Are non-P60/D26 type LED lights becoming obsolete or out-dated?

[ampdude]

I was thinking the other day, what's the point of buying a whole new flashlight when you know emitter technology is progressing so rapidly. And why would someone buy a flashlight they can't easily upgrade, or is inflexible, especially an expensive one!

I realize there are certain cases where someone may want a super-small light, like an Arc-AAA. Or a larger one, like an HID. But for the most part the P60/D26 form factor seems to be great all around. It enables a small versatile flashlight, but big performance for the size.

So for what reason other than having an expensive flashlight that is hard to upgrade should one fork over all the money for a Novatac/McGizmoPD/ArcLS type light? Or buy the Fenix type throwaway lights that you have to buy a new one of every couple months to keep up to date?

You want to switch to a P60 incan module, now you've got an incan light. You want a Q5 Cree? Put in that one. You want strobe or other types of functionality? That's easy enough to add with a new tail cap.

It's funny that I post this though, since I'm a big E-series freak, always have been!

 

[Illumination]

Re: Are non-P60/D26 type LED lights becoming obsolete?

Obsolete? I would say no.

But I love the idea of standard drop-ins. Many other companies offer upgrades to their proprietary pills, but they charge extra and you are tied to their design.

I just bought a Surefire C2 and am thinking about also getting a 6P. Then I am buying an M60 and some Dereelight P60 drop ins. This should keep me current for a while.

Too pricey to upgrade entire lights going forward, especially since advancements now are less and less meaningful... most of my lights are already too bright for practical purposes.

 

[Lobo]

Just cause there are no emitters out, that doesnt make youre older lights obsolete. They are as good as when you got them. Of course it is tempting to buy a brighter light, but most often the real life difference isn't that big. If I hadn't logged on to CPF that much, I probably would still be very happy and satisfied with my old L2P.

If I just wanted to keep up with latest and brightest, than it seems it would be a good idea to just buy P60-compatible lights. But I'm comming to the point where I probably won't get a new light until the performance is at least twice of what I have now. Other features might interest me though.

 

[bspofford]

Except for specialty lights like AAA keychain lights or "super throwers," the P60 form factor seems to cover >90% of most user's needs. I might even question the need for super throwers since the Q5 P60 pills with SMO reflectors throw amazingly well. If you buy a quality HAIII host, it can serve the purpose of a dozen other lights using various pill/reflector combinations. You can choose which emitter, what tint, how many modes (or even infinitely variable brightness), and flood versus throw. In addition to being versatile, the option for upgrading makes them amazingly cost-effective too. I also happen to believe that a protected 18650 Li-ion cell is the most useful power source. My favorite HAIII host with AR glass, forward clicky and multimode Q5 is only $82, and I can have what amounts to a new light for about a third that cost! Another CPF member had a thread suggesting that this is the "wave of the future," and it very well may be.

 

[adamlau]

I figure the D36 to remain as a viable option to D26.

 

[RebelXTNC]

I've recently bought four P60/D26 drop-ins or lights already equipped with them.
One from Lighthound for a 3P with 1-cell extender, and another from Lighthound for an E2e with C-to-E adapter and a P-series head.
The other two are Wolf Eyes with 2-level Q2 emitters. The Wolf Eyes have the added benefit of using my spare 18650 batteries that I already had for my LumaPower M1-R.
I think P60 compatibility will factor into my decisions about future lights, but there are other form factors that I like too.

 

[paulr]

P60 drop-ins have never interested me. Maybe I'm missing something. They just always seemed like M*g upgrades where I'd rather get something that was designed as a led light from the beginning. For expensive lights I'd like a way to access the led so I can upgrade it now and then, but I don't mind unsoldering the emitter and soldering in a new one.

 

[Zenster]

Most of my lights are multi-level lights, and I find that more often than not, I use the lower levels. I don't often find that I "need" the brightest light available all the time.

So while it is fun to have a couple easily upgradeable lights, none of my other lights will become obsolete just because something new comes out.
They all perform better than I need right now, so upgradeability is no big deal for me.

On the other hand, I probably will upgrade my upgradeables as time goes on for no other reason than that I'm curious how far the technology will take us.
For that reason, I'm glad that a "standard" has emerged (the P60) so I know I can have some fun with an upgrade when I want. For the moment, I have two that are easily upgradeable; a Surefire P6 and a CL1H. But I don't think I'm going to go out of my way to get any more.