# When was the last time you saw an incan in the wild?



## Minimoog (Feb 6, 2019)

The years roll by and apart from car headlights I never see the 'homely' look of a bulb lighting the way for anyone any more. Until this weekend. I was walking across the dark park and had my 1981 'Ever Ready Solar 2000' doing sterling work lighting my way (plastic body, 2C, 1 Watt), when I see someone coming the other way. They then turned on their torch and as we passed I noted that the beams were almost identical - same vacuum bulb beam and honey colour light. It really made my day!

So they are out there still. When was the last time you saw that distinctive bulb glow from a passerby? Hopefully recently!


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## Lumen83 (Feb 6, 2019)

Minimoog said:


> The years roll by and apart from car headlights I never see the 'homely' look of a bulb lighting the way for anyone any more. Until this weekend. I was walking across the dark park and had my 1981 'Ever Ready Solar 2000' doing sterling work lighting my way (plastic body, 2C, 1 Watt), when I see someone coming the other way. They then turned on their torch and as we passed I noted that the beams were almost identical - same vacuum bulb beam and honey colour light. It really made my day!
> 
> So they are out there still. When was the last time you saw that distinctive bulb glow from a passerby? Hopefully recently!



I saw a ryobi flashlight recently, one of the ones that come in the kits with the drill and run off the same batteries as the drill, being used on a jobsite. I was inspecting it with my Surefire 6P incan and I almost stopped to chat, but I didn't think anyone there was really interested in flashlights. But, ya it was suprising to see an incan in the wild. Not sure what the back story was, whether it was just a light that they always used and had a bunch of bulbs for, or if for some reason whatever they were doing is a better use case for incan light.


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## cp2315 (Feb 6, 2019)

One hospital I work in still use this as there safety/emergency light.

Rayovac IN2-KMLC 2D Industrial Flashlight w/Krypton Bulb & Magnet

But really, other than me using my incan lights, I have not seen one used in the wild for a long time.


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## Minimoog (Feb 6, 2019)

Cheers.

Its sad to me that 100 years worth of portable lighting history and evolution has been pretty much expunged from people's lives. I don't see any either really. I do use them of course but only twice have they been commented on. Once when using a chrome 1930's 2D some older gent commented to his wife as they passed 'look at that torch' and once with a 1910 Ever Ready oak handlamp the barlady asked 'did you make that?'

Shame we don't see more but can't be helped.


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## kelmo (Feb 7, 2019)

Just now! I saw my reflection and I was using an E1e!!!


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## id30209 (Feb 7, 2019)

At work! All aircrafts have emergency INCAN torches. At least my fleet


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## Bicycleflyer (Feb 7, 2019)

id30209 said:


> At work! All aircrafts have emergency INCAN torches. At least my fleet



Same with my fleet. In fact all instrumentation, landing, nav, and taxi lights are incan. Old aircraft were certified with this stuff and thus have to maintain it unless they go through a certification process .... for each bulb. 

I was working for a different airline back around 2005 when LEDs were starting to become popular. Our FAA POI actually forbid the use of LEDs in our personal flashlights and held us back in the Stone Age for another 5 years. Some people are just slow to adapt.


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## thermal guy (Feb 7, 2019)

Our maintenance guy at work has a mag 2 c incandescent he uses all the time . I have no clue why because every time he starts working on something he comes to me and borrows one of mine says his isn’t bright enough.🤔


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## id30209 (Feb 7, 2019)

Pilots emergency torches...


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## id30209 (Feb 7, 2019)

Cabin crew...


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## thermal guy (Feb 7, 2019)

Well no electronics or complicated Switch just a tube batteries and a bulb. I like it


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## bykfixer (Feb 8, 2019)

Funny thing, the other night I was walking around a harbor in a city that revitalized several blocks in the last decade and there was a fellow using an incan Mag D to spot his dogs poop to clean it up. 

Later that night I saw this thread. Looked like a 3D size. Now just a few blocks away isn't so friendly so I'm supposing that's why the D sized flashlight. 

And the waist high harbor lights are incan.


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## Greenbean (Feb 8, 2019)

I know most of the home inspectors here in our area all still use the Streamlight Scorpion Incan. 

Great little light, I have one and use the other bulb base from a Stinger and bulb and run it off of a single 16650.


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## P_A_S_1 (Feb 8, 2019)

Hiking some months back I saw a guy with a 3-D cell maglite strapped to his backpack. Looked like an old ican. Incan/led aside I thought what a huge light to hump around hiking/camping.


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## Minimoog (Feb 8, 2019)

Cheers for the input. Interesting stuff - and pleased to see incan still has a place in peoples day to day life. Long ,may it continue!


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## Pellidon (Feb 8, 2019)

2017. A friend used one on a paranormal investigation we attended. A dollar store cheapie. I did see an incan Mag Light at Walmart recently.


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## scout24 (Feb 8, 2019)

Every time I go into my local Home Depot I swing by the flashlight/lantern section to see what's in blister-pack land. They still have two or three incan Mags, but the vast majority of what's available is LED... Same for my Wal Mart. There is a local non-chain hardware store where I can still get incan Mag bulbs over the counter, though. 😁


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## 1979lee (Feb 9, 2019)

scout24 said:


> Every time I go into my local Home Depot I swing by the flashlight/lantern section to see what's in blister-pack land. They still have two or three incan Mags, but the vast majority of what's available is LED... Same for my Wal Mart. There is a local non-chain hardware store where I can still get incan Mag bulbs over the counter, though. 


 my local ace hardware had the magnumstar II xenon bulbs for $4.59!


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## smithd1 (Feb 9, 2019)

I still have and carry my old streamlight SL20 and scorpion.


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## aginthelaw (Feb 9, 2019)

My mother still has an eveready 2 d-cell she was using during a power outage a few days ago. My head is still spinning from the artifacts and flickering.


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## flatline (Feb 9, 2019)

The plumbers I've met recently still seem to prefer incandescent.The super focused hot spot and weak spill lets them see things on the other side of an attic or crawl space without being blinded by the spill reflecting off of nearby surfaces.

--flatline


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## Dave MP (Feb 13, 2019)

My Parents home in WA. They still have my old 4D Maglite, and have several EverReady 2D plastic lights with the magnets in the switch stuck to breaker box, and basement freezer.


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## Monocrom (Mar 28, 2019)

Most likely on the hip of the last NYPD officer I walked by. Due to regulations regarding flashlights, you still see a surprising number of incandescent Maglites around. With the inca. 2C being the absolute smallest that meet those regulations. From what I've seen, it seems Maglite still makes their inca. models. And I'm sure the inca. 2C is still easily available at many police supply shops. Not to mention on Amazon and eBay too. Helped no doubt by older officers pulling the newer ones aside and telling them what to buy in terms of gear, in order to comply with the regs.


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## Nephron44 (Mar 28, 2019)

Monocrom said:


> Most likely on the hip of the last NYPD officer I walked by. Due to regulations regarding flashlights, you still see a surprising number of incandescent Maglites around. With the inca. 2C being the absolute smallest that meet those regulations. From what I've seen, it seems Maglite still makes their inca. models. And I'm sure the inca. 2C is still easily available at many police supply shops. Not to mention on Amazon and eBay too. Helped no doubt by older officers pulling the newer ones aside and telling them what to buy in terms of gear, in order to comply with the regs.



There are rules as to what flashlight you can and can’t carry in New York??


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## Lumen83 (Mar 29, 2019)

Monocrom said:


> Most likely on the hip of the last NYPD officer I walked by. Due to regulations regarding flashlights, you still see a surprising number of incandescent Maglites around.



Just curious if you knew what those regulations might be. Are they regulating, output, runtime, etc. for example? These just apply to police, right?


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## Monocrom (Mar 29, 2019)

Nephron44 said:


> There are rules as to what flashlight you can and can’t carry in New York??



For police officers, yes.


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## Monocrom (Mar 29, 2019)

Lumen83 said:


> Just curious if you knew what those regulations might be. Are they regulating, output, runtime, etc. for example? These just apply to police, right?



Yes, just to police officers. As far as I know, they pertain to size. But not sure sure about the other factors.


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## P_A_S_1 (Mar 29, 2019)

Lumen83 said:


> Just curious if you knew what those regulations might be. Are they regulating, output, runtime, etc. for example? These just apply to police, right?



They might have updated but the regulations use to pertain mostly to size and shape; Length no greater then 12.5 inches, no more then 3 D cell batteries, no less then 2 C cell batteries, cylinder in shape, runs on alkaline batteries, no modifications that would effect size or weight, no halogen or other high drain bulbs. Small secondary lights that are high drain/output could be carried in addition but not in lieu of the regulation light providing it doesn't conflict with the above in all except minimal size and battery capacity.


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## Frijid (Mar 29, 2019)

When my mother was in the hospital from a stroke. Keep in mind this was a smallish town hospitial. In each room, they had 2D plastic rayovac flashlights on a rack. I guess they must have been for if the power goes out, but I know the hospitial has back up generators to power the whole hospital. It may have been to check pupil responses, because I read somewhere, someone said that pupils respond better to incan lights than led. Curosioty got the best of me and I opened it up and it had rayovac carbon zinc batteries in it. I flipped it on and it worked.

I've still got like 5 incan minimags. 4 are brand new and the 5th is the one I carried from 8th grade til graduation. I've got an old 2D incan mag and a new 2D xenon mag that I bought on clearance for like 10 bucks. Got plenty of replacement bulbs for all of them. Don't ever plan on using them again, but hey, its a nice nostalgia trip looking at them.


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## Frijid (Mar 29, 2019)

Nephron44 said:


> There are rules as to what flashlight you can and can’t carry in New York??



A buddy of mine worked as a security guard and he wasn't allowed to have anything at all with C or D batteries and no light longer than a certain length. Years ago someone else working as a security guard with the same outfit beat a perpetrator with a 4D mag really bad and they got taken to court and the company put a limit on flashlights. I assume it's similar for the police.


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## Monocrom (Mar 29, 2019)

Frijid said:


> A buddy of mine worked as a security guard and he wasn't allowed to have anything at all with C or D batteries and no light longer than a certain length. Years ago someone else working as a security guard with the same outfit beat a perpetrator with a 4D mag really bad and they got taken to court and the company put a limit on flashlights. I assume it's similar for the police.



Thankfully there are no state regulations for security officers. At least not in New York. What you can carry depends on the regulations set forth by whichever private security company you work for *or* whatever individual rules the client hiring the company sets forth. Indeed, some have very strict regulations/rules. Such as nothing over a 2C Maglite in terms of size. Others are even more strict. Such as no metal bodied flashlights at all. (Those may or may not put restricts on length and size.)

Meanwhile other companies and clients may have absolutely zero restrictions in place. That's been my situation for the past four years. Just a few days back, I brought a vintage 6C Maglite to work to modify it during my break, and test it out during my foot-patrol of the large parking lots the client has. I left it sitting on top of the front desk while checking the monitors as numerous folks walked by to head home. No one batted an eye, no one said anything. There's a camera pointed at the front desk. And the client's representatives can access it from a laptop at their home. I never got called in, never questioned about it. And I knew it wouldn't be an issue.

Now, obviously, if something happened that was similar to what that individual did with the 4D Maglite, I'm sure major restrictions and policy changes would be put into place. But right now, no one cares.

I'd like to think the NYPD has official policy in place about flashlights being bright enough to get the job done, with runtimes lasting the length of an entire shift. But honestly not sure about that.


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## JimIslander (Mar 29, 2019)

On Tuesday I was inventorying my lock out tag out box and found it contained a aaa size sealed light with a little incan bulb. Sadly DOA.


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## aginthelaw (Mar 30, 2019)

On my way to work i saw another plastic incan in an early morning dog Walker’s hand. Times like these i want to stop and trade it for something in my pocket but dogs don’t take well to you jumping out and rushing towards their masters. Someone might see me with one of 3 new incans sent to me recently. All brand new from 2005. Don’t know if they ever saw any use. St. Incan’s day here we come!


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## yazkaz (Apr 8, 2019)

To tell the truth I don't see any people using incan lights anymore during everyday life. The only exception would be when I myself rip out my SF M3 (still on incan) to illuminate the trails I'm walking.

But I know any LED beam profile and characteristics is no match to that of the filament, and so I carry my M3 as an EDC (inside my daypack) and have been doing so for the last 19 years.


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