I was wondering if any of you are interested in either flashlights or fountain pens. I've started collecting both. I am not interested in vintage stuff, just the newer models.

I recently attended the Columbus Pen Show and picked up a new Visconti Opera Club fountain pen and a Taccia mini rollerball pen. The Viconti is made of celluloid and has a gold nib. The pocket clip is spring loaded, and the barrel of the pen is hexagonal, rather than round. For Christmas, I bought myself a Caran D'Ache Ecridor silver ballpoint pen.

In Seattle a few months ago, I stopped in at REI and picked up a Gerber LED pocket flashlight. It is incredibly well made (all anodized aluminum) and very bright. I also came across a flashlight forum for "flashaholics" like me:

www.candlepowerforums.com (edited for correct spelling. Thanks Kendrick!)

I think I'd eventually like to buy a Surefire (www.surefire.com) tactical flashlight, but some of their most powerful models sell for as much as $400!

 

is that link right? all i get is one of those generic place-holder urls.....can't get into the forum.

total flashlight nerd.....that's me.


edit: found it with an "s"

 

Have you seen the new windup flashlights? No batteries, just a wind up. I bought a bunch for Christmas presents this year at Costco.

I only collect marbles. The great big hand-made ones.

 

The only pens I collect are all the free ones I can get: I have a nice Hilton or two, several Marriotts, some Holiday Inns, a few bank pens. We have flashlights poised in every room in our house since we lose our power often, but none of them are very nice.

 

My daughter and son-in-law gave me a windup flashlight/radio for my birthday in December. It works surprisingly well. It should be very useful when we get power outages during the winter.

A few years ago, my daughter, aware of my fondness for flashlights, gave me a headlamp (like a miner's lamp). I wear this to bed when I want to read and not turn on the bedside light lest I disturb sue.

 

I think we need pics of that one, with you wearing it, of course.

 

You don't collect raincoats too, do you?

 

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

About 15 beautiful Mont Blanc pens grace the pen holder on my desk. Trouble is, I bought them in a bazaar in Shanghai for about $15 total, so I don't know if they're real or not...

If their performance is any indication--hit and miss as writing instruments--then they're real.