flashlight & flashlight app

Well, I entered the flashlight field recently, and now already have 2 flashlights but both are keychain lights. and oneday, one of my friend asked me a question: why don't u use the flashlight app? u can just download for free...

This let me think of my purpose of having flashlights. and my interest is on collecting various special designed flashlights rather than just lighting. How about yours? just talking what's your purpose of having your first flashlight?

Yeah, the flashlight ap works, but not for a true flashaholic. Stay tuned.

Bill

Bullzeyebill said:

Yeah, the flashlight ap works, but not for a true flashaholic. Stay tuned.

Bill

Click to expand...

yes, so agree with u. also, flashlight is more professional and functional.

I have two problems with the using a flashlight app. One, my tablet doesn't have a light on the camera. And more important, if I need a light in a hurry, there is more than a good chance that I am also going to need my phone soon. If I run down my phone battery using it as a flashlight, what am I going to do when I need to make a phone call? Also, if I happen to need to use my phone while using it as a flashlight, which function do I give up?

EDIT: I just remembered a post on a thread earlier this year. The writer had been in a power outage with some friends who were using a flashlight app on their phones, while he had his usual EDC. As the outage continued, the friends' phone died before the outage was over, and they were left in the dark without a phone, while his phone was still fully charged because he had his EDC to provide light.

Where do I even start?!

If I trip outside and loose my light, I'd rather be carrying a light that can take the fall, than break a phone that costs more that it probably should.

Rain.

Quality of the emitted light itself, CRI, tint, range, spread and so on.

If the power goes out, the last thing I'd want to do to my phones battery is to increase the drain on it. I'd be much more likely to flip on the "Low power mode".

Cellphones are comfortable in the hand when using it for what they're for these days (not talking on them), but they're horribly uncomfortable to actually use as light sources. Dropped easily, cramping up fingers from uncomfortable grip, hard to point or balance where you want it to shine, and so on.

I'm all for having a light on the phone, but it's a horrible replacement for a flashlight.

When I can get a perfectly fine EDC for less than I'd spend on a meal, why wouldn't I get 7? Or 10?

It is actually a very good question for a budding flashaholic or for someone looking to add their 26th light to their collection: what will my next light do for me that I can't accomplish with my existing kit (existing lights, phone, whatever)? To me, keychain lights answer that question with some version of "high CRI," "pleasing color," "beam shape," "always with me," "durable/waterproof," and "gets into small spaces." For me, EDC lights are a step up in brightness and runtime that allows me to use them effectively as part of my bicycle lighting and in more situations in which my safety may be at stake. And, I can't pretend that I'm not thoroughly entertained when I use a truly great light, even if I'm using it to find pennies under my couch!

A good flashlight is quicker to turn on, quicker to turn off, more comfortable, has better throw, and doesn't run the phone battery down. Plus, it's just more fun.

Eh,
Phone app is useful sometimes. I mean, sometimes a Bic lighter or fire on a stick gets it done for short term uses.

The other night I'm watching this movie and a soldier was lying on a table in a dark-ish basement all bleeding when the doctor enters the room, looks at the patient and says "somebody give me some light".
Another soldier flicks open his zippo and lights it near the guys face.

My first thought (besides hoping he didn't accidently sizzle the wounded guys face) was that somebody at CPF would complain about the tint, the output or the flicker....
I swear that's what I thought.

About a year ago I did a beam wars picture set with Apple phones vs Android phones. I am not a big proponent of an Apple phone but their stock flashlight aint half bad. I cannot count on both hands how many times it was the exact amount of light needed at certain moments and was the perfect flashlight a number of times... even at times I had a few on my person the phone app was the easiest to deploy.

Just acquired a celphone where a 2 chops motion turns on the flashlight.
My family laughed and said "what, in case the 6 or 7 flashlights you carry give out?"

Yup, as a flashaholic I smiled upon learning of the quick on/off of the flashlight portion.

I use the flashlight app on my iPhone at times and within my gear it counts as a backup light, granted 3rd string. The bottom line IMHO. Power source + way to turn on or off + emitter = flashlight.

3rd string indeed.
I used mine at 2am when mother nature decided a bathroom was required imediately. The closest flashlight was not as convenient as the phone when mother natures 10 count began (if you know what I mean)

bykfixer said:

3rd string indeed.
I used mine at 2am when mother nature decided a bathroom was required imediately. The closest flashlight was not as convenient as the phone when mother natures 10 count began (if you know what I mean)

Click to expand...

Especially when she starts at five!

Timothybil said:

Especially when she starts at five!

Click to expand...

4, 3,.... uh where's my.... 2...
Yup!! Celphone it is.

This reminds me of a thread I ran across, about five years, ago, entitled,
will mobile phone flashlight apps stop the need to edc a flashlight

The original premise was, as here, comparing the use of key chain lights with possibly just using a flashlight app on a phone, and doing away with carrying a key chain light.

As I recall, there were some fairly heated exchanges, there (Flashaholics here really love their dedicated lights lol, including I ; and all the more so, now, that I've discovered the wonder of neutral and warmer tints.

I would not ever consider using my smart phone as a flashlight, when I have this, all the time (and sometimes many others), at my disposal.


The Mk III (on the right) is always in my front left pocket, no matter what I'm wearing, or where. I usually have both of these lights, on person, while not at work, and maybe a dozen lights in a pack, when at work, or whenever I carry my pack.

Sometimes, I also carry this, on-person, in a belt holster:


It's a Surefire 6P body, Oveready-bored for 18650 batteries, with a Solaforce A001 head and B6 stailess bezel, S12 stainless forward switch, and is loaded with a Sportac Triple Nichia 219B 2-mode. I think the 219B is the most beautiful neutral-tinted emitter ever made, and this light produces a beautiful floody beam, super well-suited for up-close work. If i'm not carrying this on-person, it's always in my pack, with many others.

Why would I ever want to resort to using a sub-standard built-in wannabe flashlight app on a phone, when I have the real thing, with a very nice, neutral and super useful tint, just as easily within reach, at all times?

This is a flashaholics forum. I cannot imagine very many people, here, who don't feel exactly the same way I do.

But then, I don't use key chain lights (have a few, but have never carried them on a key chain; and I pretty much a died-in-the-wool 18650 light user, for almost all EDC needs - and the kind of power/output available from a 18650 light, these days, is staggering; but there is always the option to use a lower output.

bykfixer said:

Just acquired a celphone where a 2 chops motion turns on the flashlight.
My family laughed and said "what, in case the 6 or 7 flashlights you carry give out?"

Yup, as a flashaholic I smiled upon learning of the quick on/off of the flashlight portion.

Click to expand...

...and you could have laughed in their faces, as you said, "...only six or seven?" Who do you think you're talking to?"

I always laugh when a family member asks me, "Do you have a flashlight handy"? As if they didn't know better...

I use flashlight app only when I'm in cinema even though I have between 3 to 5 EDC lights with me whenever I'm not at home... so that I blend-in and doesn't look weird to other movie goers...