More flashlights and stuff

[Big Frank]

Seeing to the side is what thermal is for....

Only if you can afford it, and you have it on you. I just looked and saw a PVS-14 Gen 3 + Kit with a helmet to mount it on for $8,000-$9,000. I paid $50 and change for one of my Olight WMLs when it was on sale. I can't afford to spend around 16,000%-18,000% more than that. Especially when it's so I can see left and right of dead-center what I can already see with a $50 light.

[Rastus]

Good night vision is pricey.  The fusion night gear that combines night vision and thermal is even more expensive. 

I looked through a $27k scope once.  It takes in sensor data on distance, wind speed & direction, humidity, barometric pressure, angle up/down, NSEW direction to compensate for the earth's rotation and has in it the ballistics for a particular round/rifle.  Then as you look through the thermal it moves the sight picture to let you know where the bullet will impact for where you are pointing the gun. 

1/2 day of training on how to use it all and you are an "instant" sniper.

Of course that $27k was 3-4 years ago I'm sure it is more now but it was one impressive piece of kit.

[Big Frank]

I saw something like that a couple of years ago. The latest and greatest I heard about was smart bullets that can steer themselves in case the target moves. Does that sound familiar to anyone? Runaway was written and directed by author Michael Crichton. Yes, that Michael Crichton -- The Andromeda Strain, Westworld, Coma, The Terminal Man, Congo, Sphere, Twister, Jurassic Park, Prey, State of Fear, et al.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g00iEpIzgKc

[Big Frank]

I just typed up a long description of everything here and what I did to get the Frankenlight monstrosity working. Then I hit some key that wiped out the entire post when I was finishing it. Long story short-er, the wall mount originally had a Pro-Brite 2 AA flashlight in it. Something happened to it, I think the batteries corroded in it and I saved the head with the tailcap held inside it with a piece of Scotch tape. Then I had the blue Mini Maglite in the wall mount until it got wrecked. I think the batteries in it corroded too. I had the green pebble finish light in the holder in the pic, but didn't like how loosely it fit. I have the cheap single AA tactical light in it now. I repainted it with a paint pen and put a 3.6 volt battery in it. Now it doesn't suck like it did when it was my EDC light with a AA battery.

I found the Pro-Brite parts a couple weeks ago when I was looking in a box for something else. The Pro-Brite head wouldn't fit the Maglite body so I filed the threads down and tapered it enough to smash it into place with a 2 pound ball peen hammer. Sarge got a laugh out of that because it was like I was back in the small arms repair shop in Germany.   The tailcap wouldn't screw in far enough so I ground and filed a little off the rear of the body. I replaced the 2 pin Xenon bulb with a 3mm LED. That was a real pain in the butt since I previously manged the bulb holder beyond recognition. I had the bulb glued in with hot glue so it looked like a normal flashlight but could be used to stash small items like rolled up paper money in it.

The Frankenlight works but I have to screw the tail cap on and off to operate t. I broke the spring in half while trying to stretch it out and replaced it with a hollow piece of sheet metal. It was the tip of the cigarette lighter plug on my 1,5000,000 candlepower automobile spotlight that the plug broke on. Nite Ize has a tail cap with a button that's only available as a combo kit with a 30 lumen LED upgrade. I plan on using the LED upgrade on my last remaining intact Mini Maglite and can use the switch on this flashlight since twisting the head to turn it on and off is impossible.

The xenon bulbs that have 2 pins instead of a flange around them like some older light bulbs can be replaced by LEDs with the legs cut to the same length. If t doesn't work turn it 180 degrees to get the polarity right. 3mm LEDs usually fit through the hole in the reflector but not on every brand and model. 5mm LEDs would be better but you need too drill out the hole in the reflector to fit them. I have a white LED in the Frankenlight, but also have UV and other color LEDs, including color-changing LEDs that I can plug into the one Mini Maglite I have that's still intact. I bought a whole variety of LEDs cheap from Lighthouse LEDs several years ago. The easiest way to determine polarity of a new LED is that the longer lead is the positive one and shorter lead is the negative one. If you cut them to length to plug into a Mini Maglite, your chances of getting it right the fist time are 50/50.

https://niteize.com/led-upgrade-combo-ii-fits-aa-mini-maglite-30-lumens

https://lighthouseleds.com/

P.S. The Halon fire extinguisher is on the opposite end of the kitchen from the stove. If the stove catches on fire I don't have to reach through flames to get a fire extinguisher that's right next to it.

[Big Frank]

Three of my flashlights use 21700 batteries. I thought about buying a spare battery so I could swap it out instead of waiting for it to recharge. Then I saw how much they cost. It's $29.99 at Nite Ize for a 5000 mAh USB rechargeable battery for their INOVA high-powered LED flashlights. Olight has a 5000 mAh 21700 battery for $26.95, now on sale 20% off at $21.56. That's still a lot of money for a flashlight battery. So I bought an 18650 to 21700 battery adapter from Sniper Hog Lights for $7.99. I have lots of 18650 batteries already. I already had some, then bought a 10-pack of them on Amazon last year.

https://sniperhoglights.com/18650-to-21700-battery-adapter/

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

I ordered another Arkfeld Ultra 3-in-1 EDC Flashlight with O-aluminum Material from Olight, this one in Navy Blue. It comes in Cool White and Natural White. I ordered a Natural White because I already have several Cool White flashlights and wanted another one with a more natural color. The O Aluminum is so hard they had to get a better laser to engrave my OD Green one. Now, with the Navy Blue one, the anodizing isn't holding up so well in drop testing, so they're selling them at 50% off.

https://www.olightstore.com/arkfeld-ultra-3-in-1-edc-flashlight-with-o-aluminum-material-navy-blue