clif

I’ve had an OClip Pro on my backpack for a couple of years (and another stuck to the side of the fridge for checking on chickens in the dark) and it’s been great. I’ve been considering the Ark Pro for a year or two but the only thing that held me back was how long it is and thinking it might be awkward to keep on me… but I suppose I could just slot it into the backpack as well.

Do you find the size awkward or is it generally “fine” for keeping in a pocket or storing in a pack? How long does the battery last for you (and usage pattern)?

I was hesitant to switch to rechargeables because I want something that can sit unused for years and “just work”. Having an extra alkaline AA/AAA on hand is no big deal (easier/smaller than a battery pack or small solar charger). That said, the OClip on the fridge has been there for at least a year with short intermittent usage and no recharge - still showing “green” when I flip the selector so it seems to have little to no passive drain.

Though, I could also argue that the OClip is brighter than I ever need (mostly use the red mode) so I probably don’t need the brighter Ark but…

That is definitely a thing. When I got into it I repinned all our locks with a difficult bitting and added spools/serrated pins.

… All the while knowing that a burglar is just going to smash a window or kick in the door so I really just made it harder on myself ; )

Congratulations, you’re now “the wizard who can open doors” forever. It’s really nice to be able to help people with something that isn’t that hard (for most locks) but appears as magic to so many people.

I was once at a wedding at a lodge type place in the middle of nowhere with rooms that auto locked like a hotel. Opened the locked closet that held the tables/chairs when the owner had accidentally left it locked and was two hours away. … Then three rooms for drunk people that locked their keys inside… Then somebody who rented a cabin 30 min away drove me out there to let them back into the cabin they’d locked themselves out of (hopefully I didn’t just break into a random cabin for them… But the keys were sitting on the counter just inside the door, and they knew exactly where they were, so probably not)

Plus, it’s just fun.

What picks do you use?

There’s even little (tiny) lipo rechargeable ones these days that are stupid bright. I’ve got an OLight OClip on my backpack that’s very small and way brighter than I’d ever need for simple “find something in the dark” purposes

I’m having trouble thinking of something to compare it to size wise … Maybe 5cm x 2cm x 2cm?

I don’t carry the 1200 lumen surefire edc2 around anymore because I just don’t ever need a mini sun.

… Shit, am I a “flashlight guy”?

Is that a modernization of the Poe story by the same name or am I confusing titles?