Why low mode first on LED lights? Suggestions?

[Sgt. LED]

Your particular role should dictate the light you buy then.
Or
Buy a programable light
Or
Buy a D25A, loose bezel low med hi, tight bezel just hi.
During day carry with tightened bezel.

Because some people carry a mini AA light around when it's dark too.

 

[Sgt. LED]

For some reason I keep my EDC on the nightstand too.
Along side my one mode 500 lumen flood monster and my one mode 10 lumen forever light.

Good point there. Throwing out bedside use among flashlight nuts

 

[jbrett14]

The "night vision" preservation thing always seemed like hogwash tho.
If you are using a flashlight haven't you decided your night vision isn't good enough for the task? What are you saving it for anyway? You are here, you like flashlights, use the damn things and don't worry about night vision.

Now THAT is some logic that I can relate to.

It amazes me how much talk about "night vision" there is when even discussing little general purpose pocket lights. It's not like we're talking about some military-grade tactical light that rarely gets used for their intended purpose by the common man who simply needs some good light on the subject at hand. For the most part, we simply need good light in a dark place, that's all. We need not fear who might get us if our "night vision" is impaired. We use the light, we turn it off, we move on, it's simple.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

Even without getting into opsec there are too many reasons to list. If the OP does not understand why some UIs come on L then M then H it is of no importance as he obviously feels he has no need for it. I should be so lucky.

"The better part of valor is discretion." -Falstaff​

 

[Fireclaw18]

Now THAT is some logic that I can relate to.

It amazes me how much talk about "night vision" there is when even discussing little general purpose pocket lights. It's not like we're talking about some military-grade tactical light that rarely gets used for their intended purpose by the common man who simply needs some good light on the subject at hand. For the most part, we simply need good light in a dark place, that's all. We need not fear who might get us if our "night vision" is impaired. We use the light, we turn it off, we move on, it's simple.

For a bedside light there are other advantages in having it come on very low:
1. Getting up to go to the bathroom at night - if your light comes on in low mode you're less likely to wakeup your partner.
2. Lower light is less likely to wake you fully up than if your light comes on blindingly bright.

 

[Fireclaw18]

This is assuming one is using this EDC light as their bed-side light. But c'mon, let's be honest. We're flashaholics. Don't we all thrive on having different lights for different purposes? I much prefer a larger light next to the bed than a small 1 x AA light.

Different people have different preferences.

All my bedside lights are EDC lights.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

The "night vision" preservation thing always seemed like hogwash tho.
If you are using a flashlight haven't you decided your night vision isn't good enough for the task? What are you saving it for anyway? You are here, you like flashlights, use the damn things and don't worry about night vision.

Just because you might need a little extra light doesn't mean you want to completely ruin your dark adaptation.

For some reason I keep my EDC on the nightstand too.

Maybe I'm not the typical flashaholic, but I prefer a single flashlight that can do everything I need (plus a back-up), so my EDC is a high CRI Rotary. It gives me the super low 0.08 lumen mode which doesn't kill my eyes when used in the middle of the night, and it goes all the way up to 120 lumens when I need to light up my whole backyard, plus everything in between, easily selectable with the dial. For me, it's the perfect EDC.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Also, for anyone willing to offer any more suggestions, please understand that I was hoping for MINI 1 x AA lights - the smaller the better. I love the JetBeam's easy UI on the BA lights but their 1 x AA light is a bit large for my pocket.

Ah... the problem is, if you're looking at MINI (which to mean means Quark Mini type size), your options are limited. UIs that give you more choice -- rings, intelligent buttons, even mode memory, etc. -- tend to have components that make the light a bit bigger, so it's more like "regular size AA light", not "mini AA light". And as you found out, the really mini lights have a twist-twist-twist interface that typically starts on low, or for slightly bigger you can get a click-click-click interface that also starts on low. But more on that below:

So, it puzzles me as to why so many manufacturers have this odd sequence of modes. I have a little 1 x AAA Olight which has 3 modes. I HATE it compared to the simple ONE mode iTP that it replaced. Whenever I have pulled it out of my pocket, I have NEVER needed it in low mode, yet I have to cycle through it just to get to the main purpose of carrying a light in the pocket - to have as much light as possible during hours in which humans are typically awake.

This whole conversation about "what mode should a light start on" is, in my subjective opinion only, a conversation only people who tolerate subpar user interfaces have to have (or, when I'm in less of a churlish mood, an interface that at least doesn't work at all for me personally).. If you demand a bit more in your UI, you don't have to have that conversation, because you can more easily choose your starting point. And as you found out, with the truly MINI size lights, you're kind of SOL. The next smallest light, which does not have a twist-twist-twist interface, would probably be a light with a side switch and some smarts. Although I haven't seen a pic of it next to other AA lights, my guess is that the Zebralight SC51 is smaller than most "full-sized" AA lights (though still a bit bigger than "mini") due to the side switch, but still has a smart UI. And, again from memory, I'm pretty sure it kicks butt on Eneloops, another great feature.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

I tend to fix things a lot and do a lot of checking things out in dark places (crawl spaces, attics, basements, garages, etc.). I wrongfully assumed that these were common actions by most folks.

Even in those situations, I still think not enough light and having to step up is preferable to too much light and having to step down because you just dazzled your eyes.

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

For a bedside light there are other advantages in having it come on very low:
1. Getting up to go to the bathroom at night - if your light comes on in low mode you're less likely to wakeup your partner.
2. Lower light is less likely to wake you fully up than if your light comes on blindingly bright.

3. Dazzling dark adapted eyes with a bright light is not the most comfortable experience.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

Apparently the OP has no understanding that there are many people who work during the day and do much of their work in very low light. Many specialties in live theatre (and in entertainment in general) for example are that way. I have worked many, many jobs where I spent most of my time in very low light, day AND night.

Its not just theatre, either. Turn on a bright light in the cockpit of an airliner during a night landing and you will get a much less civil answer, if you survive the landing. The same goes for the bridge of a ship at night.

Also, bear in mind that most dark adapted vision is not scotopic but mesopic. If a person using dark adapted vision needs a bit more light and has planned well enough to be able to switch on a very dim light his dark adapted vision will revert right back to where it was before he turned it on in a minute or two after turning it off. This is assuming that proper pointing disclipine is used. Good pointing discipline will probably be lacking in all those who try this without even having a light on them that is dim enough to make it work.

 

[Racer]

Count me as someone who would rather have the light start on low. Medium is OK, like on my LD01, but I'd prefer low. If the light doesn't come on as bright as I need it then it's not a big deal to give it another twist or two. But if it comes on too bright, I just defeated the purpose of having the low mode, at least for what I use it for.

I'm surprised more twisties don't have memory like the Thrunite T10. With memory the whole discussion goes away because then the light comes on in whatever mode you set it to.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

There is one other point which no one has brought up on this subject.

Many lights come on in LOW because manufacturers and vendors know that so many of their potential customers DEMAND THAT VERY FEATURE! Its what's left of free enterprise. These lights were conceived and designed with the needs of their users and purchasers in mind. Purchasers have voted with their wallets very consistently on this issue. That is precisely why one sees so many L-M-H lights for sale in a free market.

The opposite of this approach would probably be something akin to the marketing of the Chevy Volt.

Bottom line: LMH is there because so many buyers demand it.

 

[fresh eddie fresh]

Now THAT is some logic that I can relate to.

It amazes me how much talk about "night vision" there is when even discussing little general purpose pocket lights. It's not like we're talking about some military-grade tactical light that rarely gets used for their intended purpose by the common man who simply needs some good light on the subject at hand. For the most part, we simply need good light in a dark place, that's all. We need not fear who might get us if our "night vision" is impaired. We use the light, we turn it off, we move on, it's simple.

My main enemies are rocks and curbs... I trip over enough stuff during daylight, I don't need to make it even harder for my clumsy self to walk around at night by blinding myself to look at something with 200 lumens when 15 would have done the trick.

 

[reppans]

There is one other point which no one has brought up on this subject.

Many lights come on in LOW because manufacturers and vendors know that so many of their potential customers DEMAND THAT VERY FEATURE! Its what's left of free enterprise. They were conceived and designed with the needs of their users and purchasers in mind. Purchasers have voted with their wallets very consistently on this issue. That is precisely why one sees so many L-M-H lights for sale in a free market.

The opposite of this approach would probably be something akin to the marketing of the Chevy Volt.

Bottom line: LMH is there because so many buyers demand it.

I'm not arguing against this, LMH is the only thing that makes sense to me, but what I can't seem to figure out why the mass market headlamps from Petzl and Black Diamond always start out in high? You'd think that if there is one group of customers that all have dark-adapted eyes.... it would be campers!

 

[reppans]

My main enemies are rocks and curbs... I trip over enough stuff during daylight, I don't need to make it even harder for my clumsy self to walk around at night by blinding myself to look at something with 200 lumens when 15 would have done the trick.

+1... And I'm afraid of the dark, that's why I like dim modes (3 lumens, for walking the dog with no street lights, for example). They allow me to see reasonably well for the other 280 degrees outside of my beam.

 

[Racer]

Why not just make the mode order programmable and give everyone what they want!

Maybe set it to the most common L-M-H by default but make it easy to change. While were at it, allow the user to add/remove modes too.

 

[funkychateau]

Suggestion

Why not just buy one of the many lights that have "memory" feature? They remember the last mode used, and come on in that mode the next time, so cyclic order is not an issue in determining "first mode". This works for folks who want instant bright, as well as for those who want instant low.

Several of my cheap $12 AA lights from DX had this feature, as well as all of my only-slightly-more-expensive Solarforce AA & 18650 multi-mode lights.

 

[archimedes]

How about Peak El Cap with QTC? ... basically the same (single) twisting action to "dial up" however much light you want :shrug:

 

[GunnarGG]

Re: Suggestion

Why not just buy one of the many lights that have "memory" feature? They remember the last mode used, and come on in that mode the next time, so cyclic order is not an issue in determining "first mode". This works for folks who want instant bright, as well as for those who want instant low.

Several of my cheap $12 AA lights from DX had this feature, as well as all of my only-slightly-more-expensive Solarforce AA & 18650 multi-mode lights.

A lot of people seems to like mode memory, for instance the new Fenix LD12.
For me that doesn't work very well.
I never remember what I used last time and if I want low or medium I need to cover the lens and set the level first.
If I want max you can bet I used low last time and still need to click up to max.

The old LD10 works better for me and could maybe also fit the OP.
If you want to start in max keep bezel tight.
If you want to star in low loose bezel.
If you want medium or high it's easy to click up from low.