Would You Lend Anyone Your Flashlight ?.

[Poppy]

Good man Poppy.
Sometimes you just know it's ok to help out a perfect stranger like that.

I wonder how the story ended.

One day after a snow this kid knocked on my door asking if he could shovel my sidewalk. Me, being fat and outta shape I need the excersize. All he had was a square end shovel and the snow was the dry powdery kind. I have a coal shovel for that.

So I told the kid (who looked to be about 8 years old) I would do it myself later. I said "wait here" and went to my shed and grabbed my coal shovel and presented it to the boy, then handed him a $20 bill then pointed him next door. "Go do that one" I said and went back inside. That little kid worked his butt off on three of my neighbors sidewalks and put that coal shovel back on my porch.

Now to me when snow is powdery that shovel is worth a million bucks. To that little kid it was perhaps priceless. He'd have been shoveling snow for days with a square end shovel. Next time it snowed I saw that little kid with a couple of buddies who all had genuine snow shovels.

Great story Mr. Fixer!

And now That's how you build a better world! :thumbsup:

Setting a good example to that young man will pay off multiple dividends, not only for him, but for the lives that he touches.

 

[ven]

I loan my cheap lights to anyone. My other lights, it depends. My tools, to my youngest son only(which is not a great stretch as in the last few years that is where a lot of them came from. One exception: I would loan any of my lights to Chance or Mark(Ven) without concern....

:rock: 735 boxes on the way haha

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I loan my cheap lights to anyone. My other lights, it depends. My tools, to my youngest son only(which is not a great stretch as in the last few years that is where a lot of them came from. One exception: I would loan any of my lights to Chance or Mark(Ven) without concern....

Thanks, buddy.

~ Chance

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

ALL of my flashlights have
special value to me.


Well beyond their original cost.


And many are "no longer available" !

The same applies to most of my collection, many of which were purchased directly from 4Sevens using the CPF discount and on sale. A fact that makes them all the more special. Thank you David Chow. :candle:

I don't even wanna' BOTHER trying to explain
what my flashlight cost me, or why it's
special to me.


"Normal" people simply don't understand.


Learned my lessons in life already.
65 years have taught me quite a lot !

Exactly! Previously I'd only hand over a light after a quick reminder that it was special to me. Not anymore. Over the last ten years I've experienced enough to last a life time. Now I just say - "Where do you want me to shine it?" I remember explaining the wonders of my brand new BOSS 70 to people before handing it over. They'd ask how much and I'd just say it was stupid expensive. The reply was always - "Like $150?" as they reached for it with their grubby, little out-stretched paws. :laughing:

Normal people simply don't understand.

~ Chance

 

[AZPops]

Good man Poppy.
Sometimes you just know it's ok to help out a perfect stranger like that.

I wonder how the story ended.

One day after a snow this kid knocked on my door asking if he could shovel my sidewalk. Me, being fat and outta shape I need the excersize. All he had was a square end shovel and the snow was the dry powdery kind. I have a coal shovel for that.

So I told the kid (who looked to be about 8 years old) I would do it myself later. I said "wait here" and went to my shed and grabbed my coal shovel and presented it to the boy, then handed him a $20 bill then pointed him next door. "Go do that one" I said and went back inside. That little kid worked his butt off on three of my neighbors sidewalks and put that coal shovel back on my porch.

Now to me when snow is powdery that shovel is worth a million bucks. To that little kid it was perhaps priceless. He'd have been shoveling snow for days with a square end shovel. Next time it snowed I saw that little kid with a couple of buddies who all had genuine snow shovels.

This post sure put a smile on this guys old mug! Thanks, needed that smile!

Poops, I mean, Pops


BTW, in regards to the thread. When I'm on a project where there is a possibility someone may ask to use my light. I carry an old Eagle Tac in my glove box, then hand them that one. When they turn it on, these guys get amazed. One told me, "now that's what I'm talking about"! ... :laughing:

 

[colin.p]

I never ask to borrow anything (unless I need something and the person is right next to me), so I don't lend anything out. If someone asks to use my light, I'll tell them to use their phone.

As far as the OP, I would be a little upset if my so called friend told me that something wasn't worth what I paid, but lend it anyway and hope he doesn't break it because he isn't paying to replace it. That's one of the many problems with people who feel entitled, they think that they can demand to use your stuff because their too cheap to buy their own.

 

[Sabrewulf]

Nope, everyone has a smartphone these days.

I've never been asked either, well not in over a decade anyways.

 

[g4dg3t5]

Re: Would You Lend Anyone Your Flashlight ?

Depends on the situation and what torch I was carrying... I might just tell them to wait 10hrs for sunrise and they won't need one? :laughing:
More than likely, I would be their guiding light with a quality torch to aid them in a pinch though.

 

[LogansRun]

Re: Would You Lend Anyone Your Flashlight ?

I would say... no, I would not lend out the majority of my lights. I had a bad experience about 10 years ago when I temporarily loaned my HDS 60 during a camping trip... the person whom I loaned it to went out into the woods to, uh, do their business, they then returned with my HDS only to leave it sitting on a park table. I had to go and retrieve it myself :thumbsdow and wash it down just in case.

These days, I have a couple of cheaper 1xAA lights that I have on standby for anyone who may need a light. But, more often, I just tell them to visit their local hardware / sporting goods store if they need a light at home... and, as mentioned above, everyone has a light on their cellphones.

 

[bykfixer]

Re: Would You Lend Anyone Your Flashlight ?

As an erosion control inspector, the other day I was walking over my project end to end for an evaluation with another monitor from a division of the government. At one point we happened upon a mechanic working on a loader and his light gave out while he was peering into an engine bay with it. He had pulled an all nighter and had not re-charged his Stinger yet (he said). I reached into my pocket and tossed him my PKDL PR-1 and said "two clicks for medium fella". I kept walking.

The young female environmentalist says "you'd just loan a stranger your flashlight? Wait, why do you carry a flashlight in the daytime?"

I retorted "you get what you give in life, and to your second question if McGeyever had carried a flashlight he would not have needed all that chewing gum and duct tape"....

Next day the while driving through an area of the project the mechanic flagged me down and gave me back my light.

 

[Modernflame]

Re: Would You Lend Anyone Your Flashlight ?

I had a bad experience about 10 years ago when I temporarily loaned my HDS 60 during a camping trip... the person whom I loaned it to went out into the woods to, uh, do their business, they then returned with my HDS only to leave it sitting on a park table. I had to go and retrieve it myself :thumbsdow and wash it down just in case.

That's just rude. Your friend may not appreciate the value of your flashlight, but anyone who wasn't raised by wolves knows how to return a borrowed item. I agree with the thumbs down. :thumbsdow

 

[aginthelaw]

I used to lend stuff all the time but never got them back. It only took one flashlight not to come back for a while when I decided to stop lending them. No more mr. Nice guy after that

 

[wo0dy213]

I don't lend out my more expensive flashlights like the Boss or Muyshondt. I've lend out my Surefire to people I trust, and cheaper lights to others when I have one I'm willing to accept the fact if it doesn't come back, but if I don't get it back then on my no lending list they go. Im willing to help a stranger out by flashlight some light for them but I will not lend one out. In time I have learned who I can trust with what and who I will not lend things to.

 

[chip100t]

I have a new neighbour who knocked and asked to borrow a socket set, I lent him the cheap one I keep in my car. Soon after he asked if he could borrow some wood chisels, I politely refused and told him mine were expensive and razor sharp and he could buy a cheap one for his needs because if he chipped one of mine I would have to spend ages sharpening it out.

Then the next week he asked to borrow a jigsaw, which I again declined but offered him an old hand saw I had in my shed which he used instead.

When I buy tools I buy professional tools often at much greater cost than diy tools so as to last me a lifetime. And I have been burnt before when lending them out in the past.

The only flashlight I would lend is the small aaa Fenix on my keychain.

 

[Poppy]

I have a new neighbour who knocked and asked to borrow a socket set, I lent him the cheap one I keep in my car. Soon after he asked if he could borrow some wood chisels, I politely refused and told him mine were expensive and razor sharp and he could buy a cheap one for his needs because if he chipped one of mine I would have to spend ages sharpening it out.

Then the next week he asked to borrow a jigsaw, which I again declined but offered him an old hand saw I had in my shed which he used instead.

When I buy tools I buy professional tools often at much greater cost than diy tools so as to last me a lifetime. And I have been burnt before when lending them out in the past.

The only flashlight I would lend is the small aaa Fenix on my keychain.

Neighbors can be assets, or real PIAs. Believe me, I have had both. IMO it is best to turn them into assets.

Lend them tools with the admonition:
You know, that when you borrow a man's tool, that you return it in the same or better condition, and that you return it as soon as you are done.

IMO, it is pretty hard to damage a professional grade socket set, or for that matter a professional grade jigsaw. If they do cause damage then consider if you will hold them to the admonition. Tools don't have to be pretty; they have to be functional. If they scratch my socket, I might not even notice, because I don't care. If one is missing, that is a different issue.

On the other hand, tools that need to be sharpened after use, that is a totally different story!
There prudence comes into play.

 

[3_gun]

Sure .. within limits. My go to everyday tools(lights included) yes to one or two guys .. the rest? Oh hell no! Still as I've be taught; 2 is 1 & 1 is none. I have a complete "shadow" set of my go to tools & an almost complete 3rd set. Those might/do get loaned without much worry. Why? Cause they were dirt cheap, bought at yard/estate sale for pennies on the dollar or less. Brand names, Craftsman, Channelock, Vice grip, Snap-on, Crescent, Starrett, Lufkin, etc. Honestly after figuring in the tools I've sold as not needed, the tools I have were free or close to it.

I bought a small locked tool box for $15; popped the lock & found craftsman 1/4 & 3/8 ratchet/socket sets in 12 & 6pt in SAE & metric. Six different pliers, 16oz hammer, screwdriver set & a vintage surveyors 100yd steel tape that I sold on eBay for $100. Sure they needed a little TLC but they were all in working condition. One sale I walked away with over $3000 in machine shop tools, the lady asked $150 because they were old & she didn't know if they would work, I gave her $300 & told her I was still getting a good deal. Yea some stuff was junk but my nephew who was just getting started in the field got a great deal & the stuff I needed/wanted was free.

Doesn't happen all the time but often enough. So yea I'll loan out some tools & lights but mainly because it literally costs me nothing(or close to it) if something breaks or gets "lost".

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

I would usually lend anyone a flashlight, but not a good expensive one. For the most part, I usually carry a 1aaa light or a coin cell light with me as a backup. If I see someone on a hike stumbling in the dark, I'll offer to walk them back with a bright light or give them the cheap coin cell light. If someone asks to borrow a light, I'll let them use a 1aaa light (has runtime of an hour or less on high) so I'll get it back soon. On a group camp out, I'll take a pack of Costco special flashlights or headlights (3 for $15) as loaners. For work, I've given away headlights to coworkers I work with. Doesn't make you look good if production slows down because you're stingy. Rechargeable tool battery lights I've loaned out to people working for the same company. I do not loan out lights or tools to people from a different company on the same jobsite though. That's just asking for wasting company time to try to get your stuff back. If someone shows disrespect to me or my property, they get the cheapest thing I own or nothing at all. Any knife, multi tool, or power tool will only get loaned out to someone I trust after they tell me what they need it for and I approve. If they can't tell me, they get a razor knife (for knife), cheapo multi tool, or hand tool (no power tools), if I don't think their borrowing will get them or me into trouble with someone else. If someone I don't know asks if they can borrow an expensive light, I ask if I can borrow their wallet. The conversation usually ends there.

 

[Limit_hex]

That's what Olights are for

 

[parang]

My EDC light is on my keychain, so no.

 

[sambob223]

A stranger...OH hell to the NO..Immediate family...would really depend which one asked, and that's just for one of my Maglites.