Free Light

Why I love flashlights/CPF​

Flashlights are more than a mere tool of illumination. A flashlight is a work of art with hundreds of components, all working together to produce light. I enjoy flashlights because of their complexity, beauty, and their usefulness in everyday situations as well as tactical situations.

I enjoy the fact that flashlights are the vehicles for a lot of the latest cutting edge technology that the world has to offer. Modern flashlights have seen a lot of change over the past few years. New advancements in technology such as LED's and boards such as the nFlex have transformed flashlights into highly sophisticated pieces of equipment. Many years ago a flashlight was simply an incandescent bulb powered by batteries. Today, Luxeon LED's have replaced bulbs and some incandescents have undergone a modern makeover with the use of a regulator, thus rendering a regulated incandescent flashlight. Modifying and even building you very own flashlight is a fun and rewarding task.

No person, even non-flashaholics can deny the fact that many custom made or modified flashlights are absolutely beautiful. Many flashlights, especially those with chrome finish and custom anodizing can leave anyone with their jaw hanging open. Some fine examples of beautiful flashlights are the Groovy created by Photonfanatic and Aleph's with custom splash anodizing. Of course, cosmetic beauty isn't the only type of beauty a flashlight can boast. Many flashlights are simply beautiful because of the thought and hard work that goes into them. These are lights like the BAM! by member adrewwyn and lights equipped with awesome electronics such as nFlex or Fatman regulators.

Flashlights can be employed in various situations in our civilian life, as well as tactical situations when used by Law Enforcement Officers or members of the Armed Forces. We don't think about it much, but flashlights light our way to the kitchen for that late night snack or our trip to the bathroom. They help us find that item we dropped on the rug and they make us feel secure when we hear that 'bump in the night'. What can simply light up the space under our sink can also be the same light that illuminates a Police Officer's late night raid of a house. His heart's pounding, he's holding his firearm tightly, he has no idea what he will face, but he knows he can trust one thing, his light. Maybe it's a Surefire, a Gladius, or maybe even a lowly Mag-Lite (for his sake I hope not), but no matter what it is, it's there for him and he knows it will light the path of the dark and uncertain events that will soon unfold. A flashlight is a tool, which has many uses among a wide range of people.

As you can see the reasons to love flashlights are many. They are tools that are technologically advanced, beautiful, and down right helpful. I could go on and on about why I love flashlights, but I would probably go insane, so this is enough for now.

-by Daniel (Former_Mag_User)​

Click to expand...

Why I like flashlights
by carrot

Ever since I was a youngster, I loved flashlights. At the age of two or three, my parents got me a large yellow Fisher Price flashlight, with a rotating knob to change the lens color. I remember it quite well, a bulky yellow flashlight with a blue bezel, with red and green color filters. It was, needless to say, one of my favorite toys.

Fast forward fifteen years. I'm a serious technophile, always seeking out new gadgets, many I can't really afford but take note of anyway. One day at RadioShack, looking for some LEDs to play with, I see the Maglite Mini AA. Thinking its rugged metal construction would be great as a self-defense weapon, (I'm pretty scrawny, but I'm also a green belt in Judo.) I plunk down the cash for a black one right away. It goes on my belt in its nylon holster, and becomes my first EDC light. Carrying it around all the time, I quickly fall in love with the incredible utility of always having a light handy. Repairing computers at my school, I find the benefits of carrying around a flashlight completely outweighs the disadvantages -- namely looking like a flashlight-wielding geek. Not knowing any better, I assume that the Maglite is simply the best light around, since it *is* aluminum-bodied and probably the most popular one. I end up buying another, and that one becomes a backup EDC light for my primary Maglite. I think to myself, I'll never need any more light with these two. But I was wrong.

A few months later, I'm reading Popular Science, and I come upon an ad for Surefire. That particular ad features an Aviator A2, and the instant I saw it, I knew I wanted it. I wanted it really bad. Checking out the Surefire website, I was astounded at the prices. How could anyone charge so much for something as simple as a flashlight? I knew I couldn't possibly afford one. But at that moment, my Maglite bliss was shattered. There was a better light, in orders of magnitude that completely blew away the little ant-sized bulbs of the Maglite I held in my hand.

The rational part of my brain kicks in. I don't need a powerful flashlight. The Maglite is fine for me. This is what I tell myself. But the next time I need my Maglite, I'm sorely disappointed in both the beam quality and the brightness. One day, my kitten, only six months old, flies out of the house late at night as my dad is putting out some bottles for recycling. We live in a rural area, but the streetlamps do nothing to shed light where we needed it most, under the yew bushes that have been in front of the house for as long as I can remember. The three of us, my mom and dad and I are out of the house and looking under the bushes for him. I'm searching barefoot, and my two Maglites do nothing to illuminate the area. Nothing at all. I have to check to see if they're actually on. When I look up, I see my cat in the street, frozen in the headlights of an oncoming car. I run into the street to stop the car and scoop up my beloved kitten.

With newfound resolve, I look at the Surefires longingly. The only one I could really justify purchasing to my mom is the G2 Nitrolon, and having just recently come from the Maglite camp, I feel that plastic-bodied flashlights are inferior to their metal counterparts. But I'm determined never to be caught without a good light again. It's the one and only thing I ask for when my birthday comes.

When I turn on my G2 for the first time, I am astounded with the quality and the brightness of the beam. It instantly becomes my favorite gadget. I attribute my flashaholism to my Surefire. If I had never gotten my G2, I would never have discovered the tremendous varieties of high powered flashlights. No longer did I associate the word 'flashlight' to the signature ringed beam of a Maglite, but rather the powerful beam of light cast by my G2.

Now, I almost scorn the Maglites I used to prize so much. I still EDC one Maglite with a red beamfilter, but now it's been relegated to backup my G2 and closeup work. I love my Surefire, and never go anywhere without it. But now I hunger for a smaller, more pocketable light to replace my failing Maglite.

Click to expand...

It all started long ago, in a country far, far away. (From this one at least) I was born in Germany. As a child I was fascinated by these strange light-producing plastic and aluminum rods. I loved the satisfaction of lighting something 20 feet away at the mere click of a button. How they operated was beyond me, but I knew I loved them. Although most children are fascinated by flashlights, I was a special case, according to my parents. I was more attached to them than any other toy I had. This childhood bond would continue throughout my life, to the person I am today: A gadget freak who carries 2 flashlights at a single outing and spends much time on the computer conversing with other such hobbyists.

I tend to remember crucial or important moments of my life like the time I was 3 when I broke my leg. (Some kid moved the landing mattress away from the bottom of the ladder, and I wasnt looking when I jumped.....) There is one particular memory, that was of great joy. I must have been around four. My family was at the house of a friends, and the husband was a kind man. He knew my love for flashlights, like many others. At one point of the visit, he called me toward him, took out a AAA Mini Maglight, and tied it to my belt loop. I can remember the thankfulness and happiness at that moment. Although I do not have that Maglight today, the memory itself is proof of my love for flashlights during my childhood.

Although I have loved flashlights throughout my entire existence, I only discovered CandlePowerForums little over a year ago. Until then, I knew only of plastic EverReady 2Ds and Maglites. I found CPF when I had a small doubtful idea that there were better flashlights out there. I stupidly typed the most vague word possible, flashlights. The results numbered in the millions. I looked at the first few, and continued to look through the results.

The first website that gave me hope that there were better flashlights was Flashlightreviews.com. Within one hour, I had found CandlePowerForums through a link on FLR and was making my first post about what the heck a Micro Mag was. Since then, I have participated in CPF because nowhere else could I find thousands of others who enjoyed the same hobby as I did. Because there, you arent made fun of for liking flashlights, because there, you arent insulted for knowing the minimum voltage for a H Vf Luxeon III, because there, you can be yourself instead of wallowing in your own knowledge about flashlights in fear of being at a social disadvantage for it, and that is why I love CPF.

I am thankful for finding CPF, and being accepted there even though I am very young, and I am thankful that I may continue to enjoy my hobby, but on a better level because I found CandlePowerForums, and I am thankful that I may enjoy this hobby for a long, long time.

Click to expand...

Mags said:

somethings wrong with lighthound.com right now...

Click to expand...