This forum dead or dying?

[Monocrom]

The end that zaps it awake works just fine. ;)

 

[TPA]

@jtr1962 Said most of it. When the forum was first created, white LEDs and high-powered LEDs were a brand new technology, exotic and exciting.
I think Clifford Stoll said it best:
"The first time you do something, it's science.
The second time, it's engineering.
The third time, it's just being a technician."

In the early 2000s when this forum was created, 100-250 lumens was as good as it got for anything handheld, and you'd be using halogen bulbs for that.

Now you can get 600 lumens in a 1x AA sized light for $20. And not just one, there are many flashlights in that price range which can crank out that level of brightness.

Even manufacturers have recognized this, which is why they're now stuffing their lights full of extras, like OLED status displays, multi-color elements, side emitters, etc.

There isn't as much need for hobbyist-DIY-style information now that you can buy superb LED lighting instruments just about anywhere.

 

[AMRaider]

Yeah. The hobbyist part I miss for sure. I remember (as many here do) when you could get plenty of mods for Maglites for example (heat sinks, drivers, lens, including aspherical lens). I'm certain one can still find and purchase such things, but I must admit I have not searched for them in a long time. My hobbies and interests have changed over the years. I'm still impressed by and appreciative of lighting technology, although these days I tend to search out a lighting product for a specific task/purpose (like hiking/camping) rather than mod/experiment.

 

[WarriorOfLight]

I observed a few years ago the activity in this forum is lower than years ago.

My guess is that since a few years all the Sofirm, Wurkkos, Wuben, (... and similar lights) are not interesting anymore.

The "premium manufacturers" also do not have really new ideas. They are creating <LightName> V2, ...V3.

 

[DaveTheDude]

Insofar as portable lighting tools are concerned, the product offerings have unquestionably matured. The level of knowledge among the community in general has also increased, making many of the discussions common in the earlier years unnecessary.

For example, if I want to describe a light, I can summarize by describing it's physical dimensions, it's weight in your pocket, adding info such as emitter type, color temperature, output levels, candela, cell configuration, and runtimes at various output levels. Most of you will readily form a mental image of the light and whether it's of interest or use to you. The overall level of knowledge in the community allows for this kind of shorthand, making the longer discussions of times past unnecessary.

Where I see the community still adding value is in the realm of discussing the limits of human vision, and how our lighting tools work within the limits imposed by our eyes. Recognizing that a light that claims power to deliver 500 lux to a target a half mile away is of little real use to a human visual system that cannot resolve details at that distance without the use of magnifying optics, is the first step on the road to fiscal discipline: no point in buying a light that you won't use. The greater knowledge and experience levels available here allow for a more sophisticated level of evaluation and discussion. I appreciate that more nuanced kind of discussion.

 

[orbital]

+

CPF at this moment::

Threads 325,148 ~ Messages 4,919,489 ~ Members 70,630
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Seems to be healthy

 

[NaturalMystic]

I joined in May 2006; came looking for better options than the Surefire, Streamlight and Maglite incandescent lights I was using. At the time the LED light that caught my attention was the Firefly, a small batch light that Steven Andrews(?) or a similar name, was making. From what I recall, that went sideways and towards the end people weren't getting their lights. I remember wanting one of those so bad! LOL.
Soon afterwards, Fenix hit the scene and I bought up each new single CR123 model they released. I still have most of them, the original P1, the P1D (and the aftermarket clicky tube made by Leaf(?), as well as several others (P2D, PD20, etc.). I bought my first Fenix lights from David Chow who was a dealer at the time, but then went on to establish 4-Sevens lights (of which I have several models too), but which he subsequently sold to Prometheus Lights.
As others have mentioned, with LED lights no longer being novelties, and with growing family and other interests, my time here got cut down drastically, but I still pop in from time to time to check things out.

 

[nfetterly]

I would echo many of the above - advancements have slowed. And I moved onto watches..., but with that said I came back to sell off some lights that haven't been used (or touched) in years and stayed for the conversation. Much better general conversation than on the watch / knife / camera websites and I'm not on Reddit, instagram and rarely on Facebook (more on LinkedIn than facebook). Note profile photo on LinkedIn is from 2002, profile photo on Facebook is eldest grand daughter when she was a baby along with dog that has been dead close to 10 years (but super cute photo).

Flashlight stuff continues below dog / grand kid photo...

Okay - added photo so you wouldn't have to go looking for it...

And added cover photo on Facebook, so you wouldn't have to go look for that one... (FYI white dog in this photo is now 150 lb). Cameras are for dogs & kids/grand kids

In terms of what you can get - I picked up a Acebeam Rider Rx 2.0 for $26.69 from AliExpress, but shipped from USA (I'm getting sucked into these deals following new posts on CPF).
5000K & 90 CRI reportedly. That's pretty much what I want, well okay I prefer 4500K, but close enough for under $30.
Just checked Amazon - $37.99 for "titanium neutral white", there, otherwise it's 6500K for $24.99
It came with a USB-C rechargeable 14500. AND it runs well from a regular AA
My plan is to gift it to a customer at some point.

 

[iacchus]

 

[DaveTheDude]

The modestly priced lights have developed into pretty good pocket lights these days. I still however drool a bit over the lights produced by our custom manufacturers. (I'm reluctant to part with the money required to buy custom lights, but damn don't they look sweet!)

 

[dc38]

The modestly priced lights have developed into pretty good pocket lights these days. I still however drool a bit over the lights produced by our custom manufacturers. (I'm reluctant to part with the money required to buy custom lights, but damn don't they look sweet!)

Hank lights are some good balance of budget/premium, while being semi-custom (as in you can customize the options). I can recommend the d3aa and dw3aa if you want a multi-fuel AA capable light.

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

The two things you can safely bet the farm on are taxes and change. CPF has changed. The hobby aspect of torch modding has changed. Some of the changes are for the better. Some things will be missed.

CPF is still a great place to spend time. Long live Candle Power Forum.

Threads without pictures are lame!

 

[Lightman2]

Yip. Agreed. Not sure what it is. That’s why I started a thread reference new ideas for CPF. Maybe with life, covid, being busy doing other stuff and the fact that maybe people think it’s the same old stuff being posted on. Obviously a number of things as we are each individuals who have or have not got involved for whatever reasons. (I myself have not been active for years). CPF could still be the sole source for flashlight knowledge but it will take more input from flashaholics to keep it going.

 

[ZMZ67]

I haven't been on the forum much for a while but the interest is still there. Certainly missing some of the excitement that existed in the past when LED lights were breaking onto the scene and we had a front row seat watching the innovations and leaps in performance. Now with all kinds of EDC stuff on you tube and other forums CPF isn't quite as unique as it used to be in the early days of modded lncans and pioneering LEDs. Other things have distracted me from CPF but it is still the forum I choose for flashlights. Seeing the world go from incandescent flashlights to LED flashlights through CPF has been very interesting and entertaining.

 

[cave dave]

I still like the CPF format the best. Reddit threads have a couple pictures on the first post then that thread dies in a couple days. If you want to read about a particular light (today I was researching the E03 III), you have to read a dozen threads.

BLF is just as dead as CPF, I don't like the single infinite page format of BLF.

CPF also has the best BST format!

 

[this_is_nascar]

I've been around CPF, as the kids would say, for a minute. My gauge for activity and growth has all been the amount of New Posts each morning when I visit the forums.

I can tell you, without any doubt, that posting activity now vs what it was 10, 12, 15 years ago is down by 35%-50%.

 

[dc38]

I've been around CPF, as the kids would say, for a minute. My gauge for activity and growth has all been the amount of New Posts each morning when I visit the forums.

I can tell you, without any doubt, that posting activity now vs what it was 10, 12, 15 years ago is down by 35%-50%.

Considering the incandescent era members are burning out one by one, (we've lost a few this year) this place is getting a little bit dimmer.

 

[BillBond]

This forum dead or dying?

Have not seen one that wasn't slowly dying in years.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

@jtr1962 Said most of it. When the forum was first created, white LEDs and high-powered LEDs were a brand new technology, exotic and exciting.
I think Clifford Stoll said it best:
"The first time you do something, it's science.
The second time, it's engineering.
The third time, it's just being a technician."

In the early 2000s when this forum was created, 100-250 lumens was as good as it got for anything handheld, and you'd be using halogen bulbs for that.

Now you can get 600 lumens in a 1x AA sized light for $20. And not just one, there are many flashlights in that price range which can crank out that level of brightness.

Even manufacturers have recognized this, which is why they're now stuffing their lights full of extras, like OLED status displays, multi-color elements, side emitters, etc.

There isn't as much need for hobbyist-DIY-style information now that you can buy superb LED lighting instruments just about anywhere.

I have to admit that I don't miss the Luxeon Lottery. It's a solid sign of a maturing industry.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Perhaps it should be mentioned that the Vinh Nguyen threads were a significant driver of new threads and posts back in the days, in addition to customs. There seemed to be more technical discussion then, as well. Batteries and chargers were another source of content.

One can see that the Zebralight, HDS and Malkoff threads are still humming along.