An ode to rugged simplicity...

I haven't been here long, but I've discovered that the same less-is-more aesthetic that I gravitate towards in other areas of connoisseurship (watches, knives, etc), draws me to certain lights.

With a few exceptions (notably my Surefire L1, at which I am a loss to explain my adoration), I like clean cigar shaped lines, with copious knurling and few if any sharp angles. Heat baffles, roll guards, wacky colored Ti, etc, are all out for me. I don't even really like black that much. And certainly not shiny black or polished chrome. To me, a flashlight should be almost entirely dull looking, from a design standpoint, and in terms of the finish. One big exception to this is the jewel like McGizmo Ti Sapphire, which I will be taking delivery of soon.

My ultimate light, strictly from a physical aesthetic POV, is the Knurly EDC. I would own one tomorrow if it didn't have 3 LEDs. It's quite ironic to me that one of, if not the most, simple, elegant, understated lights ever produced, has a totally uncharacteristic and IMO unneccessary plethora of emitters. To me, it's kind of like wearing a plaid tie with a tux.

Don't get me started on logos. I think it's no mistake that the most desirable boutique custom lights are for the most part logo free. Fenix does NOT understand this. Nitecore wins the logo contest for their simple Helvetica-esque branding. Arc comes a close second for their government-issue style etching. One of the coolest logos I've come across was on one of the crappiest lights I bought (and returned) from a company called ASP.

In general, I like a flashlight that looks like it was made for the government during the cold war, when things were still made with love and finished by hand by people who took pride in their work. There are lights like that now, and they seem to be pretty popular. I don't think I'm alone here. Cutting 50 fins and bevels into the housing, just because you can, and because it looks more "tactical" is not good design in my book.

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite light designs.

Clockwise from top left:

McGizmo Sapphire
Novatac 120
Neofab Spartanian (man I want one of these)
Arc AAA
Knurly EDC (one emitter I say! ONE!)
RA Clicky
Nitecore D10 (quite possibly the perfect EDC light from every angle...size, price, UI, and design...and logo!)
Xeno G95 (RIP)
and dead center, the latest entrant in the less-is-more race, the Zebralight SC80. (could be a contender to knock the D10 from the throne for EDC Champ. I have one coming this week.)

mcdj

photo credits to CPF community and some dealers!

Great post! I agree with your sentiments, I just differ on the form factor. I like 2 cr123 or 1 18650 sized lights. I don't want lanyard rings, clips or hexagonal bezels. I own lights that have them, but they were purchased for other reasons and I compromised with the aesthetics.

Generally I agree, except with your sentiments about multiple emitters. With multiple emitters you can have more light with less heat for less power. That and the XM-L isn't available in High CRI tints (in a useable form), so I refuse to use it.

Lol, so much for "ode to rugged simplicity" and we get a list of flashlights with UI's, features and more features...

Ouch.

entercpf said:

Lol, so much for "ode to rugged simplicity" and we get a list of flashlights with UI's, features and more features...

Click to expand...

Guess you missed the word aesthetics in the first paragraph. Are all 16 of your other posts as lovely as this one?

I have some more candidates due to their simple appearance (not so sure about the aesthetics ratings, but "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and all that) :

Pak-lite. Can't get much more simple and rugged. Although to properly complete the picture you need to get an Ultralife battery and remove the decal (with a jacketed one that will leave you with a plain Alu casing, an unjacketed one will give you a plain black plastic casing)

Shiningbeam's MG L-mini II. Simple black cylinder, compact, 1 x 18650 light.

Photon Freedom Micro. Black body, covert nose - a surprising amount of useful functionality in a plain black plastic, lightweight, super compact light.

A flashlight is a tool, but it can be a functional piece of art as well. Different people has different interpretation of what 'art' is to him/her.

Art is simply subjective, and your definition of rugged simplicity is your opinion that other people will respect, but will not necessarily follow. Don't get me wrong - I love the examples that you gave as well, but it won't seem right to wear a tux to a barbecue, and it is equally wrong to wear jeans and tshirt to an opera. Some loves fins and ridges and whatnot, and some loves a fluted look that will go easy on clothing. But I really agree with your opinion in logo design - less is better for an illumination device.

Like most other things in life, there will rarely be a flashlight with one-design-that-fits-all-occasion. To the very least this gave me solid reasons to get a-light-for-the-car, a-light-for-the-EDC-pack, a light-for-fancy-dress, etc.

I am in love with the rugged simplicity of a Malkoff MD2, especially in natural HA finish. On the other hand, Darksucks' Prometheus Alpha-series lights adorn my wallpaper currently. :huh: The McGizmo Makai, Haikus etc. are to die for, but I also can't discount SF E-series for its mean look.

YMMV.

~Cheers :wave:

100% agree.

I love simple, durable and reliable lights. Not only in their use, but also in appearance. I don't like lights that have lots of fancy milling, angles, and indentations that serve no purpose.

To me, a beautiful light is one in which every aspect of it was designed for a purpose excluding marketing and branding.

Probably to me, the most beautiful lights I own are my Malkoff Hound Dog and my HDS Rotary. For simplicity, got to be my SureFire 6P + M61.

I don't go off the deep end to the point of disliking when a company stamps their logo on the light, and for the most part I don't care, but a clean and simple appearance is still nice.

In the end, it comes down to how well it performs the task required of it, everything else melts away in irrelevance.

Here's my favorite "minimalist aesthetic" light:





Jetbeam E3S. It's a brushed-stainless cylinder, and nothing else.

- - -

Second-favorite:



Peak McKinley. Also a brushed-stainless cylinder, with a bit of surface texture to facilitate twisting the head. Also has the cool retro shower-head look to it.

I must admit fyr, I've been on this darn website every day for going on 2 years and I have never seen that Jetbeam before. 155 lumens for an hour and 23 hours for the low mode? Not bad. Pretty sharp looking light. Looks like it retails for around $55. Why have I never seen it before?

fyrstormer said:

Here's my favorite "minimalist aesthetic" light:

Jetbeam E3S. It's a brushed-stainless cylinder, and nothing else.

- - -

Second-favorite:

Peak McKinley. Also a brushed-stainless cylinder, with a bit of surface texture to facilitate twisting the head. Also has the cool retro shower-head look to it.

Click to expand...

It's not really a flashaholic's light, I suppose. It doesn't even have any fancy electronics, just a two-mode driver controlled by tightening or loosening the head. I bought it because I like the sleek appearance and because it's just about the only 1xAA light I can find that isn't made of anodized aluminum.

I bought a few to give to family members this past Christmas. They all seemed appreciative, and slightly relieved that I didn't buy them something that requires a degree in quantum mechanics to operate. The clip isn't a direct fit, but requires some enlarging of the screw holes on the clip; the screw holes on the light are pre-drilled and tapped, though, so 15 minutes of work with a tiny round file will get the job done.

I gave my E3S to a mate after I decided to purge all non warm tint / HCRI lights from my collection.

He quite likes it

Mod's, I hope that it's okay to post to an old thread.
For a production light, I really like the Jetbeam e3s. It's too bad that they discontinued this light a couple of years ago. I have owned some very nice lights from Mac's to Mcgizmo, and I still love to edc this little e3s.
It's designed like it came out of the Bauhaus or Porsche Design Studios.

fyrstormer said:

Here's my favorite "minimalist aesthetic" light:

Jetbeam E3S. It's a brushed-stainless cylinder, and nothing else.

- - -

Second-favorite:

Peak McKinley. Also a brushed-stainless cylinder, with a bit of surface texture to facilitate twisting the head. Also has the cool retro shower-head look to it.

Click to expand...

Not much of an "ode" really, more of an expositive essay. Perhaps someone not with a public school education could expound on the differences between the two as necessary.

If you're a user, not a collector, then rugged and simple are excellent qualities, and my personal preference. Hence the pile of Malkoff, Arc AAA, and Malkoff-modified Surefire flashlights circulating throughout my personal, work and leisure life.

Thrunite T10T. I installed the trit (gunga's idea from a McGizmo AA). Other than the trit, slim and simple. Reverse clicky.

You can't talk about rugged simplicity coupled with aesthetics without mentioning the Surefire 6P Original. They are a work of art, especially when in brand new condition. The knurling, the glossy black, the venerable Z41 tailcap - it's perfect.

Any and all of Peak's lights fit the bill, and they are perhaps my favorites.
Next in line would be the p60 variants from Surefire.
A good old Maglite with a Malkoff needs to be counted too.

Form follows function.

Very nice entries, gentleman!
Keep 'em going!

mcdj said:

I haven't been here long, but I've discovered that the same less-is-more aesthetic that I gravitate towards in other areas of connoisseurship (watches, knives, etc), draws me to certain lights.

Clockwise from top left:

McGizmo Sapphire
Novatac 120
Neofab Spartanian (man I want one of these)
Arc AAA
Knurly EDC (one emitter I say! ONE!)
RA Clicky
Nitecore D10 (quite possibly the perfect EDC light from every angle...size, price, UI, and design...and logo!)
Xeno G95 (RIP)
and dead center, the latest entrant in the less-is-more race, the Zebralight SC80. (could be a contender to knock the D10 from the throne for EDC Champ. I have one coming this week.)

mcdj

photo credits to CPF community and some dealers!

Click to expand...

BRAVO!

Too many lights thought........

As I posted multiple times today I got it down to 3:

HDS 120

P3X Fury

Petzl Tikka

Done, done and done.