Garage sale find

Sovende

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Dec 11, 2013
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I've been a member here for a while but sadly, not very active. Just thought I'd post what I think was a decent find at a garage sale yesterday. Sitting in a pile of other flashlights was a Pelican Super SabreLite Submersible flashlight. I picked it up out of general interest. I had never seen one of these before. It looked to be in a pretty much unused condition. It had enough heft that led me to believe that it had batteries in it. Of course, I tried to turn it on but wasn't able to twist the head. The "MSHA", "CE", "UL" & other certifications embossed on the body did tell me that it more than an "average" flashlight. It was priced at 50 cents! I asked the folks running the sale if they knew if it worked and if they had been able to turn it on. Neither the woman running the sale nor her husband had a clue. I suspect that they were getting rid of stuff that they had "inherited". I said that for 50 cents I'd accept the "challenge" of solving any issue the flashlight might have. I suspected corroded batteries at the very least and perhaps a burnt out bulb. For some reason the guy pulled the 50 cent tag off and said "it doesn't work, just take it"! How could I go wrong? Once home, basic GOOGLE search confirmed it's "industrial" status and value. (I'm way ahead on this treasure!) With a bit of brute force I was able to twist the head loose and remove it to access the batteries. Amazingly, they were not corroded. Once out, I tested them and not surprisingly, found them to be completely discharged. Put in some fresh C-cells and voila' I now have a pretty nice flashlight. Once it became dark outside, I took it outside for the "true" test! Even though it lacks the "brightness" of the now ubiquitous LED lights, this flashlight "throws" a decent amount of light! PLUS now I can venture into methane gas environments with impunity!
Sovende
 

StarHalo

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Nice find, a simple and solid all-around light with big cells for a power outage, can't go wrong there. Make sure you check the condition of the o-rings and lube/replace them if necessary, the light isn't waterproof or even weather-resistant without proper sealing. Don't forget the option of AA Eneloop batteries in C sleeves, which will give you much less runtime but nonstop full-brightness output for the duration, and now your light is rechargeable..
 

Sovende

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Dec 11, 2013
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Thanks. I was pretty sure that I did ok on this light. I did evaluate the O-ring (it was in good shape) and lubed it with some Teflon grease. I think that area would be "water-resistant". I'm unsure about the "gas vent" tho. I understand it's purpose but don't know the mechanism. It appears to be intact but I don't know how to test it. I suppose I could remove the batteries and the bulb/reflector unit then reinstall the head. If there was no leak when submerged, both seals would be good. If there was a leak, I wouldn't be sure of which seal failed. I'm thinking tho, that situations involving the light being submerged will be almost non-existent but I'd like to think that being out in a thunder storm wouldn't be a problem.
Sovende
 

peter yetman

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Be careful, one of my gateway lights was a Super Saberlite. I used it for years, but I've gone beyond comprehension now.
What a good find, the price of the replacement bulb modukles ate what stopped me using them.
P
 

bykfixer

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Good score!!

Nice piece of flashlight history by Pelican who started out making plastic dive lights in a garage in California.

B&H Photo still has some bulb modules if you end up needing one.
 
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Sovende

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Dec 11, 2013
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Be careful, one of my gateway lights was a Super Saberlite. I used it for years, but I've gone beyond comprehension now.
What a good find, the price of the replacement bulb modukles ate what stopped me using them.
P
Unfortunately, I'm beyond the "gateway" to my dependence :sssh: Fortunately, it's more of a psychological (opposed to physiological) dependence. I can go months on end not even thinking about a new flashlight. My resident "Fun Police" has put me on notice that with this recent acquisition, I have to jettison one of my other flashlights. Had I been at this sale on my own, it wouldn't have been an issue. Good thing tho is that I have plenty of crappy lights that I have no problem getting rid of. Sometimes, I pick those up for that express purpose :).
Whats the issue with the bulb modules? Do they have a specific lifespan or are they fragile? I may have to get one just in case.
Sovende
 

bykfixer

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They're light bulbs. They just :poof: when they decide to. Any light bulb will do it.
But Pelican makes/made tough bulbs so you may never need another one.

I think Pete was talking about the cost. Figure $15-20 shipped.
 

Sovende

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Dec 11, 2013
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Nice find, a simple and solid all-around light with big cells for a power outage, can't go wrong there. Make sure you check the condition of the o-rings and lube/replace them if necessary, the light isn't waterproof or even weather-resistant without proper sealing. Don't forget the option of AA Eneloop batteries in C sleeves, which will give you much less runtime but nonstop full-brightness output for the duration, and now your light is rechargeable..

I'm going to give this option a try! I've got some high output Ni-MH batteries and I just ordered some "C" sleeves. I should have them by the weekend. I like the idea of "nonstop full-brightness" AND I'm not so terribly concerned about the reduced run time. Most of my flashlight use is in short bursts, 5 to 10 minutes max. I don't have any way of objectively evaluating the output increase that I may experience, so I'll just be making a subjective comparison. I suppose I could do a run time test but that would waste a set of non rechargeable C-cells and run the risk of over-discharging the Ni-MH AAs. I'll, at the very least, comment here on the forum as to what I experience.
Sovende
 

LeanBurn

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Unfortunately, I'm beyond the "gateway" to my dependence :sssh: Fortunately, it's more of a psychological (opposed to physiological) dependence. I can go months on end not even thinking about a new flashlight. My resident "Fun Police" has put me on notice that with this recent acquisition, I have to jettison one of my other flashlights. Had I been at this sale on my own, it wouldn't have been an issue. Good thing tho is that I have plenty of crappy lights that I have no problem getting rid of. Sometimes, I pick those up for that express purpose :).
...
Sovende

Dang...your "fun police" clamps down total number of lights.....even on free lights... :sigh:
 

Sovende

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Joined
Dec 11, 2013
Messages
60
Dang...your "fun police" clamps down total number of lights.....even on free lights... :sigh:
It's not about cost (mostly) but more about taking up space. Fortunately, I have scads of cheapos that I can safely discard. I make a bit of a production of it and all is well :)!
Sovende
 
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