Flashlights i would like to see in production..

actual and feasible possibilities to get one in production.. not completely scifi ideas. atleast in my mind

1. 4AA light with 3 or 4 modes or nitecore/itp/jetbeam style of ramping up. as long as it has under 5lm low mode for darkness. light should be 2aa long and two wide.
measurements should be in range of 21mm*35mm*150mm. used either 4 paraller for LOONG runtime at 120lm and under.
or 2p2s setup for decent voltage but double the runtime than current 2aa tubeshaped lights.

oval body shape is rather convinient to carry and hold. one can carry oval shaped object almost as easily in your pocket as the minimaglite style. aa size tube is on the "too thin to be comfortable" limit atleast in my hands.

i think 1 aa battery weighs about 30grams. fenix ld20 is said to be 55-60grams empty and 115g with 2 aa´s.

so making a "ld40" would not make it 230g light as you recude the other reflector, clickybutton and led etc from it. more like 190grams. about same as fenix tk11? still reasonable weight for medium size edc.

and then small brother for above:

2. 2AA light that is 1 aa long. (85-100mm i think) but double wide at around 35mm. again it would be easier to pocket carry in my mind than the longer 2aa lights. not as subtle as 1aa or 1 cr light but very close. in my mind i would be ready to sacrifice that small weight and size disadvantage very often for double the runtime or better brightness than 1aa. just look at your cellphone. it might be close to this size and do you think its inconvinient to carry?

then third..

3. a backpacker special. 3 mode twisty light.
1. under 5lm 2. 30lm 3 .120lm.
a oval shaped light like 4aa above but the light actually would only use 2aa. the other part of the lights body could be used as spare battery carrier. or water tight compartment for your matches, tinder etc.

extra option: in this it would be cool to be able to use the sparebatteries to light up a small 5mm (red) led for really long runtime. ability to get dim light even from depleted cells that cant run the high power led anymore. this way only would needs a twisty for medium and high mode.

i would like to have the spare batteries IN the light i am using not somewhere in my backpack etc.

whaddayathink?

I also agree that to arrange AA's side by side for 2, 3 or 4 AA would be more convenient than just in line as currently. More compact, fit better in the hand.

The issue I see is that it complicates manufacture especially with aluminum bodies ! A tube is easier to produce, tap, drill, ream and make waterproof !

I wonder if these are produced on high end CNC machine, more probably on cheap production lathes.

Plastic molding is the solution (also you need to sell a lot to pay for the molds) , can be as strong as aluminum but here for high power lights, the LED and electronic cooling becomes an issue.

I would like to see the lights you suggested also, especially the 4AA light. My Streamlight 4AA propoly is a nice fit in the hand but it has the older 1W luxeon LED in it.

I would just like to see a lot more 4AA light options in general.

4AA is excessive for a flashlight. for a lantern, sure. im a huge fan of standard and easy to find batteries but id rather have an 18650 flashlight than 4xaa

not everyone wants the risks of li ion rechargable.

many want normal batteries in their lights.

just few reasons why there is plenty of aa lights still coming out.

i have lights that use cr123s 18650s Ds and AAs and AAAs, and rechargable nimhs for d, aa, and aaa, some rcr123s and 18650s.

and given chance of using tk11 that i have, or light that gives nearly same output with 2 or 4aas.. i would take the aa light. just easier, cheaper and safer in my mind.

and to non flashholics (normal people) i would suggest to them only lights that use normal batteries.

funny note of aa lights: new d10 r2 and ex10 r2s came to 4-7s.. somehow d10s sold out at once. and ex10s from 1st batch are still available. people want aa.

I like your ideas for #2 and #3, NoSenCe. Or even a 2 AAA model. I guess Pelican? has a side-by-side 2 AAA, but it needs at least two levels. At the same time I don't want the designers to get complacent about making one battery lights with better efficiency.

Geoff

I had an 4xAAA Energizer double barrel a long time ago (gave it away to the cabin steward on a cruise, because he thought it was the brightest light he had ever seen. I hope he found AAAs in his home country)
That light was really handy, easy to hold, intrinsically anti-roll.

I'd like to see a 3xAA (triangular shape), powering a MC-E (nothing really bright, only 250 on turbo). It would look like the handle of an ergonomic screwdriver. 100mm length, 1/3 [max] that across the round reflector end.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/mods/4aaadb.htm

This should be a good thread! I'd like to see a Mag 2C sized, but run on 2 AA (I've always liked the form factor) light, with a bright main LED, adjustable (maybe 4 brightness levels) up to at least 200 lumens, and some 5mm red, green, blue, UV (color/type can be chosen by purchaser) LED's around the rim. True focusability, an orange peel reflector, forward clicky on the barrel like a Mag, an extendable ring on the tailcap if you need to hang it on something, legs that fold out from the body to make a tri-pod so it can be aimed (thus the C cell size but only AA batteries) and a built-in compartment to house a 123 battery as a back-up in case the 2 AA cells go dead. If the AA batteries are rechargable, you could plug in a charger directly into the light.

And oh yeah, maybe some sort of battery charge indicator.

man. the search function dont work like its supposed to.
i actually tried to search this thread by using the ACTUAL words in the topic! -only found it by searcing threads i have written to.
glad that i havent written in thousands of posts yet.


**back to topic of lights that i would like to see in production:

-programmable light by usb or similar by computer. (novatac might bring one for sale? they start to mimic surefire, so nothing is guaranteed)

-small lights with built in charging jacks. prefer it with something common like nokia etc chargerplug. (nitecore ezaa might be a step foward to this)

-lights with battery indicator should become a basic feature. especially on lights that are more than 50dollars. atleast a blinker way. or automatic dropping to lower level when running down. simple small red led on the light that turns on when less than 25% left (same as in other electric devices have) or best case scenario maybe an actual led display that is turned on only when in need. and it shows voltage or the estimated runtime left

-mouthfriendly strong plastic light with powerful led! one cell light preferred. (head and half the body could be metallic for heat transfer.. just last 2 inches rubber or plastic.) -i hate the look my flashlights will get when i start using heatshrinkwrap and bicycle innertubes or tape on them.

-light that do not have a high mode but extremely long output on low (under 10lm) and medium (50lm).. great regulation. and blinking while switching to lower output so you know battery is dying. with no chance of accidentally turning it to high mode that eats your day (or days) long useful light output in minutes to a half a day.

-clickys in front like maglites. it wont be THAT much longer light with current technology. and to me, shorter the light is, harder it is to use the rear button and still aim the beam.. some tiny ones are inside my palm. cigarette hold dont work everywhere.

**my 2aa light idea could be perfect with this style. little like spy007 designs. with reflector on below and clicky switch on top of it. just a cigarettebox looking squarebox with button on top of it .. if that makes any sense.**

-a flashlight that has a flip open lense cover like those used in riflescopes. and this cover also could double as diffuser of sorts..no need it to be black plastic. maybe a see thru lense as cover.. maybe option of changing the lense in it with red lense or diffuser and aspheric too? would make pocket carrying easier.

(i tend to be able to ding and scratch my flashlight lenses)

-anglelights! more of them! and someone like niteize making a universal holder to them like in the firstlight tomahawk light.

or if thats not viable then someone please make a

-cheaper alternative to tomahawk angle light. still be able to grip things while light in hand is not a bad thing.


**hmm guess there is enough ideas for awhile again.. input people.. as its clear that some people that sell and make lights are listening to what is said in cpf..

A CR2 version of the Fenix P1-CE.

datiLED said:

A CR2 version of the Fenix P1-CE.

Click to expand...

I have one of those. :nana: And it's two-level. Problem is ...it's the same size as the P1 CE. :thinking:

HDS/Ra has the noticeable level drop to notify you the battery is losing power.
LRI proton has a side clickie and a red LED comes on to tell you that the battery can not power Hi level. Single cell, super long run time on lower levels (gets really low). The clip on the Proton is such that you can put a bicycle inner tube around it and your finger like a Tomahawk (sort-of). And it's light enough that it will sit there - the HDS is too heavy for that.
I keep a small piece of inner tube just under the clip near the tail on my Proton and since it's black, I barely notice it.
I know, not the perfect lights for all your wishes, but most of the things are available is some light - now we just need somebody to build them all together into a home run light.

NonSenCe said:

-lights with battery indicator should become a basic feature. especially on lights that are more than 50dollars. atleast a blinker way. or automatic dropping to lower level when running down. simple small red led on the light that turns on when less than 25% left (same as in other electric devices have) or best case scenario maybe an actual led display that is turned on only when in need. and it shows voltage or the estimated runtime left

-mouthfriendly strong plastic light with powerful led! one cell light preferred. ... -i hate the look my flashlights will get when i start using heatshrinkwrap and bicycle innertubes or tape on them.

-light that do not have a high mode but extremely long output on low (under 10lm) and medium (50lm).. great regulation. and blinking while switching to lower output so you know battery is dying. with no chance of accidentally turning it to high mode that eats your day (or days) long useful light output in minutes to a half a day.

-clickys in front like maglites....

-cheaper alternative to tomahawk angle light. still be able to grip things while light in hand is not a bad thing.

Click to expand...

giving this thread a fresh read, i do agree that an oval shape would be nice in the hand.

Blindas: seen this: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/221311

my ideal edc thread.

i think i might of evolved with my wishes from that a bit.. its been couple months already from my 1st draft

but the basics are still the same.. especially i do like the idea of the U.I still.

(will bump that thread up if no one else does it b4 me when i get the urge. and time)


i know that some lights have some of the things i wish built in.. like ra having the low voltage thing.. but where are the other manufacturers models

also proton is not an angle light right?

*hmm a light i want into production.. decent priced slim flashlight that uses cellphone battery and charging jack from one works in it. -chimera mini is awesome but $$$$$$ WHOA!

lego system for handheld flashlights. kind of like the ld10, ld20 but all included as a kit so you can carry depending on the situation.
more specifically on a high output led like the p7 and the mce.

i still would like to see another premium chinese manufacturer take on the headlamp market.

f22: maybe ITP will improve to mce? they are the best Lego system i have seen so far. (1cr123, 1aa, 2aa body for one head)

-just ordered c8t. its the beginning.

I wanted to see a 2D sized one with an efficient driver and a Low mode (5 lumen or so) to use as emergency light. Runtime, at least 1000h. :twothumbs

I want to see a carbon fibre light.