# Would you pay $60 for....?



## Jeremy89 (Sep 18, 2008)

A penlight??

Allheart carries one for $54.  Would you buy it?

I don't think I would, just for the simple reason that the cheapo ones work just fine, and I'd likely end up loosing it.

Thoughts?


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## TransportJockey (Sep 18, 2008)

Not 60... but I did buy a not quite so cheap streamlight penlight


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## mikie (Sep 18, 2008)

i guarantee it would disappear after 1 call.


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## mycrofft (Sep 18, 2008)

*Go to local drug store or Kragen Auto*

Buy a two-AA cell flashlight with the simple peanut bulb (not if you have peanut allergies...oh my aching patoot). Replace bulb with krypton bulb. Carry spare bulb and batteries. Total cost can be about ten for the whole schmeer, and the light per se may be as cheap as four. You can change batteries or the bulb in the dark (unlike a maglite with wheat grain bulb), and the light is closer to daylight than screaming blue LED's (although I carry two of those as well, for area and emergency illumination).


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## KEVD18 (Sep 18, 2008)

i cant imagine a 60 dollar pen light. i do have flashlight that cost wuite a bit more than 60 bucks, but not a pen light.

i just steal those from the supply room......


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## Jon (Sep 19, 2008)

KEVD18 said:


> i cant imagine a 60 dollar pen light. i do have flashlight that cost wuite a bit more than 60 bucks, but not a pen light.
> 
> i just steal those from the supply room......


I don't even bother getting my own. I usually have a student/aid with me with FAR too much stuff on their belt/pockets... and if I don't.... I've got a great Streamlight Stinger. I just can't aim it in the eyes directly.... except if I was 100 feet away


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## Airwaygoddess (Sep 19, 2008)

*Money and the penlight....*

Hmmmm... Nice dinner or a penlight........hmmmmm


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## Ridryder911 (Sep 19, 2008)

Get a free penlight from a drug rep  and spend the $60 on something you will use. 

R/r 911


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## Scout (Sep 19, 2008)

Why? Because there is a market. You all knwo theose new shinny emt's/First responders with all the kit and in that world cost = quality

That and those Docs that make too much money and need shinny things in a shirt pocket


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## karaya (Sep 19, 2008)

That's steep for a incandescent bulb penlight.  I paid about $40.00 for a three LED pen light that I keep in my photo bag.  The LED consume very little power and with all three LEDs on, it provides great lighting for me.


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## firecoins (Sep 19, 2008)

http://www.allheart.com/hed0173150.html

No I would not buy it.


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## emt_angel25 (Sep 19, 2008)

i bought a $40 penlight right after i started 6 years ago....i had it for almost a year before it disappeared. as nice as it was i cannot afford buying a $40 penlight every year. i jsut think thats a little rediculous. i cant believe i paid 40 for one. i like the cheapies.


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## JPINFV (Sep 19, 2008)

$60 won't even cover the application fee for most medical schools. >.<  (just spent another $70 a few minutes ago. Go Temple go!)


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## traumateam1 (Sep 19, 2008)

Never. Never spend $60 for a pen light. $6, not $60.


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## Outbac1 (Sep 21, 2008)

In a word "No". I carried a basic MiniMag for years until the Everready batteries leaked and ruined it. I sent it with a letter to Everready and they told me to buy another and send them the bill. I did and they paid.
 Either get a cheapie from some rep or get a minimag.


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## JJR512 (Sep 21, 2008)

No, I wouldn't buy that for $60.

I did briefly consider the Welch-Allyn Professional PenLight, which has a halogen bulb for truer lit colors than the bluish tint cast by LEDs. Allheart sells it for $36. http://www.allheart.com/wa76600.html

I wound up buying a much cheaper ADC for under $10 from Boundtree. It replaced a similarly-priced DynaMed I got from Galls. The DynaMed penlight's clip was weak and it would slip out of its pocket if I kicked my legs up (I kept it in the pen slot on the right cargo area of my EMS pants), which led to it going missing. The ADC feels cheap and flimsy compared to the DynaMed, but the DynaMed had a bluish LED compared to the ADC's white.

Next time I have to buy a penlight, I might try the Welch-Allyn. I won't be too broke up about it if the ADC goes missing.


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## reaper (Sep 21, 2008)

I use my Stinger. If I don't get a response from that, They are either dead or on some awesome drugs!!!!!!


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## LucidResq (Sep 21, 2008)

There are a few things that I refuse to spend more than $10-15 on due to the high probability that I will lose or break them, like sunglasses. I wasn't even aware that you could even spend such a ridiculous amount of money on a penlight, but now that I am, I will add penlights to the list.


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## medicdan (Sep 22, 2008)

I have bought few and lost many penlights over time.  I always carry a flashlight of some work when working (different depending on job and uniform). About a year ago, a friend gave me a LED keychain light (one of those dinky things) with the name of his squad on it, and I put it on my stethoscope. I have used it countless times due to its size, location and reliability.

I see this as an increasing trend in my life/EMS-- in many cases the price and simplicity of a piece of equipment is inversely related to its reliability and ease of use. I have lost/broken/etc. too many expensive "toys" and replaced them with cheap things that work better and last longer.


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## flhtci01 (Sep 22, 2008)

I would not.  

Learned a while ago that the speed at which things come up missing is directly proprtional to the cost.


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## JJR512 (Sep 22, 2008)

This reminds me of those $100 trauma shears.


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## mycrofft (Sep 22, 2008)

*Oooooo, sparkly! May I have it???*

And the replacement bulbs are only about $13 ($12 on sale).
Riddle me this:
"A WACKXR and his MO$EY are soon P<>ted".


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## phunguy (Sep 24, 2008)

$4 bucks for the one that does what its supposed to do.. I still don't understand the math on buying 2 

http://www.allheart.com/ah356wp.html


White Disposable Diagnostic Penlight with Pupil Gauge

AH-356WP Compare At: $5.00 Our Everyday Low Price: $3.97, 2 for $19.50


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## Airwaygoddess (Sep 24, 2008)

*Penlight and trauma shears.....there ya go!*

Oh Yeah!  I forgot about the $100.00 trauma shears......  Hmmm.....  Dinner and a new outfit!!!!


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## mycrofft (Sep 24, 2008)

*stop buying their stuff.*

https://lifeassistshop.life-assist.com/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?IGRN=179

$5.22 for six. Drive by their store near Sacramernto and no shipping. Nice folks, good prices, and sevice oriented.


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## Jeremy89 (Sep 24, 2008)

phunguy said:


> $4 bucks for the one that does what its supposed to do.. I still don't understand the math on buying 2
> 
> http://www.allheart.com/ah356wp.html
> 
> ...



Why do you pay 5 times as much if you buy two?


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## EMT-P633 (Sep 27, 2008)

I got one of those carabiner flashlights that i have clipped on my scope. It was a freebie from one of our helicopter transport services during EMS week. about 3 years ago. still works great and if i loose it. ill just fly my next PT and get another one!!!!!!!!!


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## GeekMedic (Sep 28, 2008)

*If you  have the money to lose....*

go nuts, it looks cool, but yeah, you could get a perfectly good one that you won't miss if it disappears for about 5 bucks.  and use rechargeable batteries, it will save you a ton of cash in the long run.


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## 41 Duck (Sep 29, 2008)

Feh.

I've bought five cars that I can recall for less than sixty dollars ('68 Dart --$50, '74 Vega --$50, '76 Cordoba --$25 '90 Corsica --$50, '92 LeSabre --$50); they'll be serving Sno-Cones in Hell before I drop that much on a friggin' penlight.  I'd rather take my kids to Chuck E Cheeze's a couple times. 

Drug rep ones work just fine for assessments --and when you lose 'em, you just grab another.  


Later!

--Coop


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## LAnel1 (Sep 30, 2008)

Ridryder911 said:


> Get a free penlight from a drug rep  and spend the $60 on something you will use.
> 
> R/r 911


I definitely always go for the free stuff with stuff like that! haha. it's the best way to go... although it could just be the cheap italian in me speaking.


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## tydek07 (Oct 27, 2008)

No! I buy mine in packs of 5 for $7.89 lol

It just would not be worth it, light is light. Also, at the rate I lose my penlights, it would be unearthly unforgiving to my checkbook.


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## MRE (Oct 27, 2008)

Would not buy a penlight, but I would spend $60 for a multi level LED flashlight that I can use to check pupils or light up a house number at night.


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## HotelCo (Oct 27, 2008)

I wouldn't pay $60 bucks for that... $10 is pushing it.


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## MRE (Oct 27, 2008)

HotelCo said:


> I wouldn't pay $60 bucks for that... $10 is pushing it.



I haven't found a light with the quality and features that I am looking for, for $10 yet.  Still looking though.  The light I am talking about is a Fenix P3D, I carry it everywhere and use it several times a day.  I also take it camping in the winter, in temperatures that alkaline batteries don't work at, so the lithiums are a necessity.  I'm afraid if I mentioned the most I have paid for a flashlight, people here would try to get me committed.


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## HotelCo (Oct 27, 2008)

KB10EV:

Are we talking about lights to check pupils? That light could make a dead man's pupils constrict...

But If we are talking about regular lights... then i use my trusty maglite.


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## MRE (Oct 27, 2008)

HotelCo said:


> KB10EV:
> 
> Are we talking about lights to check pupils? That light could make a dead man's pupils constrict...
> 
> But If we are talking about regular lights... then i use my trusty maglite.



On high, yes it could.  On low it is like a bright penlite.  If I don't even need that much light, it has a nice dim corona around the bright center that works nicely.

The other nice thing is that you don't get the artifacts in the beam like in a maglite, its just smooth white from the center all the way out to the edge.


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## HotelCo (Oct 27, 2008)

It has different settings? Oh that's nice. Is it a good flashlight on high? Nice and bright?


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## MRE (Oct 28, 2008)

HotelCo said:


> It has different settings? Oh that's nice. Is it a good flashlight on high? Nice and bright?



Very bright on high, 160 lumens or so compared with maybe 25-50 for a maglite.  The only things I don't like are the fairly useless strobe mode and SOS mode, so I just don't use them.


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