# How did you start your flashlight(torch) collection?



## bdogps (Dec 29, 2014)

If this has been done already please merge, I have looked but with no avail.

My collection(addiction) started back August this year. I have always been interested on flash lights since I can remember. I always had 3d cell Maglite since I was 13 years old. Back in 2004 I gave my grandpa 3d cell Maglite as a gift and he loved it. Back in 2008 I wanted to buy one to give my girlfriend, but Costco were only selling the LED Maglite. So I bought her a Snap On brand torch. My dad has always had Maglites since I can remember. I worked security in the past, but never had an interest in flashlights. Fast forward to 2014, I have about 7 flashlights with a combined worth 700-800$ AUD. I do recall seeing the surefire torches when I was in my early 20s(now is 30s)but a 100$ price tag was laughable considering it was only a torch. It used these weird camera batteries. I was so naive then. Then I saw online reviews on these high lumen torches with good throw and such small size. I was blown away with the technology. I was a bit skeptical in using 18650s and battery chargers. My first torch was the MH25 nightblade and it was cool. Then I saw other brands with different throws and modes and had to have them. Now I have 10 18650s batteries and nowadays always ponder why most things do not have them. Now I do want a surefire torch and appreciate them.


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## Berneck1 (Dec 29, 2014)

For me it was somewhat by accident. After being at the World Trade Center on September 11th, I quickly rethought the way I viewed preparedness. I changed the way I was prepared at work and at home, ie a to-go bag, etc. One of the things that was quite apparent was that I needed to have a light on me at all times. I always had some kind of flashlight in my desk and at home, but they were usually cheap incandescents. Half the time, the batteries were dead when It came time to use them. I was sort of always prepared, but not really. Call it a false sense of security. 

My first foray into LEDs came just after that reassessment. I purchased a Photon Microlight. At the time, I think they were $25 each!!! However, for what they were, they put out an impressive amount of light. It's hard to think of it today, but back then they blew away a lot of regular flashlights. I kept that light with me for a long time, and it became infinitely more useful than I ever could have imagined. I used it all the time. I realize that everyone should at least have one light on them at all times. Nothing proved that more than the big blackout that came a few years later. 

For the time being, the Microlight was the only feasible light for me to carry at all times. I could be wrong, but the idea of a good bright EDC wasn't really obtainable yet. At least not at a decent price. I sort or remember seeing Surefire lights, but the prices were ridiculous to me, so I never gave them a second look. I couldn't imagine why anyone would pay such crazy prices for a light. (Oh, the irony!). I played around with a few different lights through the years, and nothing really thoroughly impressed me. I had a maglite or two, and a few multi-led lights. None of them were particularly great, but none were particularly bad either. But, as we all know, most lights in the big box stores aren't particularly great. 

Then about 5 years ago a police officer friend of mine showed me an Olight M20. I never saw anything like it! I bought it right away, and started doing a little research before I even received it. I came across these forums, and learned about the battery types, and advancements in LEDs, etc. Before then, I had never used a rechargeable battery. I quickly learned the beauty of a good Li-ion rechargeable, etc. Needless to say, I was hooked from that moment on.... I think the M20 put out about 300 lumens at the time, and that just impressed the hell out of me! I quickly got a little CR123 light to keep in my pocket, I think it was a Fenix PD20. The Microlight was quickly retired, but served me well. 

From that point on, I was a flashaholic. I have since purchased many lights, mostly caught up in the "lumen race". I think I just happened to catch a time when the advancements were coming fast and furious. It seemed every time I turned around, there was a better and brighter light out! It was a lot of fun to get a new blinding light! Lol. 

However, over time, a lot of that slowed down for me. I started to assess all the money I had spent compared to what I was really getting. I started to realize that a lot of these super bright lights weren't really useful in everyday practical uses, and that for the most part I was wasting my money. It was more for bragging rights than anything, which can be fun, but not worth the expense. 

Now I focus on a good useful, functional light. I have been recently moving away from the CR123/18650 lights. The efficiencies in the AA lights have caught up to and even surpassed the performance of that Olight M20 of just a few years ago. I like having a good common battery type for most of my lights. I use Eneloops in everything now. 

Don't get me wrong, I still love my old CR123/18650 lights, like my Eagletac G25C2, but 99% of the time I'm reaching in my pocket for my Eagletac D25a or Thrunite Ti3, because they are all I ever need. 

I have got rid of many of my past lights, but currently have:

Eagletac G25C2 Mk2
Eagletac T25C2
Eagletac D25a
Fenix PD20
Fenix TK60
Nitecore EAX
Nitecore SRT3
Olight i3s
Olight M20
Thrunite Neutron 2A V2
Thrunite Archer 2A V2
Thrunite Ti3
Thrunite Ti






Sent from my iPad using Candlepowerforums


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## Timothybil (Dec 29, 2014)

I started about '92 or '93. I had been at REI (an American camping/hunting/sports outfitter chain) just looking for targets of opportunity, when I found a couple of Photon II lights marked down to about half price. That got me interested. Then about a year later I got a Surefire G2. I don't remember how I got turned on to Surefire, I just remember that I thought how great it was that this little light was brighter than a big Maglite. Nothing more for a few years, then I found Streamlight and the Microstream. Nothing much more till about three years ago. I picked up a SL SuperTac X at a huge discount from Woot, a Seraph 6 from Lumens Factory to replace the G2 that ran away from home, then started going wild. First, a TM11, then an EA4. Then an EA4W for myself and gave the EA4 to my son. A few Icon Modus and Rogues, and a bunch of Titanium Innovations button cells. Then four TerraLUX Lightstar80s because they were high CRI and such a good deal @ 2 for $25. I added an EA41 when they came out, and a handful of Tubes I got through the pre-release special offering. I noticed that Lumens Factory had started making 90+ CRI an option on their XP-G D26 dropins. I had been missing my G2, and thought this would make a great combo. I picked up a nice used incan G2 from Ebay and the dropin from LF. It is a great combo. This year for Christmas I bought myself an EA8, and then jumped on a MT06 when they came out. I think I am about lighted out. Along the way, I switched to NiMH and Li-Ion, and started working on a portable solar setup for emergencies.


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## kj2 (Dec 29, 2014)

For me it started around 2006. At a local event, a firework show would be held in the evening. While it was dark, we wanted to get close to the firework to see how the firework professionals were setting it up. Of course it was a closed area, so a police officer soon showed up. Used his MagCharger to see what we were doing. I was amazed by the light, and asked my dad what that was. He told me, that's a Maglite. As a kid you always want cool stuff, so a few weeks later, for my birthday, I received a 5D Maglite. Very large and very cool at the time  Soon followed the smaller 2D, a Maglite Mini and then a 3D. Then I found a seller who sold Fenix and Eagletac lights. With some birthday money, I bought a Fenix TK11 R2. That crushed my Maglite  Soon after that I found CPF and it since then the collection grow quickly.


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## LedTed (Dec 29, 2014)

Thanks for the great stories.

As for me, I needed a small / bright EDC flashlight while working in environmental chambers. My use of LED flashlights started by going through a few single AA models. Like many of us CPF'ers, I gifted or donated those flashlights. Then I discovered the NiteCore D10. They were too cool to just give away. I had a collection of about a dozen D10s until the D11.2 came around.


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## liveris flashlights (Dec 30, 2014)

Since I remember myself I had always a flashlight with me. I started with Mag's 12 years old.


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## fredzoyt (Jan 1, 2015)

I can't remember exactly when I started. Very young-- like late teens. I think when I really started liking flashlights was when I got my first minimag. Then I eventually had a mini, small and large. I pretty much had a light for each floor of the house, and one for the car. Then I broke the Mag mold and got a Fenix. Then a Sunwayman, Nite Core, and now I just bought a Eagletac T25C2 CREE XP-L V5 LED. I've since given away my Mag's-- probably wouldn't buy another. My new Eagletac is the cream of the crop. 

Needless to say I like flashlights. Flashlights are cool! 

Blessings,
Dave


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## Cerealand (Jan 3, 2015)

I was looking at an OLight Warrior. Only need one light, but I came on here to do research. Ended up cursed :nana:.... purchased a Surefire 6p with a M61 drop-in. Years later and I have yet to escape.


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## mcnair55 (Jan 4, 2015)

I just like gadgets and buy them,half of which I never open.At the moment bought but un opened,loads of lights,fancy pens,watches,game steering wheel, 2 hand guns(air) and a rifle(air).There is a new Lap top here some where as well.Forget an Axial crawler and a Lipo powered buggy.


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## maxaman1981 (Jan 6, 2015)

When I was a young boy, I won a small torch in a competition where we had to dress as tramps, it was a rectangle shaped one with a revolving head, that switched on when you flipped it out and turned back off when you turned it back round. Pretty basic but I was fascinated with seeing the light shine on the floor and eveywhere else I aimed it. Pretending to be some kind of explorer. Then, a while later, I got a torch from Duracell that had a handle that swivveled out and had a flurescant (spelling?) tube as well as a flashing amber light and a regular incandescant bulb in the front. And I remember I enjoyed going into the garden with that at night. Other than this it was looking back up the garden and seeing the floodlight lighting up the whole area and when I was little that stirred something up in me and since then I've always loved lighting up the dark.


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## sunny_nites (Jan 19, 2015)

Sometime in the late 1990's, I was in an airport and the power went out. The auxiliary power did not kick in and it was pitch black. I always carried a small 5mm, LR44 powered keychain light with me and I turned it on and shined it on the floor. People started gathering around the light as no one else appeared to have one. The power outage only lasted maybe 5 or 10 minutes but for that time, that little keychain light was the only thing that pushed back the darkness. Been addicted to flashlights ever since. Probably why I'm so interested in lights that are small enough to carry without even thinking about it.


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## smokinbasser (Jan 19, 2015)

I started my dads pile of disassembled flashlights around 1948 when he found I could take apart his flashlights faster than he could get them back together (I was 36 months old at that time). I guess my collection got rolling around 9 years later, he gave me lights to slow down my taking apart his lights


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## ParaShootist (Feb 27, 2015)

I had used Streamlights, MagLights for some years vocationally and never thought of them as more than tools. Then at some point, years back, a friend gave me an old laser products 6P smoothie. It was handy and kinda cool. Short run-time and uncommon batteries - well once again, it was a nifty "tool." When they became available, I picked up a P60L to upgrade the old 6P - the longer run-time made it my everyday companion. I picked up a Z59 clickie tailcap and that was "better" and it became a preferred tool that stood high in my esteem. 

As I began to look at options, I discovered Oveready and Malkoff. Next, I bought a bored HA 6P from OR and fitted it with an M60 drop-in - add a Z48 tailcap and its a new weaponlight for my duty Mk18 - way better than the Insight M3 I'd been using. After that, more hosts, tailcaps and SF lego parts, spares. The quality and finish of SF classics and OR custom stuff kindled a brand new obsession - Cool Custom Flashlights. Since then, I've added to the (mostly SF) collection and gotten well beyond what I can ever really use - my flashlights moved from being just tools to toys. I bought an original Hound Dog from Malkoff (still one of my favorites) and kept on buying more SF lights. Recently, I bought a Fenix LD22 to have a handy AA powered light. That's how it happened for me and became a hobby (and a "collection").


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## GasganoFJ60 (Mar 4, 2015)

I got a few questions for all the collectors out there...

Do you collect them for the sake of collecting them? (i.e. gotta have them all/why not/general collector/packrat themes)

or 

Do you collect for monetary reasons? (i.e. the hopes to one day in the future have a set thats worth more)

Or both?


I take it 90+ percent collect for the sake of collecting. But if there are any who do collect for monetary reasons, i have some more questions, about keeping and maintaining them....

Value wise, is it like most collections?(toys, lighters, ect...)
If you have, lets say a 1950's wind-up toy robot its worth $100. BUT, if you have the same toy and you also happen to have with it the box that it came in or MIB(mint in box) does it double or even triple its value?


I'm just curious because I'm getting the itch to start collecting and I wonder if I should hold onto the packaging or just keep the light itself.


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## DellSuperman (Mar 4, 2015)

ParaShootist said:


> I had used Streamlights, MagLights for some years vocationally and never thought of them as more than tools. Then at some point, years back, a friend gave me an old laser products 6P smoothie. It was handy and kinda cool. Short run-time and uncommon batteries - well once again, it was a nifty "tool." When they became available, I picked up a P60L to upgrade the old 6P - the longer run-time made it my everyday companion. I picked up a Z59 clickie tailcap and that was "better" and it became a preferred tool that stood high in my esteem.
> 
> As I began to look at options, I discovered Oveready and Malkoff. Next, I bought a bored HA 6P from OR and fitted it with an M60 drop-in - add a Z48 tailcap and its a new weaponlight for my duty Mk18 - way better than the Insight M3 I'd been using. After that, more hosts, tailcaps and SF lego parts, spares. The quality and finish of SF classics and OR custom stuff kindled a brand new obsession - Cool Custom Flashlights. Since then, I've added to the (mostly SF) collection and gotten well beyond what I can ever really use - my flashlights moved from being just tools to toys. I bought an original Hound Dog from Malkoff (still one of my favorites) and kept on buying more SF lights. Recently, I bought a Fenix LD22 to have a handy AA powered light. That's how it happened for me and became a hobby (and a "collection").


I had the exact same route as you. 
Maglite when i was in school & having that was almost like being the cool kid around. 
I was then recommended to buy a G2Z in 2005; it was the brightest palm sized flashlight that I ever had. 
Then I found out about P60 LED dropin.. 
And man, my wallet has been crying since. 
Hahaha..


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## ParaShootist (Mar 4, 2015)

GasganoFJ60 said:


> I got a few questions for all the collectors out there...
> 
> Do you collect them for the sake of collecting them? (i.e. gotta have them all/why not/general collector/packrat themes)
> 
> ...




For me its not about money (except the limits on what I can justify spending). I like the military-grade Surefire lights (and the custom OR SF hosts I've acquired) because I just enjoy them intensely - they're attractive and interesting in the same manner as a USGI Colt 1911A1 or a US M3 knife (I also collect militaria and similar related things - initially, vocational tools then toys). I began to pick up SF lego parts just because I wanted to build a set of options (I used several of them on guns I carried for work.) When SF announced they were discontinuing the classic line, I bought additional parts just because I wanted to get them while they were available. Some of those SF parts are still NIW - and yes, therefore more valuable. But I have no plan to sell them - kinda like my knives and guns, they'll be somebody else's problem when I kick out.


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## more_vampires (Mar 4, 2015)

How did I start my flashlight collection? Homemade.

When I was in 2nd grade (or so,) I read a book about a boy who was like an Encyclopedia Brown/MacGyver fusion. A friend of his was afraid of the dark. The dark-phobic kid became trapped in a darkened closet one fateful day. The hero of the story sprang into action and made a flashlight with junk lying around. The name of the book escapes me.

Inspired, I took a wooden ruler with a metal strip along one edge, some clear tape, 2 AA alkalines, a bit of wire (bread twist tie, I think,) and a little bulb I found in the garage. Peeling the metal strip out of the ruler, I used it and the bread tie to build the circuit. Tape held it together.

My first flashlight. Soon after that, I was saving my allowance to buy bulbs so I could hook them to AC wall current and blow them up. I was a dangerous kid.


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## fredzoyt (Mar 11, 2015)

GasganoFJ60 said:


> I got a few questions for all the collectors out there...
> 
> Do you collect them for the sake of collecting them? (i.e. gotta have them all/why not/general collector/packrat themes)
> 
> ...



I have a good number of flashlights. So in that sense I have a "collection." But I don't consider myself to be a collector... for the sake of collecting. My FL's are a practical tool. I have multiple ones because they each have a specific purpose. I won't bore you with the details, but just one example is-- I keep one in our vehicle. It's always there when it's needed. I don't want to have to worry about putting one there if our vehicle is in use. I just want it there for when it may be needed. That's pretty much why I have several lights in various places. When I need one I want it to be there.

Dave


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## richbuff (Apr 27, 2015)

I started with D cell incandescents that were super unreliable and low powered and that were irritating to use, because they were low powered and super unreliable. I stayed stuck at this stage for decades, until the Maglite came along. That was a new thing, because the D cell Maglite incandescent was still low power, but noticeably not super unreliable. Next for me was the MiniMag LED. Smaller, and more powerful, and even more noticeably not super unreliable. The next level, the LED Pro, got me starting to feel excited about flashlights. Next step for me was to order something at a Sears store, and pay in the store, not order and pay online. That was the Coleman C-Tac 60. 600 lumens, single 18650 and single XM-L2. That got my flashlight collecting juices flowing. From there, it was a natural progression to the MMU X-3 that I consider to be the basic reference point from which all other LED lights are compared to. My collection urges led me next to the MM15, and then to the SX25L3. I wish my grandfather, who was an electronics engineer in the '50s and 60s could have had the good fortune of having and using today's LED flashlights. Having and holding modern, reliable performance LED flashlights, such as the ones that I have recently collected, are one of the biggest rewards of living in this era. I would love to go back in time, and leave my cell phone behind, and maybe even my laptop if need be, but I would not want to go back to those happy days, without my LED flashlight collection.


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## wedlpine (Apr 27, 2015)

My first recollection of having a flashlight is when I was about 4 or 5 years old. At Christmas time a neighbor down the street used to dress up as Santa Claus and would come over. He gave gifts to me and my brother and sister. My brother and I both received a single aa cell Ray-O-Vac light that had a red plastic head and a metal body. I though it was really cool.

The first real light I bought was around 1990. I purchased a Magcharger for work as a Park Ranger in a State Park. My boss at the time became a Surefire dealer and I remember buying a Surefire 6P from him. The first LED light that I had was a Photon Microlight. Soon to be followed by an ASP Sapphire and a Gerber Infinity that I picked up from Smoky Mountain Knife Works. From there it has been snowballing ever since.


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## lunchen (Apr 27, 2015)

I started with surefire M3 around 12 years ago that still is my favorite flashligt...


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## yoyoman (Apr 27, 2015)

My first good flashlight was a Fenix CR123 that I bought from Light Hound (PD1?). I didn't like the twisty and they had a Leef body with a clicky. I didn't know anything or how special the Leef body was. I used this light for many years and it served me well. One day I decided that improvements in LEDs meant I should replace this light. I haven't stopped buying lights since that decision. I still have the old Fenix with Leef body and it works. But the mode sequence, output, runtime and tint mean that I just don't use it anymore.


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## lefteye219 (May 16, 2015)

I bought a Maglite Solaitre once was out at a shop and needed change. That light came in Handy lot of times. As I was, I wanted to buy a good usable EDC light. After reading about it for a few months, I learnt Its better to purchase a Flood, A reflector and a Spot light. I was looking for options and one day over at everyday commentary, I saw the Tri-V for the very first time. Soon began saving funds and purchased one. Its been a bug since then. A year later and god knows how many $$$ later, collection is somewhat OK


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## ven (May 16, 2015)

From when i was a kid(now a big kid) i have always had "torches" . From real cheap throw away type,rubber coated or plastic AA or C/D fed,side switch type. Great at night for hunting toys..........Then once i started my apprenticship in 91,maglite 3D of mr snap on at iirc £40 ..........mind you a set of 3/8 drive sockets were close to £200 back then!. From this and getting my 1st wheels,i went on many camping trips,maglites be them 2xAA or D fed along with many lanterns. 

Every time i would venture into a camping shop,flashlights,knives and gadgets would be my 1st stop.........Looking at the highly overpriced mags and other items looking smart in display cabinets.This of course justified their HUGE mark up

Few years on and working on machinary,a decent flashlight was called for,lenser being well respected(at the time) was the deciding brand. Ran on AAA cells,flood/zoom so quite a useful light and put many previous *****fire lights to shame(at the time i dont think they were as badly thought of back 10yrs or so). Many smaller lensers,mulitples of .p2/p3/p4 were bought around that time for work edc uses Getting tatty i decided on some research and came across some strange brands like olight,nitecore and fenix. Surefire were too expensive for work uses,well over £100 and 123 cells=not much good for me. So i bought a nitecore p25,nice light,usb charged but decided too nice for getting oily/dusty and dropping all the time!. From this it started,maybe finding the perfect light which of course is never ending :laughing: From this nitecore,the ea4 and ea8 were bought ,again with work uses in mind. Going off the idea of free duracells, i decided to run them only on eneloops and that was not convenient(at the time) for re-charging etc. Most expensive at time then was the tm15. I could not believe i had spent $200+ on a light OMG!!! Still love the light today on my bed side,been used on walks,camping and has been faultless. Many lights on,then CPF and a certain Vinh really got my interest and no looking back(other than to type this ).

Probably the last 2yrs its got a bit,too many lights of which i dont get to use them to a point i get value...... BUT a lot do get used for work,camping and walking ......etc . Probably around 10 lights in work,not counted ones at home but a good few,maybe 60-80. Either no regrets and always looking for a new light,just more fussy for a desired use/tint, over previous "i want it becuase it looks" :laughing:

Still have a few lights from a while back although some are lost or strored away. Future camping trips will have different flashlight rotars :laughing: 

First 3 "proper" flashlights

Mag 3d
Lenser T7
Nitecore P25
~~~~~~~Lots inbetween~~~~~~~~
Last 3

PD35vn quad XP-L
Acebeam ec32vn xp-g2 N
Nitecore TM06vn U3

Few lights i have gifted or given to the little ones,the boss has a few too so none really wasted. Least i will always have a light/s at hand come any time of need...............get use sometimes instead of lights around the house and for checking the garden/s at night.


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## Fleetwood (May 16, 2015)

21 Oct 2013 is when I ordered my Lenser P7.2, and that started it all. I wanted a good torch for work and it was a week before my birthday as well, so I didn't mind treating myself to something. It was my first proper LED torch and I was very impressed with it. I think I started to think "This is a very good torch, but what else is out there, is there anything better?". Since then, I bought:

Lenser T7M
Nitecore P12
Maglite 4D
Fenix TK35UE
Several cheap Chinese lights (<£10 each).

+ good chargers and good batteries. 

I'm eyeing another as well, probably a ThruNite TN32.


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## MrJino (May 18, 2015)

Friend gifted me a flashlight since my gas station one wasn't up to his standards.


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## ahtoxa11 (May 18, 2015)

My old PT headlamps broke after a few years of use, so I started researching for a replacement (this was a few months ago). Ended up with a couple of Zebras and an EagleTac thrower. 

Not really a collector - I'll use every single light I own and I probably won't exceed 5 or so lights. Famous last words, right?


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## Buildn (Jul 23, 2015)

I have only started collecting on monday this week, it all started when i wanted a light to match my favorite knife. I saw an absolutely stunning piece by Hanko for sale and jumped straight in with two feet.

I am now hooked.

I can see a copper Maratac AAA, a Tiny Monster 16 and a McGizmo Haiku in my future.


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## bykfixer (Aug 14, 2015)

Flashlights have always been part of life in one way or another. As a kid we had lanterns for our unlit garage. During the evel knevel days there were times the old bike needed fixing and it was dark. Or mom would send out to that dark n scary building to fetch something. Then there were sleep outs etc. 

Dad had a maglite, but like his guns...it was off limits.

When raising a young family it made sense to keep a couple of flashlights around for power outages. C and D models were king. Yet every household had at least 1 of those 6 volt lanterns. 

One year, fresh into divorce there was an ice storm in '98 that knocked out power to my all electric apartment. Stores were out of C and D batteries. There were tons of aaa and aa batteries though. So I visited the sporting goods section of a store and bought up several aa lanterns, then about 25 jar candles. Living remotely, power was gonna be out a while. I still have some of them.

My current house has about 10 little flashlights at various places for power outages. Also each vehicle has a lithium ion powered one. Nothing fancy. Just modern fire on a stick. But as an adult I've always had some sort of aa mag lite from the time I first saw one.

Recently at my work at night an excavator pulled down a wire. Not all the way though. It was hanging about windshield height across a busy road in both directions. Figuring phone line I cut it and dragged it from the road. Soon after a coworker whips out a flashlight as big as my forearm and shines it on the pole. Wow! And it was rechargeable....that's when my addiction began...a few weeks ago. I went to home depot searching for a rechargeable. 

Ended up buying Coast light and an LED 2D cell maglite. But a few days later saw the rechargeable version of that Coast HP7 and ordered it. Last night at work a fellow says to the guy with the forearm sized light "shine it to the island there" (on a nearby lake), so he did. Then I shined my rechargeable Coast. Then the guy says to the coworker "can it light up that boat out in the middle", coworker aims and says "what boat?". I turned the Coast to spot and said "that one.".



.They were like Holy Cow, how many lumens? I said 251. A lumen measuring contest took place with the small crowd that gathered. Each person having more lumens than the next guy...yet they were amazed by that little flashlight. 

I stuck my little light in my safety vest pocket and pondered if my addiction is just beginning or can I stop at 1 LED 2D cell maglite and a couple of Coast products. 
Then it occured...I've recently discovered CPF. It's probably gonna get worse before it gets better.


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## markr6 (Aug 14, 2015)

bykfixer said:


> Then it occured...I've recently discovered CPF. It's probably gonna get worse before it gets better.



It'll probably get bad...real bad 

Mine started with some Fenix lights. I think it was the LD10, then LD22...

I don't know exactly how I got into them. It was probably something I came across when buying some camping gear on REI or one of those sites. After some Googling I realized most results pointed me to some candlepower forum...what? It spread like wildfire after that.


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## retaeht (Aug 14, 2015)

I'm not sure if I can call My flashlights a "flashlight collection".The first was Maglite Solitaire,I still have it.Imagine late nineties,AAA flashlight of this size was almost unbelievable,for Me at least.I also had the first miniature Ericsson cellphone whitch today is nothing special...

OK, fast forward 15 years and plenty of cheap incandescent flashlights and alkaleaks later.By accident I found Myself on a flashlight forum...

Now I have 8 flashlights + 3 orderd.Unfortunately I do not have plenty of cash to spend so I get my enjoyment from modding the cheap lights.


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## Search (Aug 14, 2015)

Berneck1 said:


> For me it was somewhat by accident. After being at the World Trade Center on September 11th...



Glad to see you made it out. My condolences for any friends or family lost. I was in the 7th grade sitting in math class. Had no concept of how much would change while I was watching that on the news.. or even what people were going through there.



Mine started when I was roughly 19. At my at the time girlfriends house one night when we heard someone in her backyard shed. Went to investigate with one of those plastic Rayovac type double D-Cell lights. You can imagine it didn't show me very much. The next day I went to the local store for one and they talked me into a Surefire 6P. 

After becoming interested in the light I googled it and found this place. 7 years later I'm still buying Surefire lights. Became obsessed with them.

Hiking is my big outdoor hobby. Have dumped a lot of money into my gear. Also my go bag (or BOB) has come along nicely. Have a few knives and a few guns but lights are still where I can see my paychecks going to use


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## harro (Aug 14, 2015)

Its just something that happened. I literally said to my wife in about 2004-2005 that ' I want to start a collection of some nice torches ', after sighting some basic Led Lenser's in our local outdoor/surplus store. I already had my 5 D mag by then, which now has a 240 lumen Led conversion installed, but it was always a bit too big to edc or chuck in the car. So the collection started with the obligatory LL's ( Police Tech Focus, P5, P7, P14, Keyring light with blue led eyes, cigarette lighter insert light and the gooseneck/flexible worklight, before the proper high performance stuff came. First of them was a 205 Lumen TK11 Fenix which still gets used and abused to this day. Theres about 70 more lights of assorted brands that have found their way to my address since then. In the main, they consist of larger lights and the ' soda can ' style of lights. Sort of harks back to the Maglight, I guess. I have about a dozen or so, similar to the TK11 in size ( ie; single 18650 ), including my favourite edc Sunwayman V20C. My most disappointing would be a Tiablo A7 olive, which has a confusing UI and has never worked well from about a week after I bought it, in contrast to my Tiablo A9 which just works properly !! I've slowed down a bit lately, mainly cause the big lights cost a reasonable amount to purchase ( including 3 or 4 decent 18650's as well ), but I still keep my eyes open for that ' must have BLASTER '. My only real stipulation when I buy a light is that it needs to take individual 18650's, not proprietary packs ( as good as they may be these days ) as it'd be my luck to get one with a dud cell straight up.


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## keithallenlaw (Aug 15, 2015)

Lots of good stories here. Mine is just a short one that started about 3 years ago at a big gun show.
My first light was/is the Jetbeam PC 25. Thanks to advancement and CPF I rarely use it, and
have moved on to other lights. Ten to be exact. And I still have other lights in mind.
Will it ever end? :help:


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## bykfixer (Aug 15, 2015)

markr6 said:


> It'll probably get bad...real bad
> 
> Im After some Googling I realized most results pointed me to some candlepower forum...what? It spread like wildfire after that.



Uh, thanks?
Hmmm, not sure if I should tell the wife, or wait for her to notice all those little $2 flashlights laying around the house some how grew bigger, and brighter...


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## Jeff11235813 (Aug 19, 2015)

Kind of a long story (it doesn't need to be, but I'm going to tell it that way), but my collection was started completely by accident. The consumer products company that I work for has a lighting division, among many other product groups. The entire corporate headquarters was moving to a new building a few miles away, after being in the old building for a very long time. In this building in the basement, we had "cages" where stuff collected for decades, and one of the cages was an archive cage with stuff that documented the history of the company, among other old things; I'll get back to that in a bit. 

We moved our equipment and offices department by department, and pretty much after the last of us had moved out of the building, the facility manager was walking through the basement and decided that we left too much of a mess in our cage, so we had to go back and clean it up (We thought a clean-up crew would come in and trash whatever was left, but apparently it was our responsibility to carry the stuff out to the dumpsters). As a side note: If you guys are anything like me, you'll understand the tragedy that 29 semi-trailer-sized construction dumpsters were filled with stuff that the company couldn't care to find a home for. Stuff - potentially rare and valuable stuff - that is gone forever.

So the building is basically empty, except for the stuff in the cages that hasn't been thrown away yet by the cage "owners", and down the stairs I go into the basement. At the bottom of the stairs is a room with the light on and the door propped open. In this room there are narrow tables that line all of the walls. On the tables are a huge collection of flashlights, and in the center of the room is a giant pile of flashlights. Well, the building isn't quite empty of people, but there are two ladies left working in the archival cage whose job it is to decide what should be kept and brought to the new building. I ask them what the deal is with all of the flashlights, they tell me what they are doing, and then tell me that anything that is in the pile in the center of the room is going to be thrown away, and feel free to take some flashlights if I like. Well! So I sort through the pile and put some flashlights in my coat pockets, but had a bunch of other stuff that I was carrying out of the building so I didn't take that many flash lights.

I get home that night and I'm looking over the lights that I got, and started to get that twitch - I passed up some really amazing lights and _had _to go back and get some more! _Had to! _ I went back and filled up a bankers box with lights and brought them home. Then went back again. And again. A few trips later I had brought home 8 boxes full of flashlights. And they are awesome! Lights from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. One-of-a-kind engineering samples, some tagged and dated. Lights made as marketing discussion samples (sealed tubes with no switches, etc). Models carved from wood. I saved this beautiful collection of lights from being thrown out, brought them home, and now I am a flashlight collector! And since there is no Mrs. in my house, I get to proudly display them in my built-in china cabinet in the dining area, right where they should be!


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## DesertNightOwl (Aug 20, 2015)

I began collecting because I always forget my light and have to buy a new one which has mostly resorted in a small collection of Maglite minis when I was working as a mechanic and didn't need much light while under cars. However I now work security so I bought a few brighter LED lights most of which lack the necessary throw. I'm totally addicted to finding the perfect light now. Elzetta beta will likely be next along with an olight m20 warrior.


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## levi333 (Aug 20, 2015)

Walmart actually got me into higher end flashlights!
About 10 years ago, a buddy and I started night hunting for racoons mostly, and I needed a light to mount to my little 9mm Beretta carbine. Found a light at walmart that was "REALLY BRIGHT," or so I thought, and it would mount with a 1" scope ring so I dug deep and spent the hefty $20. Still have the light, still works, but doesn't get much use. Can't remember the brand, but it has an incan bulb and takes two 123's. Surprised it held up after a couple thousand rounds.

The rest is history. Soon bought a Fenix TK11 and a couple 18650's which was even brighter and could mount with a scope ring too. Have probably $2000+ in lights and batteries now, with more to come.
Besides guns, it's probably my next biggest addiction lately.


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## ven (Aug 20, 2015)

Jeff that sounds like a flashaholics dream!!! sounds like you have some amazing lights there,would be very if you could get some pics of them up.


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## john-paul (Aug 21, 2015)

I always have had a flashlight no-matter how crappy on my key chain. My real addiction to flashlights started with a Surefire A2 ha yg. Cabelas had them on super sale a few years back and I asked my wife if I could spend what she and I both thought was a ridiculous amount of money on a flashlight and she said go ahead. Little did she know it was just the beginning of a whole lot more lights. Even still today with how much lights have improved and gotten crazy bright I still absolutely love SF A2's, I now actually have 5. Someday I hope to have a 4-flats black


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## blown04gt (Aug 21, 2015)

I started with keeping a lot of inexpensive ones in the garage because they were just so dang useful. I moved on to collecting nice watches and that grew to a carbon fiber obsession and now I am into EDC gear and flashlights are by far the coolest. I love Ti and always have and just found out recently about all of the super cool Ti lights around, some affordable, some not so affordable. I only have two so far, but that will certainly grow the more I frequent this place


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## MX421 (Sep 3, 2015)

Hello,

I'm David and I'm addicted to Flashlights...

My story, at least so far, has gone in stages as needed in my life. Recently, it seems it has branched out past the needed into wanted territory though. Anyway, over the years, I had a few incandescent lights around including a few AA mini mags, but nothing special just something to have some light. Emphasis on some.

Fast forward to a few years later when i got a few kayaks for the girlfriend and wanted to take it on the water at night. Thus my search started for waterproof light i could use for visibility on the water (as well as a flashlight for other uses) and i ran across this little company called Tektite that had a few 'build it yourself' kits as well as a few aircraft aluminum models that were built tougher than my old maglites were. The lumens were low though, they took three AAs and the 'switch' was the head being twisted on tight. Still, they were waterproof to a good depth, had multi color LEDs (i like the blue for tracking, etc.) and not that expensive. I got a few for me, the girlfriend (now wife), and the kids (step kids and cousins).

A few years later (ie a couple years ago), i ran across clearance Leupold Flashlights (the MXc compact series) that are more like the modern LEDs i see discussed here. I really liked (still do) the MxC 421 model that goes up to 160 lumens and it was also waterproof enough to be a dive light if needed. These flashlight have an incredible build quality that is still unmatched in recent lights i've purchased. The MxC 621 model had the red and blue filters, so since i like accessories a whole bunch, now i have a few of those as well as the MxC 421s due to the fact that i knew they were discontinued and i had a small window to get them. Searching quickly now still shows those light aren't readily available. I also ran across a cheaper light on a sporting good website I've bought from before that had a pretty cheap recharge kit. Unfortunately, the batteries were too thick for my Leupold Flashlights, but that cheap light was almost as bright as my Leupold lights (only bigger). Anyway, i was happy with the Leupold lights for quite sometime and would have been content had i not again researched rechargables to supply the Leupold lights. 

In parallel to the rechargable search, I also thought the LED technology might be to the level that i could replace my Coleman lantern we used to use for fishing. That led me to getting some lanterns (less lumens than the old colemans though) in preparation for a fishing trip. I also ran across a AAA penlight that had almost as many lumens as my Leupolds did and further research led me to some Fenix lanterns, flashlights, and headlamps that i found to be very useful for doing a project on my house. Turns out the old cheap light i bought awhile back uses what i know know is 18650 batteries. I bought additional 18650 batteries and even some smaller 16650 diameter batteries that i hoped might work for the Leupold lights (they did actually). I then ran across a thread on here or budget light forums that detailed breaking apart battery packs from laptops. Luckily, i still had that old laptop battery that went bad a couple years ago and after i broke that apart and analyzed the battery voltageto be good with my multimeter, i was able to more than double my battery capacity. These were unprotected cells however, so the old cheap charger couldn't be trusted to charge those (a quick comparison showed the 'old' rechargable 18650 had a protection circuit). The research continued and ended briefly with the purchase of a few 'smart' chargers (based on recommendations from here). 

I found a selfbuilt review on the Zebralight SC52 and got one of those, which also led to more Lithium-Ion battery purchases (14500). Although i really liked my Fenix HP12 headlamp recently bought, I decided to get a Zebralight h602w headlamp before i went offshore. That light was just what i needed for the job offshore, and since i was on night shifts, got used quite a bit. On that trip, i found two Makita battery packs (along with some other different battery type packs) in the recycle battery bin that, after breakdown, again increased my battery collection by over 100%. I then bought a hobby charger for analyzing the pulled batteries capacity, discharge graph, etc. 
I'm an engineer, so i'm looking at other ways to use these things as well, like the used 12v Barbie jeep i stuck a tool battery in and rode around a bit, however thats another rabbit hole to be discussed at a later time.

Most of those flashlights i recently purchased didn't have any throw, so i then acquired a few throw type of lights including a Armytek Barracuda, Predator and Viking (some of these are used), Convoy C8, and a Fenix TK75. Of course, those were far more expensive than the smaller lights i had bought. I thought once that need was filled, i'd go back to being content on the flashlight front or at least my pace would down considerably. Every time i buy a light though, i keep finding new ways to use them which leads to more purchases. Not only that, but some of the materials (i like the copper and Titanium lights) are pretty cool. Then i got into P60, which led me to revisit the larger Leupold MX series lights and modified that light to take a P60 module. Now, I've come full circle back to the Leupold lights using a Malkoff, Sportac, and Vinh P60 drop-ins I've aquired over my time here on the forum. Now i have a Leupold MX series light that has a flood head (Triple Sportac), and Throw Head (XP-L Hi Sportac Drop-in) and just some soothing warm Malkoff nuetral drop-ins.

Still, being that I'm here in Texas, there are many uses for being prepared with light/battery capacity. Its also nice to have multiple lights for options in emergency situations or even to give as gifts. Hurricane and hunting season are coming up for instance so my present collection may need reassessment. So far, thats how i have justified the purchases with my wife (if necessary).

My most recent research has seemed to drop me off here quite a bit, so i finally registered a few days ago. The next rabbit hole i see me going down is the revisiting of the compact Leupold lights i love so much. From what little I've read on this site, it seems that its not that difficult to mod those lights to bring them to present technology. Therefore, i'm not quite done on my learning curve since I've got a lot to learn about modding lights to be more modern.

Lengthy explaination i know, but its good to get that off my chest. Now i can try to face my addiction


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## bykfixer (Sep 18, 2015)

^^ nice.

I'm not an engineer, but I play one at work. 
So I dig on all things designed as they grab my attention. 
Example, the fire hydrant is an amazing thing...beyond the dogs favorite marking spot.
The automatic door, the hydraulics of earth moving equipment, the fire truck siren...etc etc, and the modern day fire on a stick. 

Now I know it's not practical to buy every flashlight I see or read about. So the engineer side of me enjoys the gadgetry and innovations of lights as I pick the ones that best suit my needs, or scratches the itch to acquire something from days gone by.

Thanks to CPF I can make more educated guesses on items I can't test out in person. And pass on info in areas where nobody else tends to discuss. I see the modern flashlight as a tool and names, lumens or pure cri are not as important as durability and practicality to this guy. And just entering the field myself, I've learned through this site the names I can trust to provide me with years, or even decades of service from the lights I purchase. I've learned over time well engineered/built lenses and reflectors matter at least as much as lumens. 
I just bought a 50 lumen streamlight that throws way further than several of my 200+ lumen lights.


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## mindlessmark07 (Nov 11, 2015)

Hey Fellas!!

My journey into torch collecting was spawned from another hobby. I am a pretty heavy custom knife collector (MindlessMark07 on IG/YT/USN). In typical fashion, taking pics of knives was and still is a daily pleasure. Through the years, I began to notice these amazing custom lights creeping into knife pics on IG. The seed was planted and the research began. My collection at the time of writing this post has grown to about 7 custom pieces from several well know torch makers and the more I collect, the more I want. I don't really know what it is, but flashlight collecting is equal to pocket knife collecting in terms of addiction level, and I don't plan on slowing down the search for handmade torches. I hope to one day have a collection that rivals some that I have had the pleasure of seeing on this forum.


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## FLfrk (Nov 12, 2015)

My flashlight collecting days began with my job. Flashlights were provided for our tool bags, as crawling under houses, climbing into attics, and getting into dark places is a daily part of the job, not to mention working at night occasionally. I quickly found that the provided flashlights were not adequate. The flashlights at Home Depot satisfied my craving for lumens for a while, but when they stopped carrying the size of lights (pen lights that fit in a shirt pocket) that I needed, I started looking elsewhere, which was when I found a Pelican 1910 at a local electronics store. At $24, this seemed like a huge gamble to me, and I really didn't want to pay that much for a light, since I never had before (and it seemed so gosh darn expensive!). Turns out the Pelican is a great flashlight for my needs, and it got me hooked on the never-ending quest for enlightenment and blinding lumenosity. I have since purchased about twenty lights, and EDC a handful of them, on and off the job. Having a light on me has come in handy quite a few times, making it all the more necessary to have a light on me at all times for anytime such a need may arise.

This forum has greatly enriched my knowledge of lights (while my wallet has gotten unenriched), and I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of what there is to learn.


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## magellan (Nov 13, 2015)

I started buying Maglites and Peli lights back in the early and mid-80s. Still have a few of those in mint condition.


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## altermann (Nov 13, 2015)

I started to feel attraction to the flashlights when i was 5 years old.
so my case is natural))


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## jsmn4vu (Nov 13, 2015)

I started with one of these in 1955: http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/flashlights/RA00023.jpg
Latest acquisition (arrived today) is a Nitecore EC4S.


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## bykfixer (Nov 14, 2015)

Wow!!!
That 1955 flashlight is cool!!

Fast forward a couple months of membership here and a ton of research later, my appetite for lights has changed. 
Lot's of lo/hi lights with a simple ui...mechanical is my favorite. 10-30 lumens preffered. But having the ability to switch to portable sunshine without having to click when practical. But I do dig that G2x Pro...a lot.

I make purchases with the same goal in mind. But have developed a knack for fosusing on heavy duty type lights, typically US made or at least assembled. 
I have also developed the taste for buying incan lights then converting to LED when practical. 
The incan beam evokes memories of younger days, yet the LED's last longer as well as use batteries up much slower. 

These days my focus has turned to lego-ing of the Streamlight. More challenging, and when I discover another swap that works...more rewarding. Nothing new to the flashlight world, just not a lot written about it. So I'm "forced" to add more Streamlights to my collection to find out what works sometimes. Win-win.


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