Stress_Test
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2008
- Messages
- 1,334
So, after a hiatus, let's jump back into another Challenge!
What is it now you ask? This!
That's right, you can only use whatever combination of lights that fit within the area of a CD!! Just kidding. You'll notice that these are all "Twisty" lights, and that's the theme for this week!
For anyone who wasn't aware, a "twisty" light refers to any light that is turned on and off by tightening or loosening the head (typically), and don't have an actual switching mechanism. Some lights blur the line by having the ability to be used both ways; SureFire being a common example.
For the purpose of this Challenge, we'll go with the purist (purest??) form of twisty, one that has no switch and is only activated by screwing the separate parts of the light together, like so:
So, why the twisty? They have the advantage of simplicity, and thus reliability, because there's no mechanical switch to wear out, break, etc. Barring an outright failure of the circuit driver, or the LED itself, there's just not much to go wrong. Also, twisty lights tend to be smaller because they don't require any extra length to accommodate a switch mechanism. The design lends itself well to the AAA and AA category, and these lights are typically so small they can still be carried in almost any situation regardless of dress. I bet many CPF'ers carry a small twisty somewhere on their person, not for everyday use, but a robust last-ditch backup (I do, anyway... a titanium Quark Preon, on a neck lanyard under my shirt when I go anywhere).
Disadvantages? Well, the head of the light has to be unscrewed enough that it won't accidentally activate while riding in a pocket, but not unscrewed so far that it risks working it's way off completely. Also, on a lot of twisties, by the time the head is unscrewed one full turn, it's already starting to expose the o-ring, so water sealing becomes compromised. Lastly, twisties can be difficult to operate one-handed, and sometimes accidental mode skipping becomes an issue, depending on how much slop is in the threads.
So, for this week, the challenge is to use only the twisty style lights. An ode to simplicity, if you will, in a world overrun by complicated electronic gadgets and doo-dads.
The challenge "rules" can be found in the first post of this thread here:
Link to the Rules list from Challenge#1
That's it! Have fun!
What is it now you ask? This!
That's right, you can only use whatever combination of lights that fit within the area of a CD!! Just kidding. You'll notice that these are all "Twisty" lights, and that's the theme for this week!
For anyone who wasn't aware, a "twisty" light refers to any light that is turned on and off by tightening or loosening the head (typically), and don't have an actual switching mechanism. Some lights blur the line by having the ability to be used both ways; SureFire being a common example.
For the purpose of this Challenge, we'll go with the purist (purest??) form of twisty, one that has no switch and is only activated by screwing the separate parts of the light together, like so:
So, why the twisty? They have the advantage of simplicity, and thus reliability, because there's no mechanical switch to wear out, break, etc. Barring an outright failure of the circuit driver, or the LED itself, there's just not much to go wrong. Also, twisty lights tend to be smaller because they don't require any extra length to accommodate a switch mechanism. The design lends itself well to the AAA and AA category, and these lights are typically so small they can still be carried in almost any situation regardless of dress. I bet many CPF'ers carry a small twisty somewhere on their person, not for everyday use, but a robust last-ditch backup (I do, anyway... a titanium Quark Preon, on a neck lanyard under my shirt when I go anywhere).
Disadvantages? Well, the head of the light has to be unscrewed enough that it won't accidentally activate while riding in a pocket, but not unscrewed so far that it risks working it's way off completely. Also, on a lot of twisties, by the time the head is unscrewed one full turn, it's already starting to expose the o-ring, so water sealing becomes compromised. Lastly, twisties can be difficult to operate one-handed, and sometimes accidental mode skipping becomes an issue, depending on how much slop is in the threads.
So, for this week, the challenge is to use only the twisty style lights. An ode to simplicity, if you will, in a world overrun by complicated electronic gadgets and doo-dads.
The challenge "rules" can be found in the first post of this thread here:
Link to the Rules list from Challenge#1
That's it! Have fun!
I really wanted to use my Surefire twisty as well, not to worry though, my C01S is good little light and plenty bright enough for most needs, single hand use and small enough to take anywhere.
