaked at 50 lumens.
The most recent is my thrunite tn42. I feel like I'm holding a lightsaber every time I turn it in.

 

[AMD64Blondie]

Probably my Olight S1R II.

(Still startles me that such a small light can have 1000 lumens in turbo mode.)

 

[usdiver]

Surefire UDR Dominator and the Surefire M6LT Guardian

 

[Hugh Johnson]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

First was Thrunite TN4A Hi. My first thrower and very early in my collection.
Last was BLF Q8. I'm impressed with sustainable lumens. This does it with all the flood and throw I could ever need on any hike.

 

[vadimax]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

Thrunite TN32. You may laugh, but it was my EDC light I have an EDC bag of appropriate size.

Zebralight SC64c LE.

 

[greenpondmike]

Re: What was the first (and last) flashlight that made you go "whoa . . ."

The first light that ever gave me that reaction was a late 90s 2d maglite.
Whiter and brighter than others lights I had and I could see the beam as I shined
it up in the night sky. The second was "big daddy"-a coleman max flashlight with 500
lumens high and it even had a low. It has a great color temp and still sees use as of last night.
Thing cost around $48 at walmart in 2012. Pretty high for a cheapsteak like me, but I was on a buying spree at the time.
More recent was the 2c ml25. Bought it and the ml50 3c together--well another guy bought it for me with batteries
because I told him that is what it would take to get my superstar ss39 dual final cb radio. Put the batteries in both and
I expected the ml50 to put out, but that little ml25 with its throw and hotspot gave it a run for its money. The last time (I guess),
was when I got my solitaire spectrum series and lit it up at night.

Edit: I like the time I handed my led solitaire to a lady I knew just to check it out. She had the front facing wrong way and before I could say anything she also let out a kinda whoa when she turned it on,
but I can't really repeat what she said.