Flashlights and Accidents

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Thought some of you flashlight mavens out there might enjoy this.

Mama bear just finished washing a load of laundry. In one pair of my overalls (there are witnesses on the board to the fact that I mostly wear overalls) I inadvertently left my Mini Maglite.

It went through the entire wash and spin cycle.

It WAS NOT affected in any way. (Not counting getting cleaner.)

I was pretty impressed. The batteries didn't even get wet.

That's engineering.

I don't own any interest in Maglite. Hell, at this point I don't own interest in ANYTHING I can't plow, eat, sleep in, or hold in my hands.

-Greybear

-- Got Batteries?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), December 09, 1999

Answers

The only things I've seen that ruin a good Maglite are things like batteries 'exploding' and then eating up the insides and being run over by a truck. Good flashlights.

-- Satanta (satanta@zdnetmail.com), December 09, 1999.

I just bought a $1 flashlight yesterday. I love it. (Yes, I have other flashlights.)

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 09, 1999.

Was it you Greybear, or another, who posted a few days back on min- maglites around a shoestring for the young-uns to wear around their necks? I like that idea, and today picked up 6 mini-mags on sale, and extra batteries.

>"<

-- SH (squirrel@huntr.com), December 09, 1999.


Wasn't me with the kiddie-necktie suggestion.

When ours were young (they're 17 and 23 now) we used to just use plain rope around thier neck tied off to a tree that way we always knew where they were.

Only worked for a few years though, when they grew in those back-row gnawing teeth they just gnawed through the ropes.

They are now getting along toward that stage where the bring in thier own relief team of rope gnawers.

We been talking about using steel aircraft cable this next round.

Kew there was something I was forgetting in the preps.

-Greybear

-- Got Toothpaste?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), December 09, 1999.


I have four MagLites, two of the beefy 3-'D' size and two minis (the 2 'AA' variety, one of them converted to use four A544 photo batteries and using six LEDs, surprise surprise.)

One of the biggies was dropped into a nearby saltwater bay. This particular one had reached the end of a long and happy life and its rubber switch boot popped off. Well, salt water flooded the insides and filled the light, which continued to shine while underwater and filling up with.

The reflective "chrome" coating on the plastic reflector is water- soluble and will dissolve off the light if wetness gets into there. But, aside frm this, I soaked the disassembled light in clean water overnight and resssembled it. It's my backup light now, still shining albeit less brightly thanks to the missing reflective coating. One of these days I'll fabricate a replacement refelctive surface from mylar film but haven't gotten around to it.

Care for them, check batteries often and remove them if not actively used, and rub a dab of petroleum jelly on all O-rings occasionally an they can easily last for ten years or more. VERY worth the $20+ the larger models cost.

O d d O n e

-- OddOne (mocklamer_1999@yahoo.com), December 10, 1999.



Costco: 3 D cell Maglight with a AA mini for 19.95. I just bought another last week. Glad to have the advice about the Vaseline on the O-ring occasionally. Some of mine are about the right age to get the grea

-- doctorjim (doctorjim20852@yahoo.com), December 10, 1999.

Greybear, good to see your humor again, dear--my first good chuckle of the day.

Realgoods.com has a Mag available with a three LED-cluster. Not exactly dime-store price but batteries will last 300 hours and LEDs 11 years! Nice piece of work, well-balanced and comfortable. (And can sub as a cudgel!)

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), December 10, 1999.


Hi all, accidently left a mini-mag in a BC pocket on a nite dive to 60 ft. in salt water several years ago. Still works great. Don't have interest in the corp either but maybe I should've.

Be safe, jlg

-- jlg (glassner.2@netzero.net), December 12, 1999.


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