What is your favorite UI in a light?

hey CPF members,

I'm curious, what is you favorite kind of UI and/or switching mechanism?

Be it a single mode, or 3 mode reverse clicky mechanism to a piston drive, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

I prefer the switch to do one thing; turn the light on and off. Forward clicky of course. The only way I actually like multiple modes is a head twist like the Fenix TK20 and such.

The perfect UI for me, (besides an on/off incand) would be a momentary twist switch like Surefire offers, and two mode head twist like the TK20.

My favorite are multimode lights with 2 or 3 preset levels.

I prefer some sort of push button for constant on but nothing that would have a parasitic drain.

I like the double click, triple click but don't prefer twisting the head as well when it comes to push button lights.

From all the lights I've had the Arc4 UI was my favorite, so I guess that would include the HDS, Novatac, Ra style UI as well.

I also want to mention that I like twisty lights only when they are made very small.
An example would be the Fenix P1D which was smaller than it's brother the P2D.
Both lights were similar but I always prefered the P1D because it was smaller.

Three mode programable. Forward clicky that controls only on off. Twist head to switch modes. Don't know if that is being implemented though...

I like to be able to access all or at least some of the output level with one hand by pushing the tailcap.

Multiple programmable mode like Jetbeam's. Definitely one-handed, forward clicky with simple and quick-to-access brightness level.
Normally, I'll not consider any light that has SOS/Strobe as part of the standard cycling to pick level, ie not hidden.

You figure the AW Incan Driver is Multi-Mode or Other ?

I'm an Incan Guy, big fan of the AW units and will put them in the lights I use most often.

Novatac/Ra UI is my absolute favorite!!! :twothumbs

single mode and forward clicky! :rock:

... or multimode with selector ring

Out of the torches I actually own which include fenix, quark, LedLenser, maglite, nite-ize, ultra-fire etc my favourite is a 123-2 quark regular to which I have fitted a forward tactical tailcap. This means that as well as momentary on, I select the brightness level before I click the torch on and the brightness level can't be changed withuot switching the light off then on again. It's the one that suits me best.

I used to like my Nitecore PD but now find the ramping to try to find the needed level and the having to click and hold and double click to get to the two extremes of brightness to be a pain in the butt.

For my work light a 3 mode reverse clicky suits me best.

Out at night it's a single mode forward clicky or momentary/twist on, nice and simple. Bright is good too.

I dont actually care what UI i have on a light, as long as it isnt like the UI on my wife's Fenix L0D

my Surefire T1a, L2, A2, U2 and Novatac edc120p all get carried, and i like the UI on all of them.

i like being able to easily select the level i need, and these lights let me do it instantly, without going through half a dozen other levels first,

Zeruel said:

Multiple programmable mode like Jetbeam's. Definitely one-handed, forward clicky with simple and quick-to-access brightness level.
Normally, I'll not consider any light that has SOS/Strobe as part of the standard cycling to pick level, ie not hidden.

Click to expand...

+1
I like Jetbeam.

Novatac is great so is Liteflux.

In first place:

The SureFire A2/L1/L2/LX2.

In second place, the SureFire U2 Ultra and in 3rd, the same on the SureFire E2DL and E1B.

Honorable mention to SureFire Titan and Saint.

I dont really have a favorite. I can get used to anything. I voted twisty for the reliability/durability.

I do not like SOS modes however, completely useless iMHO.

I'm still liking the LiteFlux UI, though I've not lived with any of the other similar setups (Ra, Jetbeam, etc.). The Photon UI is tough to beat, too.

Geoff

#1 would be a rotary switch like on the Spy00x lights, the simpilist and fastest way to access all light levels.
As for single mode lights I like the forward clicky best and for multimode lights I like a reverse clicky better because I like to be able to change levels after the light is on. For small (AAA) lights I have nothing against twisties as long as they are not too loose or too tight.

Another vote for the Arc +4, HDS, Novatac, Ra clicky UI here please.
I.E. a minimum travel clicky with momentary, user programmable multi mode which includes memory so you can set the light to come on at the correct level with a bit of forethought.

Second goes to multi mode twisties - twist more for brighter is the one - IE ARC 6 ( with added bonus of momentary operation via the piston), SF L1, ORB Raw, NS, SS, Ti etc., Ra Twisty and many more.

Third goes to the cycling reverse clicky types ( Fenix, Quark etc.) I find a reverse clicky to be better than forward clicky to control multi level lights - soft tap rather than full click. Even if you don't have a momentary on them. I find lights with multi mode forward clickies frustrating to use - like Lumapower connexion and Tiable TL1 IDC for instance - nice though the lights are in other ways.

Most lamented UI has to be the Nitecore D10,EX10 (pre SP) types. Lovely interface - soft click, low travel and intuitive. What a shame they changed it and dropped their advantages over other lights so quickly. The SP mode switching are annoying in the extreme, I find. Even if they worked out that most people will only need the three levels they chose for the SP in practice, they fail to realize that they appear to be taking control away from the user. Not, psychologically, a wise move in a competitive market like this one. Also the redesigned piston seems harder to operate.

I would like to see a new clicky that is neither forward or reverse, one that makes before click (when starting at off) and also breaks before click (when already on) if you understand what I mean.