# What does a well worn Titanium EDC light look like?



## moses (Nov 6, 2009)

Curious. I don't really care whether a light is Ti or Aluminum. Type 3 anodized AL lights have been durable for me. 

Curious about the interest in titanium. Theoretically, they are more durable etc. But practically is it really any different in daily use?

Anyways, curious what a bare Titanium light looks like after lots of daily use when dropped, scratched etc. 

Mo


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## mknewman (Nov 6, 2009)

Mine looks like new. It's far, far tougher than aluminium.


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## Crenshaw (Nov 6, 2009)

Ti is stronger than aluminium in general, as in, it wont dent as easily. But uncoated Ti does not resist scratches as well as HA coated aluminium does.

So if you had a bare aluminium light, it would scratch easier, and dent easier than Ti.

Ti is also heavier than aluminium. IIRC, its 60% heavier, but twice as strong.

Crenshaw


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## Yucca Patrol (Nov 6, 2009)

My "stonewashed" titanium bodied Nitecore EX10 is probably the most worn looking as it started out with a matte finish. It now has lots of little tiny surface scratches, but none of them can be felt with a fingernail, they can only be seen. I'm very impressed with the durability of the titanium. I've dropped it plenty of times and not a dent or scratch to be found


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## fareast (Nov 6, 2009)

I too wanted to see the effects of EDC on a Ti light. I have a Ti watch but I think a Ti light would have different lifes so to try and see I ordered a Ti whistle from Russtang and put it on my keyring for several months. Since I am not really careful with my keyring it and the light on the ring got heavily dropped dozens of times. The main differences I found with my usage are what many have said about Ti already:

- it does dent but to a much _much_ lesser extent than Al (HA/Anoz III);
- it scratches much easier than Al but these scratches are only visible and you can't really feel them at all. 
- it feels not cold (warm is not a right word here) to touch (it conducts heat far worse than AL hence the perceived difference in temp when touching the metal).


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## deranged_coder (Nov 6, 2009)

I have a McGizmo LunaSol 20 that I have EDC'd in a front pants pocket ever since I got it. It has sat in there with keys, pens, etc. It has been dropped, tossed around, etc. by an energetic toddler onto carpeting, wooden floors, concrete, etc. It has even survived the toddler dribble + gnaw test.

It has some visible scratches but the surface still feels smooth. No dents that I can see. It has been very durable.


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## Kid9P (Nov 6, 2009)




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## Bullzeyebill (Nov 6, 2009)

That looks well "driven over".

Bill


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## sol-leks (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks for starting this thread. Now it will be even harder waiting for my illuminati to come in the mail.


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## moses (Nov 7, 2009)

Kid9P. 

Yowzer.

Mo


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## carrot (Nov 7, 2009)

Haha, my McLux Ti PD looks almost like that....


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## Th232 (Nov 7, 2009)

Note that the pic Kid9P posted was after it (and its owner) were in a motorcycle accident. Here's a picture of it after it was restored:







For me personally, my Lunasol has held up pretty well, there're minor scratches on it, but they blend in a lot better than chips on the anodising of my NEX.


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## OfficerCamp (Nov 7, 2009)

I'll tell you in a few months after I spend some quality time with my Preon1 clicky, this is definately going to be my new pocket beater.

Also keep in mind, HA is a coating (which you surely already know). Titanium is titanium through the entire light, so there is nothing to "wear off" or "chip". If ti is scratched up bad, hit it with some 0000 steel wool and make your mirror finish into a scotch brite finish, or take it to a local shop to be polished (cheap).


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## headophile (Nov 7, 2009)

anyone got pics of a regulary used titanium aaa edc? i've yet to get a real keychain duty light and i'm looking into titanium for that.


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## roguesw (Nov 8, 2009)

These two flashlights are stored with my keys in my bag. This is the image after 1 year of usage. The flashlight on the left is a McGizmo Titanium 2x123 clicky. 
The flashlight on the right is a McGizmo PR Aluminum head with a Type 3 anodize black cap.

You can see after 1 year, the raw Al head has a lot of pitting and scratching and the dents are very deep. Also, the raw Al has a milky finish, raw Al oxidising. The raw oxidised Al feels very rough to the touch. The Type 3 anodize black cap has no dents some scratches. It has held up pretty well.

The Titanium body on the left has minor scratches, no pitting unlike the raw Al head. The swirls are not deep, cant be felt by the finger nail and can be removed easily with 0000 wire brush. The Titanium is still as shiny as the day I bought it.

On another note, the Titanium light has an Al McGizmo Pr-T head. Some people on the board are concerned with galvanic oxidising between Al and Ti parts. The light has been used for the last year daily and I havent experienced any problem yet.


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## headophile (Nov 8, 2009)

^

looks great for 1 year with keys compared to the bare aluminum. i've had no problem with the durability of HAIII so far but i just want something different for this purpose.


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## jblackwood (Nov 8, 2009)

That McGizmo (forget the model) that's been through a motorcycle accident is my favorite before-and-after set of pictures. I totally agree with everything said (I'd better, I EDC a Ti light) but I also feel like Ti is a bit of man jewelry. As far as man jewelry that we can pass on to our progeny goes, we're limited to watches. But expensive, heirloom quality watches (like Rolex, etc.) are, well, expensive. If you carry a light as often as you wear a watch and compare the costs in the two, Ti flashlights are pretty inexpensive. I consider most Ti lights to be heirloom quality. I only own three (two McGizmo's and one Lummi Wee), but those three are lights I'd be proud to hand down to my kids, if they were into flashlights like we are. 

Back to the thread topic, though. My Lunasol 20 rides in the back pocket of my pants along with my change pouch. The clip would take the most abuse, but it looks like new. Of course, I've only had it since this summer. It's bead blasted so I'm dreading the first major scratch. It's still pristine, though.


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## Ggmesquita (Aug 11, 2010)

Great thread! I was looking for something like this!

I just started EDC a Quark 123 Ti. It will be nice to see the changes on the finnish as time goes by.
It would be great if more people would post pictures of their Ti EDCs... 

Gg


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## semifiction (Aug 11, 2010)

interesting thread. titanium seems to age pretty well. welcome more pictures of well-worn lights though


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## carrot (Aug 11, 2010)

(click the images for the full-sized version)


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## fisk-king (Aug 11, 2010)

^That light has character.


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## saabgoblin (Aug 11, 2010)

There was someone over in the customs section that was selling a bunch of McGizmo's nicely displayed in velvet or felt lined boxes that were beautifully worn.


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## Zendude (Aug 11, 2010)

Been on my keychain for about 8 months. The grade is softer than others pictured here, hence the deep nick on the bezel.










5 minutes later.....








I love these lights!


P.S. I think Carrot has anger issues.


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## 1anrm (Aug 11, 2010)

Zendude said:


> Been on my keychain for about 8 months. The grade is softer than others pictured here, hence the deep nick on the bezel.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



How is the keyring attachment on the mini holding up? 
thanks


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## Zendude (Aug 11, 2010)

1anrm said:


> How is the keyring attachment on the mini holding up?
> thanks




Fine. No discernible wear.:thumbsup: I can't speak to the Al ones.


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## PeaceOfMind (Aug 11, 2010)

Here's my Quark Ti AA, #213. It's been dropped onto the road/etc many times and has undergone many scratch-inducing events. Pretty scratched up at this point, but all the damage is very superficial and could be polished out if I wanted to (I don't).


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## carrot (Aug 11, 2010)

Zendude said:


> P.S. I think Carrot has anger issues.



Nah, just part of being my EDC for the past two years. I lead an active life.


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## Toohotruk (Aug 11, 2010)

Great thread and cool pics! :thumbsup:

The light that survived the wreck illustrates one of the main advantages of having a light made of Titanium...I think it's incredible how well it turned out after some time, serious elbow grease (no doubt) and polish. Try that with an HA aluminum light! 

I hope to see many more pics of worn Ti lights, they've GOT to be out there! 

I'll have to try to take some pics of my Ti Quark 123...it doesn't have much damage...a few small nicks in the bezel, and what reminds me of spider webbing on the smooth surfaces from mainly pocket wear. I'm not even sure it would show up in a pic. :thinking:


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## Chrontius (Aug 14, 2010)

I could take a picture of my Lummi NS; I've babied it, but the previous owner carried it. It's not beat to death, but the nickel silver probably takes marks easier than Ti.

It still looks like a million bucks though, even if it only cost me 30.


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## apurva (Apr 25, 2011)

Great thread! Now how about some comparisons between Titanium and Stainless Steel lights?


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## JWRitchie76 (Apr 25, 2011)

I want to know has anyone ever stonewashed a McGizmo? I wonder if it would work? I'd love to stonewash my Haiku if it was possible and been done with good results.


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## Sgt. LED (Apr 25, 2011)

It's been done and it looks great from what I've seen.


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## nbp (Aug 11, 2011)

:bump:

For an awesome thread; let's revive this baby!


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## RedLED (Feb 20, 2012)

Who can do the high quality of stonewashing to rival Hinderer's Knives? Stonewashing, done in a manner of Hinderer's, always feels nice and shows very little wear. My Hinderer stonewashed kubaton has been carried for several years, yet looks brand new.

I want to revive this again to see of any stonewashing updates. I just hate to have anyone but Don disassemble the light for the process. Does anyone else feel this way? Or, is it a non issue? I ask because these are unique pieces, custom made, by one of the most, if not the single most, prolific makers of flashlights to date. 

Thanks,

NR


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## Tolip (Feb 20, 2012)

My polished Ti Preon 2 is pretty scratched up. The matte finish on the newer lights seems to hold up a lot better.


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## scout24 (Feb 20, 2012)

Not bad at all. Two years of almost every day carry and use, it's tough to get the scratches and scuffs to show in the pics. Most of the "factory" machine marks are all but gone, at least compared to my babied Sundrop... I'm a mechanic by trade, and this gets USED. No holding back... Dropped, tossed on my tool box, I gave up trying to keep it pristine long ago. A tool of the highest quality, right there alongside the others I make my living with. Thanks, Don!


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## Grmnracing (Jul 20, 2012)

*Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

How does your titanium EDC light hold up? And major wear? Pics welcome!

Thread Merge


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## nbp (Jul 20, 2012)

Unless you are intentionally smashing it into things, Ti lights hold up insanely well. Even after months or years, you will likely not have much wear on it that you can't get rid of with some superfine steel wool. I'll try for you but I doubt I can even get my camera to pick up the wear on my McGizmos after a year of EDC together in my pocket.


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## nbp (Jul 20, 2012)

A link you may find interesting. 

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...does-a-well-worn-Titanium-EDC-light-look-like


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## smokinbasser (Jul 20, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

Holding up well thank you. just normal pocket wear patterns.


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## TORCH_BOY (Jul 20, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

Titanium lights are only as good as there internal electronics.
I have had one fail in the first 3 months of use. Circuit falure


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## ikeyballz (Jul 20, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

it got kicked out of my pocket due to crunchy titanium threads. (mini quark Ti to aluminum preon1)


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## scout24 (Jul 20, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

Here are a couple pictures of my Haiku XP-G that were taken yesterday, coincidentally... We won't discuss why. I'm a mechanic by trade, this light has been clipped inside my left front pocket for almost 2 1/2 years, both at work and on my own time. Basically, whenever I'm wearing something with pockets. It's been dropped, slid across concrete, blacktop, knocked over while tailstanding, had tools dropped on it, been covered in grease, grime, oil, dirt, mud, you name it. I've beat the hell out of this light... I've repeatedly caught the clip on things, banged into stuff with it clipped in my pocket, etc. It's had a hard life, IMHO, for an EDC light. I had to get the lighting right to pick up these marks, from arm's length 90% of them are not noticeable. I've never steel wooled it, just disassembly and clean with windex. Yesterday it got a new McClicky switch and o-ring where the head goes on the body, not because it needed either, but I was in a good mood.  It seems to hold up pretty well...


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## fyrstormer (Jul 20, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*



ikeyballz said:


> it got kicked out of my pocket due to crunchy titanium threads. (mini quark Ti to aluminum preon1)


That's because the Ti Quark Mini was a cheap POS titanium light. Sorry to be blunt, but that's how it is. The Ti Quark Mini's were made from a metal with special engineering requirements, none of which were applied to the special-edition Ti lights, because the designs were exact duplicates of their aluminum lights.

I know it'll sound hoighty-toighty to say so, but you have to get something at least _resembling_ a McGizmo in construction quality before you really know what it's like to have a good titanium light. It's just not a metal that reacts well to cheap manufacturing processes.


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## fyrstormer (Jul 20, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

Anyway, here's a couple pics of the Ti lights I carry. First up, a comparison between a Ti Aeon sitting in my safe vs. a Ti Aeon I've been EDCing for nearly two years:







Next, a picture of the Jetbeam TC-R2 I've also been EDCing for nearly two years, vs. a couple shelf queens: (TC-R2 is on the right)







Here's another picture of the Ti Aeon, super-closeup, having been smacked around in a pocket with steel tools since the day I bought it:







EDIT: Oh, and here's a picture of a McGizmo Sapphire that _also_ rattles around in a pocket full of metal bits, including a piece of bike chain that I fiddle with when I'm bored:







Titanium wears well.


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## Grmnracing (Jul 20, 2012)

fyrstormer said:


> Anyway, here's a couple pics of the Ti lights I carry. First up, a comparison between a Ti Aeon sitting in my safe vs. a Ti Aeon I've been EDCing for nearly two years:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Nice lights. How's the sunwayman?


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## shado (Jul 20, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

Here's a pic of my SPY 007 after a year of EDC. It was carried in AOTH holsters only, never in my pocket. It shows little to no wear :thumbsup:


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## yliu (Jul 21, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

I don't know what kind of titanium alloy are ti light made out of, but titanium should be harder than the T6 Aluminum alloy. But on aluminum lights there are also anodizing protecting the light from scratches.

So ti lights should be less prone to denting from drops.


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## Echo63 (Jul 21, 2012)

*Re: Titanium EDC light how they hold up*

My Aeon has been around my neck for at least a year and a half now, and still looks like new.

My SWM V10R TI has a bunch of fine scratches around the head from where it has been drawn and replaced in a Kydex holster - I'm pretty sure the scratches would disappear with a bit of a polish or steel wool

I have been carrying an Atwood TI cookie wrench in my pocket for years, It's opened countless bottles of beer, and only has a few small marks from where it's been dropped on bitumen.

TI wears pretty nicely, and it doesn't wear through an anodizing coating and look beaten like Aluminium does


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## fyrstormer (Jul 21, 2012)

Grmnracing said:


> Nice lights. How's the sunwayman?


Lots of people like the V10R. It's a good light, but I already had the TC-R2, which is functionally nearly identical, and I never used the V10R, so I sold it. Lots of mods are available for it, though.


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## ChrisAg (Jul 21, 2012)

Great thread! I've carried a Raw Ti everyday for the past two years and it still looks great. I think Ti holds up well as an EDC.


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## ico (Jul 22, 2012)

How do you guys polish your Ti?


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## nbp (Jul 23, 2012)

ico said:


> How do you guys polish your Ti?



The inside of my pocket.


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## scout24 (Jul 23, 2012)

^^^ What nbp said...  Some windex and a towel every now and then to clean them, but my lights wouldn't know polishing if it hit them over the head...


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## nbp (Jul 23, 2012)

Tried to get some pics of the wear on my Haiku and Mule, but it was almost impossible. These two have been clipped next to one another on my pocket every day, banging and rubbing against each other for a year now. Barely any wear, mostly just little surface scratches and marks. Clips take the most abuse.


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## fyrstormer (Jul 24, 2012)

ico said:


> How do you guys polish your Ti?


Red machining polish, melted and smeared on an extra-strong paper towel, wrapped around the light and twisted. Once a year, whether it needs it or not.


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## cy (Aug 27, 2013)

from 2012 when I stopped EDC both .. original PD is still going strong, but Titan died


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## Toohotruk (Aug 27, 2013)

Did you contact Surefire about the Titan? I would definitely look into getting a resolution as far as warrantee goes...especially when you factor in the price of that puppy!


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## cy (Aug 28, 2013)

Toohotruk said:


> Did you contact Surefire about the Titan? I would definitely look into getting a resolution as far as warrantee goes...especially when you factor in the price of that puppy!



nope .. still have not sent it in .. spoke with Surefire who issued a RA number immediately. 
flashlights just have not been top of my to do list lately. used to be that was one of my main activities ... 
like anything when you do it a LOT .. burnout does happen ..

my posts counts keeps on going down .. had almost 11k posts when I stopped being active.


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## Bullzeyebill (Aug 28, 2013)

cy said:


> ...my posts counts keeps on going down .. had almost 11k posts when I stopped being active.



Mine have gone down too. Remember that big CPF crash? I've lost some since then too. Not really important to me, and I keep posting away. Good to see you posting more.

Bill


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## nbp (Aug 29, 2013)

I'd be over 5k now if it weren't for the Great Crash. :scowl:

Fortunately I probably didn't say anything useful in the lost posts, so that's good. :huh:


Hoping for more pics of user Ti lights, love me some Ti patina! :rock: :rock:


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## cy (Aug 29, 2013)

Bullzeyebill said:


> Mine have gone down too. Remember that big CPF crash? I've lost some since then too. Not really important to me, and I keep posting away. Good to see you posting more.
> 
> Bill



hi Bill .. hope things are going well .. so when did they hoodwink you into a moderator? 
didn't know about the big CPF crash .. shows how much I've been around lately ...


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## Norm (Aug 29, 2013)

The thread title is "What does a well worn Titanium EDC light look like? " - Norm

Keep in mind some post were moved to the Marketplace when it was created.


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## archimedes (Aug 29, 2013)

cy said:


> ....
> my posts counts keeps on going down .. had almost 11k posts when I stopped being active.





Bullzeyebill said:


> Mine have gone down too. Remember that big CPF crash? I've lost some since then too....





nbp said:


> I'd be over 5k now if it weren't for the Great Crash. :scowl:
> ....





cy said:


> ....didn't know about the big CPF crash .. shows how much I've been around lately ...



Sorry to remain "off-topic" here ... but at least you guys didn't lose _all_ of your posts ... and have to re-register  :hairpull: :mecry: 

EDIT - Back on-topic -







http://i.imgur.com/0v9LERV.jpeg

I would've posted a picture of a "worn" McGizmo, but all of mine still look basically new 

So you'll have to settle for that Peak, instead


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