Show me your Flashlights!

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Scott,

To my understanding its Acetylene gas,

you put water in the top reservoir and carbide powder in the bottom and set the water to a drip using the control lever and when the water hits the carbide it make a chemical reaction that creates acetylene gas that builds up and runs out the jet and you use the striker to light it, 

But like I said I’ve never ran it myself so someone with more experience correct me if I’m wrong?

[George N. M.]

Carbide lights and lime lights (aka calcium lights or drummond lights) are 2 different things.  In a carbide light chunks of calcium carbide (CaC2) are placed in the lower screw off/on bottom chamber of the head lamp.  Water is then put in the upper chamber through a small trap door.  The rate of drip from the upper to lower chamber is controlled by a lever on the top of the lamp.  The water reacts with the carbide to make acetylene gas.  The gas is taken through a small tube to a ceramic orifice in the center of the reflector where it burns with a bright yellow-white light.  The standard cap lamp puts out about as much light as an old 2 D cell incandescent bulb flashlight.

Calcium carbide and carbide lamps came in in the 1890s with the use of electric arc furnaces and cheap hydro power electricity.

Lime lights us a hydrogen-oxygen mixture against  heated calcium to produce a bright, white light and were first used in the 1820-30s.

Carbide lamps often have a sparker, similar to a cigarette lighter, on the reflector.  You light them by holding the palm of your hand over the reflector, allowing acetylene to build up behind your hand.  You then slide your hand off to the side rolling the wheel of the striker with your palm.  This ignites the gas.  If you allow a good bit of gas to build up behind your hand you can get a respectable bang when it ignites.  Always gets a good startle out of newbies on a caving trip.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand." 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

The eveloution of flashlights I have used while “on the job” from left to right.
(1) 1980s 22 inch long 7 C-cell Kel*lite kinda cumbersome to carry for 8 hours.
(2) 1990s Rechargeable battery stick Streamlight SL20, battery stick was expensive and lucky to get a years service out of one, also cumbersome.
(3) 2000-2013 (retirement and still use) Rechargeable battery stick Streamlight Stinger my favorite.
(4) 2 AA battery Mini Maglite always with me and keeps all the keys I need. Also can be used as a makeshift Kubaton.

Not in picture but of course a cornucopia of small LED flashlights, a lot of them are gimmie lights. We have several in each vehicle and every room in the house and garage, along with a 12v plug-in spotlight. Like rockstar.esq don’t know how we got along without the LED headlight, of which we have several and indispensable in tight places.

 

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

Wow I have a 6 cell maglight an I thought that was heavy and over sized but I never heard of or saw a 7 cell!

[ThomasPowers]

Lets not forget Arc Lights too!   There were a number of lighting "improvements" over the years that made the "Edison" bulb  wildly popular when it came out!

[Randy Griffin]

My grandfather was born in 1905. He used to tell me about coon hunting by the light of a torch made from lighter wood. We got it easy.

[ThomasPowers]

My Grandfather was born in the 1920's; lived in a tent one year during the great depression, survived being a marine at the battle of Iwo Jima; we have it EXTREMELY easy!

[SHC]

I don’t know what’s happened with the quality of Maglights… I wouldn’t take one these days if it was given to me.

 I’ve got a pretty awesome light my wife gave me for Christmas back when we were dating. For some reason in the past year or so it’s gotten to where the batteries won’t hold a charge. Put fresh batteries in, check it, a couple days later they’re dead. I suppose that means there’s a grounding issue in there somewhere. Come to find out it’s one of the same models sold by 5.11 Tactical for close to $100. But this one doesn’t have “5.11” on it and cost a fraction of the price. It’s pushing close to ten years old now and it’s been retired. I want to say it’s a V-Life. 
 

My current EDC light is a Coast, I think G20. It’s just a small LED inspection light from Walmart that cost less than $20. Takes two AA or AAA batteries, slips in my back pocket, perfect for my needs. I use it for checking things out at work in dark nooks and crannies, keeping an eye on the dogs when I take them out at night. It’s actually bright enough I can see my wife’s little mini Yorkie in tall grass on the other side of the yard. 
 

I don’t get wild with flashlights. My EDC has to be easy to carry and pretty bright. I have other lanterns and lights for emergency use around the home that take assorted types of fuels and packs of assorted lights in each vehicle. These cost around $20 or so at Walmart and the individual lights are pretty crummy, but there’s several of each type in a package and they come with batteries included. Great bang for the buck in a disposable situation, I think the batteries are worth more than the lights themselves. I think they’re Ozark Trail. 

[George N. M.]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned using the light on their cell phone.  That's what I use much of the time, e.g. looking for something under furniture, lighting my way from the shop to the house on a particularly dark night, looking for a dropped object on the driveway, etc..  It wouldn't be practical for an extended period such as caving or walking a dark trail at night but that is where a headlamp comes in.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Randy Griffin]

I guess I’m a old guy. 

I always got my phone but will go stumbling through a dark house looking for a flashlight.

[ThomasPowers]

You don't use your phone's light to find your flashlight?   I've used the display on my insulin pump to find my way to the can for that middle of the night trip.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I have to use a little LED gimmie flashlight to go and find my phone in the dark because I refuse to carry the phone all the time (especially to bed).