Pocket Torches
Yet another collection hobby that I don't really recall how it started. I always loved a good tool
for the job at hand so I owned a couple of Maglites which I thought were the holy grail of flashlights.
Some of my fondest memories with my dad were when I was an adult and we would have a field trip day going
to the different fun places we liked, mostly to shop. I recall one such trip to Sears and the Craftsman
tool section. I found a Maglite clone with one key difference that really blew me away. I had to have it.
The Maglite was a great heavy duty light but besides the beam, that I would later learn was pitiful, the
one thing I always hated about them was the two handed user interface. You had to hold the light with one
hand and twist the head with the other hand to make the light come on. Very counter intuitive. The big
difference I found in this Craftsman light was a button on off switch on the side of the light just like
the old time Ray O Vacs. Wow a switch right where your thumbed laid when you gripped the flashlight. The
Craftsman light was a little longer to accommodate the switch and still fit in two AA batteries but man was
it worth for the convenience. The internet was getting into the mainstream so I started looking around for
reviews on the light to see if other were others as enamored with it as I was. I found candlepowerforums.com.
I was amazed there was a website discussion forum dedicated solely to the discussion of flashlights. Better
referred to as "Torches" as I came to learn.
My education expanded 100 fold as I learned how much technology was really out there for making the dark light
again. My first expensive torch was the vaunted Surefire brand that I had learned was top dog in many circles
including law enforcement. The gun shop, Patriot Arms, where I hung out carried the Surefire line and had in
stock an OD Green rubberized G2. The least expensive in the Surefire line. At $79 before a slight discount the
shop gave me it was with great reservation that I finally plopped down that much money for a flashlight. When I
got it I didn't use it much except for special occasions and show off. I didn't want to mess it up, how weird
is that? When I did use it WOW I was amazed how much brighter and cleaner the beam was than the Maglites I had
used thus far.
It took a while before I jumped to my next light. Candlepowerforum was a wealth of knowledge and I learned of
other brands made overseas that matched the performance of the Surefire at substantial less cost and some that
even exceeded the Surefire brand. Of course none matched the name brand recognition of the Surefire so I continued
to acquire more of the Surefires.
My accumulation and knowledge continued skyward and peeked out at buying the Grail Torch that everyone wanted, a
Surefire M6. At nearly $400 an insane amount of money especially considering it took $12 worth of disposable
batteries! I handled it and played with it's 500 lumens like it was the hope diamond. Finally selling it for
almost what I paid so I could finance other more practical lights that I was not afraid to use.
I collected A LOT of lights and lately I have sold some off that I just lost interest in. My collection is still
crazy by most sane people's standards but I love them. The fun and expensive part of this hobby is similar to being
a computer enthusiast. Every couple of months they come out with something better as the technology improves. I
still favor single cell lights but a recent purchase did get my juices really flowing. 840 Lumens and USB charging
for $79 ! Sure beats the $400 I spent years ago for that 500 lumen Surefire M6. But that M6 was cooler than
cooler…maybe that have a used one on ebay.
Back to reality - I carry a torch every day and always jump at the chance to NEED one. My favorites are any one of
the five pictured below that I like to call my pocket pals.
