Any lights to avoid?

Are there any lights that are absolutely to be avoided. Anything htat you experienced guys sort of agree are either faulty, defect prone, or not worth the price?

On a related (okay, not so related) note, has anyone ever made a list of different brands made by the same manufacturer, such as the Sharper Image 1W Luxeon being made by Nuwai?

The reason is I see a lot of LED lights, and I wonder if they are all made by one or two companies. How about the LED's themselves? Anyone know how many companies make LEDs?

TIA

check out LEDMuseum's web page. He tells it like it is...

AFAIK, most good LED's are made by only a couple companies. .

I would avoid a Maglite Solitaire. There are better (brighter, longer-lasting) pocket lights out there. Use an Arc AAA or Peak or even a Photon-style instead. Avoid the new Coleman "WideBeam". Good idea, poor execution. I suppose if the light bulb itself was bright enough (think a 4-D cell bulb or a Surefire P60) you could widen the beam and still have something. The way it is, the light "beam" just disappears into the dark. My 2 cents, anyway.
Kirk

I'd avoid the cheapo re-branded ones you see at ABC-mart (Eddie Bauer, Coleman, etc.). Careful, though, Dorcy has a good reputation around here and is sold at K-mart.

There are no bad flashlights, just bad purposes.
Don't bring a knife to a gunfight and don't bring a solitaire when you need to see something at the opposite end of football field.
Even the worst flashlights can be of value. My father-in-law loves his Solitaire because it is cheap, sturdy and bright enough for most of his purposes.
I bought a bag full of the $1 County Comm LED lights and gave them out to the boy scouts during a camp-out.
If you ever run across a "bad" flashlight it can be improved by a modder.---Marc

i've never been satisfied with a maglight from the simple fact that they could do so much better with that design better reflector better lens better bulb better durability (ha-lll) and various other aspects of the design whew that was great now i;m done venting

I'll tell you some lights to avoid. The $10 6 pack of lights that Target has in a christmas gift box. These are the absolute worst lights i've ever used in my life!!! I'll post some pictures shotly before I return this pile of (you know what) to Target =)

avoid the e-series lights at all costs!!!! That platform will finacially cripple a person.
jimmy

but financially cripple in a good way!!!

I have had a lot of troubles with the cmg reactor led flashlights, bad beam tint, not very bright, cannot take
the flashlight apart for repairs, unreliable switch.

Gmount, it all depends on what you're looking for in a flashlight. Are you going to use it, modify it, or just collect it? Granted, there are a whole bunch of torches from the cheap but useful Dorcy 1AAA to expensive "specialized" lights like the Surefire U2. It's easy to get lured into the "elitist" bunch. Those chaps who only go for the latest and greatest high-dollar "flavours of the month" just for the cool factor and bash inexpensive low-end flashlights. There's nothing wrong with buying high dollar torches if you can afford them, but don't be put off by inexpensive lights just because of what someone says about his latest status symbol. Unfortunately, you'll see some of that here and there; but do a little research, read reviews, ask questions and you'll find the right lights for you.

Avoid using m*glights mounted on your bicycle. The incandescent bulb *will* fail. If you're lucky, it won't be on a pitch black section of the road in the country (where mine failed). On the bright side /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif this is what got me interested in LED lights and CPF!!

Avoid any lights that operate by squeezing, cranking, or shaking. These are interesting concepts that fall far short in the actual implementation.

After years of buying and giving the Photon II series of keychain lights, I tried out a couple Photon III's...what a bust! The concept may be good but in my opinion the switch arrangement is horrble. Mine are constantly turning themselves on accidentally. With the Photon II's i was replacing batteries every 18 months, with the III's every two months.

I personally have a grudge with the Minimags. Those relatively large lights are such a waste. When I was camping a while ago the stupid lamp suddenly died out. I wouldnt put the runtime on those things more than 5 hours. The lens scratches, the beam looks really bad... and I dont like it!

-tom

Try a sandwich. Even while pushing 500mA to the LED, I can manage 2 hours 15 minutes. And 500mA is plenty, PLENTY bright (brighter than the L1, too).. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have a silver MM that was given to me many years ago when my work took me a long way away from home. It was really cool. Except that two years later, when you're climbing into a false ceiling trying to trace a runaway coaxial cable, and you can't see ANYTHING. But back then I didn't think there was anything better. If I had to climb back into that ceiling today you can be assured it will be with some stupendously bright light. Can I say I'm unhappy? No, not really.

Think of Mags not as bad lights, but lights waiting to realize their destiny... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PS: we solved the lens-scratch-problem with either a $1.50 mineral glass lens, or a $7 22.6mm Ultra Clear Lens depending how much of a premium you want to pay, but let's just say that the AR/AG coated UCL is so clear, it looks like there's no darn lens at all. All my eligible large Mags have the 52mm UCL.

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Double_A said:
After years of buying and giving the Photon II series of keychain lights, I tried out a couple Photon III's...what a bust! The concept may be good but in my opinion the switch arrangement is horrble. Mine are constantly turning themselves on accidentally. With the Photon II's i was replacing batteries every 18 months, with the III's every two months.

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Gotta agree on the Photon III. The II is imho a much more useful light. People try to do too much with uP controlled lights, I think.

Mike

Ditto the Photon III. Mine were constantly turning on and running down batteries. I much prefer a Photon II or a Freedom that has been left is 'display' mode.

Oh, yeah - also the Photon X-Light. Mine failed electronically in less than a week. Also the switch is prone to accidental turn-ons. A lot cheaper than a Photon II, but not worth it imho.

I sound like a Photon-Basher, but the II is very definitely worth the money.