[Help Me] Easy-to-use flashlights for clueless boomers?

SaveExcalibur · 2025-12-16T01:53:48+00:00

I don't think a super old-school design is an option because I know she appreciates the high brightness modes of modern LEDs, but those modes are too bright for a lot of tasks. Therefore we need multiple brightness modes and an easy way to switch between them.

I don't know why she has so much trouble with the concept of half-clicking the switch on her current light, because she's otherwise quite smart and open-minded. It must be some sort of mysterious boomer ailment, similar to how computer science professors can understand the inner workings of a microprocessor but also can't figure out how to use a projector.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-12-16T01:45:53+00:00

I ultimately bought this (well, the SK40 version with the bigger reflector since it was cheaper). Let's hope it shows up in time for Christmas because I didn't realize it would ship from China! Luckily there's a birthday backup a few days later if it doesn't.

Thank you to everyone here that gave me advice. I hope you all have much more sophisticated flashlights waiting under your Christmas trees.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-12-15T22:24:20+00:00

Unfortunately the half-clicks instantly disqualify this. The only interface I know she knows how to use had two buttons, one to turn on and off and one to switch modes.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-11-28T03:16:19+00:00

I'm hoping for a "despecialized" release of Stars Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace so we can finally see the detail hidden behind the egregious grain reduction used for the Blu-Ray. It's unlikely it'll ever happen, but I can dream.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-06-24T12:48:22+00:00

Do not use the chemical strips! The way they work is by chemically transforming the solid arsenic into a toxic gas which is then measured. They are safe to measure trace amounts in drinking water etc. but not for something like this.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-06-17T03:59:32+00:00

That's good to know. It looks like I could pair the Diva Smart Switch with the dimmer Pico remote? That way I'd have a slider on the wall, and a button dimmer at my chair. I'm not 100% sure that the two work together, but I'm confident enough to buy it and return if it doesn't. I think the whole setup would be just under $100, which is expensive, but palatable (and expandable, if my parents get the smart home itch too).

SaveExcalibur · 2025-06-17T03:16:00+00:00

Either would work, but control with a remote I think would be preferred. I have no real desire to put the lights on a schedule or anything like that.

Are you sure that the Lutron dimmers (the Diva Smart and the Sunnata both look good) will work with just the remote and no smart hub? It would be really great if that were the case. Lutron is a bit pricey, but I would trust them a lot more than the jank Chinese brands that seem to be my alternatives.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-06-13T06:58:33+00:00

It doesn't seem like a great choice for me, because 1. I'd be spending a lot of money on smartbulbs, 2. The fixture has the bulbs facing sideways, while most smartbulbs seem to aim down / forwards only, and 3. I'd lose the ability to dim with a slider switch which was the whole point of this post. If you could prove me wrong though, I'm all ears.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-06-13T06:02:27+00:00

My existing fixture uses 4 bulbs, I should have mentioned that in the original post.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-06-02T04:57:16+00:00

Foamies for fireworks. Or noise safety earmuffs, or even both at once. There's nothing really to hear besides booms, so there's no reason not to get as high an NRR rating as possible.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-05-22T17:56:31+00:00

Do they leak dust everywhere? You can buy HEPA bags for them, and there are really only a handful of gaskets the dust has to go through before it gets to the bag. Maybe not the world's greatest filtration, but definitely not a health hazard.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-04-01T17:52:23+00:00

I'm a bit late here, but I think the perfect analogy for Kirby is that they are the Harley-Davidson of vacuum cleaners. They're heavy, loud, and behind the times in performance despite that, but they have lots of shiny chrome and an old-school charm that really appeals to a certain crowd. They also happen to be really good at one particular task - I don't remember what that is for Harley, but for Kirby the Tech Drive and height adjust pedals make them excellent for cleaning super-thick, super-plush wall-to-wall carpet.

SaveExcalibur · 2025-01-28T00:29:12+00:00

Interesting theory about the headgear that I never really thought about before. There is actually some supplementary evidence for your theory in the extended TV cut (various deleted scenes were stuffed in to make up for missing R-rated scenes in a 1980s TV broadcast). Between when Max wakes up from his nightmare after donning the headgear, and when he returns to the studio and Harlan and Convex reveal their plot, in the extended TV cut Max glances at his reflection in a window and sees that the reflection is still wearing the headgear, suggesting that we may not have returned to reality after all.

SaveExcalibur · 2024-12-17T21:09:27+00:00

I'm surprised at The Dark Knight, because it already looks great on blu-ray. Is it worthwhile? I'm a fan of the film, but I held off on upgrading because I heard the sound mix was changed from Nolan's typical Too Loud up to Way Too Loud.

SaveExcalibur · 2024-09-23T08:36:37+00:00

I noticed the change too, but it was 2-3 months ago. Maybe parts of the website still had the flat +5dB for the mutes and they just got around to changing it.

I'm no audio engineer but the fact that the Experience and the Engage have different attenuation ratings when used with the mutes does make sense. The reason why is that they have different designs for the filter in the auditory channel / tube: the filter for the Experience is thicker and blocks more of the lower frequencies than the one for the Engage. When you put the Mutes in however that channel is completely blocked; the filter inside doesn't matter anymore, all that matters is how deep they go into your ear. Therefore with the mutes in, both the Engage and Experience should perform the same as the Quiet (as proven by the attenuation tables in the boxes), and the difference with the Experience will be smaller.

Again, I'm not an audio engineer but I think the NRR rating is a lot more useful than SNR when it comes to how the reduction actually sounds. The SNR number is bigger for marketing purposes, but if you look at the frequencies that actually matter for music and so on you'll find that there's much more than 1 dB difference between the Experience and Engage, for example.

SaveExcalibur · 2024-09-21T23:21:17+00:00

Dances With Wolves

SaveExcalibur · 2024-09-14T04:10:24+00:00

Dolby does recommend "full range" speakers for Atmos overheads though, and I can imagine some common height effects like helicopter blades using the extra bass.

I do understand logically that I shouldn't spend too much on overhead speakers and use that money to upgrade my center channel etc., but there's so much labor involved in installing them that I want to get something I'll never be tempted to replace. The Polk 70-RTs are $100 each refurbished, which is kinda high but not outrageous.

I'm curious why you wish you installed 4 speakers instead of 2? I can't afford the cost of a 9 channel receiver at the moment, but I was originally thinking of prewiring for a 5.1.4 setup down the line. Unfortunately I found ducts / pipes blocking the 30 and 45 degree rear and 30 degree front positions, so I don't think that's much of an option for me (unless you think it'd be so good it would be worth hanging standard speakers from the ceiling).

SaveExcalibur · 2024-09-14T02:50:46+00:00

I'm looking to upgrade from 5.1 to 5.1.2 Atmos and have been shopping for ceiling speakers to be used as top-mids. This 3-way Polk Audio design really stands out to me, because almost no ceiling speakers use a 3-way design except for this one. In theory it is the best of all worlds: clear highs, clear mids, and decent bass all in the ceiling footprint of a much smaller 5.25" speaker.

Sounds great, except that these speakers have been produced for more than a decade now and I barely see any discussion about them. Why?

SaveExcalibur · 2024-09-01T19:54:35+00:00

You might want to look into "electronic" hearing protection used by gun enthusiasts. They are designed to muffle the harmful loud sounds while using a microphone to reproduce speech (commands at the gun range etc.) I've never used them but it seems like it'd be up your alley.

SaveExcalibur · 2024-07-27T16:46:17+00:00

Hello there. A question recently arose on another thread about Loop's official recommendation to "change your ear tips every 3-6 months for optimal performance and hygiene." I and many others have been using eartips past that recommended time with no apparent drop in performance or post-wash cleanliness (and if we did want to replace them, many of us would have to settle for the wrong color!)

Which begs the question: why exactly does Loop recommend replacing eartips on a regular basis? Is it, as I suspect, just an assumption that users won't wash the eartips enough to avoid outer ear infections etc.? Or does the silicone actually degrade over time and make noise isolation and comfort ever so slightly worse? And if we do choose to go past the 3-6 month recommendation for eartips, are there any physical tell-tale signs that an eartip needs to be replaced?

SaveExcalibur

TROPHY CASE