Same Old Same Old

[wobbly]

well, I've now been in the mob over 22 years (but still have another 10 months to do for the queen) and some things never change.

I was out on the line at 2am on Monday morning beavering away to get the next days program sorted when torch after torch kept failing. Now in true tradition the RAF seem to buy the most useless torches and wonder why they are always bollocking the lads for illegal tools (torches being the main culprit.)

After losing my rag after 6 torches failing in just 20 minutes I decided to get 2 of the massive Wolf Lights out, you know the ones, they can burn your retinas out from 400 yards. After just three minutes both had packed up.

So, after 8 torches failing and working in -4 degrees in fecking snow blizzards on a stand 10 feet in the air in flaming darkness I wondered why my mag lights never seems to **** me about as much.

So if anyone that is in the precurement side of things is out there and you deal with torches. Either get Maglite to produce a 'flame safe' torch for us or stay the feck out of my way or you may get a useless piece of useless fecking plastic with batteries in shoved up your arrse....and i don't mean a flaming dildo.

 

[snowball1]

The techie gods can't fix a torch?

 

[Tin basher]

Stunningly unbelievable though it may be there is a small list of things that even the respected and fabled techies have trouble fixing. And cr@ppy yellow and black torches are on that list.

 

[John Lloyd]

Stunningly unbelievable though it may be there is a small list of things that even the respected and fabled techies have trouble fixing. And cr@ppy yellow and black torches are on that list.

And all due respect to the sales rep that managed to get that monstrosity approved for purchase. I can't believe you are still saddled with the yellow and black 'hammer'

Never enough light to see by, to effin big to get where you want it to go, and always fails just when you want it to work.

Ffs it's a battery, a switch and a bulb, how difficult is that!

 

[gemarriott]

FFS bring back the good oldgrey and maroon thing, or the green 90 degree torch because they both worked perfectly didn't they?DT_Xtremez_42:

 

[riggertoSTAB]

Now guys I have to point out that the procurement types did change the design of the torch to improve things back in the late eighties. Before that they wer grey and red and we asked for a brighter torch to work with. They listened hence the yellow and black torch of the same design. Yellow is brighter than grey I think you will all agree!

On a more serious note why they dont bight the bullet and buy mag lites is beyond me! The excuse they are not flame proof doesn't work with me, my mag lite has been through the washing machine and still works, so if it is water proof to that extent then surely it is vapour proof.

 

[grumpyoldb]

I can't believe you still have to use those sh!te museum pieces.
They were fcuking rubbish 25 years ago when I left the mob.

They must have cost all of 10 a penny.

 

[rest have risen above me]

I can't believe you still have to use those sh!te museum pieces.
They were fcuking rubbish 25 years ago when I left the mob.

They must have cost all of 10 a penny.

That was to make them..... after we procured them the price on the stores chit is probably nearer £30....lol


And as to fixing them .... If they worked with the same rules of physics as the rest of electronics we may have a chance.

 

[Tin basher]

Yellow and Black torches

Yellow and Black torches

Even if you try and fix the things firstly you have to find that stupid little key they come with. It gets lost about 30 secs after opening the packet and even if you do find it the damn thing rounds off on first or second use. So you end up "removing" the top by other means. Then start changing bits bulb, batteries, polish the lens cover re-assemble still fecked only to find out the aluminium tube inside has corroded to hell and won't allow a current to pass through it any more. Then again the switch could be fecked.

 

[Captain Gatso]

I can't beleive the RAF are still buying those s**t torches. When I started civvy work. I had to buy a Torch. So I bought a rechargble mag lite with an LED. This thing lights up an entire Aircraft. I recharge it once every five days and is brilliant. We all use then at my work and I cannot fault them one bit. I suppose the RAF can't seem to get it's head around buying something which is initially quite expensive but saves them tonnes of cash in the long run. Common sense that yet again flies out the window when it comes to Military spending.

 

[Shugster]

The problem with the wolf light is that it's left on the charger 24 hours a day, so the Battery starts to suffer from, "Memory", problems and can't hold a good charge. Like your laptop battery they need to be run down and recharged a few times and that might extend the life a bit more.

Maybe stores can order new batteries for the wolf lights, the old ones may be beyond recovery.

 

[T93]

Exactly

Exactly

The problem with the wolf light is that it's left on the charger 24 hours a day, so the Battery starts to suffer from, "Memory", problems and can't hold a good charge. Like your laptop battery they need to be run down and recharged a few times and that might extend the life a bit more.

Maybe stores can order new batteries for the wolf lights, the old ones may be beyond recovery.

***************************************

S,

This is what I constantly tell the guys in work & they fail to grasp this. We have One guy (Oirish!) who has a laptop, that if we have an internal power cut (quite frequent in this part of the world) his battery cannot hold the charge and the laptop powers down within seconds.

 

[docbombhead]

FFS bring back the good oldgrey and maroon [/B]thing, or the green 90 degree torch because they both worked perfectly didn't they?DT_Xtremez_42:

My old mans got one of them from when he was in during the 60's, still going strong today DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[rest have risen above me]

The problem with the wolf light is that it's left on the charger 24 hours a day, so the Battery starts to suffer from, "Memory", problems and can't hold a good charge. Like your laptop battery they need to be run down and recharged a few times and that might extend the life a bit more.

Maybe stores can order new batteries for the wolf lights, the old ones may be beyond recovery.

Oh dear that would be a whole can of worms opened right there...

2 Days to find Number ...3 NIR s first lol
Number reaches SCAF ..SAC Duvet "The computer says these are XYZ stores and I'll need a signature"
Cpl Blanket "Why do you want to demand these batteries Chief you've 12 on stock charge and they are XYZ stores and you can recharge them"
Chief "That's the problem they're on stock and always have to be on charge because they're fecked"
Cpl Blanket "No probs Chief but it'll have to be a manual demand/LPO as the RAF thought they'd never have to buy these again"
Sgt Bedspread "Alright Chief I've the LPO form can you get your boss to sign it and provide justification and a business case for the LEAN cell and 3 other possible alternatives for QCIT to check out. There could be a GeMs in this?"
JengO " Alright Chief I'll sign this but it'll be a day or so for that business case as I've one or Two QCIT events to go to and a H+S brief, oh and just check if the IPT aren't already on the case"
OC SCAF "Chief just got your LPO why do you need rechargeable batteries why don't you just recharge them?"
Chief "Blah blah blah blah fecked.. OK Sir"
OC SCAF "OK Chief I'll approve that"
SCAF LPO Clerk SACW Duvet "Chief we tried to LPO those batteries but they're in the middle of setting up a contract so we have to wait for that. The lead in is about 6 months after they've done the testing for BAe"



Now where did that rant come from...lol.... Where's the PVR forms

A little off topic we have two sorts of yellow right angle torches and have two sorts of RAF issue batteries... WHY it's a torch FFS.

 

[MrMasher]

I've seen LED head torches on tool kits. They arent amazingly bright but they're better than those sh1tty yellow jobbers.
The problem though is that they are effectively next to skin items and as such they should really be issued individually. There in lies the problem.....how do you implement tool control effectively?

I used a £10 LED head torch (Philips one bought down south!)at my last unit. Just kept it in my overalls pocket. They are so handy. You dont have to wedge them into wiring looms to be able to use both hands on the job!
My one uses its AA batteries up about every 2 months or so, so they are cost effective that way as well as not requiring bulbs every ten minutes.
Because its yours, you take care of it as well and you know if its not in your pocket.
Never had an issue with anyone losing one, well, except losing it to the boss when caught with it!

As for mini mag lites, I thought that they must be intrinsically safe as they are waterproof. Perhaps its the heat issue, they can get warm to the touch when left on for a while.

 

[Doneit]

Oh dear that would be a whole can of worms opened right there...

2 Days to find Number ...3 NIR s first lol
Number reaches SCAF ..SAC Duvet "The computer says these are XYZ stores and I'll need a signature"
Cpl Blanket "Why do you want to demand these batteries Chief you've 12 on stock charge and they are XYZ stores and you can recharge them"
Chief "That's the problem they're on stock and always have to be on charge because they're fecked"
Cpl Blanket "No probs Chief but it'll have to be a manual demand/LPO as the RAF thought they'd never have to buy these again"
Sgt Bedspread "Alright Chief I've the LPO form can you get your boss to sign it and provide justification and a business case for the LEAN cell and 3 other possible alternatives for QCIT to check out. There could be a GeMs in this?"
JengO " Alright Chief I'll sign this but it'll be a day or so for that business case as I've one or Two QCIT events to go to and a H+S brief, oh and just check if the IPT aren't already on the case"
OC SCAF "Chief just got your LPO why do you need rechargeable batteries why don't you just recharge them?"
Chief "Blah blah blah blah fecked.. OK Sir"
OC SCAF "OK Chief I'll approve that"
SCAF LPO Clerk SACW Duvet "Chief we tried to LPO those batteries but they're in the middle of setting up a contract so we have to wait for that. The lead in is about 6 months after they've done the testing for BAe"

Nail on Head springs to mind. You can't seem to repair anything these days as it's all contract based or "We've looked into it and we have a QCIT event soon, so we might as well bring the issue up then..."

One good reason for Maglites, although not fully endorsed by Stealth and Hefty, you can put a Maglite in your mouth to illuminate the surrounding area while you break your forearms into 3 pieces while you try and reach that "b****d screw/nut/bolt/wirelocking etc..." with both hands, thus being able to catch said item if needed!

 

[wobbly]

Ah my fellow techie brethren, it's good to see theres people out there from many a moon ago that has experience of the yellow and black hammer. But theres a new useless thing working alongside it now. A yello firemans torch

The one on the right is fitted (unlike the one in the piccy) with a luminous band around the lens instead of the black one as shown. These are much better than the old torch but still prone to lasting on average 15 mnutes after a battery change. Its usually a combination of **** bulb quality and half dead crows foot batteries.

Gimme my bleeding maglite anyday

And buy me one of these for the line

 

[firestorm]

I've never had a problem with the above wolf right angled torch, and I've used it in both extremes of temperatures. With the right bulb and correct batteries they should be fine. We give them plenty of punishment too.
You can get IS LED torches and the market is pretty competitive. Who does your R&D/procurement and can you get seconded to them?

With wolflite rechargeables, can't you change the batteries to non memory ones such as lithium?

 

[Rikster]

The problem with the wolf light is that it's left on the charger 24 hours a day, so the Battery starts to suffer from, "Memory", problems and can't hold a good charge. Like your laptop battery they need to be run down and recharged a few times and that might extend the life a bit more.

Maybe stores can order new batteries for the wolf lights, the old ones may be beyond recovery.

Here is what you do:

You have a dedicated multi socket extension with a timer that is set to recharge for a limited time.................its not hard to do. Wolfs (or would it be wolves?) then last for years!

 

[BillyBunter]

Spot on Wobbly , we have a selection of torches within our tool stores the old long funkers , the ones pictured above and these big wolf ones , they are ****e , complete and utter ****e , if we can at any point where practical we have to park the LDV as close as possible to the aircraft (not wise at night but needs must) to get some light on.

In the last 2 weeks ive had 4 pack in on me alone , when they fail they usually end up being launched , probably does not help mind you but the powers above have placed our new line building about half a mile from the pan
(Funcking chunts !!! )and the thought of having to walk in to get a replacement wears you down when you want to get job done. some might say take a few torches but this leaves none for the rest so its not really fair

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