any Flashlight Hobbyists?

[sandorski]

Would you consider someone a computer hobbyist if they just bought a Dell every few years to surf their porn?

Electronics is a hobby. Build your own sweet flashlight using a bunch of parts from Radio Shack, that's a hobby and a cool one at that. Buying a flashlight somebody else made is not a hobby. You're a consumer, not a hobbyist.

Shit, I buy milk every week. Am I a milk hobbyist? There are lots of different types and uses of milk. There's skim, 1%, 2%, whole. You can put it in cereal, bake with it, drink it straight. Sometimes I drink it from a glass, other times I might put some in a Thermos. Damn, I should start a milk forum.

Perhaps not a "Hobbyist", but I suspect they'd be quite Enthusiastic about it...

 

[alkemyst]

idiots who said flashlights can't be a hobby, you're the loser sitting at a computer on a computer forum trolling. you're the losers, loser.

anyway, it does need to be compact and as light as possible. i'm thinking of the MTE/Aurora 900 lumen light from DealExtreme for $35. Anyone have any better deal/price? I know fenix makes great lights, just more expensive that what i want to spend.
Aurora
MTE

i'm also looking for a good set of recharageable batteries for these lights, anyone have recommendations?

if you are the same dude from the MBR forums, you are taking this weight savings thing way too far.

What is your intended purpose of/for the light? That should be your main criteria then finding those that match it in the size/weight you want.

Are you looking for a space needle?

 

[sygyzy]

If you understood a certain hobby or subject and deem it silly or don't like it, that's one thing. But you guys have absolultey no idea what flashlights are or what's capable with them, so of cousre you don't understand how anyone could be interested in them. It's your ignorance that is driving your opinion and that's a real shame.

Imagine I didn't drink any coffee besides Folgers instant coffee in the morning. If I was naive, I would mock anyone who would suggest studying things like roasting temp and time, bean freshness, water pressure and temp, grind size, types of grinders, tamping pressure, etc. After all, there's only one type of coffee (Folgers) and one way to prepare it (hot water and a spoon to stir), right?

 

[Mike Gayner]

If you understood a certain hobby or subject and deem it silly or don't like it, that's one thing. But you guys have absolultey no idea what flashlights are or what's capable with them, so of cousre you don't understand how anyone could be interested in them. It's your ignorance that is driving your opinion and that's a real shame.

Erm...I'm pretty sure most people know what flashlights are used for.

 

[daw123]

You could call me a flashlight enthusiast

My best flashlight is a Surefire M2 Centurion

I paid about $160 for it

Holy shit, that costs £165: http://www.mindyourfingers.co.uk/P142.html

Do you guys know of a good bang for $ torch around £30. I use it for surveying roof spaces, ceiling voids, floor voids and occasionally beating contractors over the head with.

I can't make it too expensive, because I want to claim it back on company expenses, since I've destroyed two torches previously in the line of duty - contractor's have very hard heads

 

[Capt Caveman]

Erm...I'm pretty sure most people know what flashlights are used for.

You don't or you wouldn't continue to troll in this thread.

 

[aceO07]

Electronics is a hobby. Build your own sweet flashlight using a bunch of parts from Radio Shack, that's a hobby and a cool one at that. Buying a flashlight somebody else made is not a hobby. You're a consumer, not a hobbyist.

A good number of the CPF members do mod or create their own flashlights from parts. It's similar to AT forums, people research parts (led, materials, batteries, etc) and find out what parts/flashlights fit their requirements.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15739

or

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12623

both $35

 

[Mo0o]

You don't or you wouldn't continue to troll in this thread.

Aside from illuminating dark areas, what do you personally use them for

 

[sygyzy]

Aside from illuminating dark areas, what do you personally use them for

What are you trying to get at? If I gave you a flashlight that barely lit up a room and drained the batteries in 30 seconds, would that be acceptable to you? Would you want to use that one flashlight for all your lighting needs?

No? You'd like something with more runtime? Maybe something brighter? I just gave two examples of how flashlights can vary.

 

[Mo0o]

What are you trying to get at? If I gave you a flashlight that barely lit up a room and drained the batteries in 30 seconds, would that be acceptable to you? Would you want to use that one flashlight for all your lighting needs?

No? You'd like something with more runtime? Maybe something brighter? I just gave two examples of how flashlights can vary.

Well I'm just asking, what do you do that requires you to use specialized flashlights that cost a lot of money? I have a $20 LED flashflight and I can't imagine needing anything beyond this unless you're in some really specialized field.

 

[aceO07]

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15739

or

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12623

both $35

Both are very similar. Both use same battery, same led, same high/low options.

Toss a coin and pick one. Both are also direct driven, so as the battery runs down the light will get dimmer.

 

[sygyzy]

Well I'm just asking, what do you do that requires you to use specialized flashlights that cost a lot of money? I have a $20 LED flashflight and I can't imagine needing anything beyond this unless you're in some really specialized field.

I think that's the problem. You don't allow yourself to even consider the possibility that anything could be better than your $20 LED. Some people would scoff at spending that much for a light. The fact that you spent twenty dollars on it when you could have bought an incandescent plastic light for half the cost shows that at some level you think there could be something better. It surprises me, then, that you are willing to think $20 is what's needed for a good light but can't believe there may be a light that's better.

In my life, I've learned there's a "best" of for everything and while nobody needs it, there's always something better than you think. I used to think eggs were all the same then I read about eggs so fresh the yolk was more orange than yellow and tasted better. I thought any butter you buy is the same then I learned that European butter has higher fat content which changes everything from the way food tastes to the textures of cookies and cakes.

I can go on and on. You should be more open minded.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Well I'm just asking, what do you do that requires you to use specialized flashlights that cost a lot of money? I have a $20 LED flashflight and I can't imagine needing anything beyond this unless you're in some really specialized field.

thats as stupid to say as saying, i have a $299 Dell, i can't imagine anyone needing anything more.

i bet those $35 flashlights will be more than 1.5x the brightness of your $20 one...

 

[Mo0o]

I think that's the problem. You don't allow yourself to even consider the possibility that anything could be better than your $20 LED. Some people would scoff at spending that much for a light. The fact that you spent twenty dollars on it when you could have bought an incandescent plastic light for half the cost shows that at some level you think there could be something better. It surprises me, then, that you are willing to think $20 is what's needed for a good light but can't believe there may be a light that's better.

In my life, I've learned there's a "best" of for everything and while nobody needs it, there's always something better than you think. I used to think eggs were all the same then I read about eggs so fresh the yolk was more orange than yellow and tasted better. I thought any butter you buy is the same then I learned that European butter has higher fat content which changes everything from the way food tastes to the textures of cookies and cakes.

I can go on and on. You should be more open minded.

I thought I was pretty clear that I realized there are better lights out there. I'm just asking why it's worth the extra money unless you're in a really specialized field.

 

[Mo0o]

thats as stupid to say as saying, i have a $299 Dell, i can't imagine anyone needing anything more.

i bet those $35 flashlights will be more than 1.5x the brightness of your $20 one...

That's why I'm asking you how the increase features/brightness/whatever makes a big difference in whatever you need to do with a flashlight.

A $299 dell is probably exactly the same to my mom as a $4000 custom rig, because she would'nt utilize any of the additional features. That's why I'm asking you how the increase features/brightness/whatever makes a big difference in whatever you need to do with a flashlight.

 

[aceO07]

Well I'm just asking, what do you do that requires you to use specialized flashlights that cost a lot of money? I have a $20 LED flashflight and I can't imagine needing anything beyond this unless you're in some really specialized field.

Outdoors stuff. If you're out hiking or camping for a week, it'll really make you realize the pro/cons of your equipment. It helps if you are with someone with better equipment than you so you can compare.

It doesn't have to be work related for people to spend more money on stuff. Money can get you better equipment for whatever you do. Work or recreation.

A person who loves cooking will want better knives/pots/etc. Can they survive on cheap stuff? Sure. Is it 'better'? Depends on what you ask, the person who loves to cook or the person who doesn't cook much..

 

[Capt Caveman]

Well I'm just asking, what do you do that requires you to use specialized flashlights that cost a lot of money? I have a $20 LED flashflight and I can't imagine needing anything beyond this unless you're in some really specialized field.

Do you need something that's waterproof? Maintain it's charge in freezing temps? Long beam? Wide beam? Weight and/or size an issue? Battery duration an issue? Etc....

 

[LOUISSSSS]

update: i got my flashlights, didn't throw the 18650 batteries in the flashlight yet, they've been charging for the past 2 hours. How long do they normally take to fully charge the first time around?

And what are some basic tips to a noob; in regards to charging and usage such as don't drain batt all the way down, remove battery from charger once its fully charged.. etc

this torch will be used for everything from looking inside my PC, to attaching to my bike for night rides (on/off road) and for camping/hiking for weeks at a time. i have 2 x 18650 batts and 1x ultrafire charger.