# The best thing about giving a flashlight as a gift



## michman (Nov 26, 2011)

I love giving flashlights as gifts. particularly the E01, and the E05. Rarely are they appreciated initially, but later... 

The best thing about giving flashlights as a gift are the stories that you hear later on; after they needed a light and they happen to have one on them.

Within the past week I have two people come up to me and thank me again for the E01s that I gave them a few weeks ago. One was in the basement of her apartment when the power went out, the other ended up in a maze of dark alleys here in the city. Both remembered the lights they had on them and found their way out without a problem.

What are your gift giving stories?


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## herosemblem (Nov 26, 2011)

The flashlight gifts I give are always lost by the recipient. What a wonderful world.


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## Blight (Nov 26, 2011)

It's great that the people you gave lights to actually carried them. I haven't always had as good a reception when giving flashlights as gifts. Like you said, they are often not appreciate by non-flashaholics when they initially get them. If people insist on giving lights as gifts to non-flashaholics, I suggest giving them as stocking stuffers, rather than as the main gift. Just my two cents.

What have been other people's experiences?


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## geisto (Nov 27, 2011)

I gave a few Malkoff MD2s hi/lo to family and co-workers and it's a big improvement over whatever they had. I would say the only lights I feel comfortable giving to family/friends are Malkoff and Surefire. During the unlikely event of the light crapping out, I know Gene and SF will take care of it with no problems. They actually asked me to give them spare batteries because they used the lights when they had the power outage during a hurricane....geez, good thing I got them a M61L...primaries aren't cheap...LoL!


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## UncleDirty (Nov 27, 2011)

Knowing you gave a gift that is going to be used and appreciated. It's also cool when you see someone carrying the light you gave them.
I gave my dad a Streamlight Poly Stinger led, seeing how much he enjoyed that light was priceless.


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## landromus (Nov 27, 2011)

I have not given any lights yet.
But I just purchased 2 Fenix LD40's and a set of AA lithiums for country friends. I don't know if they will initially appreciate them. I am hoping they are in their vehicle and ready for a nite time emergency. 
I am also debating ordering a couple of Zebra headlamps for some nephews.


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## kreisler (Nov 27, 2011)

herosemblem said:


> The flashlight gifts I give are always lost by the recipient. What a wonderful world.


Xmas has yet to come where i will be giving some budget lights as gifts. i am sure they will not lose them. They are kids but i believe that they will appreciate the lights for a long long time.

On the other hand, Mum constantly loses things, even keys and spectacles, or purses! i want to give her a light as gift, but it has to be something unobtrusive which she is going to carry around for sure (keychain, purse). it's a risk and a challenge. i would be sad, disappointed, irritated and full of regrets if she lost the keychain light. Why? because it was a hassle to get them cheap (waiting time, hongkong, china; costs nerves and energy. i would call it "true efforts"!) and they arent cheap after all (SS keychain light by iTP or Lumintop costs ~30$).

Let's see how thankful they will be after a while with the lights on them. i'd report.


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## michman (Dec 13, 2011)

sounds like a plan.


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## MrLi (Dec 13, 2011)

I'm giving 3 Jetbeams BA20 (with new Eneloops) to 3 couples as Christmas gifts...They already have everything except a good flashlight lol.

I got ridiculed by them for collecting flashlights (with $$$ you could have bought xxx or yyy..)..but right at that moment, we lost power, and I handed over my Olight i3 so they could get around. They were blown away with the output of that small light 

When we had power back on, they stopped making fun of me :duh2:

They did borrow my i3 to walk the dogs and was impressed with the small light. 
Figured the BA20 would be handy for them since it's easy (only high and low), and runs off 2 AAs (they have a boatload of eneloops for their gaming controllers and random electronics).


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## varmint (Dec 13, 2011)

I have given 2, Terrulux litestar 100 AA light 100 lumens, the lady loves hers and the man well its just in a drawer somewhere as he asked to borrow 1 to look at his truck oil with. Some are really thankful others are not. I recieved 1 for Christmas a DerreLight VBS and cant put it down. It was a perfect gift for me.


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## Southpaw3612 (Dec 14, 2011)

I wish I would have read this thread sooner. I just purchased a xmas gift for my dad. He still uses a 6P daily at work. Time for an upgrade. Do I hear birthday gift?


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## michman (Dec 15, 2011)

Southpaw3612 said:


> I wish I would have read this thread sooner. I just purchased a xmas gift for my dad. He still uses a 6P daily at work. Time for an upgrade. Do I hear birthday gift?



What does one give a person who is using a 6P daily? High CRI or neutral LED replacement bulb?


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## Outdoorsman5 (Dec 15, 2011)

I have given away a bunch of Fenix LD20's and Quark AA2 lights to most in my family. The best response yet came from my nephew this past spring after I gave him a Fenix LD20 R5. He said, "whooooa I'll be the coolest kid in scouts with this thing." He's since been on several campouts (one on an island for a week and another on a sailboat for a week,) and says his fenix is the brightest in his troop. Says his cool-factor has been elevated.....ha!


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## michman (Dec 15, 2011)

I can not see how it would not be. Flashlights are inherently cool aren't they?


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## Outdoorsman5 (Dec 15, 2011)

michman said:


> I can not see how it would not be. Flashlights are inherently cool aren't they?



Pretty much at any age.


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## michman (Dec 15, 2011)

Outdoorsman5 said:


> Pretty much at any age.


Right on!


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## AaronG (Dec 16, 2011)

I've gifted a couple E05's with positive results. For the most part that's as much as I want to spend on a gift light unless I know they'll appreciate it. Also a keychain light ensures that it will be with you when you need it.


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## Cataract (Dec 16, 2011)

Seeing the flashlights I gave my dad lying all over the place and then see him use them (even if just to see the keypad on the microwave).


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## helios123 (Dec 16, 2011)

The people that you gifted saying to you how useful it was and how they love them and how bright they are! I've given E01s to people and they were surprised that they are as bright as their huge incan cheapo lights..I was quite surprised that they thought the E01s were bright..


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## fyrstormer (Dec 16, 2011)

herosemblem said:


> The flashlight gifts I give are always lost by the recipient. What a wonderful world.





Blight said:


> It's great that the people you gave lights to actually carried them. I haven't always had as good a reception when giving flashlights as gifts. Like you said, they are often not appreciate by non-flashaholics when they initially get them. If people insist on giving lights as gifts to non-flashaholics, I suggest giving them as stocking stuffers, rather than as the main gift. Just my two cents.
> 
> What have been other people's experiences?



I only give flashlights to people who have expressed some appreciation for the fact that I have one handy at all times. A flashlight isn't an entertainment device or a status symbol, so people won't carry it around just to show off. There's no point giving someone a tool they've never needed before.


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## michman (Dec 16, 2011)

> There's no point giving someone a tool they've never needed before.



I once would have agreed with this point, but now that I have given so many E01's and E05's as gifts to people who never would have carried a light in the first place I can attest to the lights being generally appreciated in due time. I have always been pleased to hear people wonder out loud how they made it this far without having a light on them all the time.

I think the key when giving a flashlight as a gift to a nonflashaholic is that it needs to be keychain sized (AAA), and the battery needs to run for a long time, and be easily replaceable. I have given Photon Microlights in the past, but the problem with those was that once the battery died, it was a $5 to replace them, and required tools (if only a flat screwdriver).

The way I judge the light to give is: E01 for those who just need a general light, will likely only be used indoors, or in the civilized world (parking lots, closets, driveway to the door, etc.). The E05 goes to those who already use lights, but have not updated their lights in a decade or more OR to those who camp, are trades people, or generally handy. A real light for when they do not have their big one on them.


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## teamle (Dec 24, 2011)

I gave my brother a fenix ld40 for his appartment in NY. I asked he how he likes it but he says he has never needed it. I'm sure the day he does he will be happy to have it. My wife didn't understand my obsession w flashlights until I bought an ld20 for the house. Our previous lights were the crappy aaax3 ones from Costco w the terrible UI that forces you through strobe everytime you turn it off. Now she won't touch those crappy lights and gets mad if I don't put the fenix back in its place. It is safe to say I got her hooked on good lights. Next is knives...


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## Harry999 (Dec 24, 2011)

michman said:


> I once would have agreed with this point, but now that I have given so many E01's and E05's as gifts to people who never would have carried a light in the first place I can attest to the lights being generally appreciated in due time. I have always been pleased to hear people wonder out loud how they made it this far without having a light on them all the time.
> 
> I think the key when giving a flashlight as a gift to a nonflashaholic is that it needs to be keychain sized (AAA), and the battery needs to run for a long time, and be easily replaceable. I have given Photon Microlights in the past, but the problem with those was that once the battery died, it was a $5 to replace them, and required tools (if only a flat screwdriver).
> 
> The way I judge the light to give is: E01 for those who just need a general light, will likely only be used indoors, or in the civilized world (parking lots, closets, driveway to the door, etc.). The E05 goes to those who already use lights, but have not updated their lights in a decade or more OR to those who camp, are trades people, or generally handy. A real light for when they do not have their big one on them.



I kind of agree. I now give Fenix E01s and for next Christmas possibly Thrunite Ti's to people I gift a light. Those I know will appreciate it get a better light. This year one person got a Zebralight SC51 with eneloops and charger and another received a Fenix MC11. 

If a person totally does not appreciate lights they don't get one. One of my work colleagues does not understand my interests in lights so there was no point giving him one. Instead he got a Victorinox Solo SAK with a nice lanyard. It is legal to EDC in the UK especially if he uses it for his regular camping trips and it made him happy.


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## Jiri (Oct 24, 2015)

I would like to restore this thread and add my comment. 

I actually have also a not very good experience with enough appreciation or usage of the gift so do speak. But I rarely give a high quallity flashlight as a gift to anyone. Last year I gave a Fenix HL50 to my friend who is a doctor - she is a vet, and she has this small practice, but no good light to use during surgeries, so I gave her this head-lamp which has a beautiful neutral tint so she could see better while performing surgeries. But after 6 months the flashlight was still there in the shelve in the package... not used at all.  Funny thing is, I once lent her my HL50 so she could try it and she said that time... that's a fantastic light - I will buy it one day and after I gave her the headlamp as a present, she said... "that's what I have wanted!" Second time I gave my other friend who is a hunter a TK-series Fenix flashlight... older one, that couldn't feed rechargables yet... We agreed that I will give him spare CR123A batteries whenever he needs. He asked for new batteries after 3 years of having the flashlight... so I guess he does not use it that much as well. Third time I gave my collegue's child (3,5 years old) a NiteCore Tube, just to have fun with. but you know... 3,5 years old kid... I don't really count that  But in general I am not giving anyone a flashlight after these first two experiences. I will save the money so I could buy a flashlight to my-self...


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## Jiri (Oct 24, 2015)

Outdoorsman5 said:


> I have given away a bunch of Fenix LD20's and Quark AA2 lights to most in my family. The best response yet came from my nephew this past spring after I gave him a Fenix LD20 R5. He said, "whooooa I'll be the coolest kid in scouts with this thing." He's since been on several campouts (one on an island for a week and another on a sailboat for a week,) and says his fenix is the brightest in his troop. Says his cool-factor has been elevated.....ha!




+ 1


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## LetThereBeLight! (Oct 24, 2015)

The best thing is the joy I feel.

A few examples follow.

I gave a brother-in-law a Fenix E-15 and he said (appreciatively) when he heard a noise out back it lit up his whole backyard. (This year for his birthday I gave him a Nebo Slyde which he also really loves.)

I gave another sister's brother who travels a lot a D25AAA with some backup triple A's which he liked.

A few weeks back, there were 7-8 kids playing in the dark up the street so I found some differently colored AA flashlights the next day reduced to $2.00 and bought extras for my nieces. The mom of one family wanted to give me money for them but I said it wouldn't be necessary (I didn't buy them to be reimbursed) and explained that I was a flashaholic, lol.

For this Christmas I bought some Nitecore Tubes on sale so I will be gifting pink and blue ones to family members for their keyrings along with a photocopy of the downloadable instruction sheet and the USB cord I will purchase separately to put all in one package (I HATE wrapping!)

How interesting that an inexpensive gift can still be one of great value! 

So may the "bright" Christmas extend, when needed, into a "bright" year.

So maybe I'll attach my own handmade Christmas card with the greeting, "May you have a BRIGHT Christmas" on the front, and on the inside, "Let your light shine!" lol

- LetThereBeLight!


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## bykfixer (Oct 24, 2015)

At first I was like "wow this thread filled up fast" but then noticed it has some age..

Anyway, the key to having somebody enjoy the gifted light is to give one based on their needs, not on what we'd like to have....

On contruction sites during night shifts, the guys needed a pocket sized light with enough size to easily find if dropped in darkness. 
Focus beam helps in the varying situations where a light is needed, and easy to find replacement batteries are a bonus. I gave away several Lux-Pro lights to grateful laborers. 

For family who usually don't have a flashlight I gave away some Coast HP1's with store bought lithiums for trouble free storage. Very versatile yet very portable.

Other family got Mag solitaire LED's (w/lithiums) to hang on their near front door car key hook for when the lights go out. 

To older neighbors...the big ole size mag in metal color. Easy to find, easy to turn on...lithiums of course. 

And to a flashaholic friend of mine, his first Malkoff drop in. A simple M61 for his old, broken 6P. He since bought upgrades for it.

And next week a surprise MD2 should arrive at his house. He helped me in a big way so I'm returning the favor.

My wife swiped my 360 Coast HP7 for it's brightness and weighty-ness. Security. 
So I outfitted it with eneloop pro's for dependability. 

My kids got key chain lights, a focus beam HP1 (w/ a lithium) and a Lux-Pro 470 (w/lithiums)

See a need, fill a need. If they still have it a month later....that''s a bonus.


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## Jiri (Oct 25, 2015)

bykfixer said:


> Anyway, the key to having somebody enjoy the gifted light is to give one based on their needs, not on what we'd like to have....
> 
> ....See a need, fill a need. If they still have it a month later....that''s a bonus.



Yeap, that's a great advice... and you're right! I am sometimes thinking: "Hm, they would never buy this high quality (and a bit expensive) flashlight, even if they needed one". And I don't much care about if they really need it. I bought my brother Fenix BC20 as a Christmas present last year, because he is a real enthusiastic cyclist and he didn't really have a good flashlight... but after opening the present he said "I don't really need a front bicycle light, I like the one I have"... So I was dissapointed buy his reaction, becuase I though he well appreciate the better output and use of AA batteries for this light, because he is very AA battery guy.  But after a few months he had not even attached the light to his bike. 

I see a lot of guys here give something like Fenix E01, E05... maybe that's the way I should go in the future, and save more money for my own flashlights :laughing:


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## Jiri (Oct 25, 2015)

LetThereBeLight! said:


> For this Christmas I bought some Nitecore Tubes on sale so I will be gifting pink and blue ones to family members for their keyrings along with a photocopy of the downloadable instruction sheet and the USB cord I will purchase separately to put all in one package (I HATE wrapping!)




Yea I bought some NiteCore Tubes on sale as well a while ago  I think you make a good gifts with these! And it's great you are giving the time and money for adding actual USB cord and instruction sheet to the flashlight itself... that is really thoughtfull +1


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## bykfixer (Oct 25, 2015)

This year, every adult who walks through my door on Christmas Eve is getting a pewter aa mini mag incan...$7 at sprawl mart (w/ batteries)
The ones that are excited by receiving a little ole flashlight I'll tell 'em where to get a $7 nite ize drop in at Lowes...I'll even offer to install it if they actually go out and buy one. 
The last year my pop was on this earth he gave everybody a flashlight for Christmas....varying types and sizes. 


Kids...they get socks, gloves and stocking caps in random household item boxes like Rice-a-Roni, or hamburger helper boxes.


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## SemiMan (Oct 25, 2015)

Now as in 2011, buying gifts for other people that "you" like ..... is a bad idea. It's the thought that counts, and this says ...... I bought YOU what i thought -- I -- would like.

Yep, still a bad idea .... like buying your wife an iron as a gift. You just don't do it.


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## bykfixer (Oct 25, 2015)

^^ this...
Or like buying her that flat screen you've wanted all summer.


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## jmwking (Oct 25, 2015)

Several years ago, I got my 9 tween and teen nieces and nephews each a cash register special as a cheapie to go with various cash and gift cards. I want them to have something tangible to unwrap and play with - last year it was rubber band pistols they could load with six shots, ammo included (their parents may forgive me someday!). These specials had a forward "throwing" mode, and a sideways, uber-floody, multi-led panel opposite a magnetic mount. 

As you'd expect: Poor construction. Horrible tint. Low output. 

But the kids loved them! A few years later, they're the go-to dog walking lights. And a couple of them asked me about my zebras. Best, my brother now has a serious thrower...

Moral is: gotta bait 'em, then reel 'em in.

-jk


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## LetThereBeLight! (Oct 25, 2015)

Jiri said:


> Yea I bought some NiteCore Tubes on sale as well a while ago  I think you make a good gifts with these! And it's great you are giving the time and money for adding actual USB cord and instruction sheet to the flashlight itself... that is really thoughtfull +1



Thank you, Jiri! The instruction sheet tells much more than is on the packaging.


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## HurtzDoughnut (Nov 1, 2015)

After lurking around on here for a while I went and bought a couple of lights based on stuff you folks have talked about. When the wife shook her head at this interest in my life I was disappointed. Then I caught her using my lights for different things around the house. So I bought us a couple of Fenix PD 20's for edc. She carries that thing EVERYWHERE! she never leaves home without it, and has come home telling me that she did this or that with the light somewhere, and how people commented on this little light that put so much more than they thought it would. 
She's even gotten me some stuff for presents the last couple of years to help my addiction. She got me some Malkoff's for my 6P's, and for my birthday I got a Surefire M600U. 
I think she's coming around on this stuff, starting with that first light. Best $50.00 spent!


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## bykfixer (Nov 2, 2015)

^^ right on.

My wife confiscated a light.
Now she borrows a head light...but after Christmas she'll have her own.


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## Jiri (Nov 3, 2015)

HurtzDoughnut said:


> After lurking around on here for a while I went and bought a couple of lights based on stuff you folks have talked about. When the wife shook her head at this interest in my life I was disappointed. Then I caught her using my lights for different things around the house. So I bought us a couple of Fenix PD 20's for edc. She carries that thing EVERYWHERE! she never leaves home without it, and has come home telling me that she did this or that with the light somewhere, and how people commented on this little light that put so much more than they thought it would.
> She's even gotten me some stuff for presents the last couple of years to help my addiction. She got me some Malkoff's for my 6P's, and for my birthday I got a Surefire M600U.
> I think she's coming around on this stuff, starting with that first light. Best $50.00 spent!



That is awsome!!  Thanks for sharing!


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## Dr. Tweedbucket (Nov 3, 2015)

I have several E01s that I plan on giving out this Christmas as token gifts... I think it's a love it or hate it thing. I gave one to my Brother and thought he would like it, but he just kind of blew it off like .... oh well, my iPhone light is good enough..... funny thing though, his wife loved it! She was a closet flashoholic ... I never knew it!


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## Poppy (Nov 3, 2015)

Dr. Tweedbucket said:


> I have several E01s that I plan on giving out this Christmas as token gifts... I think it's a love it or hate it thing. I gave one to my Brother and thought he would like it, but he just kind of blew it off like .... oh well, my iPhone light is good enough..... funny thing though, *his wife loved it! She was a closet flashoholic *... I never knew it!


All smiles here :thumbsup:


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