Menipo wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:13 pm
standy99 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 6:01 am
ChrisinHove wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:57 am
Absolutely!
I don’t know about anyone else, but I will balk at spending 00’s on tools I regularly use, but not on knives I rarely use.
Here’s another question .... what cost more? The shoes you are wearing or the knife in your pocket?!
Knives, Pens and
flashlights
3 things I use most at work, I never balk at spending money on them. Also enjoy having several of them probably in the order above of most of to least of.
And for Chris I’m a flip flop guy 9/10 living tropical so everything is worth more than my shoes...
It has always intrigued me a lot. I see flashlights paired with knives in many of the photos on the forum "What Spyderco is in your pocket today ??" and I understand that in the USA they are part of the EDC.
But here I've never carried one in my pocket (except when I'm camping) and I don't know anyone who carries it. But not only here. I have lived in a dozen European countries (including France, Germany, Italy, UK, Denmark, etc.) and I have also not seen people carry flashlights as part of their EDC. It must be something cultural .... :confused:
It's kind of cultural, but it also isn't. Depends on definitions and timeline, I suppose.
First of all, there is the fact that most people don't carry anything anymore. The convenient padding of modern society is stripping us from the skill of preparedness as well as the trait of taking responsibility.
Just think about how ubiquitous pocket knives were just a couple of generations ago, when everyday chores were a little less convenient than today. Under the same circumstances I think we would have seen similar behavior toward flashlights, but nothing really pocket friendly existed at the time.
As it turns out, lot's of people actually needed pocketable flashlights, and we know this, because we see people illuminating things with their mobile phones all the time. Just like with knives, people don't realize how useful it can be until they have it with them. Intentional or not.
With regards to flashlights I've gone through the evolutionary steps. I was fascinated with them when I was a kid. Living far north in Europe, we have our fair share of darkness, so I for kids and especially boys to develop that fascination is quite predictable. The size of flashlights back then facilitated they were used on a "need to have" basis, rather than just in case.
As I grew older I did carry some smaller flashlights off and on (read mini maglites), but they weren't all that good. I drooled over surefire lights after being introduced to them during military service, but they were expensive to buy and even more expensive to feed. The result of the cost/size/performance equation not adding up in my favor resulted in the fact that even with my inherent interest and identified needs, I didn't consistently carry a "flashlight" before they became embedded in our phones.
The reason I later switched to a dedicated flashlight is twofold;
It's partly work related. My work often requires me to verify, test or even make electrical connections in tight and poorly lit spaces. Beyond being an unsuitable task for a mobile phone just for the risk of breaking it, I often found that I simultaneously needed the phone for other tasks like looking up schematics, taking pictures for documentation or calling for assistance. Also, phones are prohibited items on some of the sites I visited.
The other part has a lot to do with technology. My experience with flashlights at work combined with the carry comfort / performance ratios of modern AAA/10400 flashlights, has convinced me that there is a positive cost/benefit equation in carrying dedicated flashlights all of the time. It's more convenient to engage than phone lights, it's brighter, has better CRI, it saves battery on my phone and when conditions are harsh, it allows me to use an affordable and rugged device rather than an expensive and delicate one.