Most important factor of a light for you?

What is the most important factor of a light for you? I chose THROW, because I like illuminating objects far away. I work security, and like to see what's coming at me long before it is near me! I don't like surprises in the dark.......

Re: Most important factor?

The feel....cuz if i buy a light i already decided what else im looking for in regards to brightness, runtime, and throw. this could be a difficult question to answer. i hope that is the type of answer you were looking for. :thumbsup:

Re: Most important factor?

I voted price, throw, and brightness. I use my lights in a utilitarian fashion, but throw and brightness are fun for impressing friends

Price makes it easier for me to buy since I'm in HS and I'm still on a minimum wage job.

Durability would be a close second because I love to see a light that can take a beating. Probably shoulda voted for it now that I think about it.

Re: Most important factor?

I voted OTHER... IMHO the most important performance factor is picking the right amount of light, Lux and Lumens (throw -VS- Flood) for the job at hand. I find that excessive light (for the task) is a bad thing can leave me blinded in complete darkness.

Price is almost a moot point because you can get just about any quality level for under ~$45 at DX. That includes bubble gum machine "junk" to near-Surefire levels of quality with Solarforce, Fenix and Romisen.

**EDIT**
I neglected durability, that for me is the MOST important element. If the light is not durable enough to endure the task at hand then you're in the dark :candle:

So... Durability first/foremost followed by the right Lux/Lumen amount for the job are my top 1-2.

Re: Most important factor?

Most important factor is QUALITY.

Re: Most important factor?

The wonderfully vague other.

UI (and that could be as simple as a one mode switch) is most important to me. Everytime I want the light on, or back off again, i have to work through it's user interface. Any annoyance, quirk, poor design feature, etc in UI affects me far more than a few lumens extra, or a few lux more/less in the hotspot.

Re: Most important factor?

Reliability usually is the most important factor for most lights. Nothing is as dissapointing as being in the dark when you really don't want to be.

Re: Most important factor?

Availibility

It doesn't matter how great a flashlight is if it isn't available. Theoretically, someone can make the world's greatest flashlight that runs for months and puts out massive lumens, but that doesn't do people any good if the light can not be acquired by people who are able to buy one. From vaporware to limited runs, to cloak and dagger secret squirrel BS - if "normal" people can't have access to them then they are useless.

Re: Most important factor?

If it's not cheap enough I won't have the option to rate any of it's other qualities, though Throw comes second, because a good throwing light is more impressive than simple one that can light up a room. Unless you have both!:devil::twothumbs

Re: Most important factor?

i voted price and Lumens.

quality comes when you pay more usually, so best quality at best price with most lumens wins!

Crenshaw

Re: Most important factor?

these months I tend to pick a flashlight based on the reflector! You can have all the light you woish but you must manage it properly as welll

My latest purchase were RC-G2 Q5, and a Drteelight module and I am still fan of the Ultrafire C2 as an all-around non P60 module light.

Re: Most important factor?

I don't see User Interface as a choice up there. That is a huge factor for EDC lights.

Re: Most important factor?

i went for brightness and battery life i wouldnt buy a £100 torch that lasted only five mins at 1000 lumens over a torch that lasted 180 minutes at 130 lumens, i ges its all down to what you use your torches for.

Quality is also a big factor i feel a lot better buying a fenix than a DX torch

Re: Most important factor?

+1 for Durability & Other (User Interface)

a) Any tool that I cannot rely on is worse than being unprepared - Would you rather _know_ you will have no light (and take precautions or other actions) or assume your flashlight will work and be completely unprepared when it doesn't? :eeksign:

b) User interface. I greatly prefer the ability to use my low and high settings in exactly the manner I want. Specifically, my SF L1 & L2 tailcaps.

My 1.5 cents (after inflation).

Having been through the 10+ Hours of blackouts due to the wildfires here i think runtime is quite important

i think i will be looking at a Malkoff M60L or LL. then again my collection is quite small

Operation!

Does it activate when you hit the switch?

Durability!

I just left other boxes empty because I value it so much more than the rest of the options.

I chose Size / Weight / Feel
Because if it's not on you, you cant use it. Carryability is a top concern for me.

At first I was kind of surprised beam quality is as important as durability, but I thought about all the detailed reviews and how much time we spend nit-picking through beam shots. If I was more careful I would have voted Durability instead of "Other"... Oops. Mods feel free to change my vote to "Durability".

You can kind of see two different CPF crowds emerging...

A) Light/Lux/Beam/Output fanatics who look for a specific kind and amount of light output.

B) The tool crowd who are into durability, fit, feel in the hand and long run times.

Pretty cool!! I'm watching this closely and will focus my product reviews based on what everyone wants to see/read.

:twothumbs:twothumbs

Re: Most important factor?

LED-holic said:

I don't see User Interface as a choice up there. That is a huge factor for EDC lights.

Click to expand...

I agree, thats why I voted for other. UI equates to flexability, at least to me. The ability to have options such as different brightness levels fills the void of a " one level " light. With all the new lights out with great UI's, I would think this would be a significant factor in choosing an option. Even my trusty A2 has flexability and still has it's place.

Best Regards:
Bob