Is the Day of the Flashlight Past?

[AimlessWanderer]

I'm not sure.

A mate of mine is a retired joiner, and I've only just got him awakened to the life improving benefits carrying a SAK can bring. Not sure he'll ever make the leap to a pliers based tool or a light, but at least I've managed to get a knife in his pocket.

My other real life friends vary from carrying a SAK to old Wave, to a comprehensive cluster of gadgets on a wire loop, but most of them don't actually have anything useful on them most of the time.

My youngest brother is still in his twenties, and he carries a cheapo AAA led light he got off ebay, and either a Sheffield made slippy, or a Wenger SAK. He used to have a Solingen made SAKalike before I got him the Wenger, and the knife and torch carry were of his own doing without any influence from me. I have since gifted him my old Juice CS4 and he carries that nearly everyday too now.

My other brother (also younger than me) is the phone wielding knifeless/torchless type. I've bought him keychain tools and lights before to try and get him carrying something, but they're just sat in a drawer somewhere instead

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I'm not sure.

A mate of mine is a retired joiner, and I've only just got him awakened to the life improving benefits carrying a SAK can bring. Not sure he'll ever make the leap to a pliers based tool or a light, but at least I've managed to get a knife in his pocket.

My other real life friends vary from carrying a SAK to old Wave, to a comprehensive cluster of gadgets on a wire loop, but most of them don't actually have anything useful on them most of the time.

My youngest brother is still in his twenties, and he carries a cheapo AAA led light he got off ebay, and either a Sheffield made slippy, or a Wenger SAK. He used to have a Solingen made SAKalike before I got him the Wenger, and the knife and torch carry were of his own doing without any influence from me. I have since gifted him my old Juice CS4 and he carries that nearly everyday too now.

My other brother (also younger than me) is the phone wielding knifeless/torchless type. I've bought him keychain tools and lights before to try and get him carrying something, but they're just sat in a drawer somewhere instead

My bro's the same

[Mercury]

I'm 27, and I have to agree with Dtrain that the majority of guys my age barely carry a pocket knife, and not even good ones at that.  Most don't, they just pack their smartphone and wallet along with keys.  I don't know how they do it because I find a need for my MT every day, and I'm not even in maintenance or the auto industry anymore.  I just use my tool, and I use my flashlight just as much.

My little brother is 24, and I have bought him countless tools and knives, he carries nothing.  Just a phone and wallet, no keys because he doesn't have a car and lives with my parents.  He rides his bike everywhere that he can't get his girlfriend to drive him. 

Even my wife carries a micra in her pocket or purse and a Ken Onion Chive in her car.  She has a photon on her keys too. 

[sawman]

I'm 27, and I have to agree with Dtrain that the majority of guys my age barely carry a pocket knife, and not even good ones at that.  Most don't, they just pack their smartphone and wallet along with keys.  I don't know how they do it because I find a need for my MT every day, and I'm not even in maintenance or the auto industry anymore.  I just use my tool, and I use my flashlight just as much.

My little brother is 24, and I have bought him countless tools and knives, he carries nothing.  Just a phone and wallet, no keys because he doesn't have a car and lives with my parents.  He rides his bike everywhere that he can't get his girlfriend to drive him. 

Even my wife carries a micra in her pocket or purse and a Ken Onion Chive in her car.  She has a photon on her keys too. 

Surely he has a house key to keep track of 

[Mercury]

I'm 27, and I have to agree with Dtrain that the majority of guys my age barely carry a pocket knife, and not even good ones at that.  Most don't, they just pack their smartphone and wallet along with keys.  I don't know how they do it because I find a need for my MT every day, and I'm not even in maintenance or the auto industry anymore.  I just use my tool, and I use my flashlight just as much.

My little brother is 24, and I have bought him countless tools and knives, he carries nothing.  Just a phone and wallet, no keys because he doesn't have a car and lives with my parents.  He rides his bike everywhere that he can't get his girlfriend to drive him. 

Even my wife carries a micra in her pocket or purse and a Ken Onion Chive in her car.  She has a photon on her keys too. 

Surely he has a house key to keep track of 

He lives with my folks and they have never locked their house.  Weird I know, but that's how they roll.

[sawman]

Those days of leaving an open house are long gone here in Jacksonville.  If you pull that here, you will come home to an empty house!   

[Mercury]

Those days of leaving an open house are long gone here in Jacksonville.  If you pull that here, you will come home to an empty house!   

I live in a nice area, but I still lock my doors.  I had a few tools stolen out of my garage once, combine that with the fact that my first house with my Wife was next door to a known Crack den and we are a little shy about leaving our doors unlocked even when we are home.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

My little brother is 24, and I have bought him countless tools and knives, he carries nothing.  Just a phone and wallet, no keys because he doesn't have a car and lives with my parents.  He rides his bike everywhere that he can't get his girlfriend to drive him. 

He hasn't spent much time on his bike then... my bike was my only transportation from the time I was 19 to 31.  I learned the hard way to be self sufficient...  It's the primary reason I got into EDC carry in the first place; not just tools, but a knife, a flashlight, etc.  I feel naked if I don't have at least a SAK and a small light of one type or another with me.

[sawman]

My little brother is 24, and I have bought him countless tools and knives, he carries nothing.  Just a phone and wallet, no keys because he doesn't have a car and lives with my parents.  He rides his bike everywhere that he can't get his girlfriend to drive him. 

He hasn't spent much time on his bike then... my bike was my only transportation from the time I was 19 to 31.  I learned the hard way to be self sufficient...  It's the primary reason I got into EDC carry in the first place; not just tools, but a knife, a flashlight, etc.  I feel naked if I don't have at least a SAK and a small light of one type or another with me.

That brings back memories.  I grew up fixing and riding bikes and always carried a repair kit in my bike pouch wherever I went.  This included, of course, a flashlight and whatever I would need to make minor repairs to my bike on the fly.   

[Mercury]

I rode a bike from 18 to 24 as well, I had a heck of a tool kit with me at all times.  But regardless of my transportation, I've always carried a knife, I can't get him to do even that. 

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I rode a bike from 18 to 24 as well, I had a heck of a tool kit with me at all times.  But regardless of my transportation, I've always carried a knife, I can't get him to do even that.

My son is the same way.  Despite four years of Scouts, endless camping trips, and so on, unless we're specifically going camping, he doesn't even carry the Recruit I gave him.  Kids are a lot different these days I guess.    

[Mercury]

I rode a bike from 18 to 24 as well, I had a heck of a tool kit with me at all times.  But regardless of my transportation, I've always carried a knife, I can't get him to do even that.

My son is the same way.  Despite four years of Scouts, endless camping trips, and so on, unless we're specifically going camping, he doesn't even carry the Recruit I gave him.  Kids are a lot different these days I guess.   

They sure are.  Most kids I know between 16 and 24 carry keys with a bottle opener, a wallet, and a smartphone.  That's it.  Last year I ran the Bell/Valet/Transportation dept for my Resort, and I had ten 16-22 yr old bell/valet's, and eight 60+ yr old drivers under me.  Out of all the bellman, only one had a knife on him ever, and out of all the drivers there were usually 7 or 8 knives/MT's present at one time between whatever 3 drivers I had on duty. 

I was never at work without at least my sideclip and a SAK on me, usually a larger tool though.

[Dtrain]

All Iknow is I don't feel right without at least an SAK and at least a MagLight Solitaire on my person and in the Pockets of course I am 42

Dtrain

[ducttapetech]

I have noticed that alot of new hires at work dont carry knives or a lite. We will be working and the boss will yell across to one of them and say something like "hey, cut that rope!" or Cut those boxes up." And after a few seconds of dead silence, you will hear, "umm, I dont have a knife." 

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I think a big part of it is that pretty much every school (in America at least) these days has a prohibition about carrying any kind of knife.  I understand why that policy is in place, regardless of what I think of the logic of it, and I think it's teaching kids that knives are unnecessary in daily life.  I'm sure too that the things kids do these days are a lot different than when most of us where teenagers... we lived in an 'analog' age, but now everything is digital / electronic.  Our society / economy is also now one of disposability, rather than good / products being durable, so if you have something that breaks, you just get a new one, rather than trying to fix it and make it work again.

[sawman]

Heinz brings up a good point about disposability.  Many companies mass-produce products and offer a replacement warranty when it breaks which in most cases doesn't involve even messing with the broken item.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Heinz brings up a good point about disposability.  Many companies mass-produce products and offer a replacement warranty when it breaks which in most cases doesn't involve even messing with the broken item.

Yeah, I think that whole mentality sucks.  Apart from my beliefs that it's a huge part of what's wrong today both economically and ecologically, I do my best to steer clear of disposability in the products I buy.  That's why I'm willing to pay more for better tools that will hold up over the long run, and should they break, are actually worth fixing.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Heinz brings up a good point about disposability.  Many companies mass-produce products and offer a replacement warranty when it breaks which in most cases doesn't involve even messing with the broken item.

Yeah, I think that whole mentality sucks.  Apart from my beliefs that it's a huge part of what's wrong today both economically and ecologically, I do my best to steer clear of disposability in the products I buy.  That's why I'm willing to pay more for better tools that will hold up over the long run, and should they break, are actually worth fixing.

My sentiments exactly

[Styerman]

It probably is a generational demographic . I gotta agree , I find the disposable mindset repugnant .

I've only got two questions , how do you open modern packaging without a knife ? How do you do a roadside repair/troubleshoot on a vehicle without a lite ? Smartphones are a bit too fragile/expensive to use under a hood in a downpour .

Chris

[Lynn LeFey]

I think the rapid advances in electronics are the prime cause of the throw-away mindset. I used to get insanely excited over the newest, fastest computer, until it started to become like a car payment, trying to keep up. Smurf that!

Same with phones. I have an utterly uncool flip phone, because it JUST KEEPS WORKING. But... but... Lynn... it doesn't have retinal display! No, it doesn't. It... it doesn't have GPS! Sure doesn't. It doesn't have a 10 zettabyte 3d camera with full psionic sweep! Nope.

When you and everyone around you knows that every gadget you get has a half-life of about the same length as a pastry, why bother with long-term items? It's not like you can FIX anything these days, without a Smurfin' diagnostic computer.

I think that's the source of the mindset. But then I'm old and busted, not the new hotness. I say 'Get off my lawn!' to them youngins!

Not all young folks dismiss flashlights and pocket knives. Probably not even loads less than in the days of my youth. It's probably just at some point, someone gets SICK of having to scavenge up a pair of scissors all the time, or a blade, or light, or whatever, and strikes upon the brilliant notion of carrying one... all the time.

[jzmtl]

How do you do a roadside repair/troubleshoot on a vehicle without a lite ? Smartphones are a bit too fragile/expensive to use under a hood in a downpour .

Chris

You call AAA with it. it's not like most people have a clue what the heck they are looking st anyway.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I think the rapid advances in electronics are the prime cause of the throw-away mindset. I used to get insanely excited over the newest, fastest computer, until it started to become like a car payment, trying to keep up. Smurf that!

Same with phones. I have an utterly uncool flip phone, because it JUST KEEPS WORKING. But... but... Lynn... it doesn't have retinal display! No, it doesn't. It... it doesn't have GPS! Sure doesn't. It doesn't have a 10 zettabyte 3d camera with full psionic sweep! Nope.

Even in this arena, I fight the trend... While my phone is an iPhone, it's an older, 3GS model, that I've had for at least three years now.  I'm finally at the point where I'm going to upgrade when the 5 comes out this fall.  I also never buy a top of the line computer, even as much of an Apple fan as I am.  Why?  Because in 3 - 6 mos. it'll be the bottom of the line... why waste the extra money on something that's going to be 'obsolete' in 3 - 6 mos.?

When you and everyone around you knows that every gadget you get has a half-life of about the same length as a pastry, why bother with long-term items? It's not like you can FIX anything these days, without a Smurfin' diagnostic computer.

Agh!   I know!!!  My wife and I bought a "new" car last summer, a 2009 Toyota Sienna we found at a dealership with less than 20K mi. that we practically stole from them! 

But, in the process of car shopping, I was horrified to find not a single car on the market will a hand crank for the windows!  No one, I mean no one, makes a car that doesn't have power everything!  WTF is up with that?  Now, we never buy a brand new car... we always get ones that are recent models, etc.  But when I'm looking for another vehicle, I think I'm going to look for something older, and have it fully rebuilt.  It'll probably cost me less, and last longer, than if I were to buy a "new" car...   

I think that's the source of the mindset. But then I'm old and busted, not the new hotness. I say 'Get off my lawn!' to them youngins!

 
 

Oh come on Lynn... I'm sure you're hot in your very own special way... 

[N_N_R]

I somehow can't believe a phone's screen/flashlight will light most of your dark "bushy" yard at night as well as a flashlight ... Moreover, why waste the battery of your phone using some crazy features? I'm not a fan of holding your smartphone in your mouth, either Or dipping it under water for some reason Flashlights forever!

[derekmac]

I use to carry a crappy keychain light, but since having phones with lights on them I haven't.  I'm starting to rethink not carrying a light now though.  With the stupid high price of replacing a phone, I think I'd much rather spend $30 or so on a light that I can clip on my belt, and not have to worry about damaging my phone.

I've pretty much always carried a knife of some sorts on me, though growing up most were cheap flea market junk.  If it looked cool, I would buy it, and not worry about the quality of it   

My son (only 4) can't wait to get a knife/MT!  I have an orange Buck 425 that he knows he's going to get, and he keeps saying "I can't wait to get my orange knife" with a big smile on his face.  Whenever I say "I need to cut something", he comes back with "are you going to use you Soldier or Multitool?"  My wife just shakes her head and says "he's definitely your son!"

Whenever I work on the car or Jeep, he's always right there with me trying to learn as much as possible.  If anyone's around while we're working, he likes to point out what everything is "there's the axle, and that's the brake disc, and this does that, and that does this". 

I feel very blessed that he has those interests, and that he wants to always learn new things, and how things work.

Here he is working on his Jeep.

[TMFKAMJ]

How do you do a roadside repair/troubleshoot on a vehicle without a lite ? Smartphones are a bit too fragile/expensive to use under a hood in a downpour .

Chris

You call AAA with it. it's not like most people have a clue what the heck they are looking st anyway.

haha! too true me and my dad we driving down the highway at about 8 or 9pm when we see a couple probably late 30's (should at least know how to fix a minor problem right) so we stop to make sure they were ok, we asked the guy if we can help and he says '' probably not '' so he takes us to the front of the car and says he doesnt know what happened '' the car stalled and the lights died'' both me and my dad were trying not to laugh at this point, when we get to the front and the battery is disconnected so my dad whipped out his powerlock and reconnected it while i light it up with my xl200. they were back on the way within less than 3 minutes