What makes a good flashlight review?

DIPSTIX said:

Soon I will be doing my first review of the Thorfire S70S. I want to know from flashlight enthusiast what makes a good flashlight review. I will be listing a few bullet points I want to address in the review and I would appreciate anyone's input on addital information I can add or what they personally enjoy in a review.
•Beam shots
•Weight
•Runtimes
•IPX rating
•Construction and build quality
•LED specifications
I currently do not have a sphere or lux meter but if this review goes well I will purchase a meter and learn how to build and understand how to chart a sphere.

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Swedpat said:

My personal opinion is that a flashlight review mainly should include all the information you don't get by the manufacturers specification.

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Woods Walker said:

I always show the flashlight being used during an actual night hike. Also I resist the idea
of reviewing a light until it has been used during multiple outings in all weather. I do
field use reviews.

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bykfixer said:

Exactly. The intended purpose and how well it performs at that task results in a reader understanding whether or not the particular product will serve their personal need(s) or want(s).

Is it best suited for indoor use? Outdoor use? Both? Best for viewing objects at a distance? Close up illumination that won't make you squint?

How flexible is the potential fuel source? Strapped to a charger required like USB or charger module type or can another source of fuel be used?

How convenient is it to carry around? Example a 5D Maglite or soda can light versus a 1x 18650.

Battery meter? Yes/no. Lockout feature? Yes/no, that way the occasional user can know whether it's in need of fresh fuel or good to go for a little while and whether accidental turn on potential exists. Parasitic drain applies here also.

Does it flicker? Yes/no. Engineers are getting around pwm in the traditional sense, but the camera don't lie. It either flickers or it don't regardless of the term used.

Regardless of stated CRI and tint number, do objects lit up look correct? Some sources provide a little more punch to certain portions of the color spectrum to create a more pleasing light source. That is often mistaken as correct rendition. Other sources tend to mute colors. How well do fleshtones appear? Does the green look correct? The white? The basic colors in a given enviornment of a living room or back yard for example.

Does it noticeably dim? If so is the output still useable at a given circumstance?

Real world user stuff is what is lacking in a whole lot of reviews.

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• A summary of the specifications, key features, and claims made by the manufacturer
• As received photos of the light so the reader can appreciate how it looks outside of professional / photoshop'ed marketing materials. What's the general scale of it? How does it disassemble?
• Initial subjective impressions, with comparisons to other comparable units
• Technical evaluations of the light, compared to the manufacturer's specifications. I appreciate AvE's and electronupdate's teardowns and anlaysis on YouTube, however I do realize going to that extreme is not plausible for many reviewers.
• Beamshots and in-use photos are nice, but we know how tricky that photographs are relative to how one experiences the light produced in person, scene to scene
• With pretty much every LED flashlight utilizing a UI nowadays to switch between modes, how did the reviewer find the experience of switching between modes?
• Analysis of the light under not only the primary use case(s), but other plausible use cases. A 1" diameter tactical light with a standard tail switch should be evaluated not only mounted to a rail on a firearm but also under more general-purpose scenarios since it's probably reasonably handy. A floody headlamp aimed at task work should also be evaluated for throw since you might still need to see further than a few yards away. A quad 18650 with 3x XHP50s should be evaluated for the utility of its lower/moonlight modes much like a 1x 18350 w/ quad XMLs should be evaluated for the utility of its palm-scorching turbo mode. etc etc etc
• Strengths and weaknesses balanced against numerous categories such as cost, durability, fit+finish, output, runtime, light quality, lumens-per-dollar, total cost of ownership, etc. Overall X out of Y Stars ratings oftentimes seem to be more like film critic ratings - more a function of the reviewers tastes than an assessment of how well the product will work for which users. Just because a light isn't some exquisitely machined hand-fitted high output perfection doesn't mean it's not ideal for someone else who just needs a cheap backup toolbox light with moderate output and runtime.
• Longer-term usage notes are appreciated. How did a feature work out long term? Did the finish wear off after a month on the keychain? Does the tailcap have a nasty tendency to try to crossthread? Did a promoted feature turn out to be gimmicky - or is there some hidden gem in the feature set? Did the reviewer find some niche to slot it into? Did it end up propping up a table after a week?

contigo said:

I very much dislike when they describe the cardboard box in detail :thumbsdow

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Lou Minescence said:

I have to agree with you.

Why not show a picture of the mailman delivering the package too !

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