# What was your first loved flashlight?



## carbine15

What was the first flashlight that made you love flashlights? 

For me it was this 2d Eveready that was waterproof. It was black and had a red button switch on the side. I loved how bright it was. I remember one summer swimming in the lake at night with my buddies and I was starring a big old fish right in the eyes underwater and he took a bite at my nipple! Scared the crap outa me. I yelled "piranha!" My buddies all heard the urgency in my tone as we escaped with our lives. You've never seen four teenage boys run so fast out of the water. My ex wife ended up with this gem in the divorce..







Image from flashlightmuseum.com


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## DonShock

4D Maglight bought in the early '80s. I was in college and had to go to a gun shop to find one. I even spent the extra for the Pachmayr rubber cover for it. I still have it even though it's gone through a few new bulbs, reflectors, and lenses.


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## karlthev

A three-color 2D battery light that my brother used to frighten me with at night. Nothing after that one until my first Arc LSL several years ago. The flashlights of my youth were undependable and frequently had substantial damage due to battery leakage.  


Karl


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## duffman

mines was a garrity flashlight/lantern.. neat little contraption... got it when i was like 7... thats when it all started....


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## Casual Flashlight User

Mag Solitaire and Mini-Mag AA, both purchased in the mid 90's...I thought they were so good when I got them, real quality flashlights at the time

Most of the lights I had when I was a kid were crap...apart from an Eveready side-by-side 2xAA light that I had when I was about 8 or 9 years old...very neat little light, pretty sturdy and reliable.

Great thread, Carbine15.






CFU


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## Coop

For me it was a 2D flashlight from the Hema (Hema is a dutch chain of stores). It had an aluminium body which was coated black and a red plastic bezel and a red sliding switch. My parents bought it for me when I was just a little kid, before we went on a family holiday. Too bad I don't have that light anymore...


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## Long John

For me it was a 4D Bianchi in the '70s. It looks like a Mag, but Mag wasn't exists at this time.

Best regards

____
Tom


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## carbine15

I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby. 
Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.





I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.


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## Sharpdogs

Simple old maglites, both the 2xAA and 3xD lights. I still have them both. Growing both lights were standard equipment in each car. Now I added a few more lights to my cars. What really kicked off the addiction was probably my first Surefire and E2. It was down hill from there.


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## Sub_Umbra

I really liked the *Duracell Mallory Flashlight* when it came out around 1970. There were a few models called the "Duracell Mallory Flashlight" but the one I'm referring to was 222x2AA side by side. It couldn't compare to today's lights but it was light weight, could easily be held in the mouth and was a real improvement for climbers and backpackers. They were good lights for their time and price.


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## TORCH_BOY

For me it was the Eveready Dolfin that I had when I was a kid


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## SaturnNyne

carbine15 said:


> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery...I swear it took one 9V battery.


Wow, that light brings back some good childhood memories. I used one of those as a kid, probably still have it around somewhere. But mine took two AAs, they fit into a tray that slides out when you squeeze the red squares on either side. That's probably the oldest light I have memories of using.


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## JNewell

2C Kel-Lite, 1977. No one's ever made a 2C as good, before or since.


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## Atomic_Chicken

Greetings!

I didn't catch the flashlight flu until about 4 or 5 years ago. Before that, I had owned the usual collection of a few plastic junker lights from grocery and hardware stores, and a 2-AA Maglite that someone gave me for Christmas one year. For some reason, I just never noticed flashlights or thought there were even "good" and "bad" lights.

Anyway, I was shopping at a sporting goods store in 2000 or 2001 checking out binoculars, when I noticed a Surefire L1 (the pre-optics Gen. 1 model) in the next counter over. It was love at first sight - I bought that light after playing with it for only a minute or two... and it was all downhill from there. I still have that light, and still love love it as much as the day I bought it. Currently, I own a LOT of lights I like better than the L1, but that was the first one that made me stand up and take NOTICE of flashlights! 

Best wishes,
Bawko


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## WNG

The ol' big gray Radio Shack plastic 5D flashlight that was given away with a Xmas flyer coupon. I got several for free, along with numerous 'a battery a month' cards to keep feeding it. A Radio Shack was near my Junior high school, so I'd drop by regularly.


There was no quality to it, but what stood out and left such a childhood impression was that it could throw a beam and it was bright. It was during the NYC blackout that I really got to enjoy that sucker. Imagine being too young to be inconvenienced by the event, out with all your friends running around the neighborhood that's pitch dark except for a few cars. Them with their 2-cell weak incans, and you with a bright plastic blunderbust and pants pockets full of Radio Shack D cells.

During high school, I had bought my first 3D Mag. Very proud owner back then. Lasted several years until my car was broken into and they stole it.


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## NutSAK

WNG said:


> The ol' big gray Radio Shack plastic 5D flashlight that was given away with a Xmas flyer coupon. I got several for free, along with numerous 'a battery a month' cards to keep feeding it. A Radio Shack was near my Junior high school, so I'd drop by regularly.



Same here, I had two of them. Mine had a red bezel. That thing was BRIGHT for the time.


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## Veto

Whoa, "Battery a Month" card, that brings back some memories. I had a 4D from Kmart(??) that had a huge reflector and a black ribbed body that was my first purchased flashlight back in '77 or so. Before that I borrowed my dads 6V lanterns quite often, the green and grey ones and the bolt on lanterns as well. I also had the flashlight as the OP, but mine was grey and black and I really liked it until the switch failed. After that I remember my 500k cp LSI rechargeable in the 90s and my varmit light which runs off a 6v sealed cell on a belt pouch, good to 250yds through a Leupold 4x.

I grew up on a ranch in Texas meaning that flashlights have been near and dear to my heart since about the time I could walk.


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## carbine15

You guys should try to post pictures of the lights you're talking about.


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## Flying Turtle

As a kid I had a little 1AA light that got a lot of use. No idea of brand. In more modern times I suppose the MiniMag and Solitaire got me going.

Geoff


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## atm

TORCH_BOY said:


> For me it was the Eveready Dolfin that I had when I was a kid


Same. I remember at school camp in the 70s they were the light to have. Tough, waterproof (and floated), bright, but pretty big and heavy too. Cool light.

'70s Dolphin

Still have one of these. I recall the original version was more rounded than this one.


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## fishx65

I've had lots of lights over the years but the original 6P was the one that really got me into flashlights.


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## ringzero

carbine15 said:


> For me it was this 2d Eveready that was waterproof. It was black and had a red button switch on the side. I loved how bright it was. I remember one summer swimming in the lake at night with my buddies and I was starring a big old fish right in the eyes underwater and he took a bite at my nipple!



Hey carbine15, that light brings back very fond memories. IIRC, it was known as the Eveready Skipper.

Must have bought a dozen of those over the years for caving and canoeing. A decent light for its time, it was quite waterproof and fairly durable for an inexpensive light. I still have at least one, packed away with outdoor gear.

Took along a Skipper for night swimming many times, and several times was bitten on the nipples. Always a shock when that happens!


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## ringzero

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.



Those Duracell lights, at least the one pictured, take 2AA. Great lights for their time, and still useable even today. Lightweight, durable, inexpensive, and very reliable. Better beam than a MiniMag 2AA. For years they were the standard light for backpackers.

An earlier version was made by Mallory. It had a rotary switch rather than a slide switch, and was held together by an aluminum nut and bolt rather than spring clips.

I still keep one of the later Duracell models loaded up with AAs and ready to go, just for old times sake.


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## wmirag

From childhood, I always *wanted* a flashlight I could love. I gave up hope because I never encountered one that fit my vision of perfection. And then I stumbled upon the ArcLS. That one light made me the maniac I am today. Now, I own several lights which I regard as perfect - perfect for their respective duties.

W.


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## ringzero

carbine15 said:


> What was the first flashlight that made you love flashlights?




At a young age, maybe five years old, I was given an Eveready 1AA flashlight, with chrome body, slide switch, and red plastic bezel. That's the first light I remember that was mine, and I loved it. After that, I always had a love for flashlights.

As I got older, I was fascinated by pen lights. Remember getting several Eveready 2AA and 2AAA pen lights, and other cheaper brands, which I had on average for a few months before breaking or losing them. Had an Eveready 2AA chrome penlight with rotary switch on the tailcap that was actually pretty decent - think I had it a couple of years before losing it. Remember a 2AAA light that I really liked that had a plastic body, and was activated by squeezing its metal pocket clip.

In Boy Scouts everyone lusted after an official Boy Scout light - the standard military anglehead in OD color with the BSA logo molded into its side. A decent light, it was a little bulky, but dependable and durable enough for outdoor use.

The first light I got for outdoor use that I really loved was the 2C Ray-O-Vac Sportsman. A great light for its time, better than its main competitor, the 2C Eveready Captain. More compact and lighter than a 2D flashlight, it was reliable and durable, with a decent beam. Its only failing was lack of waterproofness. I backpacked many miles over the years carrying the 2C Sportsman as my primary light, with a Mallory-Duracell 2AA as backup.


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## frosty

6D Mag. Great light, even though it cost an arm and a leg to feed it Duracells.


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## Bomo

For me I think it was the Eveready spotlight with the blinking red light on a pivoting arm. I think it was called Big Jim. Nothing really interested me since though since it seemed they were always running out of battery power and was too expensive to feed with those old carbon zinc batteries.

This is truly a great time to be a flashaholic!


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## redskins38

Mine would have to be a blue minimag but i lost it several years ago


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## indycrucible

Mine was a Camo 2AA MM. I was in a band and touring a lot, so I used to keep it on a neck lanyard most of the time. Touring makes you basically nocturnal, so I used it extensively everyday. Setting up equipment, going out to the van, working on the craptastic van in the middle of nowhere (in the rain), etc. This was about 1989.


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## Culhain

JNewell said:


> 2C Kel-Lite, 1977. No one's ever made a 2C as good, before or since.



The 2C Kel-Lite was my first quality flashlight and saw several years of constant use until retired by a 2AA MiniMag.


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## Brody

My first loved light was an old Star Wars plastic light saber right after the original Star Wars first came out. You could also use it as a flashlight by taking off the extendable plastic cones.


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## Illum

Died one day...


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## Gone Jeepin

I remember it was a red plastic square light that could use it's handle as a stand that my Dad had. I was very young, 1st grade probably, and boy I thought that was the neatest light in the world. I was in high school and got a 2 aa [email protected] and was pleased with that too. The rest was a downhill run or me.


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## Veto

Wow, I just remembered three lights that I had forgotten: 

1) The square Duracell light above or very similar. 
2) The original disposable light, rectangular, front was white, body came in different colors. Very handy and you just threw them away. Anyone remember those?
3) That keychain light that was a flattened cylinder and had two little batteries and a lensed bulb that you squeezed.


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## faucon

I used to love reading under the covers with a cheap Eveready 2D light when I was supposed to be asleep. I didn't have a decent light until my 2D and AA maglites. But then---I bought a Surefire L2. Wow...still one of my favourite lights.


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## carbine15

faucon said:


> I used to love reading under the covers with a cheap Eveready 2D light when I was supposed to be asleep. I didn't have a decent light until my 2D and AA maglites. But then---I bought a Surefire L2. Wow...still one of my favourite lights.



Right on! I still lose sleep becasue of my flashlights. :laughing:


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## carrot

Rather than rewrite what has already been written, I will paste a little recounting that I have told before, a whole year ago.



carrot said:


> Ever since I was a youngster, I loved flashlights. At the age of two or three, my parents got me a large yellow Fisher Price flashlight, with a rotating knob to change the lens color. I remember it quite well, a bulky yellow flashlight with a blue bezel, with red and green color filters. It was, needless to say, one of my favorite toys.
> 
> Fast forward fifteen years. I'm a serious technophile, always seeking out new gadgets, many I can't really afford but take note of anyway. One day at RadioShack, looking for some LEDs to play with, I see the Maglite Mini AA. Thinking its rugged metal construction would be great as a self-defense weapon, (I'm pretty scrawny, but I'm also a green belt in Judo.) I plunk down the cash for a black one right away. It goes on my belt in its nylon holster, and becomes my first EDC light. Carrying it around all the time, I quickly fall in love with the incredible utility of always having a light handy. Repairing computers at my school, I find the benefits of carrying around a flashlight completely outweighs the disadvantages -- namely looking like a flashlight-wielding geek. Not knowing any better, I assume that the Maglite is simply the best light around, since it *is* aluminum-bodied and probably the most popular one. I end up buying another, and that one becomes a backup EDC light for my primary Maglite. I think to myself, I'll never need any more light with these two. But I was wrong.
> 
> A few months later, I'm reading Popular Science, and I come upon an ad for Surefire. That particular ad features an Aviator A2, and the instant I saw it, I knew I wanted it. I wanted it really bad. Checking out the Surefire website, I was astounded at the prices. How could anyone charge so much for something as simple as a flashlight? I knew I couldn't possibly afford one. But at that moment, my Maglite bliss was shattered. There was a better light, in orders of magnitude that completely blew away the little ant-sized bulbs of the Maglite I held in my hand.
> 
> The rational part of my brain kicks in. I don't need a powerful flashlight. The Maglite is fine for me. This is what I tell myself. But the next time I need my Maglite, I'm sorely disappointed in both the beam quality and the brightness. One day, my kitten, only six months old, flies out of the house late at night as my dad is putting out some bottles for recycling. We live in a rural area, but the streetlamps do nothing to shed light where we needed it most, under the yew bushes that have been in front of the house for as long as I can remember. The three of us, my mom and dad and I are out of the house and looking under the bushes for him. I'm searching barefoot, and my two Maglites do nothing to illuminate the area. Nothing at all. I have to check to see if they're actually on. When I look up, I see my cat in the street, frozen in the headlights of an oncoming car. I run into the street to stop the car and scoop up my beloved kitten.
> 
> With newfound resolve, I look at the Surefires longingly. The only one I could really justify purchasing to my mom is the G2 Nitrolon, and having just recently come from the Maglite camp, I feel that plastic-bodied flashlights are inferior to their metal counterparts. But I'm determined never to be caught without a good light again. It's the one and only thing I ask for when my birthday comes.
> 
> When I turn on my G2 for the first time, I am astounded with the quality and the brightness of the beam. It instantly becomes my favorite gadget. I attribute my flashaholism to my Surefire. If I had never gotten my G2, I would never have discovered the tremendous varieties of high powered flashlights. No longer did I associate the word 'flashlight' to the signature ringed beam of a Maglite, but rather the powerful beam of light cast by my G2.
> 
> Now, I almost scorn the Maglites I used to prize so much. I still EDC one Maglite with a red beamfilter, but now it's been relegated to backup my G2 and closeup work. I love my Surefire, and never go anywhere without it. But now I hunger for a smaller, more pocketable light to replace my failing Maglite.


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## ABTOMAT

I'm not sure, I got a few around the same time when I was a kid. One was a Cub Scout light made out of red plastic, another was a '60s Marbo-Lite steel flashlight, and the last was an Army anglehead light. All 2D cell.

The Army light died after a couple years and a got a new one, which I still have to this day. I think I gave away the Scout light a few years ago. And I sold/traded (can't remember) the Marbo-Lite to another CPF collector.

I didn't love them that much.


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## 22hornet

1991: maglite solitaire, and quickly afterwards, minimag 2AAA and the mighty Maglite 6C. The 6C was (is) truly awesome and had (has) magnificent throw, unbeaten by my recent flashlights.

I use rechargeable cells in it and compensate the lower voltage by using 5 cell bulbs. Works just fine.
Same for the minimag 2AAA with NiMh cells: I use a minimag 2AA bulb which improves brightness significantly and cuts runtime in half.

When I was a kid, I also had the light in post #18 ! (they were sold at "tandy" stores)

Joris


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## Brighteyez

A 2 D plastic thing with a slide switch. Because it was new and my very own, not something passed down from my dad. It came from the neighborhood 5&10 (I think it was a Woolworth store) and I think it cost something like 15 or 25¢. It would be like one of those $1-2 2Ds that you find in various stores these days.

That was over 50 years ago; the store, the light, and dad, are all gone now.


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## Cydonia

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/8502/du000077sz.jpg
> 
> I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.



*Duracell Durabeam* was that what they were called? hmmm... funny what you forget, but I do remember the gold lettering.

I've got a lot of strong flashlight memories...

I had two of those lights back in 1988! Yeah... that must have been the year... or maybe 87'? I remember the day I wanted the second flashlight, I was about 7 or 8, out shopping with my mother and her friend, and her friend said to me -you have one already- and I felt so embarrassed and dumb. I just wanted another! Even then as a child I wanted multiple of a good toy or item... I did get that second Durabeam though! What happened to them? Something as simple as a bulb burning out probably resulted in one being tossed aside and later thrown by my mother. I had them for a few years I know that. I learned a lot from them, voltages of bulbs, battery polarity and voltages etc., but I remember that squeezing down those two tabs while sliding out the battery holder/reflector gnawed my fingers. It was a sharp plastic interior shell too, the bulb snapped in and out in a memorable way.

*Duracell Durabeam! Thank you!* I had long forgot the name... I remember changing the bulbs in them, sliding out the funny cartridge design of the light, changing batteries. All I had then were these awful Dynacharge rechargeable batteries! After full charge they ran the light pretty bright, I was always happy with it. 

Even earlier by a few years, when I was 5 I can actually remember a red 2AA Eveready with white slide switch on the body. Unscrewed the lens and bulb to replace batteries... that funny smell of the red plastic I can still remember. I used to stand around pretedning to be a street light holding out this light, heh. Or looking down heat registers in the floor, scared of spiders. And I did the same thing with the Duracell Duralight.

Then I remember a 3D with 3inch reflector, also an Eveready, with square red rubber clicky button positioned where a Maglite button would be... all rubber armored. Never has the batteries for it apart from 4 awful Dynacharge D's (nothing more than some puny button cell inside a shell of a D) which hardly lasted a few minutes it seemed. I clearly remember throwing this flashlight into a big black garbage bag because I didn't like it! It would use 3D rechargeable, and the 4th cell left over could not be charged alone, it messed up my MB Robotics construction kit!

I didn't get a Maglite till 1998, a 4D, I had stayed away from them because they were metal! I deeply regretted tossing that rubber 3D away, when I understood the armor purposes and use. In Autumn 2003 I got the next flashlight, an Inova X5, after doing some reading about it online. I think I did come across CPF but didn't stay around. A few months later I got an X1, then the 24/7, another X1, another X5, then finally a T2. All Inova because the local knife shop in the mall had them. In 2004 I got a Maglite 3D. And 2 weeks ago I got a 3D MagLED drop in finally. I think it's great! Bought 2 more 3D MagLED's and plan on getting 2 more 3D Maglites. That's my chronology of flashlight purchases since 1998. No more are planned for several more years. And it's probably going to be a Mag drop in of some kind.


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## woodrow

A Surefire 6p I believe in 1990 or 91. It was the first light I ever bought that not only had a good spot, but good sidespill as well. I do not want to think about how many $11.00 2X123 packs I put into it.

I also loved it because nobody else that I knew had one or could believe how bright it was or how much it cost to feed it.


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## ScooterBug

it would have too be the 5 cell (D) Kel lite from around 1969 that was issued too me by the Sheriff's Office. i was in heaven when i got my 1st aa mini-mag.:twothumbs


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## UWAK

An Inova X5T brought me into this madness. It's all about first love, of course. Cheers!

Frids


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## infection0

8LED Xnova.


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## serious sam

Mag solitaire.... the only most exclusive flashlight my parent able to afford for me... at that time... 10+ yrs ago... i think ...when i am very young. Still using it sometimes to compare with P1D


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## Cribbage

Yeh, Duracell Durabeam. I had at least two of those as a kid. I think I had one through high school.

I always lusted after one of those torches that used the big 6volt battery, you know, the head was attached to a handle.

Had alot of Minimags. If you were ever in the Coast Guard, the Minimag with a red lens was required equipment for watch-standers. I think we even bought our first ones in boot camp.

But, my first love was a Surefire L1. Still have it today. 3 in fact. All old-style.


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## Vickers

A camo MiniMag 2AA that I bought at the uniform store at Sembach Air Base in 1987 or so. 

I still have it and use it (with an LED upgrade). I've carried it so much that the checkering on the body is nice and smooth.


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## jayflash

It was the search to replace my lost in the mid-1990's, first favorite, light that eventually led me to the CPF. The 2C I got in 1985 was shaped light the 2D light in Carbine's photo. Mine was a Stream Light with a thick aluminum, waterproof body, and bright (for its day) halogen lamp. It was much brighter and smaller than the not waterproof 2C M^gs of the 1980's.

Eventually I discovered the SL Scorpion which was mail ordered from MEI and came with two extra Sure Fire cells for which they charged me $13. I visited the SF web site (never heard of Sure Fire) and followed a link to the CPF.


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## KeyGrip

Arc AAA-P, also considered my first "real" flashlight. As a youngster, (ten, eleven?) I had a short love affair with the original Photon, and I used a Mini-Mag and a Petzl Tikka during my adventures as a Scout, but it wasn't until that little Arc that I actually cared for a flashlight. It came at the time where I was just starting to learn about flashlights. It's in my pocket right now, and I don't think it's going anywhere.


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## carbine15

jayflash said:


> It was the search to replace my lost in the mid-1990's, first favorite, light that eventually led me to the CPF. The 2C I got in 1985 was shaped light the 2D light in Carbine's photo. Mine was a Stream Light with a thick aluminum, waterproof body, and bright (for its day) halogen lamp. It was much brighter and smaller than the not waterproof 2C M^gs of the 1980's.
> 
> Eventually I discovered the SL Scorpion which was mail ordered from MEI and came with two extra Sure Fire cells for which they charged me $13. I visited the SF web site (never heard of Sure Fire) and followed a link to the CPF.



SL scorpion was my first "real" flashlight too. I used it daily on my security job. The issued 2D mags they had were sad and pathetic. No-one used them. The only problem I had with the scorpion was the fact that it wasn't waterproof. I spent some time with it and learned that it was intened to be waterproof when designed. There's a shelf in the aluminum body for an o-ring that was never included (becasue of the boot). I put an o-ring in there, and greased up the boot at the head, and screwed it together. It sat for one hour submerged and gathered no water. I love my scorpion. This thread's about first love's though. The one you used as a kid and spent hours staring at.


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## jch79

I honestly didn't know what being attached to a flashlight meant until I got my first McLux III-PD.


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## BentHeadTX

Those slide switch Eveready 2D's with the red bezels are the lights I used as a kid. My dad had a Ni-Cad rechargable block shaped thing that had serious punch back in the 70's. I was not allowed to use it.  

The 80's rolled in and I used the minimag 2AA although it was never impressive to me. Tried a Pelican in the 90's but went back to the minimag once the bulbs blew. 

2001 I noticed the Pelican L1 with white LED!  Went with a Streamlight Batonlite in early 02 and thought it was impressive...until I had to replace the crappy N cell batteries. Then it started to fail so I shelved it when the Luxeon sandwiches came out for the minimag. Nov 2002 was the point were I started to actually love and appreciate flashlights since they did not have to go dim, they gave a white light and the bulbs did not blow. Still have the minimag but it uses a later version of a BB400 Q3L sandwich. My only "shelf queen"


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## drizzle

atm said:


> Same. I remember at school camp in the 70s they were the light to have. Tough, waterproof (and floated), bright, but pretty big and heavy too. Cool light.
> 
> '70s Dolphin
> 
> Still have one of these. I recall the original version was more rounded than this one.


Same for me but I don't remember it being called by that name here. Even back then I wanted really bright with lots of throw. I just needed a big heavy light to get it. I still own one and still find it useful for some things.


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## defblade

I had a Tekna Lite 4 (only mine was all black):






which used 4 AAs in a square and was small enough to slip in a pocket. Once I'd put the uprated bulb in, it out-shone anything else around, and ate a set of 4 new Duracells in under 20 minutes (which got expensive for a teenage Scout). It was also unbreakable (we tried  )

It even floated, beam up, if you dropped it in a river.

Which didn't help when I left it on the roof of the car half way through a rally I was on, never to be seen again 

I'd have one again in a second. In fact, it was the first thing I went looking for in '94ish when I got on the internet. Hunted down theat Rayovac had the rights to the brand, and was (still am!) amazed at sending a message to the USA and getting an answer the very next morning..... even if the answer was "no".

Then I heard about Surefire in '05, leading to a Z3 and then here......


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## Strauss

For me, it was my inova T4 that got me hooked. Once I "saw the light", I got hooked on finding something better......and you all know how that ends up


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## jayhackett03

Blue Mag 2D to put in my 4x4 Toyota. Bought the Mag in '04 at 3am from Wal-Mart. Drove there to buy that, and only that. I bought it to use while i'm offroading at night. It now sleeps in my truck every night, wedged between the driver and passenger seat. Right now it has a MagLED upgrade in it, and the plastic lens is horribly scratched.

I just spent alot of money making it into an eneloop/ROP/MOP. Parts are in the mail, can't wait.


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## DynoMoHum

I'm 40 something... can't say as I ever loved a flashlight, except maybe recently...

I've owned a few flashlights in my days, but never really thought too much about them. A couple weeks ago, my wife had given my 3 year old daughter one of our basic plastic 2D incandescent flash lights... she came in my bedroom on a Saturday morning going 'daddy, daddy, flashlight... flashlight...' So I set out to buy her a flashlight that would take a couple AA cells so I could use easily rechargeable cells... I went and bought a couple inexpensive 2AA incandescent flashlights, one for her, one for me...

I soon realized that this cheap flashlight was not for me... I had been viewing these forums recently trying to find a good AA battery charger, and decided to look into some LED flash lights that might be better for me then what I currently had with the incandescent... What I found was the highly regarded Streamlight Propolymer 4AA Luxeon... So far this is the closest I've ever come to loving a flashlight...

But then I've now got a roaming eye for other flashlights... I see Sam's club is selling two 3AAA LED flashlights for $18... not to mention the 35 watt HID Spotlight... Then while at Costco yesterday, I see two Dorcy 1watt Luxeon Hawkeye flashlights for something like $18... So it seems now whenever I go into a store I'm eying the flashlights...


----------



## jayhackett03

DynoMoHum said:


> I'm 40 something... can't say as I ever loved a flashlight, except maybe recently...
> 
> I've owned a few flashlights in my days, but never really thought too much about them. A couple weeks ago, my wife had given my 3 year old daughter one of our basic plastic 2D incandescent flash lights... she came in my bedroom on a Saturday morning going 'daddy, daddy, flashlight... flashlight...' So I set out to buy her a flashlight that would take a couple AA cells so I could use easily rechargeable cells... I went and bought a couple inexpensive 2AA incandescent flashlights, one for her, one for me...
> 
> I soon realized that this cheap flashlight was not for me... I had been viewing these forums recently trying to find a good AA battery charger, and decided to look into some LED flash lights that might be better for me then what I currently had with the incandescent... What I found was the highly regarded Streamlight Propolymer 4AA Luxeon... So far this is the closest I've ever come to loving a flashlight...
> 
> But then I've now got a roaming eye for other flashlights... I see Sam's club is selling two 3AAA LED flashlights for $18... not to mention the 35 watt HID Spotlight... Then while at Costco yesterday, I see two Dorcy 1watt Luxeon Hawkeye flashlights for something like $18... So it seems now whenever I go into a store I'm eying the flashlights...


 
you may be impressed with storebought lights, but the lights you buy online, like fenixstore, lighthound, brightguy, etc, are way better than anything you can get in a store.


----------



## mdhammack

mine was a 2 AA mini maglite my grandpa gave me when I was about 8 yrs old.....still have it, still works, but stays in the safe most of the time


----------



## iveseenthelight

My first loved light was also a yellow fisher price light with blue bezel. I used to give my parents fits at night as they thought some burglar was wondering around the house and it was just me walking around in awe of the light. As I grew up I always loved flashlights but never imagined there was a market of lights such as surefire and others. Then one day I was looking in an outdoor magazine at the doctor's office and it had a Surefire ad in it. :rock: I thought I was going to explode! I wanted one so bad! I still don't have a SF but I intend on changing that very soon....


----------



## carbine15

iveseenthelight said:


> My first loved light was also a yellow fisher price light with blue bezel. I used to give my parents fits at night as they thought some burglar was wondering around the house and it was just me walking around in awe of the light. As I grew up I always loved flashlights but never imagined there was a market of lights such as surefire and others. Then one day I was looking in an outdoor magazine at the doctor's office and it had a Surefire ad in it. :rock: I thought I was going to explode! I wanted one so bad! I still don't have a SF but I intend on changing that very soon....



Was this it?


----------



## Niteowl

Another trip down memory lane. They take a lot longer these days and I get lost easily, too many side paths to peek down.

The Radio Shack battery card, simply a reason to go back and go through all the stuff they carried at that time in my life. I did indeed have one of the cheap 5C "search lights" at one time. It was an awesome light for a kid like me. More of a lust thing though. Don't know what became of it. This past summer I was mysteriously drawn to a garage sale out of my planed route. Lo and behold, for the mere sum of fifty cents, I was re-united with a reasonable replacement RS Cheapo 5C. It's obviously of later vintage, but it'll do the trick.






Here it is next to the light that sealed my fate when I realized there were lights out there that were meant to last a lifetime. A 30 yr old Bianchi B-Lite, 4C. That baby never sees the back of the closet. Just popped a 3 cell xenon bulb in to spruce her up a bit. 

The B-Lite would be my first lasting love.


----------



## carbine15

iveseenthelight said:


> My first loved light was also a yellow fisher price light with blue bezel. I used to give my parents fits at night as they thought some burglar was wondering around the house and it was just me walking around in awe of the light.



I still wander around the house with one similar to this one.


----------



## OCEANBEAMER

Well the year was 1969.. I a 20 year old wounded Marine... was on a medical evac flight from danang,south vietnam(at the time) the plane was dark and I asked one of the nurses for a flashlight to read a letter from home..I must be getting older because I remember far more about the flashlight than the nurse....it was a sanyo rec argeable light that was very popular with pilots&stues for many years,,,white with over&under white&red lenses,the chargeing plug folded out of the rear of the light and was very compact.I owned 4 or 5 for years afterward. It was called the sanyo cadnica.


----------



## Sub_Umbra

For those of you who had *Fisher Price* lights as kids-

That's cool. Were your folks flashaholics? I've never heard of a Fisher price light before...I don't think they had them when I was a kid.


----------



## Long John

Niteowl said:


> The B-Lite would be my first lasting love.



Oh yes, that's a Bianchi. Like the one I had, many years ago, only with 4D instead.

Best regards

____
Tom


----------



## carbine15

OCEANBEAMER said:


> Well the year was 1969.. I a 20 year old wounded Marine... was on a medical evac flight from danang,south vietnam(at the time) the plane was dark and I asked one of the nurses for a flashlight to read a letter from home..I must be getting older because I remember far more about the flashlight than the nurse....it was a sanyo rec argeable light that was very popular with pilots&stues for many years,,,white with over&under white&red lenses,the chargeing plug folded out of the rear of the light and was very compact.I owned 4 or 5 for years afterward.





this looks to be a real useful light.


----------



## jumpstat

It was in 1994 when I first started working with construction company. First job was constructing a hydro power plant. Was introduced to the MiniMag 2AA by Austrian Clients. Fell in love with the 4D Maglite and bought one. Still have it with me, still a workhorse and have lots of battle scars. 

Shall post pictures of it later..


----------



## TKC

*I honestly can not remember what flashlight was my first love. *


----------



## Mike 208

My first loved flashlight was also a B-Lite (4-D cell); my father bought that light for me in 1974, when I was a Sheriff's Explorer. Thanks to some very kind people on this site (who directed me to a company that had replacement switches), the light is up and running again.


----------



## Chronos

My first love was a blue plastic, large turbo-head diving flashlight way back in the early 1980s. It was either 3 or 4 x C or D cells. I picked it up from a Longs Drugs store that I worked at. It was the only one we got in stock, and I know it was mispriced (too low) at the time at $29.99. It was the real deal with multiple O-ring gaskets and a magnetic switch. It threw like nothing else back then and had a pretty good runtime too. I used it while swimming at Drake's Bay and Stinson at night, at night time beach parties at Drake's and Stinson, hiking in the hills of Marin County, etc. I had it for many years until a cell ruptured and damaged the reflector. Sigh.


----------



## garbman

My very first one is a Minimaglite in silver. I used it a lot in my job and never let me down. Very sad that i have lost it some years ago.


----------



## Northern Lights

I worked for a wholesaler of Law Enforcement products while in college, late 60's and early 70's and maintained a business relationship after I graduated for years while I worked for "the government". The Kel-lite was a favorite of mine until the Bianchi B-lite came out. It had a faceted reflector. My first experience with beam improvement. They were supplied with clear, red and amber windows too! The windows had three or four concentric circular ribs that apparently had no optical affect, just a trade mark feature I guess. Often my cohorts refered to defensive tactic techniques as "advanced Kel-lite". Some folks got the long 6 D's just for the defensive aspect but the popular size for handling and illlumination was the 4D. I had a 4D B-lite (circa 1974) that saw tactical service. There were not many choices for bright bulbs. Some tried over driving standard PR bulbs. Eventually I had a streamlight, SL-20 and I put SL-35 bulbs in it. Was that my first hot wire mod? When the Mag Charger hit the street, I got one, got it still. That is over 20 years ago. It is featured in a few of my posts. *The Mag Charger must be my favorite.* 
Because of the nature of the wholesaler I associated with I had met and worked with John Bianchi of Bianchi Leather and Neil Perkins of Safariland (Kel-Lite) along with personalities from the firearms industry. I miss the days of shot shows and IACP conventions and getting my hands on the new "toys" first! I spend all my time now, for the last 20 years working exclusively for the "G". You know, some time in late 2005 I wanted a better flashlight, I accidently found CPF, well, you know the rest, happened to all of us.
PS, Thanks for the picture of the B-lite, Niteowl, brings back flashbacks, and I still have one of those Radio Shack grey 5 cells, they were given away free with a clipped coupon from the Radio Shack flyer that would arrive in the mail.


----------



## spanish

carbine15 said:


> What was the first flashlight that made you love flashlights?
> 
> For me it was this 2d Eveready that was waterproof. It was black and had a red button switch on the side. I loved how bright it was. I remember one summer swimming in the lake at night with my buddies and I was starring a big old fish right in the eyes underwater and he took a bite at my nipple! Scared the crap outa me. I yelled "piranha!" My buddies all heard the urgency in my tone as we escaped with our lives. You've never seen four teenage boys run so fast out of the water. My ex wife ended up with this gem in the divorce..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Image from flashlightmuseum.com


 
I owned one like this. I am sure is the same. In black and grey button.

Present me my girlfriend 20 years ago (today my wife). Was my first halogen and broken me a metallic piece between the back spiral and the bulb.

The brand in spain was UCAR.


----------



## zespectre

carbine15 said:


>


 
That's it right there! Wow I thought I was going to have to search out a picture for myself. My grandmother gave me one of these for my very first boyscout campout. I felt weird 'cause everyone else had the old military "L" head lights but it was great after dark because this one was so much brighter.


----------



## JNewell

Here's a quiz for you all. Back in the late 1960s I had a palm-sized, single bulb incandescent that was shaped kind of like a squished oval in cross-section and had a battery pack that I remember unplugging from the head and plugging into a 120v AC outlet to recharge. Does anyone remember a light like that?


----------



## carbine15

JNewell said:


> Here's a quiz for you all. Back in the late 1960s I had a palm-sized, single bulb incandescent that was shaped kind of like a squished oval in cross-section and had a battery pack that I remember unplugging from the head and plugging into a 120v AC outlet to recharge. Does anyone remember a light like that?


Was this it?




YOu guys should check out the flashlightmuseum.com.
I'm getting all the pics from there.


----------



## Gene

This started my addiction way back around 1956. It's a 1955 Eveready 1XAA "little Jim". I loved that thing and I slept with it under my pillow and carried it everywhere. It was about as bright as a match but I loved it because it was so tiny. It cost 50 cents and that was a lot of money back then! That was finding 25 pop bottles to return for the 2 cents deposit on each! 





Photo courtesy of www.flashlightmuseum.com


----------



## carbine15

Surely there are more first loves out there?


----------



## Black Majik

Maglite black 3C. I got it for a camping trip for school in 6th grade. I loved that thing, but lost it recently. It still had the gold strip from when I first printed my name on a label maker, the gold strip is still on the light but my name rubbed off many years ago.

It was a great light...


----------



## qip

carbine15 said:


> Surely there are more first loves out there?



my real favorite is my 3d mag simply cuz its aluminum, before that all we ever had in the house were cheap plastic lights 

look what i found in the back of the junk drawer ,eveready and garrity


----------



## Ruockolt

I saw an ad in a magizine for the surefire L4. This was when it had just come out. I just had to have one. I just got one this past week.


----------



## jlomein

As a kid I had a Fisher Price 4 cell light that I used all the time. Pictured below, it has a rotator switch on the other side that you can use to move red or green filters in front of the bulb.


----------



## Rusty Joe

Mine was the Dorcy 1 watt Metal Gear. It was when I first realized a beam could be projected that was nice and round, unlike mags.


----------



## Burgess

Got this Eveready Cordahide ShopLight 2-D cell flashlight in 1959,
when i was just 6 years old. It has served me well ever since.








Saw it on the drug store shelf, and instantly knew that i wanted it.

Keep in mind that these were not individually packaged (like lights are today), 
but just randomly "stuffed" into a shelf. 

*Most* of 'em were the popular two-tone color schemes.

But this was the only one there which was *All-Blue* !

My favorite color !


Was so proud of myself for actually finding this all-blue one,
but now came the *hard part* . . . .

Convincing my Parents to actually BUY it for me !

And this wasn't one of those "cheapies" for 99 cents . . . .

No, these were Eveready's workhorse Premium flashlights, for $1.49.

And, no, batteries were NOT included ! 

Once i'd explained to them how important this was to me,
my father said he would buy it for me.

_*But, take good care of it, 'cuz this will be the LAST flashlight*_
_*I'm ever gonna' buy for you !*_


Had it for 47 years now. 
It lives on the nightstand table, right next to my bed.

It is *THE* flashlight which i reach for when i'm in bed.








Here are the individual components, broken down for you.

Note -- this is *not* the original reflector or lens. 

About 25 years ago, i came across a discarded Eveready,
which had some similar parts i could salvage.

Decided to perform a minor transplant, since i had pretty-near 
wiped all the shiny silver off the reflector over the years.

This was *my mainstream hand-held flashlight*
for the next 24 years, until i got a Maglite 3-D cell in 1983.

Oh, the stories it could tell !


Yes, i admit that i have perhaps "one or two" *additional* flashlights now.  


But my blue Eveready will always be special.


** * * U P D A T E * * *

Now been SIXTY YEARS ! ! !*

Still going STRONG !

Still using a PR-2 Bulb !
(and I've got plenty of Spares, too)

:twothumbs
_


----------



## dalekcommander

Last year I bought a Blackhawk Falcata 9v. That's what got me started on this whole thing.....


----------



## alanagnostic

My HDS B42 was the first light that I really Loved. I was hesitant to buy it because of the expense (even on sale for about $100), but it was one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Carbine15, I can't believe your wife got your 2D Eveready in your divorce. Did she know how much it meant to you? I can't imagine her taking it except out of spite. I have a 2D Eveready but it never would have occured to my ex-wife to ask for it in the divorce. Now I would fight like hell to keep my HDS's or my McGizmo, but that's another story.


----------



## Niteowl

Burgess said:


> Got this Eveready Cordahide ShopLight 2-D cell flashlight in 1959,
> when i was just 6 years old. It has served me well ever since.



That's outstanding. IIRC, that is the longest I've seen here of someone keeping an originally owned light.

I was a fairly destructive little kid and was never really tought to appreciate my belongings. About the only thing I have from before my teens is a teddybear I got on my first birthday in '63, and I don't know how that survived.


----------



## thelightdude

Gene said:


> This started my addiction way back around 1956. It's a 1955 Eveready 1XAA "little Jim". I loved that thing and I slept with it under my pillow and carried it everywhere. It was about as bright as a match but I loved it because it was so tiny. It cost 50 cents and that was a lot of money back then! That was finding 25 pop bottles to return for the 2 cents deposit on each!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Photo courtesy of www.flashlightmuseum.com



I have one of these with a turquoise color head - it still works!
I must have bought it in the late 50's - early 60's


----------



## Manzerick

Wow the memories!!!


I remember the cheap "crank" lights as a kid with He-Man on it but, my first love was a torch I received at Disney on Ice with mouse ears on the top. I was able to remove the ears and have an ever ready 2 D cell light!

Boy was I excited!!! (maybe 5 yrs old) My Dad still rememebr me sitting uner an end table with all the light blocked out playing whit it. I remember it also!!

Then there was the Coleman 4 AA lantern (just a torch). My first "real" torch.

Ahhh the good ole' days


----------



## MacTech

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.



I had one of those Durabeams as a child too, great little tough light, i wish i still had it, but i lost it ages ago, that said, i found one very similar last week, a Rayovac 2AA "Workhorse" with a very similar side-by-side battery layout and reflector shape;




Nostalgia must have blinded me to how truly *BAD* the beam from one of those "Side-By-Sides" was, it made a Maglite beam look smooth by comparison, artifacts, reflections, hotspots, dark spots, the beam is just plain *bad*, performance with the stock bulb and batteries was laughable

I popped in Lithium AA's and i tried dropping in a Sears PR Lux, a MJLED PR, neither one gave a decent beam quality, the artifacts and dark spots dissapeared, but the beam was just.....*dim*

strangely, a MagNumStar 2 cell bulb and 2 lithium AA's gave it pretty decent performance, at the expense of artifacts and hotspots, so it stays with the MNS bulb

now, if i could jury-rig up a pair of lithium 123a cells and a Streamlight high-pressure bulb in a Bipin-to-PR base adapter, i'll have a real sleeper.....

anyway....

aside from that Durabeam, the first light i really loved would have to be my 6D Mag, the combination of (what i thought at the time) massive power and throw, and the ability to be used as a club made the 6D a real favorite, now, it sits in my "Box O' Lites", outclassed by smaller, brighter, more ergonomic and EDC'able lights, and my MagCharger


----------



## golden_creature

solar 5000-5000 candlepower.anyone out there remember it?gc.


----------



## XtreMe_G

TORCH_BOY said:


> For me it was the Eveready Dolfin that I had when I was a kid



omg, i had one of those as a kid too......specifically this one  link

i thought it was the greatest thing man ever created. it even floated in water.


----------



## Untizio

my first flashlight was a white torch sold by a chinese stall, it was great because you had to shake it to recharge it...my brother broke it... i used it for the first time during my first Scout camp

http://www.officinagalvanica.it/images/Prodotti/Dynamo%20flashlight/Torcia_dynamo.jpg
Torcia_dynamo.jpg


----------



## Untizio

uhm strange...how can i post images....


----------



## FILIPPO

My first flashlight was a black maglite 3D and bought it 5 years ago in American stall in my town. I still have and use it every day. It is my real first love..


----------



## cy

ARC LSH-P .... given to me by my brother. 
that was the light that got me to EDC a light. 

still got the old now beat up LSH-P. it's still one of my favorites. 
Arc AAA was my second light to really like.


----------



## qip

MacTech said:


> I had one of those Durabeams as a child too, great little tough light, i wish i still had it, but i lost it ages ago, that said, i found one very similar last week, a Rayovac 2AA "Workhorse" with a very similar side-by-side battery layout and reflector shape;
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nostalgia must have blinded me to how truly *BAD* the beam from one of those "Side-By-Sides" was, it made a Maglite beam look smooth by comparison, artifacts, reflections, hotspots, dark spots, the beam is just plain *bad*, performance with the stock bulb and batteries was laughable
> 
> I popped in Lithium AA's and i tried dropping in a Sears PR Lux, a MJLED PR, neither one gave a decent beam quality, the artifacts and dark spots dissapeared, but the beam was just.....*dim*
> 
> strangely, a MagNumStar 2 cell bulb and 2 lithium AA's gave it pretty decent performance, at the expense of artifacts and hotspots, so it stays with the MNS bulb
> 
> now, if i could jury-rig up a pair of lithium 123a cells and a Streamlight high-pressure bulb in a Bipin-to-PR base adapter, i'll have a real sleeper.....
> 
> anyway....
> 
> aside from that Durabeam, the first light i really loved would have to be my 6D Mag, the combination of (what i thought at the time) massive power and throw, and the ability to be used as a club made the 6D a real favorite, now, it sits in my "Box O' Lites", outclassed by smaller, brighter, more ergonomic and EDC'able lights, and my MagCharger




i had one of those , it seems lost at the moment but it was a good light ...if they made an aluminum led version of that i would definitely pick one up


----------



## GeorgePaul

jayhackett03 said:


> you may be impressed with storebought lights, but the lights you buy online, like fenixstore, lighthound, brightguy, etc, are way better than anything you can get in a store.


I'm lucky. I can find Streamlight, SureFire and Pelican lights at several nearby brick-and-mortar stores.


----------



## XtreMe_G

Untizio said:


> uhm strange...how can i post images....



that's cause u typed Torcia_dynamo.jpg twice


----------



## Toohotruk

I was given a brand new 2C Eveready "Jr. Commander Spotlight" for my birthday when I was about 12 or so...







Photo courtesy of http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/flashlight_view.cfm?item_number=EV00134


I used that light to read with when I was supposed to be sleeping...I loved it because it was the first brand new flashlight I ever owned. I used to keep it fed with a Radioshack "Battery of the month club" card. Then one day I discovered that the batteries had leaked and ruined it.





I had various crappy plastic (and some thin metal) 2D flashlights and years after that first loved Eveready, I bought a light very similar to the OP's...






Photo courtesy of http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/flashlight_view.cfm?item_number=EV00129

It was a halogen and I remember it being the brightest flashlight I had ever seen at that time.



I used it for about a year, until it took a nasty tumble from the top of a six foot ladder, ending it's short life.





Shortly after that, I discovered MiniMags...then I got a 3D MAG and I never went back to the cheaper plastic lights. 

Now I have countless MMs, a couple with Nite Ize LED kits...a MAG 2D with a MAGLED upgrade...several 3Ds, a couple with MAGLEDs, one with a K2, and one filled with 4Cs and an XPR103 and a couple for parts...a 4D with a halogen bulb...a 6D with a frosted 5D bulb...a couple of 2AA MAGLEDS...several Solitaires...an "Ultrabright LED" shakelight...a "US General" 1W Luxeon...a Dorcy 1AAA LED...an unknown .5W LED 1AA "Keychain" light from www.Advancedmart.com (cool light!)...a River Rock 2AA 1.5W LED (STILL haven't decided if I like that one) and most recently, an *awesome* "hotwired" 2C MAG! 

Then there are the ones I have on the way... http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1370 and a http://kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=1341 and *finally, FINALLY* a Surefire 6P...I can't wait!!!


----------



## YAK-28

when i bought my first uk 4aa, i knew i was in trouble. it just seemed to do the job and was a good size. maybe a little big for a key chain light, but one's been on mine for more than 10 years. it goes on every vacation also.


----------



## Wyeast

Pelican Stealthlite 4AA. My first "performance" (i.e. non Mag or 2D orange glowey tube) flashlight - bought on a lark in college. At the time I thought I must've been nuts for spending $20+ for a _flashlight_. But ******* that thing seemed bright to me, and the laser beam of a hotspot seemed to go forever! Served me for well over a decade (still have it in a drawer ready to rock'n'roll), the envy of my co-workers whenever we had to go spelunking into an attic or dark basement...

... except the _one_ time an architect showed up with a Surefire w/ a Turbo Head. :hahaha:


----------



## Art Vandelay

1st loved light a 6V lantern, possibly a Rayovac.
1st loved flashlight Inova X5


----------



## jimjones3630

The first time I was awed by a flashlight was a SF p6.


----------



## cbubu

My first love ... I was 10 ... a waterproof Leclanché (3D) :






I still use it !


----------



## Alteran

XtreMe_G said:


> omg, i had one of those as a kid too......specifically this one link
> 
> i thought it was the greatest thing man ever created. it even floated in water.


 
Hey! I have one of those in my basement! Except it's yellow, and on the top, in front of the big rubber thing, it says "Sport Gear tm".


----------



## frogs3

Eveready Big Jim -- 5 D cells, red plastic molding around the metal tail and bezel, push-button--slide switch. It still sits in my closet to find things when I don't want to wake up my wife. It is just shy of 50 years young, in perfect condition, and I just relubed the threads with lithium grease to keep it smooth. No battery damage, and as a kid, about 1959, this was quite a potent light for that time. Only the Ray-O-Vac Sportsman with its sealed beam could do much better. I bought one of those a few years later, but the Big Jim was a birthday gift from my Parents, and I still take care of it with affection for them.

BTW, next to my bed is a 25 year old Eveready 2 D cell (now K-2 halogen bulb) in orange like the picture in carbine15's first post, for middle of the night walks between the bathroom doorframes to avoid broken toes (did it twice before using the light).

Sad to say, I grew up, and don't love "things" now. 

"All we are is dust in the wind", Kansas

HAK


----------



## SilverFox

Looking through the lights at www.flashlightmuseum.com I was unable to find the pen light that got me interested in flashlights. The switch broke because of constant use and I ended up tossing it away. 

I did find this...






I have, and still use, a red one. My dad gave it to me when I was little. I have been using it every since. I see it is circa 1946. Wow, that's old.

It has had several batteries leak in it and is a little corroded inside, but it still works. The outside is scratched up, but I still have fond memories of using it for Morse Code signaling while on Boy Scout camping trips.

Tom


----------



## Fizz753

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.



I have one that looks just like that! Other than it being a 2AA light not a 9v. The lens is scratched and the case is all beat up but it still works. Hmm its around here some where.

Edit: Found it


----------



## DaFABRICATA

I think almost everyone had one of those Duracell Durabeams!!
I never was really atteched to any of my many Maglites, but always likes the option of having one close at hand. Until I bought an L5. My first expensive flashlight. Without ever handling or seeing any Surefires in person, I have to admit that I love this light. Since it's purchase I have aquired a nice selection of surefires but this is still my favorite....even more so with a very useful 2 stage tailcap with low mode..just about perfect.


----------



## Pher

Five years ago when I was five years old I had a little green Garrity life light. I still have it but it quit for some reason.


----------



## Oddjob

When I was a kid my dad had an chrome looking 2 D light with a switch and a black momentary button. I used to use it camping pretending it was a lightsabre in the smoke of the fire. Ah memories...


----------



## SoundMix

Mini-mag,,,,,


----------



## frosty

Brody said:


> My first loved light was an old Star Wars plastic light saber right after the original Star Wars first came out. You could also use it as a flashlight by taking off the extendable plastic cones.


 
I'd forgotten all about this one. Got a red one for xmas one year. The plastic tube that represented the light sabre part didn't last all that long, but the torch that powered it was fun.


----------



## Gator762

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.



Wow! Thanks for that pic. Those were great lights for the time. I remember liking that light a lot at scout camp.

Next one I really liked was my 5D Maglite. It was bright, and it's intimidating presence has helped me on a number of occaisions. Wish I still had it. But afterward I kicked myself for being too cheap to get the 6 cell. 5 cells was too odd buying batteries then.


----------



## carbine15

It's time I think to revive this thread because one or two of you out there hasn't told us about their first loved light. Tell us your story.


----------



## Bravo25

Mine would have been the old Everyready red plastic body, with the white plastic bezel, and the slide switch. It would have happenned at a boy scout camp, around a campfire. I remember thinking that how nice it was around that big campfire, all the light, and warmth, but just a few feet from there, and things *Really *got dark quick, and it was the only light available.


----------



## zk188

Me it was an old SF 6P that my dad had given me i was amazed that it was so bright.


----------



## 3rd_shift

For me, it would be this one I got in 1974.





It still works.


----------



## chiphead

Late 80s' 3 "D" Maglite.

Chiphead


----------



## depusm12

My first real light was a Pelican SaberLite 3C I got at a sporting goods store in SF when I was active duty Navy. It got washed over the side in a storm one night. I soon replaced it with a SF 6P. The guys I worked with though I was nuts paying that much for a flashlight (early 90's). Course the guys I work with now think I'm nuts for paying the kinda money I do for flashlights .


----------



## Gatsby

I had a few of the metal everready lights, but the one that really got me hooked was an army surplus angle head light (my cousin had one and it was super cool, so I had to have one too...) with the filters in the bottom.

I have no idea what happened to that light - but I used it pretty regularly until somewhere in high school when I got a mini maglite which, at the time, seemed pretty ground breaking, and up until I discovered this joint I would have listed a Mag on my "items of quality I'm very satisfied with" (which would also include SAKs, etc...).


----------



## uh1c

Loved? SF 6P...wow I was impressed! (I still have it and still love it!)
Relied upon for lonely patrols: Bianchi B-light (still have it, it still works but it sits in retirement in the garage.)


----------



## Dr.K

I had a great aunt that always got us children flashlights for christmas. After finding this thread, I decided I would find the oldest one that I remembered.

It was 1983, and this is it.

I found it on the first website that I checked! It's a garrity. The one I had was a turquoise color, and had no ribs on the side. 

Again, it was the 1983 model that I had.

On the side,...one night i woke up and saw an "eye" on my dresser. I screamed bloody murder, my dad ran in turned on the lights asking, "what?"
I saw that the "eye" was the button on this flashlight. this was when I found out that some stuff, glowed in the dark.

I used my younger brothers flashlight to charge the button on mine.


----------



## f22shift

definitely my mini mag 2aa.

i still have one of those duracell durabeam in good condition in my parents basement.
i recognize surprisingly alot of flashlights on here. good stuff


----------



## NA8

+1 1960s Boy Scout angle head. Actually worked. 

+1 Maglite 80s 4D (fat tube). Worked REAL well. 

Currently: 4C maglite with Malkoff dropin. Evolution.


----------



## selfbuilt

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.


Can't believe you found that pic - that was exactly the light I was thinking of!

It took 2AAs, and was available in 1984 here in Canada. I used to carry it around in my school bag. Came in very handy when I was crawling through ceilings working on some of the school's wiring for its electronic bell system (I was a computer/science geek, and did odd jobs for the science dept). 

I lost it years ago, only to rediscover it earlier this year in my parent's kitchen drawer! Seems I wasn't the only one who liked it :laughing:. I still have my 2-D cell Durabeam from the same time period (with LED upgrade) sitting under one of the bathroom sinks in my house. I've been meaning to bring over one of my remaining SMJLED PR-base replacements for that 2AA model in my parent's place ...


----------



## Drawbar

My first light was an Adlake C-30 railway lantern. I spent all summer nights with my friends playing hide-and-go-seek with this light...batteries were free as I come from a railroad family.

We used to use the lights when our dads slept and we`re waiting to go to work.

I`m an engineer with cn now and so have a full collection of the lamps we have used on the railway right back to the coal oil ones.

BTW...the Adlake C30 made in N.Y. still works as do all the others.. the d30...Starlite models....etc... Given some kind of disater....I would carry The old Adlake or Starlite before anything else.


----------



## Gerhard

A blue Mini Maglite :rock:


----------



## Gaffle

4D Mag. I took that heavy SOB on many fishing trips.


----------



## Fallingwater

carbine15 said:


> My ex wife ended up with this gem in the divorce


Huh? :thinking:

Mine would have to be the first LED flashlight I ever bought. It was a dim rubbery light running from 3 AAs powering three dim bluish-white emitters. It paled into insignificance when compared to pretty much anything else, but it ran from the three stock carbon-zinc AAs for almost a year of indoor use...
I wish I could post a picture, but it wasn't a famous model and I never bothered to take pictures of the thing.

I'm now thinking of modding it with 20000mcd emitters and less restrictive resistors, but first I'll have to get rid of all the battery residue inside...


----------



## iapyx

Something like this was one of my first lights. The image here is a newer version of it. 
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z184/iapyx_cpf/DSC00510.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z184/iapyx_cpf/DSC00511.jpg?t=1193600883

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z184/iapyx_cpf/DSC00512.jpg?t=1193600901

And I had one other flashlight I used to be very proud of as a young boy. Unfortunately I cannot find an image of it anywhere. It carried 4 D-cell batteries (placed two left and two right) Was all plastic, orange and a white top. The top had to be unscrewed in order to put in the batteries. Two rubber switches. One for the flashlight to turn on and one for a light that would blink on and off in the upper orange part as a sort of safety-light. Size about 25 x 10 cm.


----------



## Echo63

my first flashlight was one of these




(photo by flashlightmuseum.com)
then when i joined scouts i got a silver minimag, i still have it although its got a niteize luxeon dropin and Iq tailswitch now

the first light i really loved was my Surefire L4 running on Pilas
i had a 6p, but the 123s too run it were a little expensive, so i got an L4 with Pilas as and edc light, large quantity of guilt free lumens - i fell in love, i still have it on my bedside table, and its got a U2 keeping it company


----------



## pfccypret

My first love was this guy:







I got it in like 1986 (my third birthday or so). Cool little light, not much on brightness, but it was neat because if you turned a handle on side (opposite, not pictured here), you could switch between white, red and blue (I think, might have been green) lights. My mom used to steal it from me. She was in the Army growing up and she would take it into the field. A child's toy? It held up much better then the Army angle lights and the changing of the color with a turn of the switch was handy.

I believe there was also a third button, under the handle that allowed for momentary. Hold it down, it kills the light, release and the light is back on. 

Anyways, I had it for probably 5 or 6 years with no problems. Then it kind of got forgotten. Not sure where it is now, probably got handed down to a cousin or trashed at some point. I wish I still had it...neat light that I would like to have in my collection. This have an updated model...but still not the same.


----------



## junkfms

I have to say it was MiniMag for sure. I remember my dad showed it off by beaming up to 11th floor condominium building from the ground. It was a hell of an impressive flashlight for a 10 year old boy. I fell in love with that tool since.


----------



## MetalZone

TORCH_BOY said:


> For me it was the Eveready Dolfin that I had when I was a kid



Same here. A red Eveready Dolphin with that huge battery (4.5V?).
It still works and resides in my car. Back then, it represented what was the best economical light to me, maglites aside.

I can't really remember what was my first flashlight. I think it was a vintage stainless steel like 2D or 2C cell flashlight that I got from my grandparents. I found that light fun too. It had both(seperate) a momentary on button and a constant on switch. I still wonder where is it now.


----------



## ExZeRoEx

Mine was an Element I got from my dad, which prompted me to come to CPF and get my first Fenixes (P1 and L2T).


----------



## function

First love was a MiniMag in red. Bought it in the early 90s when a was 13 years old.


----------



## MikeLip

Has to be my TruGrit. I bought it when I first joined the fire department back in the 70s. I still have it and it still works. I bought a bunch of extension tubes for it so it can be anything from a 2D to 6D cell light. I keep it in 3D configuration. It's beat to heck, butt ugly after years of very hard service, and dim compared to any of my modern lights. But it has more metal in it than any dozen Surefires, is very well thought out, and is likely to outlive me.

I'll probably put a LED dropin in it one day.


----------



## Majidoc

Original 6P when it first came on the market. I bought one for myself, my wife and a few friends. They are all still working like new.


----------



## pfccypret

Pfft, no one else has any love for the Play Skool? You guys must have had boring childhoods :mecry:


----------



## FrogmanM

Ya I had one of those playschool flashlights, mostly would bite on the handle and edges! (or so I'm told) but it was a 2C Maglite that got me into lights, it was the "cop light" now its the standard at which I buy lights. (is this little SF brighter than a Mag? yup good enough)


Mayo


----------



## copperfox

I don't remember much about my first childhood flashlight, but I remember it was mostly yellow and maybe had some red and blue. I don't think it's the playschool model in this thread because I think it had a rubberized coating. This was probably between the years 1987 and 1993.


----------



## greenstuffs

3D Mag was my first serious flashlight.


----------



## chewy78

mine was a 6d mag a while back but i think it got stolen.


----------



## chewy78

3rd_shift said:


> For me, it would be this one I got in 1974.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It still works.


 I use d to have one like that when i was a kid, but it probably got thrown out


----------



## nzgunnie

For me it was a 4D maglite, back in about 1992. Unfortunately it was left in my car for a while, and the batteries corroded. Try as I might I could not get the tail cap off.

After that it would have to be the first SF light I ever owned, the 9P. It's still the light I most often use.


----------



## jrmcferren

Not my first loved light, but my oldest light. Sorry for the top down view, but it was the only pic I could get without getting anything else in the background.


----------



## Bullzeyebill

First loved was Maglight rechargeable. Was stolen after I had it about a year. I set up a charger in my 1980 Plymouth Arrow pickup and wondered why my Mag battery was always discharged. DUH! 

Bill


----------



## kramer5150

Niteowl said:


> The Radio Shack battery card, simply a reason to go back and go through all the stuff they carried at that time in my life. I did indeed have one of the cheap 5C "search lights" at one time. It was an awesome light for a kid like me. More of a lust thing though. Don't know what became of it. This past summer I was mysteriously drawn to a garage sale out of my planed route. Lo and behold, for the mere sum of fifty cents, I was re-united with a reasonable replacement RS Cheapo 5C. It's obviously of later vintage, but it'll do the trick.



YES!!! THATS IT!!

I remember having a BIG gray plastic flashlight just like that one (as far as I can remember).

I was a hard core Rat Shack battery club member. Every month, My grandfather and I would bring our cards and walk out with a D and a 9-Volt battery. I'd get a D cell for the flashlight and he would get the 9V so my brother and I could play hand held video games. After a few months I had a working flashlight! Not too shabby for a 6 year old with no job, no money.

My grandfather owned a TV/stereo repair shop in Sacramento. His garage was a warehouse STOCK-FULL of old tubes, tube testors, workbenches and gadgets-galore. I used to go in there and collect speaker magnets. I still have 3 cases of his old NOS tubes.:thumbsup: He bought me my first FM radio, tape recorder, CB radio, wrist-watch, walkie talkies, RC car, the fore-mentioned radio shack flashlight and countless other little things I forget. I seriously owe a lot of my gadget-fettish to him.:thumbsup: He also new Morse code and was certified for HAM radio operation.


----------



## flashfan

I've liked flashlights and portable lighting devices for most of my life, but the first light that I really "loved," was the Underwater Kinetics 4AA, which was EDC. It has long since been supplanted by other flashlights, but will always be remembered fondly.


----------



## stitch_paradox

Mine are Maglites 3D and minimag, back then when I was till unenlightend. I still love the Mag factor but amped up a bit, with mods and drop ins.


----------



## joker1911

wow...i didnt realize how far back my fascination went until I checked out this thread...i had completely forgotten that I had one of these playschool lights when i was a kid, and i loved that thing;






and my dad had one of these in his car when i was a kid...






i bought one of these at radio shack when i was a kid:






then i thought that this would be the best flashlite I would ever own:






it was actually the x-files that got me researching tactical lights, moulder and scully always had the best flashlitghts:






before long, I had a SF 8NX...then this:


----------



## srvctec

Gatsby said:


> I had a few of the metal everready lights, but the one that really got me hooked was an army surplus angle head light (my cousin had one and it was super cool, so I had to have one too...) with the filters in the bottom.
> 
> I have no idea what happened to that light - but I used it pretty regularly until somewhere in high school when I got a mini maglite which, at the time, seemed pretty ground breaking, and up until I discovered this joint I would have listed a Mag on my "items of quality I'm very satisfied with" (which would also include SAKs, etc...).



This is the one that did it for me too (you saved me from looking for a photo of this light). I got my angle head light when I was in Cub Scouts in the mid 70s. We used to go camping all the time and this was the coolest light to use in the tent and around the campsite, especially for a little kid. 

This thread has brought back lots of memories. I haven't seen some of these lights for years. I've owned most of the ones pictured here over the years and forgotten about lots of them until seeing them here.


----------



## SaVaGe

mine would be my DORCY 3 watts from Sears.............memories...my first love


----------



## Rico801

My first loved flashlight was my (Laser Products) Surefire 6P. I bought it about 9 years ago. Still have it and it is as good as new. Our time together is almost coming to end though. It is time for me to upgrade and move on to newer technology.


----------



## Data

carbine15 said:


> this looks to be a real useful light.



I had one of these as a young boy. It was my first cherished flashlight. :twothumbs


Cheers
Dave


----------



## tvodrd

Believe it or not:




Notice the well-chewed double layer of shrink tubing.  It was superceded by a Bucklight 4AA that I painted the sided of the bezel black to reduce the glare. (Blew all my bud's Mag AAs in the weeds!) My first SF was '87-'88, and I've stayed fairly bleeding-edge since.

Larry


----------



## m16a

I got my first decent light around age 8. It was a 4AA Craftsman tool light(couldn't find a picture:mecry Still an amazing light, its still my bedside ready light(along with my surefire of course)


----------



## Duodec

Ash Flash "Searchlight Lantern with Semi-Sealed Beam" bought at Von Tobels in Las Vegas some time in the early to mid '70s. It was my camping light and I tormented my family with it, lighting up distant mountainsides (really 100-200 feet away on pitch-black nights), "baiting" fish with the bright light, making the tent look like a brightly lit carnival big-top...

4-D cells spaced around the back. The lens/reflector is one piece, rather like a car headlight with a replaceable element; it threads into the case. The handle is two pieces and can be used as a stand allowing the light to be set down and aimed at a target.

We had it for many years; it was a great light for power failures due to the flood of light it put out; unfortunately it was pretty much destroyed by battery leakage, then turned to chalky brittle junk in the attic over many Las Vegas summers.

I found another recently and just had to buy it. After serious cleaning its working very well with a Nite-Ize LED element; the beam pattern is nonexistent mostly due to the bulb being too short for the reflector, but it floods the room nicely and should run a long time.

The picture is the recently purchased unit, before cleaning.


----------



## WadeF

Great topic! This makes me want to go over to my parent's place and try and find all my old flashlights. I remember the Duracell ones, the durabeam, both the cylinder one and the square one. I remember some kind of black flashlight, plastic, maybe a Rayovac, and it advertised a Krypton bulb I think, and it seemed so much brighter than the other flashlights we had at the time. I think I took it to camp. I think it took like 2 or 3 C's, but I'm not sure. I'll have to try and find it and see if it still works,or if I can get it going.

I remember my first serious flashlight was my old black 3D Mag which I still have. Then when I was probably in my early 20's I got a Surefire E2e, like 10 years ago or more. I was amazed at how bright it was for its size. Then the flashlight that got me hooked on CPF was the Fenix P1D-CE which I discovered sometime last year, probably around the time of my CPF join date. I had heard of and been to CPF long before, but never made an account. 

Also I can't forget the Innova 24/7. I got that as a surprise gift from my parents (My Mom knows I like gadgets, like flashlights). I thought it was the coolest thing, and it's still cool!  

Some of my earliest flashlight memories are of those old Everyready metal bodied flashlights. I remember my grandmother had some big clunky one in her bedroom. I have no idea where it is now, it's probably a collectors item.  I should ask my Mom about it. Trying to remember back to what my parents had when I was really little. I'm thinking it was some kind of silver bodied metal flashlight, with a big black switch that slide back and forth to turn it off and on, and it had two magnetic strips so it could stick to the fridge.


----------



## Steel and Light

Wow!

Sanyo Cadnica, Kel-Lite 2C, Duracell Durabeams, Teknas (RIP), Big Red Everready 6 Volt, Rayovac Workhorse... had em all.

The first one I really remember was some awful cheesy 2D light made in Taiwan made of plastic, circa 1963 - and it was waterproof!

Thanks all for the bringing up some pleasant memories!


----------



## razor7

My first loved light had to be an old Mag-lite that my dad got around 1980 or so. I remember him telling me how this was the best flashlight in the world, and it was this light that sparked my interest in fine illumination tools.

The one that first got me addicted to collecting was my Laser Products/ Surefire 6C, from the mid 80's. I remember how amazed we were with this light, and how this little light just blew everything else away. I still have it somewhere in storage, along with the foam-lined hinged plastic case that came with it. The light has been through a lot, and is a bit beat up, but last time I fired it up, it still worked, with original lamp assy.


----------



## adamlau

Pelican Super SabreLite.


----------



## thunderlight

It turns out that The Flashlight Museum just recently posted the first flashlight that I remember and had when I was growing up:

http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/flashlight_view.cfm?item_number=EV00952

I have not been able to find this model, but I have found the same model with black markings rather than red markings. Since I hadn't found any definitive reference until now, I did not want to post since I thought my memory might be defective. [Not that this establishes that my memory is not defective.]

Versions of this model were produced after the original release, so I don't know if it was this model or one of the later releases of the same model, but I know it looked exactly like this one and it was an Eveready.


----------



## carbine15

thunderlight said:


> It turns out that The Flashlight Museum just recently posted the first flashlight that I remember and had when I was growing up:
> 
> http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/flashlight_view.cfm?item_number=EV00952
> 
> I have not been able to find this model, but I have found the same model with black markings rather than red markings. Since I hadn't found any definitive reference until now, I did not want to post since I thought my memory might be defective. [Not that this establishes that my memory is not defective.]
> 
> Versions of this model were produced after the original release, so I don't know if it was this model or one of the later releases of the same model, but I know it looked exactly like this one and it was an Eveready.



Wow, I found this exact light at an antique store and turned it into my new ROP host. It uses a cast iron reflector with a brass holder. PR bulbs.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1910256&postcount=272


----------



## nosuchagency

bought over a decade ago; still sits behind the passenger seat in my truck.


----------



## geek4christ

My dad and I used to go hiking in New Mexico and we each carried 2xAA minimags. That was the first flashlight that was "mine" and I liked it fine.

What really started my addiction to lights was a post by Jeff Atwood where he mentioned that he has an L0D-CE on his keychain. He linked to QuickBeam's review of that light and I poured through flashlightreviews.com for about a week solid. Then I discovered CPF...and the rest, as they say, is history.

I'm still amazed at how bright the little L0D is on a AAA battery, and the regulation is awesome. It's definitely my first loved flashlight. The only problem is, now I want more! My poor wallet will never forgive me.

Great thread, carbine.


----------



## mwaldron

It took me a long time to find a picture of this on the net! The Flashlight Museum appears to be it's last remaining refuge in memory as it was the only picture I was able to find after I finally remembered the name. 

Then of course after my search I found the same picture linked twice in this very thread!  I should have looked here first! 

I think this light is why I still appreciate the Side-By-Side 2xAA configuration and it's probably responsible for my purchase the very first model Eternalight (and subsequent models since). I don't remember much about it's beam quality, it was probably horrible as mentioned earlier but it captured my imagination at a young age.

On a different note I loaned my SF-A2 to my friend's 2 year old last night, she had a ball for about 20 minutes until she tried to show mommie and blasted her right in the face from about 5"... :twothumbs Maybe she'll find this thread in another 15 years or so...


----------



## nitesky

A 2D Rayovac Roughneck (the gray ones with the hangers). Bought in 1990, still hanging around. Dropped, scratched, and gouged. The thing won't wear out.


----------



## Ritch

It's many years ago, when I was a young soldier. There was only a small range of flashlights. This was my beloved field light, with a red and a green filter and a disguising light flap as you can see. It was hanging in the storeroom till a short while ago. Now I cannot find it any more.


----------



## Toohotruk

Ritch said:


> It's many years ago, when I was a young soldier. There was only a small range of flashlights. This was my beloved field light, with a red and a green filter and a disguising light flap as you can see. It was hanging in the storeroom till a short while ago. Now I cannot find it any more.



Now that's an unusual flashlight! oo: What kind of batteries did it take? Was it bright at all?

Hope you find it.


----------



## craig333

WNG said:


> The ol' big gray Radio Shack plastic 5D flashlight that was given away with a Xmas flyer coupon. I got several for free, along with numerous 'a battery a month' cards to keep feeding it. A Radio Shack was near my Junior high school, so I'd drop by regularly.
> 
> 
> There was no quality to it, but what stood out and left such a childhood impression was that it could throw a beam and it was bright. It was during the NYC blackout that I really got to enjoy that sucker. Imagine being too young to be inconvenienced by the event, out with all your friends running around the neighborhood that's pitch dark except for a few cars. Them with their 2-cell weak incans, and you with a bright plastic blunderbust and pants pockets full of Radio Shack D cells.
> 
> During high school, I had bought my first 3D Mag. Very proud owner back then. Lasted several years until my car was broken into and they stole it.


 
Omg, I'd completely forgotten those. Man, a kid with a battery musta cost em a bit, but then I still shop radio shack. I wonder whatever happened to that flashlight.


----------



## Turbo DV8

kramer5150 said:


> YES!!! THATS IT!!
> 
> I remember having a BIG gray plastic flashlight just like that one (as far as I can remember).
> 
> I was a hard core Rat Shack battery club member. Every month, My grandfather and I would bring our cards and walk out with a D and a 9-Volt battery. I'd get a D cell for the flashlight and he would get the 9V so my brother and I could play hand held video games. After a few months I had a working flashlight! Not too shabby for a 6 year old with no job, no money.


 

I am amazed at how many of these lights I actually owned but had forgotten about! The 1AA Eveready, 5D Radio Shack Grey Missile, the red searchlight box shown above by Duodec, and so many others. The first serious one was a Streamlight SL-20 which I put a 35X bulb into back in the mid-eighties. The switch really sucked... constant cleaning and adjustments. Streamlight even marketed a switch repair kit!

BTW, I think I was responsible as a kid for Radio Shack discontinuing the free battery of the month card! One battery a month just wasn't useful to me, so I would carefully place a piece of scotch tape over the months and erase the pen mark afterwards, and go back in another time. Or, place two pieces of tape over it, and strip the top layer off... instant clean slate! I got away with this for several years, from about 7 years old to 12 years old, until one store clerk saw through the trick. He began to mark the month with a pen, looked closer, looked at me in disgust, and grabbed a hole punch!


----------



## craig333

Wow, so many memories. I've owned most of those at some point. Can't believe how many I'd totally forgotten about. Course I might be dating myself if I mention Arc, tekna, surefire, inova even maglite didnt exist when I was a kid.


----------



## Ritch

Toohotruk said:


> Now that's an unusual flashlight! oo: What kind of batteries did it take? Was it bright at all?
> 
> Hope you find it.


 
It takes/took this kind of batteries:






The light is/was not very bright, I would guess 15 or 20 Lumens.

> richard


----------



## Toohotruk

Good runtime?


----------



## Desertrat

Probably one of those Pelican 2xAA with the nylon lanyard.....used that thing at work all the time.


----------



## jumpstat

Back in them days, probably the Maglite Solitaire. It was so small and cute. I guess the marketing strategy have worked very well for mags till today..


----------



## C4LED

carbine15 said:


> this looks to be a real useful light.



I think you may have found a picture of a different model of this light than the original poster was talking about from the 1960's. The one you posted was from the 1980's. I had one during that decade and it saw a lot of use since it was rechargable--especially since we didn't have long running low power lights back then.

http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/flashlight_view.cfm?item_number=SAN0001


----------



## RWT1405

My first was a SmokeCutter (3D) in 1982, then a MiniMag (2AA) in 1984, followed by a SL-20 in 1985. They were the lights that started me "on the road" if you will.


----------



## alfreddajero

Mine was the Mag Solitaire......had a place on my keychain.


----------



## fresnorich

Super Pelilite Submersible (made by Pelican)

This was probably one of my first professional level flashlights and at the time I thought it was pretty cool. I especially loved that it was submersible. It was a pretty good thrower for its time (a laser-like beam). I wonder if it could be modded into something better today. I looked around and discovered that the drop-ins are still available.

pics showing the Pelican Pelilite next to my TF 2C Cree:






showing the drop-in:


----------



## alfreddajero

Still in great condition i see.......


----------



## afraidofdark

I had a fluorescent lantern/incan spot combo made by LSI in the early 80s, took a six pack of D cells and looked like pretty much like this, except it had an all black case with disco yellow and orange pin-striping :rock:







jrmcferren said:


> Not my first loved light, but my oldest light. Sorry for the top down view, but it was the only pic I could get without getting anything else in the background.



Excellent! We had one like this around the house! It was red also and really dirty and the first light I ever remember using


----------



## incywincyspider

Like many others here, I've had quite a few lights in my younger days, but the one that got me INTO lights was the Underwater Kinetics MiniQ40. It's an incan divelight at 50lumens that pretty much overthrows all the lights the other kids have when we went to camp and stuff... *grin*


----------



## Caligvla

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.



Wow I use to have that light too, I remember having a lot of fun with it as a kid...


----------



## Caligvla

My first loved flashlight was a 5D Radio Shack. There was a coupon in the newspaper for a free flashlight. It was cheap plastic and just a ploy to get you in the store and at the very least get you to buy some batteries. I was about 7 yrs. at the time and it was HUGE and really bright... Lot of good memories with that one!


----------



## Federal LG

My first love was a Maglite 2D! And I still got her, perfectly and look like new!
I bought it right when it was released here in Brasil.

I was a boy scout (in 1991), and I remember how all other boy scouts liked my new flashlight. One of them said "It´s just like we see on american movies, with the cops!".

I remember that it costs about 50 dollars. Very expensive for a flashlight, in that time!

Good memories!


----------



## Burgess

Call me old-fashioned, but . . . .


50 Dollars still IS a lot of money for a Flashlight !



_


----------



## :)>

I never owned one, but I wanted one desperately when I first learned of Surefire... I wanted the 9AN Commander. I mean, come on... 140 lumens and a 2nd lamp that was 20 lumens? I couldn't get over the 9P at 105 lumens at the time.


----------



## Taboot

Mine was a 6D Maglite. I thought it was the brightest light ever even conceived of by man. A battery blew out in it and I destroyed it taking it apart. I still want another one though, even though most of my lights are brighter than it was. 

*(]**[[[[[[[^[[*[[[[[[[*[^[[[[[[{{**[]<*


----------



## Toohotruk

Burgess said:


> Call me old-fashioned, but . . . .
> 
> 
> 50 Dollars still IS a lot of money for a Flashlight !
> 
> 
> 
> _



+1 

Although, I have spent a lot more...I do my best to never add up what I have spent on flashlights in the last year or so. Just adding up the Malkoffs would be scary!


----------



## DrunkenDonut

Wow, brings back memories seeing the old blocky Durabeam. I also remember having some silver flashlights around the house. I asked my dad about them and he still has one. It's a Rayovac 2C light. Not sure of the model, and the switch is broken. "Steady" is on (okay), "Flash" is momentary (okay), and "Off" is on (OOPS!). I remember playing with these and taking them apart all the time. 

Sorry about the lighting, I'm mixing my LEDs and incans.

Glass lens! I don't imagine it was coated, but I recall later seeing flashlights with plastic lenses and thinking "how come these are so cheap, no glass?!"




If I recall correctly, the glass wasn't exactly finished smoothly along the edges.











We should have some larger ones that take D cells but I'm not sure where they are at the moment.


----------



## nbp

Probably the Browning 2AA submersible. I got that one maybe 8-10 years ago, and it was the best light I had for a while. That and a minimag. I do still have it, and I'm only 20, so its not very retro. Although I do remember playing with one of those square Duracell Durabeams at grandma's house when I was real little.....maybe THATS where it all started.  The closest thing I can find to that Browning in production today if youre interested to see it is the Pelican MityLite 1900, which is actually very similar. 

http://www.pelican.com/lights_detail.php?recordID=1900


----------



## Burgess

Keep in mind . . . .


Pelican actually *makes* (or _made_) those lights for Browning.



Not surprising they are similar.

_


----------



## nbp

Huh! The learnin' never stops here on CPF! Thanks burgess for that tip. I did not know that. Well, then I recommend it as a good light for splashing around with. Probably the newest model is much better than the one I have, although they have preserved the HI-VIS greenieyellow color, which I have and happen to really like.


----------



## Caligvla

carbine15 said:


> this looks to be a real useful light.



This looks like the Tasco Little Looker, I got it in the early 1980s, it has a 30x microscope and an incandescent light, it had an internal blue filter so the bulb light would look closer to natural light while viewing through the microscope... but you could use just as a flashlight too. I kept it all these years it still is a very cool product...


----------



## srvctec

Caligvla said:


> This looks like the Tasco Little Looker, I got it in the early 1980s, it has a 30x microscope and an incandescent light, it had an internal blue filter so the bulb light would look closer to natural light while viewing through the microscope... but you could use just as a flashlight too. I kept it all these years it still is a very cool product...




That's exactly what I thought when I saw that photo- I have the same 30x as well as the 100x version and they both look real similar to the one quoted in your post. I still use both of mine on occasion.


----------



## Caligvla

srvctec said:


> That's exactly what I thought when I saw that photo- I have the same 30x as well as the 100x version and they both look real similar to the one quoted in your post. I still use both of mine on occasion.



It's a great tool all the way around... I like to look at currency with em too... I didn't know they made a 100x post a pic please... When did you get yours?


----------



## srvctec

Caligvla said:


> It's a great tool all the way around... I like to look at currency with em too... I didn't know they made a 100x post a pic please... When did you get yours?



I don't have a pic at the moment, but it looks nearly identical to the 30x model. It's actually a Micronta from Radio Shack made in Hong Kong as well. I'm guessing they are made by the same company. I just checked Radio Shack's site and they don't have it anymore. I got it years ago, so that's no surprise. They did have a 60x - 100x model though and it looks quite handy. I may get one since it has adjustable magnification.


----------



## Caligvla

srvctec said:


> I don't have a pic at the moment, but it looks nearly identical to the 30x model. It's actually a Micronta from Radio Shack made in Hong Kong as well. I'm guessing they are made by the same company. I just checked Radio Shack's site and they don't have it anymore. I got it years ago, so that's no surprise. They did have a 60x - 100x model though and it looks quite handy. I may get one since it has adjustable magnification.



for under $11, I ordered what the hell, if it sucks I can give it as a gift to my little nephew I am sure he will love it... Thanks for the link!!!


----------



## The_LED_Museum

For me, it was almost certainly the Eveready Big Jim lantern.







It has a sealed beam main lamp and a bimetal flashing red taillight.


----------



## srvctec

The_LED_Museum said:


> For me, it was almost certainly the Eveready Big Jim lantern.
> 
> It has a sealed beam main lamp and a bimetal flashing red taillight.



I completely forgot about those! That is one of the first flashlights I remember using as a young kid- my dad had one and it was the holy grail of flashlights as far as I was concerned at the time.


----------



## quatra2008

first real flashlight was a p1d ce which i have since modified and made an aspherical.


----------



## Juggernaut

The_LED_Museum said:


> For me, it was almost certainly the Eveready Big Jim lantern.
> 
> It has a sealed beam main lamp and a bimetal flashing red taillight.


 
That’s because these are still good flashlights even today:twothumbs! You can still get brand new ones from Bigbeam. To bad the good “alkaline” batteries cost $20:thinking:, but they do last 4 days continuously.


----------



## Toohotruk

quatra2008 said:


> first real flashlight was a p1d ce which i have since modified and made an aspherical.



I'd like to see a pic of that...with a beamshot as well, of course!


----------



## Alan_P

For me it was the Arc LS. I like haveing a bright light which is small enough to carry im my pocket.


----------



## kaimaikid

karlthev said:


> A three-color 2D battery light


 
Yup I remember being given one of those for Christmas when I was a young fellah, I thought I was the bees knees with it - I think it was used as a railways torch to signal trains when shunting - thank god technology has improved since then...


----------



## Chrome

My first flashlight I really appreciated was a 2AA Maglight. However, it wasn't until I put in a LED conversion that it really came with me everywhere. 

Later,
Chrome...


----------



## datiLED

My first loved flashlight was a metal anglehead Boy Scout flashlight that ran on two D cells. Unfortunately, at some point I got rid of it along with my outdated camping gear. 

I found a similar light on e-Bay a while ago, and want to turn it into an LED light that will run on alkalines. I still wish that I had my original version, though.


----------



## NightFlyer

The first one I really liked was the Eveready waterproof one. Mine was dark gray and had yellow rubber rings and a yellow pushbutton. Cool light. 

I also remember the 2xAA Durabeam light. I had two of them and really liked them. No clue where they disappeared to, it's been years since I've seen them.


----------



## american lockpicker

My first loved flashlight was a Black AA Minimaglite with a Dupont(not Nascar)logo. I was in 1st or 2nd grade when I discovered it in my parents room. I can remember taking it to school and showing one of my friends(it was high tech at the time where I lived) and also the first time I took it apart I lost the bulb(later I discovered a new bulb in the tail cap...)


----------



## hyperloop

carbine15 said:


> What was the first flashlight that made you love flashlights?
> 
> For me it was this 2d Eveready that was waterproof. It was black and had a red button switch on the side. I loved how bright it was. I remember one summer swimming in the lake at night with my buddies and I was starring a big old fish right in the eyes underwater and he took a bite at my nipple! Scared the crap outa me. I yelled "piranha!" My buddies all heard the urgency in my tone as we escaped with our lives. You've never seen four teenage boys run so fast out of the water. My ex wife ended up with this gem in the divorce..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Image from flashlightmuseum.com


 
+1 on this one, i remember it well, i had it when i was a young'un in the 70s and i remember playing with this one underwater. After that was a succession of weird cheapo lights (as Maglites were out of my reach then) till i got my 1st minimag in 1989 or so, that served me very well.

But the 1st LED light i got was a 9-LED showerhead which died, so i lego-ed it with some other 9 LED showerheads that i had running around and that served me pretty well too.


----------



## fivebyfive

Yea, yea I know everyone has a bad taste in their mouth for mag-lites. But, I gotta be honest. The first flashlight that started it all for me was the 3 cell D-size mag-lite.


----------



## cerberuss

I don't know if you can call it a first "flashlight", but when I was about 7 I remember buying spare bulbs and wiring them to batteries.. all held together by thick wads of tape ofcourse. Sometimes I'd get fancy and put in a toggle switch. 

When I was twelve I remember getting a 2x AA cell "Hurricane torch" with a dimpled reflector, rubberized grip and "krypton" bulb... that was AMAZING at the time. After that came a 3x D Cell Hurricane that threw like I couldn't believe... till it fell and the plastic housing cracked.... :mecry:


ah.. good times


----------



## KD5XB

Been thinking about this thread for a while, and I finally thought I would post this. My first flashlight was blue and yellow, kind of square, and had a Cub Scouts logo on it -- it looked like this one except for the color and logo. Must have been around 1961 or so.


----------



## glockbob

When I was little I called them flightlashes. It didn't matter what the name brand I loved them all. Didn't get my first real flashlight until about 7 years ago, SF G2. 

I remember those old Garrity flashlights, the ones that always showed firefighters attaching them to their helmets.

We used to have a silver body 2 D-cell flashlight that had an odd switch on it, maybe a rayovac?


----------



## Khabbi

Long time lerker, first time poster!! 

My Dad always had the cool cigarette lighter spotlights when I was a kid, and they were really a lot of fun to play with, but I never owned one... 

First flashlight to get me hooked was a rechargable Maglite 3D cell size, bought by my father as a gift in the mid 90's. 

Shortly l got into Surefires, and WOW, I was hooked! I bought 3 of them within a week, starting with a D2 Defender, M2, then of course a C3 for the extra power. 

I then bought an A2 Aviator with blue LED's, which do this day I love the peformance and build quality of this light. 

I just ordered an E2D LED Defender and a E1B Backup for a blackfriday christmas gift to myself!! I can't wait to get them, should have them by next week. 

I am stoked about the new Optimus and Invictus, I can't wait for them to hit the shelves... If they ever do!!


----------



## diff_lock2

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.



I think I still might have one. It takes 2xAA.


----------



## CRESCENDOPOWER

I am not a lifetime flashlight lover, but the first light that I have personally owned that blew me away was the Gerber Infinity Ultra.


----------



## Zatoichi

A black Mini Maglite.


----------



## SaturnNyne

CRESCENDOPOWER said:


> I am not a lifetime flashlight lover, but the first light that I have personally owned that blew me away was the Gerber Infinity Ultra.


That was my first really significant flashlight too. It was so small, so efficient, so well made; it really introduced me to how useful a flashlight could be. When I show it to another flashaholic, I still like to introduce it as "the greatest flashlight ever." Mine's hanging above my head right now.


----------



## cue

Mine started with this flashlight. Before I got this one, all lights were the same.




http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/flashlights/EV00275.jpg


----------



## SaturnNyne

Hi, cue! :welcome:Interesting looking light, does the middle section light up as a lantern?


----------



## srvctec

cue said:


> Mine started with this flashlight. Before I got this one, all lights were the same.



:welcome: I have one of those! It's a pretty nice little light. It collapses down with the middle section hidden and makes a normal flashlight. When you expand it, the reflector assembly is pulled out past the bulb, which is then in the middle making a lantern. The beam is a real tight spot when used as a flashlight.
*
*edit: *WOW!! I just noticed that this is my one thousandth post!! WOW!!*


----------



## brighterisbetter

carbine15 said:


> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988.


+1, this was probably the earliest one that did it. But more recently, probably the Brinkmann Legend.


----------



## seale_navy

for me im a not too sure how i get fond by flashlights...

well.. if i cant recalled it was an eveready 2AA, but at that time i know i just like flashlight for no reason..


----------



## lightplay22

Black Mini Mag light. The quality feel of the threads as you turned it on and focused it and the high power output for its size were simply amazing. (It was a looong time ago). I still have it and it still works and its in my daughters car glove box with lithium AA's. Lots of silver showing through the black. Then I bought an e1e.............


----------



## rala

I have always had a fascination with flashlights as far back as I can remember (mid 70's). Then I was always trying to find something brighter. But the light that made me realize I was sick and brought me to CPF was the Brinkmann Legend LX ( in brighterisbetter's post #229). Still have it, although its been modded with a green luxeon now.


----------



## radar696

The first light I remember as being mine was an old metal one that took a 6 volt lantern battery. It was yellow and gray with a little chrome too. It had a swivel head on two metal brackets. I'm pretty sure that it came from my Grandfather.

I remember being able to stand it up anywhere and aim the light but it had a flaw. It was rusting and at the time I tried everything I knew (I was maybe 10) to keep it from rusting away but I lost.

I don't even remember the brand name. I just always wished I still had it for sentimental reasons.

Then I finally ended up getting a 5 cell Mag from a guy I was working with. It had a Pachmar grip too. I lost it a few years later when our vehicle was stolen.

Radar


----------



## LED Flashlights.

carbine15 said:


> My ex wife ended up with this gem in the divorce..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Image from flashlightmuseum.com



No way, a court actually decided on a cheap flashlight in a divorce case?


----------



## carbine15

She needed a good light if she was leaving me! I let her have it. Now I'm having second thoughts.


----------



## Bruce B

Mine was the Surefire E2D incandescent. It was my very first Surefire light. Unfortunately it was stolen back in 2006. Man I loved that light. I carried it religiously wherever I went.


----------



## [email protected]

The first torch (flashlight) I got really excited about was one of those 2 x AA rubberized two tone Evereadys, mine was green/black and it's still working fine! previous to that we had been given hand held generator torches (no batteries) 

Back when I got this it used to blow away my friends 2 x AA Minimag with it's Oh-so-powerful 2.4v Krypton bulb and Alkaline batteries :thumbsup:






Sshhhh... don't tell the camera aficionados I used my camera phone again!


----------



## rooster.5

Had a few lights before,but my first LOVED flashlight was a small shiny silver penlight made by eveready or ray o vac. I think it was called a Captains pen light. Not very bright by todays standards,but I sure do miss that old light.


----------



## dudemar

Mag Solitaire and Mini Mag. I loved those lights!:twothumbs


----------



## Howecollc

This BMG lantern was definitely the farthest throwing flashlight I or any of the other kids (or adults, for that matter) in my neighborhood had seen in 1979. The thing seemed like an airport beacon to us; and actually did far out-throw my grandfather's Big Beam sealed lantern (I'm assuming due to the size and quality of the reflector). I recall 6 volt batteries costing around $3.00 each at K-mart back then; so I used it sparingly, pulling out the lowly Eveready 2D lights for common tasks, and saving the "Forcelite" for the times I had an audience to marvel with me at the sheer power of the beast. Of course the switch went out after a couple of years, so I put it on a shelf, made do with lesser lights, and honestly never owned anything that matched it's output until I got my first MagCharger about 12 years ago.


----------



## 154CM

A black AA maglight purchased along time ago. I wish I still had it. :sigh:


----------



## yuk

Mine was a Fenix P2D. Unfortunately I lost it the very same day that my D10 arrived! :sigh: Now the D10 is my primary EDC.


----------



## Burgess

yuk said:


> Mine was a Fenix P2D. Unfortunately I lost it the very same day that my D10 arrived! :sigh: Now the D10 is my primary EDC.


 

Your Fenix probably saw the "handwriting on the wall",

and just RunnOft, with tears in its eyes. :mecry:



Hey, flashlights have feelings, too !

:tinfoil:

_


----------



## Search

Maglite 3D.

Only other thing I bought was a Maglite 4D before I bought my 6P, which started my obsession so to say.


----------



## faco

Maglite Solitaire, I remember having the bug before the Solitaire but don't remember the names of the flashlights. 
I must have gone through a dozen Maglites until I bought an ARC AAA.....Thats when I became obsessed


----------



## MWClint

Mag solitaire for about 8 years on keychain. used it every night down a long dark driveway to get into my jeep. 

Then had a nasty 28+hour power outage..and discovered our c cell black and decker snake light had near empty batteries. my solitaire didnt cut it. 

afterwards, the wife said to buy a good flashlight..i knew of this place, so i 
did some research here and decided on a Fenix L2D Q5. 

price was a bit shocking at first for a flashlight, but my wife said if it's good
and you'll use it(ie keep it charged)..to buy it. 

the L2D was a damn good choice, and havent looked back since.

edit: and i still havent replaced the batteries in that black and decker snake light. hahahaha, time to get that thing modded.


----------



## 325addict

For me, it was the Sonca 2C-cell light that was made of blindingly orange plastic 

I got it when I was a small boy. After that it was broken (switch broke down, I still remember that!) I bought numerous cheap Chinese lights, more than one suitable for the 2R10 3V battery! This was a disaster, these batteries were expensive, and empty in no-time....

After this, I bought nearly the entire collection of Daimon focusable lights in the early eighties.

In the nineties I saw the first Maglites. That was the start of a collection of about 30.

A month ago I saw this forum. It was the start of now already 2 Fenixes, two Wolf Eyes and two Surefires!!


Timmo.


----------



## rockz4532

For me it was the 1.5 generation Inova X5 with blue LED's about 6 years ago. Still in service today.


----------



## carbine15

325addict said:


> For me, it was the Sonca 2C-cell light that was made of blindingly orange plastic ....









Was this it?


----------



## Lurchensteen

Well for me, not being in to it at first and my friends being in to the hobby, I got to see some crazy and really nice lights. So thinking back, the light that sparked interest for me was the Gothom. After that though I would say the Surefire L5.


----------



## redskins38

Mine would have to be getting my first arc p for sure. Id had lights before that but that little guy was the first light that really got me loving lights


----------



## Burgess

_If i may slightly adapt the Title of this interesting thread . . . ._


My first loved *EDC* flashlight --


T'was* 25 Years Ago Today*

that i received my very first Mini-Maglite.




My story, in case you are interested, is here:


https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/141266


Gives an accurate idea of the EDC options available, back then.


My goodness, how far we have come in the past Quarter-Century.


These are certainly very exciting times to be a Flashaholic.



Just wanted to share this with my fellow CPF'ers.


to Moderators:
(yes, i realize i've posted this in several different threads, but i think it's _appropriate_ to each of 'em.)


----------



## Toohotruk

Congrats!!! 


Pretty amazing you can remember the day you got your MM...you sir, are a _true _Flashaholic! :bow::bow::bow:


----------



## Hamilton Felix

The 3-D large head Kel-Lite I got in the mid 1970's. 

I think it was early 90's (but could have been anytime from late 80's) that I ordered parts and repaired it after alkaline leakage damaged it so badly that I had to take it apart with pipe wrenches and drive the batteries out. 

I miss it, because it was VERY tough. But there are far better lights available today.


----------



## Tuikku

Burgess said:


> Got this Eveready Cordahide ShopLight 2-D cell flashlight in 1959,
> when i was just 6 years old. It has served me well ever since.
> Convincing my Parents to actually BUY it for me !
> And this wasn't one of those "cheapies" for 99 cents . . . .
> No, these were Eveready's workhorse Premium flashlights, for $1.49.
> _*But, take good care of it, 'cuz this will be the LAST flashlight*_
> _*I'm ever gonna' buy for you !*_
> 
> Had it for 47 years now.



A very good story, definitely made me smile!

I think in everyones lives there should be things, that stay as they are or last...


----------



## Ray_of_Light

My first EDC (not my first flashlight) was a Superpila 5530, beginning from year 1971. This flashlight used a 2.3 V 0.27 A PR bulb, and a 3 V (Duplex) zinc-carbon battery. 
The flashlight was made of chromed steel, heavy duty slide switch and very pocketable; it was about the size of an actual 18650 flashlight.
Few years later I modified the setup, to use two Sub-C Ni-Cd batteries, and a 2.4 V 0.7 A Krypton PR bulb. It was considered very bright and with super runtime for the time being.
For years it has been in my pocket. Last year I have found some more of those on eBay.
As of today, it still lives on my desk, with a Tektite PR dropin modified with a Seoul P4, and a single 18650 cell, providing 50 lumens for 10 hours.

Anthony


----------



## J-FRAME

Chrome looking Ray O Vac two C cells About as bright as a kitchen match and lasted as long.But I loved it then.


----------



## J-FRAME

I always loved flashlights but didn,t know I had a problem until a few years ago.


----------



## Ian2381

Incandescent

2AA Duracell flashlight (1990's)

I have this light when I was a kid and used it a lot in my summer vacations.
I hope I was able to preserve the light. 


LED

Philips Metaflash - Luxeon LED 3xAAA(2009)

I really love this light and has really served me well, despite being too heavy and bulky. Now its one of my shelf queens:twothumbs


----------



## Chauncey Gardner

The minimag & jakstrap I edc'd as a firefighter workiing through college 1987 model if memory serves, & a Limited Edition D-Mini in nickel over solid brass. Love the way it feels.

The minimag I consider useless now, but would never part with either light.






The old Mini Mag is in a bob bag. The big brother to the old Dmini is the TC-R3.


----------



## fisk-king

Purchased my first real flashlight in '05 ( Gerber Infinity Ultra) when I started working at Brown's Ferry Nuclear plant. I even found a Streamlight jr luxeon there that I still have, though it's never used. My reason for purchasing the G.I.U. was the result of having to walk through the woods alone(working at Colbert Steam plant at the time), on a moonless night, & having no light to guide my way. I believe I walked over half a mile to get that makeshift parking lot that nite. When I finally found my car I swore to myself that I will never be caught in the dark again. 


Now I'm an addict:thinking:.


----------



## trlcavscout

Streamlight polytac. Before this it was the maglite, mini mag etc. But this is the best one I have owned and it has opened the door to me wanting bigger and better lights. But I think the polytac will be with me for a long time to come, great light for the money.


----------



## COAST

Some crappy Coast LED Lenser light..... Multi colored one.... Loved it though....


----------



## Jash

A red minimag that my bro in law got me for xmas about 10 years ago. It's got a Nitize led and iQ switch now and still gets used a few times a week.


----------



## bulbman

old durabeam that i put a "1-cell bulb" in when i was 5 years old, got a LOT brighter, now runs off li-ion.:devil: lovecpf


----------



## Dnva

Love my Ti CR2 Mini


----------



## DaveTheDude

ringzero said:


> The first light I got for outdoor use that I really loved was the 2C Ray-O-Vac Sportsman. A great light for its time, better than its main competitor, the 2C Eveready Captain. More compact and lighter than a 2D flashlight, it was reliable and durable, with a decent beam. Its only failing was lack of waterproofness. I backpacked many miles over the years carrying the 2C Sportsman as my primary light, with a Mallory-Duracell 2AA as backup.


 
Ringzero and I must be about the same age, because my Ray-O-Vac Sportsman followed me from Boy Scouts, to college, to the Navy, where it served as my watch light for four years. For that era it was a really useful light, especially with the red filter I rigged from a damaged camera filter, for use on watch.

My first "modern" light was a Surefire G2. I still have it, although it now hosts one of Gene Malkoff's nuetral white wide-beam emitters. Although it isn't my brightest light, or my smallest, it still generates amazement from my fellow backpackers (all sporting anemic little headlamps). (My headlamp of course is the 225 lumen Fenix...the alpha male version.)


----------



## lisantica

I really haven't met a flashlight that I didn't like, but as for LOVED, I love my Mac's EDC SST-50 in Violet anodize seen on the left in the photo.


----------



## Vortus

My maglite 4D I got when I started driving trucks about 15 years ago. Was beating ice off of a trailer latch with it, the ice fell off in a big chunk, I swung one more time and dented the hell out of it on the latch itself. Batteries and all were damaged and stuck inside. Pretty pissed at myself. Heh, never thought about getting another body..... 


Last night we discovered that my wifes loved flashlight is her Eagletac T20C2 MII. She used it for a bit and set it down. Later on, needed a light, but couldn't find where she put it. We have other lights, but she wouldn't go till she found it. After an hour, couldn't find it so had to leave. When we got back, she tore the house apart, finally found it in a laundry basket. Heheh I do not think she will say anything to me about my flashlights for a long time now.


----------



## Tomcat!

Mine was an Eveready 3D cell rubber torch, in black, tail loader, with separate on and off buttons on the body. Bought it in 1979 for a 12 day school trip to Yorkshire, England. We were advised to get lights because at the time the notorious serial killer the Yorkshire Ripper was still at large. (What the hell the teachers thought we would do to a serial killer with our torches was beyond me. Any sane person would have imposed a night time curfew but hey, we didn't have Health and Safety back then.)

That light served me well for several decades. The rubber was pretty thick and enclosed the head upto the window in a single piece so it withstood many rain soaked nights and dunkings. I well remember putting it inside my mum's hot water tank while trying to deal with a heating element problem. By the 90's I had a barrow load of Maglites, everything from the dreadful Solitaire to the impressive but wholly impractical 6D and most sizes in between, but I still hung onto that old Eveready because it really felt like a work tool and was waterproof. There was also no anno to scratch or aluminium to dent so I didn't mind putting it into danger. 

Once the Mags had taken over all my portable lighting needs, the Eveready got relegated to garden duty but still came out for very wet weather jobs. I still had it when I caught the premium flashlight bug and got my first Surefires and a Gladius. 

I would still have it today but for the final breakage of the plastic collar that held the reflector assembly to the battery tube. After that it was done for, but the idea of a work light that I wouldn't be afraid to scratch, gouge or dent stayed with me and influenced my later purchase of a G2L and G3. Somewhere in flashlight heaven there's a venerable old Eveready watching out for those two!


----------



## kaichu dento

Nice post! I enjoyed your history of the Eveready even more than some of the great pics we've had here!


----------



## Tomcat!

kaichu dento said:


> Nice post! I enjoyed your history of the Eveready even more than some of the great pics we've had here!



Thanks. I'd love to have included a picture but I couldn't find one. Mine must have been the last one!


----------



## Toohotruk

Was it this one by chance? http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/United-Electric-Manufacturing-Co-Flashlight-3-Cell-Black-Rubber-Light-3D-1980


----------



## 325addict

@ Carbine 15:

no, my orange Sonca was all orange and had a round head, that could be screwed off. The switch was a large black plastic side-switch. It had three recessed "holes" in it. 

I still remember me sitting on the toilet, using this Sonca to light up the ceiling... hey, I then instinctively knew the "ceiling bounce" method 

After this one broke down, I bought the first Daimon 2 C-cell with a stainless steel body, and focusable head. It used the "NF brilliant" lamps, and they were BRIGHT  
I took me a while as an 8 year old kid to save enough money to buy it. It cost a whopping 9,50 Dutch Guilders 

I still have this one today, it still works. As I'm nearing the age of 40, this one is well over 30 years old. Batteries leaked in it, it fell from my bed to the floor numerous times, and I don't-know-how-many pocket books have been read by the light of this one, late at nights in bed 
I went through lots of bulbs also, these NF brilliant bulbs were heavily overdriven by fresh cells (2.2V / 300mA) so they didn't last very long...

Unfortunately, neither of these flashlights can be found in the flashlightmuseum...

Timmo.


----------



## Lynx_Arc

I had two lights I loved, first was a 2D craftsman stainless steel incan from about 1975, the second is a 6D with incan, red/yellow flashers, and a 6 watt fluorescent tube. It had a 12v car cord and I used it a lot to work on my car and light up things during power outages as fluorescent lights in the late 70s were rare in use. I took it everywhere when I was going to be out at night. I still have it but don't use it often due to rechargeables are a lot cheaper now than D cells in use.


----------



## Tomcat!

Toohotruk said:


> Was it this one by chance? http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/United-Electric-Manufacturing-Co-Flashlight-3-Cell-Black-Rubber-Light-3D-1980



Fairly close. The head was less trumpet-like as it curved in earlier and the tube had rubber ribs running at 90 degrees to the body all the way to the cap, which had a plastic hanger thing on the back. Like a dope I used to swing it around by the hanger and inevitably bashed the head on more than a few occasions.


----------



## ResQTech

Original Surefire E2e incan started it all for me...


----------



## post tenebras

Caligvla said:


> My first loved flashlight was a 5D Radio Shack. There was a coupon in the newspaper for a free flashlight. It was cheap plastic and just a ploy to get you in the store and at the very least get you to buy some batteries. I was about 7 yrs. at the time and it was HUGE and really bright... Lot of good memories with that one!


 
OH, YES! That was exactly it! All we boys in the neighborhood went to Radio Shack for our free flashlights (and one free battery each with our battery cards). This light was like a searchlight, and we spent many Summer nights out playing with these. 

Good times


----------



## ninemm

My first loved flashlight was the old Playskool incan with a momentary switch and the ability to change the beam between red, white, and green. I would play with it for hours. lol Someone on CPF did a little write up on it here https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2772816&postcount=1

After that it was probably my grandfathers 3d Mag. I thought that was the biggest brightest light ever.


----------



## gswitter

carbine15 said:


> this looks to be a real useful light.


This light was the source of my fascination with flashlights. My grandmother had one when I was a kid. I'm always on the lookout for one in decent shape.


----------



## Walterk

Had a couple before I got me my 2D Maglite.
Respectable beam for those days, but still love the feeling and machining.
Have it about 20 years now.


----------



## IlluminatedOne

I have been racking my brains thinking what flash light i loved first i had a few different lights in the house that were my dads

6V lantern lights
2D lights
One of those Flashing roadside lights with two 6V batteries.

But the one i loved the most was a light my grandad gave me when i was about 5 or so, it was a plastic cased enclosure with a mounting bracket on the bottom which was meant for attaching it to a boat or something like that. 

He added a large bolt through the bracket and made a handle out of about ten nuts on the threaded bolt so you could hold it in one hand, It looked similar style to a lightforce 240 with the handle just more crude. 
It had a 12v 55w H3 and had a glass lens with a metal reflector about 9 inches in diameter and threw really well and was super bright, i dropped in a 12v 130w H3 bulb and made a battery pack out of 4x 8.4v Sub C RC packs with two parallel packs connected in series to get 16.8volts which rested in a plywood box with a shoulder strap that i originally made for when i ran it off a 12v 12Ah SLA battery.

There is also a few funny story's about that light.

One night about 3am i could here a police helicopter flying around my neighbourhood and decided to turn on my radio scanner, listening to the police talk about how they were looking for some guy on the run and they could not find him but thought he might be hiding in the gardens, 
so i open my bedroom window and fired up my light to search my garden to see if there was anyone there i also lit up all the other gardens too see if i could see something.
Then i hear on the scanner that the heli could see someone lighting up the gardens with a powerful light and it flew over right above my garden which for a 6 year old is probably one of the coolest things ever, i was transfixed with the coolness of a helicopter hovering outside my window i still had the light on pointed down in the garden and they were so close i could see there faces and they had this look on there faces like WTF is a 6 year old doing with a light like that at 3am, i pointed to them and then to the ground and they fired up there heli searchlight and started to move the beam around on the floor and i was following the beam with my own light, they then were all laughing and gave me a thumbs up and i did the same then they flew off.
It still makes me smile to this day when i see a heli lighting things up with there cool lights.

There was also this time when i was older about 12-13 i would guess and i was over my friends house and we were playing in these big fields with my 6D maglite and a few other lights and a friend of my friend came out with his light his dad bought which cost a few hundred pounds IIRC and it had what looked like a hand held lamp with a 4 inch reflector connected to a 12v 7ah battery with a shoulder strap. I think IIRC is was called NightSearcher.
He was bragging that this was the brightest light in the world and you could not get anything brighter.
I told him to fire it up and lets see how bright it was, there were a few other kids about too playing with various there lights at night and they all were amazed by this light which was brighter than anything they had ever seen.

He was very happy about this and the attention he was getting, so when i said i had a light which i had made myself when i was 6 which would blow this away the kids ego just would not accept this and was laughing at me saying i was talking BS, so i said fine i will bring it tomorrow.
He carried on saying things like no cobbled together crappy home made light would beat his ultimate megalight and even said if my light is brighter he would give me his dads light.

Oh how they laughed...

So i go home and put the battery's on charge and get it ready make sure it works right.

The next day i bring it with me and i am walking down to the big field and there is a large hill which comes down into the field so you can see the whole area pretty well. 
I could see him and a few others playing with his light in the distance about half a mile away so could not resist showing how bright my light was i stop and unpack my light, connect it up and fire it up lighting him and the whole crowd up across the field and i remember they all kinda panicked at the sudden light appearing and tried putting there hands over there faces to look at where the light was coming from, i was laughing my *** of at this point and turned off the light and walked towards them, everyone was amazed someone said it looked like they were being abducted by aliens lol, we played with the light until it went flat and everybody thought it was amazing that i could build my own light that was so much brighter than a high end light. 

I guess that would be my most loved light although i don't have it any more as it got broken as it was put in a shed and someone dropped something onto the lens, i miss that light and i must build a new updated version.


----------



## Dances with Flashlight

This thread brings back some great, but very, very distant memories. That first light had a dim, yellow bulb, a battery that leaked something nasty and didn't last too long, and it turned out to be exceedingly fragile - at least in my little four year old hands. Don't remember anyone telling me the brand... and I couldn't yet read... but it led me here.


----------



## crizyal

carbine15 said:


>



This was my first light also. I loved it... until leaked acid ate it.:mecry:


----------



## qtaco

Probably a 2xAA mag. I remember the solid feel in the hand, adjustable beam, and candle mode made it stand out to me at the time. Plus I was young and it was a gift, so I valued it doubly so.

At that time I really coveted a 1xAAA mag however, but never purchased one before I lost interest in lights for a while. Perhaps the reason 1xAAA lights are now my favourite goes back to that time when they captured my imagination.


----------



## Flying Turtle

Just did some catchup reading in this thread. Good to see pics of the 5D RS and the Durabeam. Used to have a 2AA Durabeam in each car. Still have one around here somewhere.

Geoff


----------



## Lynx_Arc

I used to have that white rechargeable light with a red/white head. Mine quit working and even though I sort of wish I had kept it as now I could probably get a replacement battery for it, the output of #222 bulbs is pathetic IMO and runtime was not that great. I have only a few incan flashlights left in service, one is in the coat closet as the 2D alkalines in it are still good no sense in putting it out of action till they die. One 2D incan was in my car and leaked finally ruining it and my favorite 2D incan I reamed out the bulb holder and dropped in a 2D magled and it has a beautiful pencil beam to it (adjustable focus rayovac roughneck) I love the side click switch on it.


----------



## Closet_Flashaholic

There were 2. These are from the early 70's. My dad purchased them for when we went camping, sadly I have neither and no pictures either.

The first one was an Eveready rechargeable flashlight that was like no other I had ever seen. It was black and oval shaped to fit your hand and it "broke apart" in the middle, the back end (the battery) had a 110v plug on it where it would just plug into the wall to recharge. When done, just push the two halves back together and ready to go. It was so cool. 

The second one was called a "Big Jim". Basically it was a ~4" round sealed beam with a handle and a switch that just bolted on top of a 6v lantern battery. That thing was indestructible and gave many many years of service, before I couldn't get any more of the sealed beams for it.

edit: I just found both of them in the flashlightmuseum site! I was surprised to find the first one - it was called the "*Eveready Black "Captain" Rechargeable Flashlight"* - Isn't the Internet wonderful?


----------



## flashfan

These photos of "old" flashlights sure brings back some memories. Had forgotten that I grew up with lights like the Durabeam and the red/white pocket light posted by carbine15. Blast from the past...


----------



## Lynx_Arc

flashfan said:


> These photos of "old" flashlights sure brings back some memories. Had forgotten that I grew up with lights like the Durabeam and the red/white pocket light posted by carbine15. Blast from the past...



I had a 6v lantern that the rim of the light glowed in the dark and it had nearly a pencil beam. 6v lanterns were the bomb in the 70s but the batteries ate your pocketbook and my dad switched to 2D lights because someone kept leaving the lights on and draining the $5 batteries. I still have one of the lanterns left with a lantern battery but got rid of the other even though it had a 4D/6v battery adapter the 750ma bulbs no longer compete with LED technology. way too big and too weak to lug around with LED lights that use D cells and AA running longer and brighter I am somewhat surprised they still sell them in the stores.


----------



## Tuikku

One was a bit like this:






but it had green and red plastic pieces you could slide in front of the light. I can´t find a proper picture.


The other much much older was run bu 3R12 batteries and it had "aspheric" lens 
It was metal cased, slide switch on the side. Could have been "Narva" brand, but not sure. Still searching a good picture...


----------



## Ian2381

crizyal said:


> This was my first light also. I loved it... until leaked acid ate it.:mecry:




Is this powered by 2 AA?

It surely looks like my first loved flashlight when I was a kid.
Wow, never thought I would be able to see someone post a picture of it.:twothumbs

I think Acid also ate mine.:mecry:

Never going to trust alkaline in my Flashlights.


----------



## Wilmette

All purchased new ~35 years ago except the 2D Kel-Lite, because I never owned a small head Kel. The Yawara stick is not a flashlight, but thrown in for good measure since I purchased it during the same period. I carried the 3D daily for years. The 3C Kel-Lite was for going out to dinner and such, due to its smaller size, relatively. The red Smoke Cutters were just interesting and fun to play with on a foggy night, since I try not to charge into burning buildings. They can also be reconfigured into a 5 cell with nothing more than a lamp change to a PR12. The black 3D light by LA Screw Products (2nd from the left) has a fascinating reflector designed to produce flood only, as it is comprised of hundreds of discrete rectangles, like a disco mirror ball in reverse.


----------



## kaichu dento

That is a really nice looking collection and your personal history with them makes it all the more interesting to see. 
I really like the red one with the cord coming out of the tail.


----------



## Toohotruk

Where's the pic? :thinking:


----------



## Kraid

jlomein said:


> As a kid I had a Fisher Price 4 cell light that I used all the time. Pictured below, it has a rotator switch on the other side that you can use to move red or green filters in front of the bulb.




I would say that this guy was my first light as well. And I had MANY after it before I discovered "REAL" flashlights. But the first light that I loved and carried all the time? That was my 4x AAA Energizer Double Barrel. Really helped out when I was in a car accident in the middle of an Indiana cornfield as a teenager and none of the paramedics had a flashlight!!






(Googling for an image, I could only find the AA version. And, of course, the image was located here! Lol!)


----------



## nanomu

The first light I remember having and actually using was a incan minimag. At the time, it seemed suitably bright for nearly all uses.

Then I upgraded to a 6P, which has continued to be my most reliable and solid light (except for the one time the batteries found their way in backwards :thinking.

I've been EDCing a E2L for a few years now. I have complaints about it, but it always works and I haven't found anything I like better, or am willing to wear err destroy in the same way. This would be my most loved light, given the scratches and dents it's acquired.


----------



## Wilmette

Found it! My lights are all over the house. My very first light that I could call my own, an Eveready Captain 2D, purchased for me after considerable whining to my folks when I was 11 or 12. But I didn't love it. However, it was first. Love came a few years later with the discovery of the Kel-Lites, posted above.






As a kid, I had to fight to keep control of this flashlight. Soon after I got it, most family members found many situations for which they "needed" it.

Sample conversation from my disfunctional past:
Dad: Where's the flashlight?
Me: Your flashlight is in the kitchen, storing those dead batteries you were saving.
Dad: No...you know which flashlight I mean.
Me: Which flashlight would that be, Dad?
Dad: The good flashlight.
Me: You mean *my* good flashlight?
Dad: Yeah, yeah, yeah. *YOUR* good flashlight that *I* paid for.
Me: What...so you can belly-flop under the house in the dirt with it again?
Dad: Watch it or you'll be the one crawling through there next time, funny boy...


----------



## kito109654

jlomein said:


> As a kid I had a Fisher Price 4 cell light that I used all the time. Pictured below, it has a rotator switch on the other side that you can use to move red or green filters in front of the bulb.



Wow, this one is it for me. Some of my earliest memories came flooding back when I saw this picture. I would turn that knob back and forth for quite a while before drifting off to sleep.  So glad I found this thread!


----------



## Kestrel

Wow, just read through the entire thread, good stories here but I didn’t read a single mention of the first light that did it for me.

Growing up in Alaska, I first started using the ubiquitous 2xAA Minimags, but always became frustrated with the unreliability of the switch contacts in the head. The first light that I really liked was the little Pelican Mitylite submersible plastic 2xAAA penlight – the ‘switch’ never failed me: it turned on & off via the rock-simple electrical contact in the head - there was no switch mechanism to speak of. I didn’t miss the ‘focusability’ of the minimag, and I sure didn’t miss that cold aluminum body in the -40F temperatures either.

So over 20 years later, I wasn’t all that surprised to see essentially the same exact light in a retailer’s flashlight display section. That’s probably why I’m so attached to the SureFire Z41 tailcap, a brilliantly-simple mechanism and the only flashlight switch I've used heavily that has never failed to work for me.


----------



## Locoboy5150

For me it was my Vietnam War era Fulton MX991/U military anglehead 2 D cell light. It was my first "quality" flashlight and I got it for Christmas from my brother. Incidentally, that Christmas I gave him the exact same gift. 

I got it from Cambrian Surplus, a *wonderful* military surplus dealer here in San Jose, CA that unfortunately closed up a few years ago. I absolutely *loved* that place! No other surplus store in the Bay Area came close to their selection and low prices.

I just bought a new halogen bulb for my old Fulton last weekend and fired it up for the first time in many years. It still works like a charm! :twothumbs The lousy beam pattern is still lousy!


----------



## KevinL

Burgess said:


> Got this Eveready Cordahide ShopLight 2-D cell flashlight in 1959,
> when i was just 6 years old. It has served me well ever since.



That is so cool. I remember my granddad showing me his various lights - which is why I remember things like this. The old Eveready lights, he had a few, including the chrome ones. 

I wonder if I inherited any of the interest from him. I didn't have enough time to find out how deep his own interest went but I do recall he had at least half a dozen. 

I wonder what he would think if he's looking down from above at my current collection and available lighting power which spans everything from 2 lumens to 3500 lumens


----------



## KevinL

srvctec said:


> :welcome: I have one of those! It's a pretty nice little light. It collapses down with the middle section hidden and makes a normal flashlight. When you expand it, the reflector assembly is pulled out past the bulb, which is then in the middle making a lantern. The beam is a real tight spot when used as a flashlight.
> *
> *edit: *WOW!! I just noticed that this is my one thousandth post!! WOW!!*



Hottest damn thing when I was a freshie in HS. This was considered absolutely bleeding edge, state of the art. 

How far have we come. 

January 2nd, 2004. My E1e lands in my hands. The rest is history. 

My E1e actually predates CPF. I found CPF while searching for information on the KL1 LED conversion bezel. I blame Lighthound (or what John used to call it BEFORE it became Lighthound) for ALL of this :nana: 

Now, my Pocket Rocket produces 700 lumens from a single 18650 driving a SST-50 in a package resembling an upsized Fenix L1D.


----------



## finek

2AA Mini-Maglite.
Also my first encountered battery leakage.


----------



## Blueknight

I bought a 4 cell mag light back in 1987 when I was stationed at Clark AB in the Philippines and still have it to this day. same reflector,lens. it's a bit beat up now and the switch doesn't work anymore(recently stopped working).But it's been a very good flashlight.


----------



## Burgess

Just to let you know . . . .


Mag-Lites have a* Lifetime Warranty*.


----------



## YIKES

The top one from Radio Shack. I started with that one too! I was a Ghostbuster for Halloween and that was the light thingy. Really wanted real deal...Remember "Don't cross the streams!" 

I'm new to the forum, however every time my dad would by a flashlight it would be in pieces next week. He was pissed. Had to know what made em go. Licking 9V batts, brings back memories.


----------



## Flashfirstask?later

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.


I had one of those 2AA from around time they came out as it was my Grandma that gave it to me. I still remember the moment she gave it to me as it was shortly before we were about to go and pick up what was to end up being the family dog for almost 13 years. 

One of my most favourite things to do with this light was to strap it on top of my RC truck or car and race it around in the dark. I do remember that it was not the easiest light to change batteries. Not sure if something broke or if my mom thought it was no good and threw it out one day some years later.

As for the beam yeah I remember it was not the best shape as a "Eveready 2AA Cell "Sport Gear"" light I have (was my Grandma's as it was hidden in stuff) that is virtually brand new reminds me of that.



joker1911 said:


> and my dad had one of these in his car when i was a kid...


I have one of those also (it was a family light) and is still in pretty damn good shape except for some old dirt that is pretty much stained on the body. Had to retrieve the light from garbage though and will probably use it with a Dorcy 2cell dropin if I get some D cells.


Another favourite early light I had was a Rayovac 3xD Workhorse as it came out back in 1985 and still remember getting it for my birthday from a friend of mine in elementary. The lens broke and was thrown out years later by my mom as a result ...sighs.


----------



## Eighty3

a red 2aa maglite, a present from my dad, because i kept playing with his blue maglite 2aa :naughty:


----------



## TITANER

My first loved flashlight is a very cheap but lovely plastic flashlight.I bought it four years ago,and still save it today.It is small but very bright and beautiful (compare to the time i bought it ).Althougt it is not as good as today's flashlight,i still like it very much,it is my friend.


----------



## Shawn L

Surefire 6PL.


----------



## gamogamo

For me it was the 2C red eveready and green 2D waterproof eveready similar to the OP. These are indispensable tools for kids growing up in the philippines during the late 80's.The red 2C has an attachment that converts it to a toy lightsaber.:twothumbs while the 2D is very dependable for typhoons and night swimming.


----------



## Sparky's Magic

An original 6P! I thought it was so bright; by todays' standards, it was pretty ordinary.

My current 6P with MC-E M bin and Malkoff / McClicky tailcap is a different 'Kettle of
Fish'. :twothumbs


----------



## epilogue

Mine would have to be when surefire introduced the G2 series. Was the first light I carred (although abit big compared to what I carry now). It only got better when i discovered how easy it was to drop in a Cree Q-5 assembly in it .


----------



## nick-nack

It would be my first real light, a Fenix L1D


----------



## Ishango

The first actual flashlight I loved is my trusty Maglite 3D bought in the early '90s. I had many crappy lights before that as a kid, before I bought one of the good quality flashlights at that time.


----------



## BriteIdea

I don't know that this is my favorite light by any means. but I got this light back in the 50s and it was a practical but novelty latern even back then. I suppose I pleaded and begged with mom and dad to get this for me. No idea when or where it was purchased. I have no idea if there is any antique value either. 3VDC with 3 "C"s.
So could that mean that back then was the real start of collecting? Going to camp as a kid we'd encounter flashlight fights. I was the one that went around to make dsure all lights were turned off to conserve batteries. Nice guy huh?


----------



## kaichu dento

I love seeing all the older lights listed but this has got to be one of the coolest, especially with it's history. Lots of memories in that light for you and I loved reading your short story on it.


----------



## Xacto

first loved? I think it never was a love, more a deep affection for flashlights, like most boys.

On of the first lights must have been a later version of this light, which my father probably still keeps in the living room cupboard.


Duodec said:


>


 

At least two times I got a 2 or 3AA headlight with yellow body, black, square shaped lamp assembly, the glass in front of the reflector looking more like an old car headlampe.

At some point, I wanted a small, 1AA light (more a toy) with a blue body, battery inserted by unscrewing the head. The Head itself was white and had 3 colored inserts in a wheel that could be turned in front of the bulb (with lens). Slide switch.

Later I got a Daimon 414
Source: Member lightbeam from the german Messerforum.net





I one point I had an earlier version of this lamp, but during a school ski trip, someone obviously made me "loose" it.





After that, I got my first (and so far only) Maglite Solitaire, a Mini Maglite, a 3D Maglite, a 6D Maglite, and for some reason (can't remember why) two more Mini Maglites. The big step - my first Surefire and first LED flashlight - a SF 6P in 2008.

Cheers
Thorsten


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## Burgess

BriteIdea said:


> 3VDC with 3 "C"s.


 

Are you *sure* it takes 3 "C" cells ? ? ?


Methinks that's a # 222 bulb threaded into the socket.


Unless, perhaps, that is NOT the original-spec bulb !

 



BTW -- very nice to see a photo of your Lantern !

:thumbsup: lovecpf


PS: Hey, is that REAL glass ? ? ?

_


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## BriteIdea

You're correct it's a 3VDC with 2 C. That was an actual typo. Anyone knows that 3VDC = 2 c or 2 d or 2 whatevers.
Oops on me


----------



## JTElectric

Wow, some cool lights in this thread! I'm only 32 but can remember using, losing, throwing, and buying many of these lights! It was helped by my older brother who lived at Radio Shack, we grew up on a farm and my dad would seldom have a working light, my mom kept some sort of flashlight in the cupboard for a while until dad's went dead and he stole hers, and he'd inevitably leave it in the barn or run it til it was dead. I can't count how many lights I've thrown due to bad cells :shakehead

Durabeams, Snakelights, more Mags than I can remember....the first light I can remember really loving though was probably a Camo Mini Mag AA, a gift from the aforementioned brother. I still remember thinking I was in the military at 10 years old, in the dark in my bedroom, with my ex-military 2D angle head light (that's out in my tool box for whatever reason right now!) and the Camo Minimag with the Mag accessory kit...remember those? Heck, maybe they still sell them!---Lanyard, pocket clip, rubber head cover with red, blue, and frosted lenses...man the hours I spent with that light. Dropped it one night doing chores, and never could find it....camo lights look cool, but they're about as useful as dirt flavored gum.

Thinking of all these lights made me stop and think...I still own 6 Maglites! 4D Gray in my work truck, that I mounted above and behind my head for "attitude adjustments" but has been used maybe 10 minutes in 5 years, and never in anger! lol--3D Blue that I bought when I got my Blue Bronco 12 years ago, a silver MiniMag that I believe was a gift from my late grandmother many many years ago, a Silver Solitaire that sits in a NiteIze flashlight buddy(?) a little clear plastic sleeve with 4 plastic legs that makes your light look like a dog haha! I recently picked up an XL100, not that I needed it, but mostly because I wanted to say "Thank you Maglite, for actually recognizing that it is no longer the 80's" and a 2D Black LED that was on clearance at Target for $12.84. 

These days I own roughly 25 lights....I think....and I've been thinking about which is my "favorite" or one that I love, and I'm coming up blank....Surefire L7, 30th Ann. gift set? No, probably not...probably my black G2L that I picked up on clearance at Sportsmans Warehouse closing sale a few years ago, a light I was so impressed with that it made me pursue a Surefire dealership, which I got, and here I am! :nana: Man I love CPF!! Thanks for the memories everyone! It was great. Justin

Had to add, just did some browsing on the flashlight museum....I forgot all about my 2xAA Rayovac Workhorse! Man I used that light alot! Fit in my pocket perfectly, yet another victim of leaking cheapie AAs. I'm gonna go find one of those on Ebay right now and stick an XP-G in it! haha


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## Scouter

Eveready Dolphin MkII http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=112368 - bought by my parents as a "proper" camping torch. They took a massive 6v battery and were as heavy as a housebrick. BUT, man could that puppy could throw a beam compared to the 2 x C cells most of the other kids were packing...

I still have it in a box somewhere, replaced with a Mk4.


----------



## BRW

Three cell mag light back in the 80's, man have things changed


----------



## danman1122

My first loved flashlight would have to be my Maglite Solitaire.

My father gave me a Maglite Solitaire along with a Mini Maglite as a small birthday present when I was a kid. It's nothing compared to todays flashlights - but back then, I never thought a tool such as a flashlight could be so sleek, stylish, streamlined, and compact.

I still have it to this day, and treasure it even more than my expensive lights.


----------



## Crushmaster

Probably the Underwater Kinetics Penlight I. While not my first flashlight, it was my first US-made light, and my most powerful one when I got it. Unfortunately, I killed it, but I plan on buying a replacement soon...
God bless,
Joel ><>.


----------



## Taboot

6D Maglite. Then E2E Executive Elite. To me, it's still the perfect size and look for a flashlight.


----------



## Rokron

My first loved flashlight was when I was 5 or so when my dad gave me his TL-122D from WWII. It was the neatest flashlight. It had blue/red/clear filters and a spare bulb, all in the extended base. He was a pilot in the Airforce and he said that he used it all the time and that he also carried a box of batteries on every flight. I used that light for another 10 years or so. I don't remember what ever happened to that light after that.


----------



## SkiDan

A Mini Maglite (2xAA) was my treasure when I joined the Ski Patrol 14 years ago and needed a solid, dependable light. It never failed me and is still in good working order s a back up today (albeit with an LED conversion)


----------



## t-ph

Maglite 3d. IT was very bright and very good.


----------



## ffemt6263

First love and what started all of this madness was the nitecore d10 as i believe it did for so many. Still love them and have a few. The one i carry backup with me almost every day has been modded with a neutral xm-l


----------



## jamie.91

Ive been obsessed with lights since before i could talk lol, my mum said when i was little i used to always pick up a light when we were out shopping

As a kid many lights come and go, but when i become of age i got myself a maglite, then another, first a 2xAAA then a solitaire and for years i treasured them until i knew led technology was advancing, then in 2008 i joined this place :sick2: after much time spent, maybe even wasted on here i got myself a romisen RC-N3 and 4 ultrafire betterys with a nano charger, soon after a SS LD01 followed and CPF and flashlights became part of my daily life, especially after i discovered i wasnt alone and it was ok to "EDC" a light after many many many people looking at me like i was a right wierdo haha

Thats my story lol
Jamie


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## guardpost3

Streamlight Stinger XT, almost 15 years ago that 90 lumens was crazy bright.


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## ffemt6263

Hey brother! I call you out! That stinger was nice but i truly think the one that started you was that inova you mesmerized me with! Haha


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## fisk-king

Ra Clicky. Still using it to this day.


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## guardpost3

ffemt6263 said:


> Hey brother! I call you out! That stinger was nice but i truly think the one that started you was that inova you mesmerized me with! Haha



Haha. You may be right brother, at least that was what got me into LEDs. I don't think I've bought a single incan since.


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## DisrupTer911

I remember i was real little and down the shore with my parents and my dad and I went into an army surplus shop.
he bought me one of these. He caused this addiction LOLOL


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## reppans

Quark AA.

Sure, I've had a bunch of Maglites in the way past and good collection of headlamps and lanterns from Black Diamond and Petzl, but they were all just tools.... could take 'em or leave 'em. 

I really love my Quark though - moonlight is the key for me. In one fell swoop, it pretty much eliminated most the things I hated about all my other lights: blindingly bright with night-adapted eyes, short runtimes/constantly changing batts, annoying/obnoxious to others, exposing my position (when stealth camping), etc. 

I'm just bummed that it's such a rarity to find a light with moonlight & runtime.


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## Bigmac_79

When I was young, my dad used to get me different colors of Photon Microlights, and that got me into flashlights at first. Later, I found CPF and got an Arc AAA, and I've loved flashlights ever since.

Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse brevity and typos.


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## chaoss

First was the Novatac 120P and then i discovered the PD's (ARC6 & McG's) and the rest is history.


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## Stream

Kind of a boring answer, but I guess a black 2xAA MiniMag was the first light that really got me started down the flashlight path. Up until then I only had experience with plastic cheapo lights, and I thought the MiniMag was the greatest thing in the world. Still have that light, upgraded with a TLE-5EX droppin, but I can't say that I use it much anymore.


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## bedazzLED

For me, the light that started it all (LED wise anyway) was the Fenix TK10. Still got it and it still gets used.


----------



## Bozzlite

I think it was a Rayovac Sportsman. 3 D cells. That was a long time ago, circa 1965. It was all silver/chrome.


----------



## Blender345

my uncles nebo redline made me like flashlights


----------



## firelord777

Fenix TK20, just looks feels so good in the hand, favorite tint out of all my lights (even lights in the 1000's of lumens) and, even though it look strange at first, the design grew on me, so now, I think it looks cool


----------



## Ualnosaj

Many years ago... Maglite Solitaire. Nice build, pitiful light output.


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## T45

DisrupTer911 said:


> I remember i was real little and down the shore with my parents and my dad and I went into an army surplus shop.
> he bought me one of these. He caused this addiction LOLOL



I have bought 2 or 3 of those things over the years. I thought because it was used by the "military" it must be a great light. Then I bought a maglite, first one was a 6D. Heavy *******. Traded it for a 3D. Really liked all those, but "THE" flash light for me was the Surefire 6P I bought back in 1995. Over the years I have Upgraded the light engine and recently put a newer tail cap on it, but hand's down, that is my favorite light.


----------



## Mr Bigglow

It was back maybe 50 years ago. My parents bought me a flat little grey and white plastic rechargeable flashlight that plugged into a wall outlet when you pulled the back cover off to expose regular American plug prongs. The light was weak from a single 222 bulb (is that right, the ones with a little focussing magnifier in the tip?). This was long before rechargeable dry cells were widely known, so I have no idea exactly how it worked BUT weak though it was, the thing lasted as good as ever for at least another 20 years and would possibly still be working if I hadn't lent it to someone I was kissing at the time and who managed to lose it overnight in a two room dorm. Maybe it's with the angels now.


----------



## Jeffa

I've had a lot of flashlights (not as many as some here) but the one I like the most is one of my most recent purchases my SF M3. I just love the rugged simplicity of the light my 9Z and Gladius comes next.

I've thought about this some more and I will modify my above statement to my Raid Fire Spear, it was the light I was most enamored with and really got me into the light buying game.


----------



## Kjosn

My first light was Nitecore Extreme, That is the light that got me addicted to Flashlights


----------



## GF51

Surefire G2. Surefire was my introduction to quality flashlights. Really makes me wish I had some of the lights I own today playing flashlight wars as a kid :huh:


----------



## HotWire

When I was a kid I had a 3-cell floating flashlight with a GITD tail. Brightest flashlight on the lake. We fished a lot and when it got dark, I'd stick it underwater to find fishing lures stuck on logs. I may still have it somewhere!


----------



## craigshipp

Tekna Splashlight (1987)


----------



## sigsoup

for me it was the 2aa maglight with the camo finish on it . i loved that light .... lost it while i was hunting i suspect the camo didn't help when i retraced my steps... wow now i wish i hadn't remembered it ...


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## ericjohn

I always had a fondness for 2AA and 2AAA flashlights. August 1994; I was 7 years old. My mom gave me an Eveready IN215. Played with it until the bulb burned out (Late 1995). In the spring of 1996, we took it to wal mart and tried to get a replacement bulb, but instead me and my brother each got Eveready Value Lites. Then August of 1996, I bought a Brinkmann (don't know any model number) it was a dark grey had a glow in the dark head and was switched on/off by twisting the head. I played with that one too until the bulb burned out. Went for a few years without a pocket flashlight.

Then when I was 11 (June 1998) I bought a yellow Garrity Mini Rugged Lite (R300G). Reminded me of my old Eveready, being yellow and rugged. I had been through a few of them over the years (lost, bent contact strip, corroded). It was my favorite flashlight growing up. Recently (October 2011) a fellow CPFer found my postings about that light and he mailed me one. Bless his soul. I keep it in a special place on my flashlight shelf.

I was so lucky to grow up in the 1990's, as they had such awesome flashlights back then. All the grown men in my neighborhood either had Garrity Tuff Lites or D sized Maglites. I looked up to many of them, and being in Louisiana with frequent tropical weather I got to see their flashlights many times.

Other than those, I have had a fondness for Pelican Mity Lites and Mini Maglites.

Even in elementary school I EDCed, though people made fun of me for it.


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## Animalmother

Energizer Tactical 1AA, 2AA and then The Energizer e2 lithium 2AA. Not sure but these lgihts are the ones that started it all for me and caused me to type "flashlight forum" on Google because there are forums for nearly everything now. Hmmm.... I just wondered if there was a toilet forum. There is a toilet forum for all those interested.


The 2AA was tactical was very tough and I still have it to this day. Wonderful tint and despite being about 34-40 lumens(direct drive) I forget which output. It can throw.
The tint is also neutral maybe neutral warmish. It has a luxeon, I still love that light from Energizer. It's design also was tough and it looked good.

Energizer 1AA Tactical: I think it comes with a XP-G/XP-E Now I could not tell. It's now 50ANSI
Energizer 2AA Tactical has a Luxeon(Don't think it's in production anymore)
Energizer e2 Lithium 2AA comes with a XR-E or XP-E that has a neutral tint (not sure if they are still being made)


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## buds224

My first one I loved was a couple years back. Single AA River Rock reverse clicky LED. I thought it was super bright at the time. Then I discovered the LD20. I still think about that Eddie Bauer light once in a while. I know it's somewhere, it's gone MIA since our move to Japan. I have yet to open all our boxes, I'm sure it's in there somewhere.


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## lauriek

Mine was the Duracell in this post http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...W-FENIX-MC10&p=3080847&viewfull=1#post3080847, around 35 years ago my Grandad had a similar Duracell in a D-cell version and I loved it, he bought me a little AA version which was my first non crappy torch. (Okay by todays standards it is crappy but in it's day it was good, plus it lasted me years!)


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## Fulaeetoy

My first flashlight was a mini MAGLiTE AAA.

________________________________
- Sent from Mobile using Tapatalk


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## kaichu dento

ericjohn said:


> I always had a fondness for 2AA and 2AAA flashlights. August 1994; I was 7 years old. My mom gave me an Eveready IN215. Played with it until the bulb burned out (Late 1995). In the spring of 1996, we took it to wal mart and tried to get a replacement bulb, but instead me and my brother each got Eveready Value Lites. Then August of 1996, I bought a Brinkmann (don't know any model number) it was a dark grey had a glow in the dark head and was switched on/off by twisting the head. I played with that one too until the bulb burned out. Went for a few years without a pocket flashlight.
> 
> Then when I was 11 (June 1998) I bought a yellow Garrity Mini Rugged Lite (R300G). Reminded me of my old Eveready, being yellow and rugged. I had been through a few of them over the years (lost, bent contact strip, corroded). It was my favorite flashlight growing up. Recently (October 2011) a fellow CPFer found my postings about that light and he mailed me one. Bless his soul. I keep it in a special place on my flashlight shelf.
> 
> I was so lucky to grow up in the 1990's, as they had such awesome flashlights back then. All the grown men in my neighborhood either had Garrity Tuff Lites or D sized Maglites. I looked up to many of them, and being in Louisiana with frequent tropical weather I got to see their flashlights many times.
> 
> Other than those, I have had a fondness for Pelican Mity Lites and Mini Maglites.
> 
> Even in elementary school I EDCed, though people made fun of me for it.


I like the way you took us with you on your memory tour and look forward to reading more like this.


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## ficklampa

My first flashlight ever was a Maglite Solitare, I still have it and it works fine. I still love the formfactor, I can't seem to find a good enough replacement today with a LED. So will probably get some drop in for it. After that I got a red AAA-mini mag copy (atleast I think it is, doesn't say maglite or anything on it). Years later I wanted something better, that had more light and I got a 2D Maglite. I remember bringing it out to a shool organized camp once. Almost everyone had those cheap gas station flashlights, white body with red plastic head and switch. Hardly no light from them, and I turned mine on... Boom! Man that was bright. That's when I feel in love with it.


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## Dieselbeast

I loved the mini Mag light. I wore it on my belt for work for years. It was a staple work tool for me. I still have a couple of them around as a backup light. Compaired to my PD-31 is is dismal, but I loved the Mini Mag.


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## correspondent

I know this goes way back and it shows my age but this was my first... An Eveready 2 cell ribbed metal light with target switch.

http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/Eve...Ribbed-Metal-Light-with-Target-Switch-2D-1957


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## correspondent




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## NOREAT

A 2xAA Mini-Maglite. Since then I have spent way to much on lights.


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## Mr Bigglow

I was going thorough some old mountaineering gear on the weekend, stuff I'd stored shortly after the 1970s, and found my last little Mallory 2AA flashlight, the flattened, curved plastic one recommended by Colin Fletcher in his second Complete Walker book, necessarily held together with a wind-around piece of Scotch Magic tape and still with the rocker switch similarly taped down (unfortunately, I'd left batteries inside it with predictable results). Old-guy nostalgia aside, my thought was 'my God, I trusted this cheap POS?' In the same box was a grey metal Wonder headlamp (a handheld 2C unit with it's own built-in lamp and reflector on the battery box, plus a plug-in headlamp attachement), that I'd completely rewired with Radio Shack switches, battery holders, and miniplugs. In memory, both were easily as bright and usable as lighting a match and holding it out on a pole. We've come a long way y'all.


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## bshanahan14rulz

x2000. No joke. Came with a 18650 adapter and a 3xAAA adapter, and featured a Cree XR-E P4 bin emitter.


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## Mag-man

My first light I remember really liking was a black incandescent 2AA MiniMag. I was young and broke back then and put cheap batteries in it. They leaked, corroded the thread and man, was it a bear to open. It was pretty mangled - a table vice on one side and vice grips on the other side, but come he11 or highwater it was going to open. Nothing like battery acid on metal threads. 5 MagLites later I finally have a MiniMag again. It's green this time and LED. I rather like it better. But the black ones match better with all the upgrades, like the strike bezel and the tungsten carbide tipped glass breaking cap.


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## leon2245

Incan- maglite
LED- Brinkmann "long life" LEd


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## megabikemike

My first beloved flashlight was a green boy scout flashlight with a 90 degree head. Back around 1970.


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## Owen

_Eveready Yellow "Sport Gear" 2 Way with Lanyard_




Hanging above the door of my tent, fall or winter of 2000.




It was funny finding it on flashlightmuseum, and seeing comments about how great they were in 2005, and people still wanting them in 2011:huh:


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## 11tonytiger

Mini mag 2-AA

T


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## Jonathan8

4D mag light my grandfather gave it to me when I was 12 I still have it. Great light still works. 17 years later.


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## krevo

Definitely the one I bought new at a gunshow in 2002. The Surefire 6P(N) I still have today. It actually had the N designation on the package, I believe because it was the only model at the time that was certified by Surefire to be waterproof. They said that the minute you opened the lightto change the batteries, you officially negated the waterproofing and had to send it back to Surefire. lol


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## JemR

Mini mag 2aa. My dad & i bought one each 20 years ago. They are green and they still work.


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## jorgen

In the early 80's I got a AA Maglite. I loved the focus feature but found it too large for an EDC in my well lit city. I got their AAA for my keychain, a few years later and although I carried it, I never cared for it.
Around 2009 I got a AAA from Brookstone for $10. It was really bright and I loved it. When it fell to the ground one too many times and stopped working I did a google search and discovered multi-level lights bought an ITP A3 and that turned me into a flashaholic


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## Changchung

Solitaire for me... I keep two yet...


SFMI4UT


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## Lite Me Up

The discovery of a lost knock-off AA Mag-lite (that someone had dropped in a field of waist high grass) which I had stumbled upon while trying to catch a football; that led to the discovery of Mag-lites once the bulb had burned out.

I discovered the actual Mag-lites at a local co-op store, tried one AA, found it superior to the knock-off in terms of fit and finish, bought one and still have it. It quickly became my EDC for many years (those days, led's weren't around yet) and it was used everywhere I went.

It basically started me on the road to appreciation for flashlights.


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## chriztt

My first light was a AA x2 mini-mag light. However, currently loving my Ti preon 2 and using it daily!


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## york2

I always had a fascination with flashlights. Like some others, I started with the free Radio Shack grey D cell lights. Had a bunch of these, but couldn't afford to get batteries for them all. The one that I liked the most was the Mag-Lite 4D. It was bigger and brighter than anything else I had ever seen (at the time).


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## Bigpal

I'm a relatively new flashlight lover and the first light I loved is my Fenix LD20. I remember when I first wanted to buy a good flashlight for nighttime dog park trips, I was set on MagLite. I thought they were the Boss of flashlights at the time. 

So I started doing research and man did I get an eye opener. I remember being amazed seeing these small flashlights like the LD20 crushing the output of a MagLite. I just assumed big was better. 

Needless to say that after joining this forum for research, I have learned more than I thought was ever possible about flashlights and love it. But that LD20 will always be the first love for its performance, durability and reliability.


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## Camaroman_99

A 3D Maglite, I didnt think lights could get much brighter:duh2: (I still have it)


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## Slazmo

had a 2C Maglite from years back, and had it all the way up untill 2004 when I left it with a mate when I moved back home - left it with him as a goodwill gesture.

Now totally regretting it!!! Hayden James if your out there I want my Maglite 2C back!!!

Now have gone through another batch of Maglites 3D's (2 of) and a couple of sideupgrade'd 2AA Mags with the Nite Ize drop ins. Happy with them both and my newest the Mag 2D Pewter - I've fallen in love again, but not with the light production but the battery lasting performence!


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## Unicorn

AA Mini Maglite when I was about 9.


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## Endalaus

An eveready penlight (2 x AAA incandescent in about 1980) loved that torch when I was a kid. Runtime and brightness were pretty dismal by today's standards of course.


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## Lichtinsdunkel

When I was a child, I found a military light from the german "Bundeswehr" in my father's garage with green and red colour, and I loved it. But this one doesn't exist anymore.
Laterly, it was a 2AA-Mini-Maglite too, which was brighter than all the bigger lights at this time.
This one still exists, and it's part of my flashlight collection, and surely it will never be modded!


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## yliu

Being a young CPF member (turning 18 in a few weeks), I haven't had much experiences with incans. When I was small(er) my parent kept buying me cheapo 5mm LED lights and they kept breaking...

My first expensive lights were LED Lensers, but I never enjoyed using them as much as my Maglite XL50. Even though I have bought several better lights including Fenix the LD20, TK12, TK45, sunwayman V10R, Olight i3. The Maglite is still my fa and most used light, I think because I am not worried about damaging it.


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## välineurheilija

3d maglite.I got it as a christmas present from my parents sometime around 1990  I still have it but now it has a ledconversion and a glasslense oh and a new rubber for the switch because that was a little broken.


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## Sean

First loved flashlight would probably be the ARC LS:


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## Kevinkw1

My first loved flashlight was a Maglight 2C! Was around 1983, I still have it! I even got the Krypton bulb for $10.


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## russde

First loved flashlight was a no name brand from the base exchange, my dad was Navy. 2 D cells, and it could burn through those babies, and I thought it was extra cool when I used the red cone on it. 

The next one I really remember was a four D Mag light I 'stole' from my brother, it wasn't my fault he left it in my car, right? He stole it back a few years later.

The next was a 3d Mag that I still have, bought new somewhere around 1990, it has a D serial number and I found CPF while looking for a mod to get some extra battery life out of it...been lurking (unregistered) for years after finding this place on BladeForums.

Cheers!
Russel


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## benvr8

Maglight 2 AA at age six.... And I've been hooked on lights ever since 

I loved that it was compact and I was completely enamored by the fact that it had a spare bulb in the tail, under the spring. That was the only light that I had until my freshman year of college. My car was stolen and I lost my trusty Maglight forever. 

However, the happy end to the story is that it has been replaced by an army of torches from Fenix, Surefire and Maratac. So, even though I don't still have my first ever light, I still get plenty of jollies from shopping for, comparing, testing and using my lights.


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## bandits1

My mom kept this in her headboard and I used to play with it every single day. It was my "lightsaber" after I saw Star Wars in the theater.


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## Burgess

Ah, yes . . . .

With the classic " Boat - Switch " !


Look closely, and you'll see why it got that moniker.


_


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## Toohotruk

Interesting. I hadn't realized why they call it a "boat" switch until you pointed it out. I thought it had something to do with having a momentary function. 

Cool light!


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## madecov

For me it was actually two lights. The Wolf Eyes M90 Rattlesnake that I ordered from them direct before anyone in the USA had them and the Blackhawk Gladius.


----------



## Captain Spaulding

My Jetbeam RRT-0 was my first loved light.

I have a LOT of lights now and have bought and sold many more, but my RRT-0 will never be sold. It was the light that got me into lights. It has never let me down, performance wise, and is still in my opinion one of the best looking lights. No useless disco modes and it tail stands like a champ. The interface is awesome, and though I always run it with RCR123 cells, it is great to know that when the zombies come and the only batteries readily available are AA cells, this light will eat those as well.

I love it with this extremely rare strike bezel:


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## Atakdog

First light I ever loved was a cheap light powered by 3x AAA batteries and ran on 9 of the cheap type of led, I forget what they are called. It was probably around 10 lumens and at the time I thought it was bright. One late night I reached for this on my bedside table and knocked it off. I got on the floor and picked it up to find didn't work. IT FAILED FROM FALLING 3 STUPID FEET ONTO CARPET!!!:fail:
I was very issapointed, but in my search for a better light I found the Eagletc T20c2, which obviously blew my previous light away. I will never go back to cheap lights again!


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## plaguem

Found this on flashlight museum (what a great website!). My grandma gave me this whole bunch of old stuff belonging to my grandpa when he passed on and this was one of the lights. The year on flashlightmuseum is 1969. Whew. I think I may still be lying somewhere at home.. Will try to look for it and post a picture of that.

If memory serves, this ran on 4 Ds that were held together in a plactic bracket of some sort. The bracket even stored a spare bulb, and if I find it at home, I think the original spare bulb may still be there.

See Rule #3 Do not Hot Link images. Please host on an image site, Imageshack or similar and repost – Thanks Norm


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## John D in CT

The first flashlight that I thought was extra-cool was the Mini Maglite.

In fact, one of my reasons for joining this forum was to find out if there's a 7.4V bulb available for it so I can use 2 x 14500 IMR batteries in it instead of plain old AA's.


----------



## Jabberwocke

As a cub scout I was able to purchase a green boy scout flashlight. 2 d-cell metal body painted with boy scout logo. Head and tail-cap were plastic (phenolic?) and held an incandescent bulb. Probably put out a few lumens and got very yellow as the batteries died. I thought it was the best thing, especially in a tent at night. I think that was the beginning of my addiction....


----------



## cwilliams

PT-1L, it was the first flashlight that i started to actually EDC


----------



## bushmattster

Maglite 5D bought in 1984. Added an LED about 5 years ago and it still works great but the lens is terribly scratched.


----------



## MadeInUSA

My first was a Surefire e1L Outdoorsman. That light opened the flood gates to my addiction...I mean hobby


----------



## Empire

CR2 Quark


----------



## SuperDavid

This was my first!
It stopped working sometime after it was given to me, but I've kept it for about 20 years.
Tonight I tried soldering on some new wires inside and it works!!!!!!!!
only problem is that the wire I used was too thick and now it wont close properly! I'll have to retry with thinner wire.


----------



## Glock 22

For me it was the Surefire E1B.


----------



## Norm

Probably my first larger LED torch, an Electrolumens Blaster 1R.
I dug out the pieces yesterday and rebuilt it, it no longer uses the original driver or Luxeon LED. It had been laying in a drawer for some years after being taken apart because the switch was faulty. The driver and LED (P4) were changed about 5 years ago. I managed to disassemble the switch and get it working although it occasionally sticks on, I think I'll contact Wayne to try and buy a replacement.

The light at the moment puts out about (just a guess here) 40 to 50 lumens and is not as bright as any of my AAA keyring lights, but I'm sure it'll run forever on two Ni-mh D cells 

Norm


----------



## run4jc

Original Haiku. Man, oh man, after a few awesome Surefires and other good lights, the Haiku is the one that really stirred the pot for me. It and my first Creemator...


----------



## Hot Brass

Mine was a 6D Mag-lite probably 18 years ago now and still using it. I thought it was "the" light to have back then,even with it's yellowy keyhole shaped beam!.I used it up north at my in-laws cabin looking for critters at night and general lighting duties. I was pretty satisfied,but even back then I had thought in my mind that there must be something better,so I upgraded to their optional bulb (I forget the name!) which "worked" for maybe 10 years till recently,when I changed out the incan bulb for a Terralux led,which made a big difference!.Maybe a Malkoff drop-in is next?! Hot Brass


----------



## olaola

my first one is nitecore EZ AA, but it was lost during a trip. Now i have nitecore Sens AA


----------



## MX-991/u

Cheap German (probably chinese-made) knock-off of a Fulton angle-head. I bought it five years ago. I really wanted to buy an original, but in Hungary (the country i live in) they're only available through e-bay, and spending 5 dollars for a light, and another fifteen for shipping would have defeated the purpose of getting a light cheap. So i went with the German one. From there on, i started to buy more and more lights, both cheap and expensive ones, but i stayed true for my original purposes, i only bought sturdy, rugged lights, regardless of light output. Last year i purchased a LED drop-in, one made in the czech republic, and i must say i'm impressed with it. Incan bulbs get me 4-5 hours useable light on two Energizers or Duracells, the LED bulb gets easily three times that much, i'd say maybe fifteen hours before dropping to 50% of original light output. So, this being my first light and all, i use it quite a bit even nowadays when i could go with any of my higher lumen lights.


----------



## Toohotruk

:welcome:


----------



## trainingwolves

4sevens Quark X 123^2 Tactical. . . Still my edc.


----------



## zespectre

THIS THIS THIS!!! This was the first DECENT flashlight anybody ever gave me (thanks Grandma) I had this thing for YEARS!




carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.


----------



## ZRXBILL

A Fenix LD20 which was also my 1st decent flashlight.


----------



## Saber in PA

Mid 80's I was 12 at the time. Radio shack would put a coupon in their news ad for a free flash light. I rode my bike down to my local shack and got one of course they wanted to sell you the 5 D cell's to power it lol. 


*See Rule #3 Do not Hot Link images. Please host on an image site, Imageshack or similar and repost – Thanks Norm*


----------



## Unicorn

AA Mini Maglite.


----------



## Big_Ed

In high school (about 1987) I got a multi- bulb light for a camping trip. In addition to a standard light with reflector, it had an amber flashing light, and a fluorescent bulb for an area light. It ran off of 4D cells. It was the brightest light any of us had on that trip. Boy, was I proud!


----------



## Big_Ed

carbine15 said:


> I just thought of an earlier light that influenced my hobby.
> Duracell had these really good lights they called Durabeam in 1988. I swear I had one that looked just like this one but I remember it taking a single 9volt battery.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I remember at Boy Scout camp I was holding this light after using “Deet Woods Off” (bug repellant) and touched the lens. It melted the plastic in the shape of my fingerprints. I was so distraught for days after. I swear it took one 9V battery.



Wow, there seems to be a lot of people who had this light. I bought one back in high school (probably 1988 or 89). I was into astronomy and taped red cellophane to the lens to preserve my night vision. Later, after I joined CPF, (2003 or 2004) I was in a local hardware store and saw a couple of these still for sale. Of course I had to buy them. I still have them, and they are still new in their packages, part of my collection.


----------



## k12cop

Mini maglite aa...when I took a kubotan course I mentioned to the instructor that I would rather carry the kubotan without keys attached. He told me the mini maglite was designed to be used with the kubotan techniques so I bought one. Still have it twenty years later...threw in nite ize led which blows away incandescent bulb it came with and now relegated it to the kitchen drawer for power outage duty...still a great light, even though I've graduated to foursevens, olight, shiningbeam, etc.


----------



## american

Mini mag 

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2


----------



## TouchOfRed

I have a few Ultrafires, the best Ultrafire ive got is UF H4, i may have written that i love it, but im not sure. Its a very great headlamp, but im not sure if i love it. 
If im going to love a flashlight/headlamp, it must fulfill everything that i want.  

I just ordered a Nitecore EC2 , like 5 mins ago, and i do have ordered a Nitecore MH25, i think im going to love both light, if not both. I think it will be the EC2


----------



## kaiserlives

Looked it up in faq and still dont know how to post pictures ..
Any advise would be great
Thanks



carbine15 said:


> You guys should try to post pictures of the lights you're talking about.


----------



## Rob82

My first favorite had to be the red Eveready flashlights of the early 90's. It was something about how the light made the red bezel glow that grabbed my attention as a kid.


----------



## Brera

The one that I really really liked, a 2AA Maglite. Used to carry it everywhere I go until I lost it, bought another one, and lost it again. Others are not significant.


----------



## Canada

Maglite 4D

at the time it was an impressive light. I remember that friends were impressed. I still got it, but i don't have bulb for it. I was a maglite fan I also had a 2AA maglite. 

I prefer my led flashlight much more power and portable


----------



## ruriimasu

I'd made a replica of my 1st light from when I was a kid. Enjoy!


----------



## ruriimasu

I had one of these! Managed to get mine replaced (I got to keep the original) even after 10 years due to the lifetime warranty!



cue said:


> Mine started with this flashlight. Before I got this one, all lights were the same.


----------



## MasseyLake

As a kid, I thought my dad's Mag Charger was the bomb. It was big, black, built like a tank, and brighter than any of the other flashlights we had.


----------



## hiljentaa

This guy is what made me love flashlights. Saved my butt many times.


----------



## xjasperstudentx

Maglite mini AAA


----------



## Emanon0825

As a kid I used to love this 1 million candlepower spotlight. After browsing CPF for a while though I recenlty bought my first quality light... a fenix ld22 and I love it! I'm now looking into getting a nice pocket edc light now


----------



## ishmael

An East German army model that had a generator wheel half protruding from one side. Yo had to rub it along a pants leg or something to spin the wheel and produce light. I wish I knew what happened to it.


----------



## Xacto

Although I did have quite some flashlights as a kid, I think that this one was the most precious/interesting one, which was the reason why I got one a few months ago.




Daimon 414 running on two D cells with red and green sliding filters.
Cheers
Thorsten


----------



## spooled180

First flashlight that cost more than $5 was my favorite. Sure fire E2d


----------



## LightJaguar

In my case I really got tired of not having a flashlight and bought a Brinkmann legend 2AA. Really like the styling of it but it was as bright as a mini mag. I think it might have actually been a bit better in some specs. I liked the flashlight not "loved" it though. I was not happy with the output so I tried using a Nite Ize drop in designed for the mini mag. It did not fit but I modified the reflector and got it working. It was brighter but three 5mm LEDs were still not enough and the it was too floody. I soon found CPF and my first loved flashlight was the Fenix L2D-CE. It was my first hi power LED flashlight. I bought a few of them and gave them as gifts and used one as my main EDC. Loved the brightness and different levels.
However the love of my life (flashlight wise) is the Surefire C2/M2/L5. I have around 20 of them I think in different colors and configurations and I'm still looking for more.


----------



## EscapeVelocity

Pelican 1900 MightyLite which I got in my stocking for Christmas when I was too young to remember just how old I was. Man I loved that thing! It was orange!


----------



## wighty

Gun metal gray Mini Mag AAA... I even got it for free as a sample from a company that supplies logo'd promotional items.


----------



## diesel79

A Browning Tactical hunter. Not sure who actually made the light, but I do still have it. Its what got me hooked on flashlights.


----------



## defuse kit

I've always liked lights, but because it meant having a light. No love for the flashlight in and of itself. The first flashlight I really loved was my first Surefire E2D. Showed me how amazing a good light can be.


----------



## Howecollc

I think a bump is appropriate after having been shelved for 4 years.


----------



## zulumoose

First flashlight I loved was a red Eveready 2xAA side by side light, no lens, no reflector, just a U-shaped white plastic piece to hold the bulb, you slid the whole side off to change the batteries. Must have been about 1975 when I got it, and I used to read under the covers until it was so dim I could not even see a whole word at a time.

I have checked the flashlight museum, cannot find a reference to it.

Another one I loved at that time, which I was not allowed to use, was also a plastic Eveready light, which took a 6V lantern battery underneath that screwed on to two pillars. I inherited that and still have it. You cannot get those batteries and my daughter dropped it and broke the reflector but I now run it with a 600 Lumen 12V downlighter mounted against the glass, and a 12V 7Ah battery strapped onto a slightly shaved body with Velcro. It was a powerful spotlight in its day, now it is a rechargeable floodlight.


----------



## EseriesModder

An inova X5 that I bought for $20 with money I earned at my first after school job. It was indestructible. I carried it in my pocket everyday until my lifestyle required something brighter, but even then it came along with me in my backpack as a vampire, because 123s were too expensive to waste.


----------



## bykfixer

Howecollc said:


> I think a bump is appropriate after having been shelved for 4 years.



Agreed. And this one being 10 years old it is fun to see the changes as the industry has. 
It is also a charm to see how much folks have _not_ changed as the industry has as well.


----------



## vadimax

This is the beamshot of my first loved flashlight that was the reason to buy it:


----------



## gurdygurds

Same here


hiljentaa said:


> This guy is what made me love flashlights. Saved my butt many times.


----------



## Newlumen

My first good light was pelican 7060, just a year ago.. i discover this forum, and buy more lights... i now have 40 something light....


----------



## richbuff

Four Sevens MMU-X3.

Before that, for me, was junk that would not turn on due to malfunctioning switch, internal corrosion, etc. 

The MMU-X3 was my first nice quality, nice performance flashlight. I discovered it when I searched Sears online for a powerful flashlight.

This is an ultra classic item, of course. Size/power/throw classification, emitter configuration, beam profile/beam performance to size ratio: these items are an enduring milestone as offered in the MMU-X3.


----------



## chainsolid

My first loved Surefire A2
Not my first flashlight, This my EDC Flashlight


----------



## Hooked on Fenix

I liked the Inova X5, the Princeton Tec Quad headlight, the Gerber Infinity Ultra, but the first one I loved was the Fenix P3D Q5. For the first time, 100 lumens/watt had been achieved and brightness was quadruple that of one watt Luxeon l.e.d.s. For the first time, you could have a high power l.e.d. light with long runtimes and high brightness. This light went from 5 to 200 lumens and ran at over 40 lumens for 16 hours straight and only weighed 3 ounces. A 2 D maglight would run at under 20 lumens for less than 10 hours and required bulky D batteries. This was the first light I took a week backpacking without ever changing the batteries, and I used it on low for a nightlight all night, every night. Once you have a light that is bright enough to comfortably hike all night long without swapping batteries, anything past that is usually just an unnecessary bonus.


----------



## harro

A TK11Q5 Fenix. Its now a bit battered and bruised but still going strong. I remember being absolutely blown away by those mighty 185 lumens on high, and how a small twist of the head would engage low. And the runtime on my first ever 18650 cell ( a decent Ultrafire before they turned to crap ) was amazing, i think in the region of about six hours, on high. These days, we buy a 5,000 lumen light with programable modes and flashy modes and oled displays and usb charging and multi colour outputs, and think, ' thats nice '.


----------



## bykfixer

Loved? Like my wife or chocolate? There aint one.

But the one that caused me to say "holy-cow this is the one for me" for the first time was the PK FL2 LE. It's still my benchmark today.


----------



## jamesmtl514

Surefire E2D Incan. Still sees regular use. Only now it has a Tana Tripled. 

Most loved now. BB MCGIZMO MULE 119 WITH tritium


----------



## jamesmtl514

You EDC a black A2? Wow you're brave. Those are crazy rare


----------



## Rstype

very first truly loved flashlight that got me into the more powerful stuff and my love for flashlight is a surefire 6p. Had a maglight 2x aa that was good until i ented a pitch black basement to look for a plumbing problem, and i gotta say i was really yearning for something much more powerful. looked up durable , military grade flashlight and surefire was the first link with a review about a surefire 6p. i got it and was immediately impressed compared to the maglight. The addiction began there.....


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

bykfixer said:


> Loved? Like my wife or chocolate? There aint one. But the one that caused me to say "holy-cow this is the one for me" for the first time was ......



Many years ago The Lovely Mrs. Gardiner and I purchased a preowned Cadillac. It was the nicest car we'd ever owned. A retired pastor that worked with me asked, "How do you like the Cadillac?" I answered, "Robert, I love that Cadillac." He seemed a little disappointed and gently retorted, "I thought we were supposed to love people and use things." Me being a quick tongued smart-*** replied, "Robert, I love using that Cadillac. :devil: " 

With that being stated, here's the first flashlight I ever loved using. 

~ Chance 

Surefire G2 with a metal head, Darksucks heat treated Ti. clip and a SS bezel ring. It has been home to many different drop-ins.


----------



## gilson65

4 d cell maglite


----------



## tech25

A 1xAA heavy duty plastic version of the top of the line minimag that was available, it had a similar beam type as the minimag and had spot to spill. If I could find the same one I would get it now as a nostalgic piece.


----------



## chainsolid

jamesmtl514 said:


> You EDC a black A2? Wow you're brave. Those are crazy rare



For now, I'm using Surefire A2 Black for my EDC.I know it rare, But I like it.
Today my A2 Black go to an operation,


----------



## mbw_151

It seems so quaint now, but the first flashlight I loved was a Mini-Mag 2AA Incan. My flashlights before the Mini-Mag were just highly unreliable junk. The Mini-Mag work almost all the time and if it didn't you changed the batteries or installed the spare bulb in the tail cap and it worked again. It had O-rings and could tolerate a drop in a puddle. I had half a dozen for many years. Still have most of them with Nite-Ize UG2 LED upgrades in them. I did lose one to alkaline leakage in the days before Energizer L91 Lithium cells. Now they serve on as convenience lights, loaners and entertainment for kids under 6 years old.


----------



## Mercyfulfate1777

M first love i still have,an Eveready Spot/Flood Masterlite from the 50s.


----------



## bykfixer

mbw_151 said:


> It seems so quaint now, but the first flashlight I loved was a Mini-Mag 2AA Incan. My flashlights before the Mini-Mag were just highly unreliable junk. The Mini-Mag work almost all the time and if it didn't you changed the batteries or installed the spare bulb in the tail cap and it worked again. It had O-rings and could tolerate a drop in a puddle. I had half a dozen for many years. Still have most of them with Nite-Ize UG2 LED upgrades in them. I did lose one to alkaline leakage in the days before Energizer L91 Lithium cells. Now they serve on as convenience lights, loaners and entertainment for kids under 6 years old.



I remember dropping a mini mag off a dock one night a long time ago in about 3' of gin clear really cold water. 

Before I heard the "sploosh" sound my mind was thinking "oh crap, my light is ruined"... Surprisingly it stayed lit at first. Then I actually heard a faint "zzzt-zzzt-zzzt pop" as it flickered then failed. 

Next day I pulled it from the water, took it apart and set it in the sun on that dock to dry. A few hours later, dried out I replaced the bulb with the spare one. To my surprise the dam thing lit!! Same batteries and all. 

So I suppose I loved that light before any others. It musta meant something back then because I still have it to this day. It lives on a shelf with a few other retired oldies I purchased after that mini mag. Man, I forgot about that one. Thanks mbw.


----------



## Need a Light?

While I had a few minimags, and an old Bright Star TL-122D that kept me entertained and (mostly) out of the dark when I was younger, my first serious flashlight purchase was a zebralight sc52w l2. Man. The day my 14500 came in, was the day I realized that lighting technology was far beyond what I had imagined. The reflector has been a little funny for a long time (on high modes it almost looks like it's got smoke residue or moisture on it, but looks perfectly shiny when off, maybe oxidation under coating? It's sealed and still works fine) but it still lives clipped to my right front pocket with my wallet. (Habit formed as a delivery driver- it would help keep my wallet from falling out getting in and out of my car all the time)


----------



## User name?

The old 2 AA maglights. I went through quite a few of them, which is why I ended up looking for something better. Eventually I purchased a jetbeam PA10. Lasted about 2 years which in my opinion was great for that light. Probably would have lasted longer if it didn't fall off a scissor lift. haha.


----------



## sprint

Early gen Surefire 6P. Round bezel.

Loved it.


----------



## Bullzeyebill

Maglite 6 volt chargeable, back in the day. Hooked that up to my Plymouth arrow pickup when I went camping, Whoohoo! 

Bill


----------



## bykfixer

Good bumps!!

I recently acquired a minty first gen 3D Kel-Lite and as I was geeking out on the assembly of Americas first burely flashlight (made of schedule 40 alluminum water pipe) a bunch of ghosts of my youth were stirred up. Holding that boat anchor of a flashlight had me day dreaming of holding the flashlight for pop while he changed a tube in the tv. (And being about 6 years old my attention span was seconds at a time so of course pop hollers for my older sister to hold it, ugh!) 

A couple of days later I woke from a nap in a cold sweat thinking dad's flashlight was actually a medium head Radio Shack-Hong Kong made Kel-Lite knock off. Yikes!! 

But I do recall having the priveledge of using pop's flashlight to get stuff from our unlit garage, shine it on screws under the hood of his pickup while he worked on it or find a dropped tool that went under the work bench way back when. 

I had all the respect in the world for that flashlight, and the man who owned it.


----------



## DIPSTIX

First loved flashlight hmm.. I have to say my zebralight sc600 was the first light that actually impressed me. I didn't know I could fall in love with a light with such a small figure. After I got over how tiny and amazing it was my love then moved onto the Acebeam K60


----------



## vadimax

If you are going to go nuts, just do it properly. TN32 first release.


----------



## Modernflame

A black, plastic, rectangular shaped incandescent light made by Kodak. It had an elongated rectangular beam profile up close and wouldn't be worth $5 in today's currency, but I was seven years old and it defeated the darkness. I don't know what ever became of it, but that's the device that started all of this for me.


----------



## Hugh Johnson

A 2 million candle power spotlight. I never did anything useful with it. I just kept it in my car and pulled it out every once in a while. On a dark country road sometimes I'd turn off the headlights and stick it out the sunroof. I actually bought my TN4A Hi to recreate that experience in a smaller package.


----------



## Bourbon City

Many Decades ago, I bought the first flashlight that I really loved; my Incandescent Bulb Mini-MagLite. I still have it somewhere buried in my Garage. I still love my LED Mini-MagLite and 3-D Cell MagLites.


----------



## peterkin101

My long lost Mini Maglite AA purchased back in 1991 as an outfit with a lanyard, red filter, clip. Cost me £14.95 GBP back then. And back then there was nothing to touch it. Got me hooked and have owned or purchased almost every incandescent Maglite as a result. Still a fan of Maglite 26 yrs later.


----------



## tech25

Modernflame said:


> A black, plastic, rectangular shaped incandescent light made by Kodak. It had an elongated rectangular beam profile up close and wouldn't be worth $5 in today's currency, but I was seven years old and it defeated the darkness. I don't know what ever became of it, but that's the device that started all of this for me.



Was that the one with the brown top? I had one that you pushed two tabs at the sides to release it to pull out the top with the battery holder. I think it was 2xAA


----------



## Ishango

I've told about the light that actually got me into collection flashlights, the Fenix E20, before in several topics. However long before that I owned a Mini Maglite 2AA flashlight. Before that the best light I had (had a couple of cheap ones) were two Rayovac Roughneck 1xAA flashlight with a Halogen bulb. It was this model, but in single AA format. Great little light.


----------



## rayman

My first loved flashlight was a green 2AA Maglite I got as a kid. I still have it but compared to the state-of-the-art LED flashlights it's pretty dim ;-).


----------



## Scout90

AA Mini-Maglight. Back in the late 80s it was state of the art. (To me at least)


----------



## wjv

ITP C8
190 Lumen
Infinite output adjust


----------



## sbslider

Fenix LD01. I owned a few maglights as an adult, but they were not something I loved, they were really good at the time though. But I purchased an LD01 a year or so ago, and WOW, an incredible amount of light came out of that single AAA battery, and for a long time too!

I have sold the LD01, and moved on to several other AAA lights, as well as a couple AA lights including my TN4A. That is my WOW light now.


----------



## nimdabew

Maglite AA incandescent. I remember my niteeyes LED upgrade and it blew my mind. I carried that thing around with me everywhere in the Maglite nylon carry pouch as a kid. Pro tip: a hair tie wrapped around the carry pouch two or three times kept enough tension on it so the light didn't fall out! That was my primary light until I bought a Surefire E2D LED and I still carry that 120 lumen light around.


----------



## flat-ray

Surefire M2 centurion incan. My flashaolism begin there. Today it is in my surefire collection.


----------



## dmattaponi

As a kid...any that I could get my hands on. I loved them all.
As a young adult...The Maglite
Nowadays...Thrunite TN4A


----------



## terjee

Incan Maglite.

I loved how rugged and robust it felt. It also taught me about how vulnerable incan bulbs can be, how annoying it is to have to carry dead weight an entire trip, and the importance of backups and spares.


----------



## ChibiM

A 1watt led flashlight i bought while visiting a friend in the US. Before that, I only had some incans, but the led flashlight really opened my eyes so to say. I can't remember the name anymore.


----------



## pingpongsong

Okluma Copper Dc1. hope to get one real soon!!!

Cheers


----------



## tech25

terjee said:


> Incan Maglite.
> 
> I loved how rugged and robust it felt. It also taught me about how vulnerable incan bulbs can be, how annoying it is to have to carry dead weight an entire trip, and the importance of backups and spares.



I practiced changing the bulb from the spare in the tailcap in the dark. I always had a spare and batteries hanging around.


----------



## terjee

tech25 said:


> I practiced changing the bulb from the spare in the tailcap in the dark. I always had a spare and batteries hanging around.



As did I. Trouble where these bulbs, is that it turns out the spare could break before the one in use. Not sure if it was manufacturing defect or just rough handling, but mechanical stress seems to be as much a source of failure as them simply being spent. I remember 35mm film canister with padding was a good solution to carrying a spare outside of the light.


----------



## Flyhalf

JNewell said:


> Here's a quiz for you all. Back in the late 1960s I had a palm-sized, single bulb incandescent that was shaped kind of like a squished oval in cross-section and had a battery pack that I remember unplugging from the head and plugging into a 120v AC outlet to recharge. Does anyone remember a light like that?


 
Eveready Captain?


----------



## Flyhalf

OCEANBEAMER said:


> Well the year was 1969.. I a 20 year old wounded Marine... was on a medical evac flight from danang,south vietnam(at the time) the plane was dark and I asked one of the nurses for a flashlight to read a letter from home..I must be getting older because I remember far more about the flashlight than the nurse....it was a sanyo rec argeable light that was very popular with pilots&stues for many years,,,white with over&under white&red lenses,the chargeing plug folded out of the rear of the light and was very compact.I owned 4 or 5 for years afterward. It was called the sanyo cadnica.



Dear Oceanbeamer,
The Sanyo Cadnica Lite is what brought me to this forum because of my Dad. If you were you flown out MEDEVAC from Da Nang in 69 on a 141, my Dad might have been the navigator. I still know some of the nurses Dad flew with and he puts them somewhere between Saints and Angels. FYI - I'm married to a nurse. 

Respectfully,
Flyhalf


----------



## bykfixer

Good bump.


----------



## Hugh Johnson

A 2 million candlepower spotlight using a 6V lantern battery. I couldn’t believe I could light things up half a block away. Now I have a BLF GT.


----------



## Icarus

Maglite 4D


----------



## thermal guy

Mine was one of them old red waterproof lights I think made by energizer. 2D. I remember being really sick when I was like 10 and ask my dad to get it for me.we didn’t have much money but he got it for me. Used it for about a week while I was stuck in bed sick. No clue whatever became of it. This was back in 75 or so.guess I have always been into flashlights.


----------



## bigburly912

I thought I was hot stuff walking around my yard with one of these hunting night crawlers.


----------



## Chauncey Gardiner

Bigburly912 said:


> I thought I was hot stuff walking around my yard with one of these hunting night crawlers.



:thumbsup: You were right, Hot Stuff. That's a great light. 

~ cG


----------



## bigburly912

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> :thumbsup: You were right, Hot Stuff. That's a great light.
> 
> ~ cG



Still have it. Still works! Need to throw a Yuji in there haha


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## Tesla

Either an old Mini-Mag or my ARC AAA


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## wosser

For me it was one of these things:
http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/Eve...ellow-Sport-Gear-2-Way-with-Lanyard-4AA-1995&

It had an incredibly laser-like throw and could hit trees 300 yards away. The lantern mode was very useful.

I'd love to have one again.


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## thermal guy

300 yards?


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## Fireclaw18

Incan Mag Solitaire purchased in the early 90s.

The solid anodized aluminum body just oozed a feeling of quality that lights prior to Maglight didn't have.

Unfortunately, while the Maglight looked great (until the Type II anodizing wore off), and felt great in the pocket or hand. The actual light output left a lot to be desired.

It had a zoom head with 2 beam patterns: "Donut Mode" and "Spot Mode". Donut mode projected a wide extremely dim donut with an enormous hole in the center. It was useless. Spot mode was useful, but the output was so dim it was only good for about 10' or so. Main use was to find the keyhole for a door when you're standing right in front of it.


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## Toohotruk

Fireclaw18 said:


> Incan Mag Solitaire purchased in the early 90s.
> 
> The solid anodized aluminum body just oozed a feeling of quality that lights prior to Maglight didn't have.
> 
> Unfortunately, while the Maglight looked great (until the Type II anodizing wore off), and felt great in the pocket or hand. The actual light output left a lot to be desired.
> 
> It had a zoom head with 2 beam patterns: "Donut Mode" and "Spot Mode". Donut mode projected a wide extremely dim donut with an enormous hole in the center. It was useless. Spot mode was useful, but the output was so dim it was only good for about 10' or so. Main use was to find the keyhole for a door when you're standing right in front of it.



It's funny to think that I carried a Solitaire and only a Solitaire for a good 20 years, using it working construction, as well as at home. I got laughed at a lot, but the same people that laughed were always borrowing it. Those old incan Solitaires were about as bright as a match, and that's with new batteries, lol.


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## Nimitz68

Surefire 6P. That's the one that started me on my flashlight hobby/journey.


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## Tom-1979

Mine was a used Fulton MX 991/U.
Great Flashlight 30 years ago...now i prefer my zebralight
SC64w hi...its more edc-able and got. some extra lumen compared
to the Fulton!


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## Cool Pocket Stuff

I bought a Fenix E21 as a teenager for running at night. It blew me away that a light that was so affordable was so much better than other cheap lights. I always had that light with me as it showed me how useful a nice flashlight is.


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## Katherine Alicia

This was my first ever torch, I was about 4 years old and remember it well! I had endless fun with it and really miss it (I`m still on the hunt for another).


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## wicky998

Surefire 6px pro . Put me on the flashlight path for sure


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## AlienBug

1980s 2aa Duracell Durabeam

My mother bought it for me to take on a Boy Scout camping trip and I used it for years. Tough, lightweight, compact, and pretty bright for the time IIRC.


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## BigBaller

Arc AAA


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## Buck91

Mini maglite of course! Even bought the accessory kit so I could use the red and amber lenses to preserve my night vision since that xenon bulb was so bright 

My maglite 3D got me into “modding” with the magnum star bulb and a UCL lens!


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## sween1911

The early Brinkmann 2AA that was a direct copy of the Mini Mag. Bought at the K-Mart in Rio Grande, South Jersey just north of the bridge into Wildwood. Same headshape as the Minimag except the head was non-removable.
Carried that thing everywhere, my first real EDC.


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## Vemice

Still got if from the mid 80s. My triple D Incan alongside the baby Solitaire Incan.


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