is anyone future proofing against 'too-powerful' lights?

[dgbrookman]

Really agree with the overall sentiment of this thread. My favorite AAA light is the one Thrunite Ti2 that I have left -- 3 lumens on low is perfect for many close-up tasks like reading menus in a dark restaurant, and 81 lumens on high is plenty for most other things. (Always wondered why it was 81 lumens and not just 80. As if one extra lumen made any difference.) Dead simple interface -- twist a little for low, twist a little more for high, no back-and-forth twisting to get the mode you want. I know they had their QC problems but I wish I had bought a dozen before they were discontinued.

Of course it's all a matter of personal preference. If a 5,000 lumen light with 12 different strobe modes is what floats your boat, who am I to argue.

 

[seery]

For our use, the K60/K70 are the two best lights ever produced. We have a couple of both that get used almost daily around our farm and property.

But the thought of them going Dodo (and the fact it seems Acebeam is moving away from control ring UI) was enough that we bought two more of each for a rainy day.

 

[Phlogiston]

It's not just flashaholics that think that way

I gave old-model Fenix lights (E05, E11 & E21) to family members sometime in 2012 / 2013, and those lights aren't going anywhere. I've offered upgrades to brighter and higher-CRI lights, but no. They're simple, they work and my family are quite happy with them. I've actually kept some spares - the ones I used to EDC, along with my spares from that time - so that I can replace them when they eventually bite the dust.

That'll be a while, because they just keep on going. The only one I've seen fail so far got taken out by an alkaleak. Fortunately, the head was undamaged, so it went back into storage as a spare. I upgraded everyone to Eneloops and decent chargers after that incident.

Personally, I'm less worried about future-proofing against unnecessarily powerful lights. As long as I can still get lights with a well-spaced mode sequence, starting on low with no mode memory, then I'll be fine. Convoy lights with ToyKeeper's Biscotti firmware have been working nicely for me lately. I don't mind having strobes and stupendously high-powered modes in there, because I never have to look at them unless I want to.

I will admit to buying spares of lights I like, though, so you could consider that future-proofing against good stuff being discontinued with no direct replacement. I still think wistfully of what could have been if Sunwayman had given the V20A a Nichia 219B instead of discontinuing it. They'd be mulling over a 219C upgrade now...

*sniff*

 

[mickb]

my problem is I am averse to too much complexity. Some of the replies above , whilst appreciated, along the lines of superior interfaces/apps extra programming levels show the difference between my generation and there's. Not in that I can't handle the complexity, but I can't handle the potential failure rate. I just watched one review on youtube, the young guy happily extolling the virtues of a great light and his comment said" the first light had a problem but the company sent me a replacement in 3 days, great customer service!". great customer service to my generation is the salesman smiling warmly as he facilitates my purchase and me never to talk to him again. Because the item lasts 20 years or was superceded well before breaking down. This appears to be a forgotten possibility to most and a completely unknown concept to the younger generation who are giving themselves high fives if an electronic item makes the 3-4 year mark without failing. But I am onto a separate rant now As to malkoff I am looking to get some of his 1aa and 2aa lights shortly.

 

[peter yetman]

You've just echoed everything I wanted to say. Thank you.
P

 

[Modernflame]

Because the item lasts 20 years or was superceded well before breaking down. This appears to be a forgotten possibility to most and a completely unknown concept to the younger generation who are giving themselves high fives if an electronic item makes the 3-4 year mark without failing.

I could sing this song with you all day. We may be relics in a disposable culture.

 

[turbodog]

I grabbed several single-mode aaa keychain lights. Fenix... think the lumens are about 60-80 approx. Am really glad I did this. Single mode lights save so much time and trouble.

Other than that... I'm ok with multi-mode or variable output models (hds). However, with hds I'm tired of having all the lights be slightly different in programming.

 

[caddylover]

I have 5 E01's still in their boxes, future just in case lights.

 

[1pt21]

Of all my lights, my 95+CRI Yuji modded Maglite 2AAA single mode twisty gets the most use....and it is less than 10L...cost to me was less than $8.

All the rest of my lights (except the TN4A HI) are 250L max or less.

This modded 2xaaa mag sounds very interesting to me. The 2xaaa is one of my favorite of the smaller mags, and I do have many.

Would you happen to have a link to the details of this mod? Or perhaps mind PM'ing me nay details??


Thanks a lot, I appreciate any info on this mod that I would love to try out!!! :twothumbs

 

[bykfixer]

This thread is pulling in all the members. Woohoo!!

PK once told me he remarked to an owner who wanted him to build a programable light "I still haven't figured out how to program my TV remote, why do I want to have to figure out how to program a flashlight?" He said "I want to push the button and get light, push button again, no light".

A good old Maglite is still a good old Maglite.

 

[LeanBurn]

To clarify...that $8 includes the minimag 2AAA and the Yuji LED.

PM sent 1pt21.

 

[mickb]

This thread is pulling in all the members. Woohoo!!

PK once told me he remarked to an owner who wanted him to build a programable light "I still haven't figured out how to program my TV remote, why do I want to have to figure out how to program a flashlight?" He said "I want to push the button and get light, push button again, no light".

A good old Maglite is still a good old Maglite.

I agree bykfixer and appreciate experienced members like yourself giving input. I am learning other options on the thread, for example searching earlier versions of current models which may be more suitable for my purposes. Eg the basic Fenix E01 and E11 which I am now going to buy a few of as well as E05 and E12.

 

[Phlogiston]

As someone who mentioned the old-model Fenix E11 and E21, I should also mention that those are actually two-mode lights. The mode is selected by slightly loosening or tightening the head.

For both lights, the mnemonic is "Tight is bright, loose is low". The tail switch is a simple forward clicky, so you can set the head for the mode you want and forget it. Even now, it's a wonderfully elegant method for simple lights to offer two brightnesses.

Colour temperature's not bad, either - definitely cool white, but not disgustingly blue or anything. I have to say that my preference is for 5000K neutral white lights, though, so your mileage may vary if you prefer warmer colour temperatures.

If Fenix started selling these again, but with 5000K Nichia 219Bs in them, I'd buy some all over again!

Can you tell I just pulled a couple out of my stash to play with?

[...] great customer service to my generation is the salesman smiling warmly as he facilitates my purchase and me never to talk to him again. Because the item lasts 20 years or was superceded well before breaking down. This appears to be a forgotten possibility to most and a completely unknown concept to the younger generation who are giving themselves high fives if an electronic item makes the 3-4 year mark without failing. [...]

Well, I'm an engineer, and I second this wholeheartedly. The modern culture of commercialised disposability really annoys me, because of the ludicrous wastage it brings with it.

By the way, which generation does being forty-something qualify me for?

 

[terjee]

I am future-proofing, but I'm taking a completely different route.

For me, no matter if a light is simple or complex, I still have trust issues with electronics. ;-)

I want a (small, but still) stash of lights that's served me well over some time, that I know won't die during the first month of usage.

Then I want variations of those, such as considering the new Mk IV Zebralights, despite being happy with Mk III. If there turns out to be something systematically wrong that causes death in a year in one model, I'll hopefully have a different version with different issues instead. ;-)

If my current light fails, I should then be able to fall back on a previous light, from a collection of proven ones.

I do agree there's a concern about "too powerful", but for me that enters into the equation for which new ones I add, more than just getting more of the same. It's one one the primary drivers towards lights like Zebralights, and soon HDS.

 

[martinaee]

@mickb, you are not alone... these are mine...

simple and not blinding... I initially thought the E05 may not live beyond 2 years on my keychain, so I haul up as many as I could without raising suspicious to my better half, but my first E05 lasted 4+ years, and my second E05 is showing no sign of retiring either. I think I still have a few new-in-box stashed somewhere...

and then there comes a Fenix E10, a single AA single mode neutral white light that simply refuse to die, even after I overdrive it by feeding it 14500 for about a year, the light still lights up albeit lower than the standard brightness (60 lumens)... like E05, I took the concept of backup of a backup of a backup of a backup for a spin...

I stashed them to some BOBs and GHBs and places I could not remember anymore...
:candle:

wholeheartedly agree that 30-80 lumens range is plentiful for daily use.

Holy cow.... I was about to scroll down and say we should stockpile E05's and E01's. But you make the joke obsolete I now need more of those lights. I've never even seen that E10 either. Damn!

 

[martinaee]

I am future-proofing, but I'm taking a completely different route.

For me, no matter if a light is simple or complex, I still have trust issues with electronics. ;-)

I want a (small, but still) stash of lights that's served me well over some time, that I know won't die during the first month of usage.

Then I want variations of those, such as considering the new Mk IV Zebralights, despite being happy with Mk III. If there turns out to be something systematically wrong that causes death in a year in one model, I'll hopefully have a different version with different issues instead. ;-)

If my current light fails, I should then be able to fall back on a previous light, from a collection of proven ones.

I do agree there's a concern about "too powerful", but for me that enters into the equation for which new ones I add, more than just getting more of the same. It's one one the primary drivers towards lights like Zebralights, and soon HDS.

Which lights do you personally find to be "trustable?" Something simple like an E01?

 

[Phlogiston]

I am future-proofing, but I'm taking a completely different route.

For me, no matter if a light is simple or complex, I still have trust issues with electronics. ;-)

Hmm, there's a good point.

My credit card is safe, though, because I have Convoy S2+ lights and plenty of spare parts for same. One of many things I like about the way Convoy do things - you can get spares for every part of the S2+ as a matter of course.

Between those and my stash of superseded lights, that should do the trick

 

[Burgess]

Great thread here !


lovecpf



I myself find the Low and Medium settings
to be much more useful for MY needs .


:thumbsup:
_

 

[eh4]

I really think that the relatively high failure rate is a function of innovation out pacing competence. New, hot stuff thrown together (with a warranty), this year's hot #### becomes the next year's baseline, and good engineering takes hold, I'm not worried about that.
We don't hear much about alpha and beta testing here in flashlight world, but that's also what's going on.

 

[oKtosiTe]

I suppose I might be a bit of a special case here. My eyes don't adjust to darkness nearly as much or as fast as most people's, so there are quite a few situations where I actually need a quick blast of 1000+ lumens. That said though, accidentally blasting that kind of light when it's not needed is no fun. There's definitely room for UI improvement in many pocket rockets.

I'm planning to get an Emisar D4 soon. Kind of hoping the v3 UI will make it to production, because the firmware flashing doesn't look that straight-forward.