# What was your 1st flashlight?



## 3rd_shift (Jul 28, 2004)

It's a 1975 Eveready Commander 2d I have had in my little hands for 29 years.
Here's my 1st flashlight with the new Everled and Aeronimh batteries above it. 
Above those is a 2d Maglite with it's own stock bulb and freshly charged alkaline "Renewal" batteries inside it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
The old style incandescant bulb and nicad batteries are below it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif






Here it is in original flavor with nicads and pr2 bulb next to the 2d mag. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif




Now here it is running with 3 Aeronimhs from cpf member "Ginseng" and the white Everled in it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif


----------



## capnal (Jul 28, 2004)

See, I can't really remember. I am pretty sure it had to have been the one I talked out in another thread in the Cafe about flashlight stories and how I was given it to take to summer camp with me. Which is this one:





Don't know what happened to that light. But I have since bought several at garage and estate sales for nostalgia factor. I do know that for the following 2 Christmases, about 1984 and 1985, I got a GT Price olive drab 2 D cell military angle head light, and I a Brinkman MiniMag clone (back when they were the exact copy! pre-lawsuit), both of these lights I still have.


----------



## GarageBoy (Jul 28, 2004)

Technically a US coast guard spec Eveready, but a Surefire G2 is it


----------



## paulr (Jul 28, 2004)

I think it was an Ash Flash rechargeable that plugged directly into an AC outlet to recharge. It had a screw-base bulb and I think it had two 1/2AA nicads or something comparable inside. My parents got one for me and one for my sister when we were kids, rechargeable so we wouldn't constantly use up batteries. I remember looking for info on that model after joining CPF, and finding a picture on some collector site or on ebay, but the picture later disappeared.

I also remember a white plastic 4D lantern from around that time, no idea what brand.

First light I bought myself showing an early flashaholism was an Eveready Captain, a chrome steel 2D light that was very fancy and expensive compared to other lights at the time (comparable in cost to a 2D Mag today). It was a big expenditure for a 12 year old. But my family had had all kinds of other random flashlights around for years earlier and I had hated their flakiness (unreliable switches and battery contacts) and I thought buying this ultra-expensive light would solve that problem once and for all (it didn't, but it was an improvement).


----------



## juancho (Jul 28, 2004)

I still have it and in very good condition, a 1975 Kel-Lite
3 "C" batteries with a new bulb called in those days "Kripton shooting Star"
The bulb was state of the art in 1975 and cost me $10,00
I think the flashlight was $25.00
I bought them from Bianchi Leather goods.

Juan C.


----------



## ABTOMAT (Jul 28, 2004)

I think my first was a type of plastic side-by-side 2aa light with a bezel switch. After that, I think it was a '50s Marbo-Lite chrome/black Everready knockoff and a 2D Cub Scout flashlight.

First high-tech light was a Scorpion I got earlier this year, first LED was an LEDmodman Lux III Mag I got about 5 hours ago. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


----------



## Tech a Billy (Jul 28, 2004)

My earliest recollection is of a chromed Eveready 2AA penlight with a twist ring switch and a threaded bulb. The switch really stunk and so did those carbon-zinc batteries with the black cat printed on the side. I remember that they had the price printed right on the battery but I can't remember what it was. 30 cents, maybe. We're talkin early sixties here.


----------



## greenLED (Jul 28, 2004)

My first real flashlight memory is of a 2AA mini-Mag. It's been "somewhat" upgraded /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif and I use it constantly. I've had it for 'bout 12 yrs.


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Jul 28, 2004)

The first flashlight I had that I can remember was an Eveready 2xAA penlight, with #222 bulb and tailcap switch.
If I remember correctly, it had a ribbed metal barrel, chrome plated I believe.
This was sometime in the late 1960s to very, very early 1970s.


----------



## 3rd_shift (Jul 28, 2004)

Hey Craig, I can't seem to get www.ledmuseum.net link to work. "page cannot be displayed" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif
However this one; http://ledmuseum.home.att.net does work.
I have sbc/yahoo dsl. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Jul 28, 2004)

[ QUOTE ]
*3rd_shift said:*
Hey Craig, I can't seem to get www.ledmuseum.net link to work. "page cannot be displayed" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif 

[/ QUOTE ]
I found out the domain name expired on July 24, and it has been renewed.
In the meantime, use http://www.ledmuseum.org or http://ledmuseum.home.att.net to access my website.
Sorry about dragging this thread off-topic. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif


----------



## 3rd_shift (Jul 29, 2004)

Here's a picture of it's business end with Aeronimhs and Everled to put us back on topic. 




/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


----------



## Kirk (Jul 29, 2004)

My first flashlight I remember was a 2AA Ray-O-Vac penlight with a twist switch. This was in the early 60s. I lost it but found one just like it on eBay. See it here www.geocities.com/ktathwell .
Kirk


----------



## 3rd_shift (Jul 29, 2004)

Flashoholics anonymous?
That's a very good collection already Kirk. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif
I'm sorry that your 1st light disappeared. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif
Mine has endured a broken switch(now of course repaired), a little interior corrosion, a decaying plastic reflector, original lense drycracking in the middle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif
Otherwise a perfectly working light with the extra juice from the aeronimh batts and brighter everled lamp.
Maybe time for me to spend the 99 cents for new parts from a current production plastic one? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif


----------



## lasercrazy (Jul 29, 2004)

The first flashlight I remember was a rechargable flourescent one you left plugged into the wall until is was needed.


----------



## Echo63 (Jul 29, 2004)

my first flashlight was an eveready or enegizer - i dont remember which 2x aa batteries and a normal globe (flange mount one)
my first good light was a Minimag 2aa, then a 3d mag, then pelican M11 and SF6p then SL stinger - i cant remember the order of the rest - this flashaholism is wrecking my memory (and my wallet) - i cant even remember how many lights i own


----------



## yuandrew (Jul 30, 2004)

My first was an old rechargeable "lantern flashlight" with a big reflector. It would probably still work if the charger didn't go out.

Other lights I had - Garrity 2 AA rubber flahlight (First Generation; I think it was called a Tough Lite), another Garrity (Second Generation design-the "bulb holder" was different, Something like a Mini Mag (I now think it is a Chinese imitation), Coleman Keychain lantern (Older incandescent version; not the LED ones), Panasonic BF-100 2D, Keychain light with 2N cells, Coleman 8D Remote Lantern, Coleman Graphite 2AA, Energizer Double Action, Innova Lithium Micro Light, and some old 2AA flashlight with an air raid siren on the back (Had this for a while but just recently found it).

This is pretty much what I could remember


----------



## GarageBoy (Jul 30, 2004)

I should slip an EverLED into my US Coast Guard light, though not sure if it still meets Specs


----------



## Kiu (Jul 30, 2004)

My first is PT rage. Small & bright, it start my road to flashaholic.


----------



## Neg2LED (Aug 10, 2004)

first ever? a craptacular 2AA Doomlite (like a [email protected] 2aa but plastic wit a switch)

first Flashaholismic? Supra

first MENTIONABLE flashaholismic? YCLO LuxPhot

neg


----------



## BobVA (Aug 10, 2004)

A 2C Eveready "Captain" - chrome body with ribs, momentary/lock button and a swing out bail on the tail cap. I think I was like 9 or 10 and was completely bowled over by the extreme technology.

What I most coveted at that time was a two NiCad AA cell / 2x PR222 bulb Sanyo "Cadnica Twinlight" (?) that had red and white beams, switch selectable, in a white, rectangular body about 3x1x.5 inchs. Had a neat little pop-out set of AC prongs that let you plug it directly into a wall socket to charge.
I was a military brat and I think you could only get them in Japan at the time, so the kids who had them were at the top of the flashlight pecking order.
I finally got one in the 80's and was baffled that it had red and white "housings" for the bulbs, but no longer had a red lens for one bulb. What's the point? I made a filter and attached it with tiny self tapping screws over one bulb. My first mod!

Cheers,
Bob VA


----------



## h_nu (Aug 10, 2004)

Craig, I'm not sure about the brand but your description sounds dead on for my first flashlight. Would have been about mid 60's for me.

My first credible flashlight would have been a Tekna. I recently found the head of a Tekna Micro-Lith but can't seem to find the body.


----------



## eebowler (Aug 10, 2004)

The first flashlight I ever owned was a 2D metal, no-name flashlight. The body was silver on the outside with a dull brass(brownish) colour on the inside. It had the typical funky brass smell, but rusted like iron. The lens was glass and when you focused the light, the head made a very pleasing clicking sound. There was a red momentary on, push button switch as well as the normal sliding switch. (Ahh!! 'TIGER' was the brand! The light had a pic of a tiger stamped on the tailcap!). The tailcap had a lanyard attachment which could be slid into the body to get it out of the way.

Those lights didn't last to long. We alwayse broke the lens and ended up destroying them some way or another. This was probably in the early to mid 80's


----------



## Double_A (Aug 11, 2004)

Mine was this flattened egg shaped rechargeable plug in the wall light my parents bought me from the Sear Catalog around 1963 or 64.

It had a red cap covering the electrical plug, you pulled it off and plugged it in. The lamp was one of those screw base with the lens end. I think it was a #222 lamp. It also had a ring of glow in the dark tape around the lamp, which meant I could find it easily in the dark

It was a really ugly little light and I was disappointed when they got it for me. But as usual they knew what I needed better than myself and the internal nicads kept me reading under the covers for years without the expense of batteries.

I distinctly remember one day it was plugged in and recharging by the kitchen table, when a neighbor dropped by. She was babbling on about how the Russians were dropping nuclear bombs any minute and we had to head for the hills. She thought my flashlight was a recording device and started checking under picture frames for more bugs. Mom was terrified, nighbor was committed to Mental hospital that afternoon, poor woman.

GregR


----------



## nerdgineer (Aug 11, 2004)

My dad had a Sears Craftsman 2D light made of stainless steel, with a magnet. It ALWAYS worked. As an adult (after college), my first real light was a 4D Kel-lite in the early 70's. Did not work as well as the old Craftsman...


----------



## eebowler (Aug 11, 2004)

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif[ QUOTE ]
*Double_A said:*
I distinctly remember one day it was plugged in and recharging by the kitchen table, when a neighbor dropped by. She was babbling on about how the Russians were dropping nuclear bombs any minute and we had to head for the hills. She thought my flashlight was a recording device and started checking under picture frames for more bugs. Mom was terrified, nighbor was committed to Mental hospital that afternoon, poor woman.

GregR 

[/ QUOTE ]
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I am sorry if my laughing is rude, but in my sleep deprived state, I think that is hilarious!


----------



## waion (Aug 11, 2004)

My 1st flashlight is my 3*3W (TWOJ) 3D mod.


----------



## bobisculous (Aug 11, 2004)

My first real light would be my, now, decommissioned 6D Maglite with a 5Watt Lux Mod. Since I did that, a set of batterys corroded in the tube on me, and now its pretty nasty in there. Tried to vinigar it out, scrape, wash out, and everything else, and nothing totaly fixed it. Batteries were still hard to get in and out. Then the switch got all messed up and doesnt work correctly. So I suppose I need to go get a new Mag and redo that, then create a Night Stick with this one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dedhorse.gif
Cameron


----------



## nikon (Aug 17, 2004)

I guess I've been a flashaholic all my life. I remember playing a lot with the lights we had at home when I was very young. The first light I could call my own was the official boy scout light I was given when I joined the scouts at the age of 11. It got a lot of use playing "flashlight commandos" on camping trips. 

I thought I'd post pictures of a couple of lights mentioned in this thread. The first is of three sizes of Eveready Captain's lights, a 6D, a 3D, and a 2C.








This next one is my Eveready Commander and its young'un. I figure it's better to raise them right than to buy them when they're old and set in their ways.


----------



## 3rd_shift (Aug 17, 2004)

Nikon, you just jogged my memory.
I now do remember having the little silver and red one too.
I don't remember what happened to it.
I think it got lost when I discover how hard it was to keep a good battery in it.
I'll look around for it and see if I can find it.


----------



## TORCH_BOY (Aug 18, 2004)

My first flashlight was a red
Everedy Dolphin, the one with the black rubber
boot over the clickie.


----------



## jayflash (Aug 21, 2004)

2D "Army" light (1957). We could use an "older than #@^*" Graemlin.


----------



## Sub_Umbra (Aug 21, 2004)

I was nuts about flashlights as a little kid in the 50's. They were magic. I remember REALLY REALLY wanting a 6D light. I saved my allowance and finally got it. It was thin walled, chromed and had a snap out bail on the tail. It looked like one of the pics above. Well as much as I can recall wanting it, and then trying to figure out a way to carry it on my belt -- I can't remember anything about _using_ it. That probably had something to do with the short life of D cells back then. It was probably impossible for a little kid to keep a 6D light fed on an allowance with those batteries.


----------



## PJ (Aug 21, 2004)

My first flashlight was one of those chrome ribbed all metal 2C lights with the switch on the outside. It didn't have the flared head like the Evereadys shown above. Of course I dropped it and cracked the glass and had to scotch tape it back together. 

In the early 80's I bought a machined aluminum flashight for 30 bucks or so. It had a large head and a switch on the outside of the barrel with a momentary button in the middle. I didn't have much use for it until I started delivering pizzas. Having it with me a couple of times probably saved me from getting robbed.


----------



## BentHeadTX (Aug 22, 2004)

I went spelunking back in '77 with one of those chrome/red bezel 2D Eveready Commanders, thanks for the memory jog, Nikon!


----------

