Your Ideal LED Light

[Morelite]

1. Single 26500 or 26650 cell.
2. Titanium with head, body, and tail all about the same diameter.
3. variable control ring (like the Sunwayman V10R) but with an off position that clicks off at the low end.
4. 4500K neutral white with 500 lumens on high and 1.5+ hours high runtime.
5. Deep LOP or MOP quality reflector.
6. 2.7v cut-off to protect cells.
7. Easy access for LED upgrades.
8. At least IPX-8 water resistant.

 

[flatline]

I'm assuming we're talking about EDC lights or general purpose lights.

UI: Reverse clicky; no memory; 4 levels: LL-L-M-H (LL~0.1L, L~3L, M~30L, H=Max); no blinky modes. An electronic switch (like the HDS or Zebralight) that mimics this behavior is fine as long as there aren't delays built into the UI (except for resetting to LL when off). All levels should be current controlled (no PWM). I will not tolerate loose parts during normal operation (loosened bezels or locked out tailcaps...that sort of thing). The HDS Clicky UI is fine (but not as elegant). I used to love the Zebralight UI, but the ease of accidentally getting High when you wanted Low and the stupidly easy accidental activation of the light in your pocket makes it unsuitable for EDC where a longer learning curve is acceptable in order to get more deterministic behavior of the light.

Emitter/Output: Now that I can get 100+ lumens from a high CRI emitter, I'm never going back. Tint should be in the 4000K-4400K range. Give me a medium to large hotspot with relatively bright but narrow spill (requires a relatively deep reflector). I want a smooth transition from the hotspot to the spill. Even better if you can give me no defined hotspot at all (like the LF5XT which was dimmest at the edge and brightest at the center, but it was a completely smooth transition with no real hotspot...great to read by but still managed to have a little throw). Intelligent output stepdown because of low battery voltage (like the HDS) or emitter temperature (like the HDS) is a must.

Physical attributes: Ideally a AA light (must support both NiMh and Li-ion), but I'll accept RCR123 or 18650. Single cell only, but it's okay if an 18650 light can also run off of 2 CR123s. The light must be shaped and balanced for comfortable cigar style grip (think HDS Clicky with the narrower interior body section or Lumapower Incendio with the integrated grip ring). Length should be between 3 and 4 inches (I'd allow for up to 4.5 inches if they get everything else right). Smooth bezel or very shallow rounded crenations (nothing sharp to poke me or eat through my pockets/holsters).

Other nice things to have:
- some way to test the cell voltage without removing the light (like LiteFlux LF2XT)
- a hidden mode that allows momentary activation for signaling without changing modes (HDS can do this fine)
- automatic shutoff after some number of idle minutes (like the HDS)

My high CRI HDS clicky got enough things right that I'm no longer looking for the perfect EDC, but I'd snap up a narrower AA version if Henry made one.

--flatline

 

[Morelite]

- automatic shutoff after some number of idle minutes (like the HDS)
--flatline

Now that I would not want. All because I'm not changing modes or something doesn't mean the light is idle. A flashlight really has no way of knowing it is not being used (notice I didn't say "idle".)
The only situation I consider "idle" would be motionless with bezel down.
I do understand your point for the feature, like if it got turned on in your pocket or holster the feature would save your battery but there is no way for the light to know the difference between being used and accidentally turned on.

 

[Derek Dean]

1. Build - durability. If it stops working because it gets dropped, or it's raining, or whatever...... then all the other stuff doesn't matter. It has to work no matter what!

2. Size - 1xAA (with 14500 capability). The best light is the light you have with you when you need it. It makes no difference how cool the UI is, or how long it will run, or how bright it will go, if it's not in your pocket when you need it. I want a slender light that will fit in my front pocket and yet provide a reasonable amount of runtime, and the AA form factor, IMHO, seems to offer the best potential for those qualities.

3. User Interface - Complete customization. For a light to be useful, it needs to be easy to use, and like any good tool the operation should become second nature so that you don't even have to think about it. You just pull it out and turn it on and then put it way when your done. The ability to customize the UI to how each person wants it is critical to a lights success as an EDC.

This includes momentary (on, off), number of levels, choice of output on each level, choice of having beacon, strobe, etc..... or not, etc.

4. Output - Very bright to VERY low and everything in between, with a truly neutral color (not cool, not warm, just HI CRI white). The upper level is obviously limited by current technology, but it should be able to go super low.

Interestingly, my NovaTac 120P comes very close to fitting these criteria, but it's a bit to thick for my taste. The Liteflux 5xt came close, but the sharply crenelated bezel would have eaten holes in my pockets. I'll happily keep looking.

 

[flatline]

Now that I would not want. All because I'm not changing modes or something doesn't mean the light is idle. A flashlight really has no way of knowing it is not being used (notice I didn't say "idle".)
The only situation I consider "idle" would be motionless with bezel down.
I do understand your point for the feature, like if it got turned on in your pocket or holster the feature would save your battery but there is no way for the light to know the difference between being used and accidentally turned on.

It's unacceptable if the light just suddenly leaves you in the dark, but the implementation in the HDS Clicky is perfectly fine: after 10 minutes of no mode changes, it starts to step down and if you interrupt the step down, it resumes regular operation. If you don't interrupt the step down process, it turns off once it gets to the dimmest level.

Of course, with the HDS, you can turn this feature on/off in the customization menu to match your preference. That's really the power of the HDS UI: all contentious features are optional (even burst mode, with the new firmware).

--flatline

 

[gerG]

1 - Twin batteries, side by side (18650 preferred, but AA would work)
2 - Twin emitters, also side by side
3 - Twin optics, one a perfect flood (work light with no hot spot whatsoever) the other mostly spot
4 - Dual controls (not necessarily identical) that allow either or both heads to be run simultaneously at independent levels. Supplies must share both power cells to allow full life operation out of either head.

gerG

 

[ringzero]

Ideal for me would be:

1. Plastic body with rubber coated head for extra impact resistance.

2. Side switch just behind the head, a forward clicky with momentary.

3. Medium, low, high sequence of 40 lumens, 5 lumens, and 100 lumens.

4. Head swappable to two bodies: a 1AA body and a 2AA body of the same length, with its cells located side by side.

Of course it'd be ultra rugged: waterproof rated, safety rated, and drop rated with a lifetime warranty.

Nice grippy pattern molded into both bodies. Removable Zytel pocket clip that also works on a hat brim. Removable right angle, swiveling neck can be added as needed.

Basically my ideal lights would be just smaller versions of the Underwater Kinetics 4AA Zoom eLED.

.

 

[chenko]

The upcoming Zebralight Q50 seems to come pretty close to my ideal light. It's a light I've been wanting for years, I hope it will be as I wish!

 

[Morelite]

1 - Twin batteries, side by side (18650 preferred, but AA would work)
2 - Twin emitters, also side by side
3 - Twin optics, one a perfect flood (work light with no hot spot whatsoever) the other mostly spot
4 - Dual controls (not necessarily identical) that allow either or both heads to be run simultaneously at independent levels. Supplies must share both power cells to allow full life operation out of either head.

gerG

This will probably never happen but something to look at.

 

[cratz2]

Over the last 4 or 5 years, I've carried a couple different AAA lights on my keychain and an HDS modded by Milky with an SSC LED which close to doubled the brightness. To be honest, even though I have several 200 - 500 Lumen lights, that HDS still covers about 98% of what I need to do with a light other than impress friends by lighting up trees in the neighbor's yard and in almost all instances, I don't even use the Max setting on it. I esp like that it's a fairly wide hot spot rather than laser beam profile.

But all else being equal, I guess I'd like a light like the HDS, probably with an XM-L and a light orange peel reflector with a 500 Lumen high mode, then just how my current one is... ~30 Lumen Primary, ~15 Lumen Secondary and 1 or 2 Lumen Minimum.

The UI is great on the HDS and I know it's similar on a Zebralight... never played with a Zebralight though. I like the idea of being able to randomly turn the light on at different levels... not reprogramming, but at a second's notice, have it come on on Max or Min rather than Primary but it seems like that would still be iffy. I think it would be ideal to have the light turn on on Minimum if you click and release the switch or come on on Max if you press and hold (for half a second). Primary and Secondary, while getting the most real world use, are the two last modes you'd probably NEED the light to be on initially.

That's my take anyway. And maybe the option to have the same light in a 1xAA housing so it would be a bit more slender.

 

[recDNA]

Tube shaped small flashlight that holds 2 X Cr123 (most important option to me - not rechargeable only) or 1 X 18670 or 2 X IMR18350. Bezel diameter the same as battery tube diameter.
Nice deep pocket clip that can be removed. (Like the Oveready Z51 pocket clip)
800 ANSI lumens burst mode that is drops to 500 lumens when overheated - not on a timer. Auto "off" if battery condition or heat creates imminent danger of explosion/venting (not just to save LED) LED on copper so heat transfers to body efficiently. (no circuit board between LED and copper) Copper body too.
Transparent finish or black HA or glow in the dark finish (ala Oveready)
Cool white or really neutral WHITE tint (not the least bit yellow or green).
Infinite adjustment wheel (logarithmic scale) with indententations to mark certain output levels so output can be sent before turning on. No need for memory.
Tactical momentary switch in back. Normal press for on. Fully depressed and held switch overrides adjustment wheel UI goes to max. (Like LX2) No tailstanding.
Electronic "On - Off" switch on side requiring a hard enough press so accidental activation unlikely. Has its own coin battery so no parasitic drain on main batteries.
Stainless steel bezel with very slight crenualations just to be able to tell if light is on when placed bezel down.
Programmable for battery type so LED low battery warning comes on at the proper voltage for whatever battery type is used.
Comfortable for pocket carry. Waterproof. Lenses available for throw or flood.
Can be upgraded by manufacturer (or user if possible) as more efficient LED's are invented.
Zero interest payment program (because God knows the above combo would be expensive!)

 

[SgtCuts]

Here's my list

1- output
2- size
3- UI
4- customer service

 

[Morelite]

Here's my list

1- output
2- size
3- UI
4- customer service

Your supossed to describe your ideal specs for each of those catagories.

 

[luceat lux vestra]

Tube shaped small flashlight that holds 2 X Cr123 (most important option to me - not rechargeable only) or 1 X 18670 or 2 X IMR18350. Bezel diameter the same as battery tube diameter.
Nice deep pocket clip that can be removed. (Like the Oveready Z51 pocket clip)
800 ANSI lumens burst mode that is drops to 500 lumens when overheated - not on a timer. Auto "off" if battery condition or heat creates imminent danger of explosion/venting (not just to save LED) LED on copper so heat transfers to body efficiently. (no circuit board between LED and copper) Copper body too.
Transparent finish or black HA or glow in the dark finish (ala Oveready)
Cool white or really neutral WHITE tint (not the least bit yellow or green).
Infinite adjustment wheel (logarithmic scale) with indententations to mark certain output levels so output can be sent before turning on. No need for memory.
Tactical momentary switch in back. Normal press for on. Fully depressed and held switch overrides adjustment wheel UI goes to max. (Like LX2) No tailstanding.
Electronic "On - Off" switch on side requiring a hard enough press so accidental activation unlikely. Has its own coin battery so no parasitic drain on main batteries.
Stainless steel bezel with very slight crenualations just to be able to tell if light is on when placed bezel down.
Programmable for battery type so LED low battery warning comes on at the proper voltage for whatever battery type is used.
Comfortable for pocket carry. Waterproof. Lenses available for throw or flood.
Can be upgraded by manufacturer (or user if possible) as more efficient LED's are invented.
Zero interest payment program (because God knows the above combo would be expensive!)

Now that would be a light worth paying almost anything for!!

 

[leon2245]

I present the most meager of demands so far, yet this will never exist:

-tighten head for off
-tailstandable tube shape
-AA

i.e. a tailstandable S.F. Titan in AA would be my ideal, but I'd even take a single level on/off if it were as specified above. Too bad it will never happen!

 

[GunnarGG]

I present the most meager of demands so far, yet this will never exist:

-tighten head for off
-tailstandable tube shape
-AA

Sounds like a minimag

 

[Napalm]

A Thrunite Neutron 1A with forward clicky (Eagletac P20x style UI), XP-G LED for better throw and reinforced, durable contacts in the head.

Nap. :devil:

P.S. The closest thing that I can find is the Jetbeam RRT-0 with AA extender and the optional crenelated bezel. Unfortunately by the time you add these accessories it becomes nearly as big as a 2xAA light :sick2:

 

[BigBluefish]

HDS EDC Clicky High CRI or Neutral tint emitter at least 150 lumens high in an AA form factor for L91s, 14505s, and 14500 (NiMH cells too, it it can be done, but not necessary) with a nicely finished but unobtrusive deep carry pocket clip.

 

[calipsoii]

I'd love to see a warm/ neutral version of McGizmo's LS20 head on a clicky body, with two levels of low flood ( moonlight and 5 lm.) with two levels of main beam. (75ish and 200ish) lumens. All accessible through the clicky in sequence, with memory. 1x123, RCR or primary, Titanium, no longer than my Haiku. Hey, may as well dream big!

Instant buy.

 

[Dutchprep]

1. Spot to Flood
2. Preferably AA, but not much larger/longer than a SureFire G2L
3. Waterproof, want it to survive at least a dip in the pool for longer than 10min
4. Black Type III Anodizing, and if available, Type IV
5. Back clicky switch that is dedicated to Single mode that uses the last setting, and another button for a couple of modes. Only moon/low/mid/high/strobe/SOS(?)
6. User serviceable parts
7. Just plain white light color, not anything fancy.
8. NO strike/assault bezel

I think that's pretty normal and not over the top...