What are your EDC deal breakers?

In the process of honing down what works for me and what does not - there are a handful of features which these days for me at least are a deal breaker or close to a deal breaker on an EDC light. Mine are:

Sharp "tactical defense" bezel - I carry my EDC in my pocket and a sharp bezel is a non starter.

Non removable clip - I like using a clip sometimes and the option is nice, but not being able to remove it to make it more streamlined for pocket carry is a big negative.

Lights that start on high/have strobe and SOS sequentially. For an EDC light I almost always start at the lowest or a low setting and apply more light as needed, but most of my EDC needs don't require 180 lumens and I much prefer to start low and go to high if there is a sequence. SOS and Strobe are OK as long as I can ignore them, program away from them, etc.. but if I have to scroll through them to get where I want ... not a fan.

And less importantly, but still there, the absence of a really low setting. I use less light most of the time and really value a low low in an EDC.

So what are yours?

Too large.

And when I say large, small is too big- I had a D10 in my pocket at all times while camping, but it's not something I'd EDC. If I can feel it in my pocket, I'm not interested.

Lack of a low mode that'll run for a long time in an emergency situation.


Admittedly they do contest with each other a bit, but hey

the biggest deal breaker for me is cost... i sure would like one of those novatec 120p's or one of those Ra twisty's but i don't have that kind of jam.

Size and complexity are my two biggest deal breakers. No fancy multi-function switches, a SF L1 is as complex as I like to get, and not much bigger than that either. I carry multiple lights, I'd rather use a low-level light for low output than have one light with 4 or 5 different settings that tried to do it all.

Excellent idea for a thread.

Some of my thoughts:
Must Nots:
- having to start off too high.
- finicky UIs that require you to twist the head and click the tailcap and turn around three times, etc and maybe turn on strobe or something by accident(although I like Fenix lights for their efficiency, they're not eligible for pocket duty.)

Musts:
- super-low setting (3 lumens or less) so if I'm adapted to the dark I can read a map or whatever and not see spots in my eyes.
- finger-lanyard (it's just what I've become used to. can't get along without it now)
- dependability (one word: Cloverfield)

Not a requirement, but I will at least think twice if a light can't tail-stand. I find myself using this a lot.

Also, because the light in my pocket is what I use most often, I worry more and more about tint and beam quality.

My EDC light has to have at least two modes low and high.
My EDC light has to have the ability to quickly access the high mode.
My EDC light can start on high but I don't want the cycling of the E1B. (Novatac 120T is fine)
My EDC light must be hell for stout.
My EDC light must be single cell sized basically no bigger then a HDS/Novatac
I don't use pocket clips but want them as an anti roll device.
My primary EDC light has to be a clicky or tactical type switch

Those are the things I have pretty much settled on. Basically for me the HDS EDC lights, Novatac lights have served me the best by far with the Surefire L1s coming in second place and the Fenix P2Ds coming in a distant but very useful third.

CR123 lights seem to work best for me but I wouldn't rule out a single lithium AA light if somebody would make one that really scratched my itch, nobody has at this point.

A no-go for me is:

- complicated UI, meaning more complicated than a SF L1

- non lithium and / or non-primary power source

- not the best, meaning the best money can buy. A light that I EDC should be a light that better work when I need it. It has to be the best to be worthy of my keychain

bernie

What about the runtime.

I really like a EDC with a long runtime.

rayman

All good ideas so far.
My number one deal breaker is the lack of a tailswitch. I know twistie lights have some potential advantages for pocket carrying, I just can't stand twisties. I need a tailswitch.
My number two dealbreaker is a too tight beam. I want my small lights to have a wide smooth beam.

This is probably not a popular idea in this forum, but for me personally, high cost is a deal-breaker for an EDC.

This is because I am somewhat more likely to drop, break, or lose an EDC light. For an EDC light I want something that I am not afraid to carry around, so it needs to not be so expensive that its loss would be very painful

My current EDC light is a Jetbeam C-LE which I believe I paid $40 for, so it's not a huge deal if I lose it. It's not my brightest light but it has seen a lot of use. The only time I use a different light is if I'm at home, I have a brighter light for around-the-house use.

What about the runtime.

Click to expand...

Hence I need at least two levels. A low level provides me with plenty of run time. As for run time at retina scorching levels 30 minutes to 1 hour is fine with me as I rarely use max.

Again I go back to the HDS/Novatac lights as my favorite. I have run time options with super low mode that go into days, yet still have a retina scorching 60-120 lumens a quick press away.

EDC is a special case. In decreasing order of priority:

1. Size. Bigger than 1xAA is dealbreaker. 1xAAA is better.
2. Reliability - It better work when I want it to. I'd like to not be able to think of (nor ever hear of) a way for it to fail me, excepting actual PCB or LED component failure - and it ought to use good components.
3. Regulation and battery efficiency - Typical alkaline exponential decay curve is a deal breaker. It can be bright or dim, but it's runtime ought to be fairly flat and squeeze more lumen-hours out of a battery than its' peers.
4. Cost. I am highly sensitive to quality, design sophistication, ergonomics, and innovation. And I am also CHEAP. Now convince me...
4. Doesn't work with standard AA or AAAs including nimhs. CR123 only lights are a no go.
5. Lesser dislikes:
- Complexity. Ought to be simple to use. If multi-level, then do NOT want to have a memory.
- Aggressive tactical stuff like strike bezels and whatever.

Minor nice to haves (but no big deal): multi-level, glass lens, metal reflector, no tint, un-ringy beam, waterproofing

Some could care less's: tail standing, Type 2 or 3 ano, forward or reverse clicky (actually prefer reverse as I imagine they're more reliable at a given price), really low lows (10% full is low enough)

After all that: current EDC is Fenix E0 (from 4seven's $10 closeout sale). Previous ones include Fenix E1, Fenix LOP, Civictor V1, XJC B8 (early model when they were still efficient..), modified Dorcy 1AAA.

Deal breakers:
Single mode.

Multi but starts high. Chances are I will never use my light to blind or disorient anyone:thumbsdow but will always use it to help me see.

No provisions for a clip that lets me attach the light to my cap.

Cheap construction. Working in an all metal ship is hard on lights.

Uses more than 1 cell. If it's too big it will stay in the drawer.

I've found perfection in my Novatac 120E and RA Twisty (since it got a NT clip)

Any light over 3 cells [cr123A]
Anything that cannot be locked out [applies both lights and knives]
A light that takes up more estate than my wallet and inhibits rapid deployment
A screamer light that cannot provide constant output for less than 40 minutes

Non-protected clickie that can turn on if bumped against something in the pocket.

Need a metal or rubber shroud around the switch.

A slick barrel is a deal breaker for me, when it comes to my primary torch. (Main reason why my Olight M20 sits unused, even though I got it for an extremely good price). On a keychain light, like my Fenix L0D Rebel 80, it's fine. I can put my finger through the large keyring for a secure grip.

Donut hole in the beam. The one on my Pelican 3330 LED model is a perfect example of this. And is really noticeable when using the light outdoors.

Poorly-designed pocket-carry clip. No better example than the utterly useless one on my Fenix TK10. Problem isn't that it's too short (which it is). But it's so poorly designed, that unless your pants are as thin as a sheet of paper; you're not clipping that light onto anything! This light was so over-hyped that it actually caused CPF policy to change. No more posting directly onto the Reviews sub-forum because it was flooded with positive reviews of this light. Yet, it seems that no one bothered to attach the carry-clip to see how it works (or doesn't) clipped to a pants-pocket. No one at Fenix, and no one at CPF.... The output of the TK10 is impressive, but if I had known that the clip was useless; I wouldn't have bought the light

Eagletac's 2xCR123 and 18650 lights are another example of a poorly-designed clip. They're mounted too low. Clipped, they lean off to the outside of the pocket. Making clip-carry useless with these lights. (To be fair, the Surefire E1B style clips found on their single-cell lights work great).

Aggressive strike-bezel. Shallow scallops are fine. And they'd do a good job against an Attacker. But a blatantly aggressive strike-bezel could land you in trouble with the law. For me, the added advantage of an aggressive bezel over one with more subtle scallops is too low to justify the possible added legal hassle.

The light has to be able to use rechargeable batteries!
If it doesn't I won't even look at it.

cool thread...
Heres my list in no particular order:

1- Cheap. I have to be able to trash on it, and destroy it without financial guilt. Anything more than $20-25 is out of contention.

2- Anything that is only primary CR123 is out of contention. AA, AAA or RCR123/Primary is all good in my book.

3- Reverse clickys are out of contention. Twist caps and forward clickys are my preference.

4- Lexan lenses are out of contention. I find it scratches too easily.

5- Aggressive / sharp strike bezels are out of contention.

6- Anything under ~45 minutes runtime is out of contention. I carry backup cells, but still I can only carry so many in my belt pack.

Size-needs to fit in my pocket,1 AA size is probably max.I often prefer to
use larger lights but it must be pocketable for me to carry all the
time.

Output-an EO1 is fine as a back-up but at least 40 lumens or so for EDC.

Reliability-don't want a "maybe" light,must have quality construction

Cost-fairly reasonable price as it can be lost easily enough.

UI-Not too complicated,the P2D is OK but simpler is better

One handed-If it takes two hands to retrieve or use efficiently I'm not
interested.I could never work the modes of the P1D well
with one hand it usually ended up skipping a mode.

Runtime-at least an hour,I will always have a long running back-up

Unreliability and expense are the two main dealbreakers for me. This will be a light I use every day, and I won't carry the light if it has an unreasonable chance of failure or if I'm gonna send myself to the poorhouse on expensive batteries or replacing expensive lights that get broken/lost/stolen/etc.

$20-50 is the sweet spot for me, pricewise. Enough to get me a reliable hard-working light, but not so expensive that I cringe every time a light gets lost and/or it's time to make the oh-so-frequent trip to upgrade-land. :naughty: