Flashlight You Sometimes Like, Other Times Don't Like

Orion

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 27, 2002
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Location
Missouri
Is there a flashlight that you got because you liked it, but then sometimes don't really like it, yet at the same time, can't bring yourself to sell, because a part of you still likes it?

Ex. Olight Baton 4. I liked the blue color, the size, the design of the body, the use of the magnetic charging, having small indicator lights for output and battery life.
But then, it isn't super bright, except on high, and the battery with low mAh would get depleted fairly quickly.

I hope I got that idea across in a readable way.
 
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No offense, no clue what this topic was about but you left it up for only a handful of hours; yesterday. If it was regarding something important, there very likely are members who do care. CPF is an international forum. Some members were asleep during those just over 4 hours your topic was up. Others were at work. If it was something truly important, give us a few days to respond before asking Mr. Ed to delete your topic.
 
IIRC, it was a thought-provoking question. I just didn't have a chance to respond yet. If you'd like, please edit your original post back the way it was and I'm sure it'll get some responses.
 
Oh heck yeah.... My Thrunite TT20.

Literally the closest thing to a true tactical light with a side-switch as well as a main tailcap switch. When you engage the tailcap switch on Turbo mode, that side-switch gets disabled! Won't work! Can't accidentally hit it in the heat of the moment and have output instantly drop to a lower setting. Doesn't matter if you full-press that tailcap switch, or press slightly for momentary-on. It was perfect!

However Thrunite decided to folk it up by putting two idiotic protruding ears on the tailcap switch. They had it! It was practically perfect, and then they screwed it up. The beam pattern could have been improved too. But that is so very minor compared to how they screwed it up. So instead of meeting its full potential, it is just a somewhat large, clip-carried, EDC rechargeable light that instantly gives access to 3 different modes. Turbo from the tailcap. Program the side-switch for a lower level when you press it. Press and hold that same switch for moonlight mode.

Sounds good, doesn't it? It is! But it could have been sooo much better! Like an attractive young woman with a brilliant brain who could have become a very accomplished and respected doctor. Saving countless lives.... But instead she decides to open up an O.F. account and post feet pics., instead.

Still, the light is a personal favorite and it still sometimes gets carried. (As far as I know, it's the only side-switch light with a tailcap switch that does that. Side-switch fully disabled while main switch is engaged.)
 
That switch layout seems like my Acebeam L35. Tail switch is instant turbo. The small side switch runs through the levels, and holding it from off gives moonlight mode. I paid too much money for it, in reality, but wouldn't sell it because I consider it my main "brightest light".

I purchased an Astrolux FT02S. I like how bright it is and it has the slow ramping type switch. But the beam is the most awful beam I've ever seen in a light. Could have been better if they used a stippled reflector, but as it is, there are artifacts and rings galore from the 4 LEDs. I wouldn't sell it,....mostly because I'd probably never find a buyer for it. It IS very bright, though, and the tint is quite good [5000-ish]. I put WriteRight film over the lens to help smooth out the artifacts.

Also, an Emisar. It has very nice color temp, and is quite bright with the de-domed XHP70.3, but I don't like how little spill it has is not very large. I've gotten overly influenced by lights like the Olight Seeker 4 that is bright and with a lot of spill. But, I can't sell the Emisar because it is SO nice looking!!
 
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Most of my lights have a problem or issues I don't like, that's why I called my search "Looking for a Unicorn". The underlying problem with my search was not knowing how advanced flashlights has become in the years since I'd bought my Fenix LD10. So now I have great/good lights that cover every spec. Throwers, flood. headlights, most battery sizes, output, IPxx extremes, run times, programmability, multi fuel, water proof [dive light], switch location, color temps, etc.

One of my most used lights is a Hank light D4k duel channel w/LH351@5K & W1 w/clip+magnetic tail. It's closest to an "Unicorn" as I've found for my EDC use. But a close 2nd for most used is an Olight Warrior mini3 which isn't even close to being my "Unicorn". I don't like the proprietary battery, CRI or cost new BUT I got it lightly use for a good$$. So why is it used so much? I like the duel switch, duel light levels +on/off using the tail switch, the way it hangs on my belt loop for easy access & I don't care if I lose it. First rule of needing a light is have a light even if it's not perfect. If the D4k had a magnetic tail switch that worked like the Mini3 I wouldn't have a Mini3 & might have my "true Unicorn", but it doesn't & I don't.

So just as I have screwdrivers for phillips, sloted, torx, allen, nut etc in metric & english, it's not so much do I like them, it's do they do the work I need them to do. I have a few lights in my toolbox. The ones that don't work don't last long.
 
3_gun, maybe that's another aspect of this topic. Thanks for including the idea of "looking for the unicorn". Something that just works in all areas, yes, some of those areas being subjecting/superficial. For example, my Olight Seeker 4 Pro is an amazing light. I love the output, the color I got [Midnight Blue], and the rotary switch to ramp up and down [and the switch feels great]. I can even get past the proprietary battery it requires. But why is it not "a unicorn"? Because I would have rather had the Neutral White over the Cool White, and the NW only comes in the Black body.

I do have a new carry light coming from Hank Wang, an Emisar D4V2. I love the look, feel, and color [that I chose] of the body, and I ordered the 5000K LEDs for it. It will have the ramping [though not as good, IMO, as the Seeker 4 Pro] that I like having in a light and should have nice output for a smaller EDC. When it arrives, I'll have to see if it checks all the "unicorn" boxes.
 
Both of Streamlight's 2020 models are this for me. Love the basic design and the user interface but both have weird design flaws. The Stinger 2020 is very weak around the tailcap. Most of mine have needed repair and Streamlight admitted it's a common warranty issue. The Strion 2020 has a floating piece of plastic inside the switch that'll keep you from pressing the button from certain angles. They were brand new when I called the company about that so the repair department didn't have any suggestions, but management indicated it was a feature, not a bug.
 
This is more in the nature of a tangential comment to the main thrust of the thread. I also have lights that for one reason another are not definite keepers, but not quite ready for elimination from inventory, and not really worth modding. These go into a kind of archival storage, ready for use in case of emergency (mostly as loaners to neighbors who are perpetually ill-prepared for interruption of commercial power). Most of these lights are too old or underperforming by current standards to be worth selling, but nevertheless remain reliable and useful, especially if said neighbors discover too late that the batteries in their trusty D-cell Mag are long dead, with no fresh cells anywhere to be found. (Saintly Neighbor Dave to the rescue, methinks.) In this I favor loaning an old 2xAA light plus a change of fresh alkaline cells to help get them through an otherwise pitch dark night: I keep a COSTCO-sized package of AA alkaline cells on hand for just such a purpose. (What, you thought I would loan Eneloops to muggles?) Even though these older lights are modest performers by today's metrics, they are nonetheless a revelation to said neighbors, especially when the loaners often outperform their house flashlight.

This little digression having run it's course, we now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
 
1: The Convoy S2. I have two with almost exactly the same configuration, that I barely use and never carry, because they're severely outdated, but I can't even consider doing away with them. One I got as a gift from treasured family and is my second driver swap ever, the other was my first programmable EDC. They both have a 4000-4500K XM-L2 and a 7135-regulated Biscotti 12-group driver, and they have the perfect length for my grip and the complete shroud around the switch (unlike the "ear flaps" of the S2+) both feels good and makes them tailstand very stably. The deep reflector concentrates the spill very nicely, with the XM-L2's side the beam looks almost like a narrow TIR's.

Now I prefer the S2+ with a TIR for carry, but S2 is still great for what they are. Both remain as blackout lights around the house, for my mother to use. That way she doesn't have to faff with my more complicated UIs.

2: The Convoy S21E MAO. For one simple reason: the MAO has worn on the tailcap threads, so it doesn't physically lock out by unscrewing, I have to take it off completely to cut off the circuit. To prevent accidental activation – which has happened in the past, the light was on in my pouch practically in Turbo mode and I had to let it cool off –, I have to resort to the electronic lockout, i.e. mash the switch until the torch blinks. That's inconvenient and annoying to say the least, so much so that I ordered another S21E with regular anodizing to replace it as a regular side switch EDC.

At the same time, though, the 719A in the MAO one is pure beautiful sunlight in a can, the finish has a chalky, grippy, secure feel on the hand that no anodizing can match, and it's just darn purdy! So no getting rid of it either... although I would never get any e-switch lights in MAO (as it exists today) again, and I'll caution every single soul in the hobby to do the same. I only recommend it for physical switch lights where the switch serves as mechanical lockout.

I have an S21A and an M21B both in MAO as well, and while they don't lock out by unscrewing the tailcap either (tested after the S21E incident), the mechanical clicky tail switch is well-covered so it doesn't activate on accident nearly as easily.

Oh heck yeah.... My Thrunite TT20.

Literally the closest thing to a true tactical light with a side-switch as well as a main tailcap switch. When you engage the tailcap switch on Turbo mode, that side-switch gets disabled! Won't work! Can't accidentally hit it in the heat of the moment and have output instantly drop to a lower setting. Doesn't matter if you full-press that tailcap switch, or press slightly for momentary-on. It was perfect!

However Thrunite decided to folk it up by putting two idiotic protruding ears on the tailcap switch. They had it! It was practically perfect, and then they screwed it up. The beam pattern could have been improved too. But that is so very minor compared to how they screwed it up. So instead of meeting its full potential, it is just a somewhat large, clip-carried, EDC rechargeable light that instantly gives access to 3 different modes. Turbo from the tailcap. Program the side-switch for a lower level when you press it. Press and hold that same switch for moonlight mode.

Sounds good, doesn't it? It is! But it could have been sooo much better! Like an attractive young woman with a brilliant brain who could have become a very accomplished and respected doctor. Saving countless lives.... But instead she decides to open up an O.F. account and post feet pics., instead.

Still, the light is a personal favorite and it still sometimes gets carried. (As far as I know, it's the only side-switch light with a tailcap switch that does that. Side-switch fully disabled while main switch is engaged.)
While it wouldn't do anything for the model commercially, why don't you saw or grind off the ears? That'll make it a lot more attractive for you to carry. A dremel with the right head can chew through the aluminium lickety split.
 
Like many of the knives I have bought over the years, none are the perfect combination of everything I want, but I certainly appreciate each of them the more I use them. It is also easier with knives to get one custom made exactly to your preferences and hand shape. Not so easy to do for flashlights. There is still a lot of buy and try needed to figure out what you like. I have a couple lights that are nearly perfect for my preferences, however the low just isn't low enough. Others are great in so many ways, but the beam just isn't as wide as i prefer for walking at night. I have also hung on to many incandescent lights waiting for improved battery capacity, enough so they could run all night. I have project lights and antique lights that probably would have little resale value, but should be pretty sweet once I mod them.

For many years I think I was on a journey to try to find that one perfect knife and probably that one perfect flashlight. The reality is that one tool is never the best tool for everything, only just for one or two very specific uses. So I've come to value my collection with that in mind: these particular lights are perfect for EDC, these for my keychains, these for tracking blood through thick underbrush, these for backpacking and setting up a tent in the dark, these for the abuse they get in the garage, this one for cutting through fog to see the shore while on my boat, etc. I think the lights that have the most specific purposes and the lights with the most moddability/serviceability have also provided the most satisfaction and have stayed with me the longest on this journey.
 
Right now my Acebeam Tac AA comes to mind. It is the perfect light however the scalloping on the tail switch doesn't feel right to me. It makes it harder to press the switch with my thumb. They claim the light is able to tail stand with the scallops but the switch extends slightly pass the scallops and rolls a little. It will stand but is not stable.

The Lumintop AA 2.0 would be the perfect light except for those stupid led's on the tail cap that light up when using lithium cells. I cut them off the board but if you ask me its just a useless feature to intentionally install something that causes a parasitic drain. I also wish it was a forward clicky.

If they would make a scaled down version of the 6P to take a 14500, a forward clicky switch and introduce a smaller set of led modules like the P60 then I think they would have the prefect light.
 
I have a couple of very small 18650 lights that I bought thinking I would love them. The Maratac tri flood 18650 and the folomov 18650s. I love how small they are for 18650 lights. They are smaller than some single cr123 lights, but I absolutely hate that you have to click and hold the switch down in order to turn it off. Yet every so often I still grab one of them.
 
I have a couple of very small 18650 lights that I bought thinking I would love them. The Maratac tri flood 18650 and the folomov 18650s. I love how small they are for 18650 lights. They are smaller than some single cr123 lights, but I absolutely hate that you have to click and hold the switch down in order to turn it off. Yet every so often I still grab one of them.
Yes. There have been many great examples provided by several people here, but this is one that I also experience. A great light, but having to hold the switch in order to turn it off.
 
While it wouldn't do anything for the model commercially, why don't you saw or grind off the ears? That'll make it a lot more attractive for you to carry. A dremel with the right head can chew through the aluminium lickety split.
I do own a quality Dremel tool and kit. The issue is, I can easily see myself going too far, too hard and absolutely decimating the tailcap switch once I cut through the first ear. Plus, trying to keep everything steady and even while cutting? If I was blessed with the hands of a surgeon, I wouldn't be working in Security. Thought about going slow to get the job done. But again, keeping the cut even is going to be an impossibility. Dremel tool isn't an option in this case, for me.
 
As far as Unicorns....

Stumbled onto the Gerber Zilch for EDC folding knives awhile back. The perfect EDC one-hander just fell onto my lap, on an idle Tuesday. And yes, I've already bought a handful of them. Thankfully they're right around $20 each. I lose my main one or Gerber decides to discontinue the model or "improve" it, I'm good! Must say, a fellow CPFer absolutely hates the Zilch and regrets buying it. Weird how things can work out for different individuals.

As far as lights, that Thrunite TT20 I mentioned was bought while looking for a real budget alternative to the latest SureFire E-series Tactician. After buying several lights that alone were still a bit pricey, I decided to stop. I found one. Heck it even looks like the Tactician. Will be buying it to test out, next month. Thought it had a huge design flaw until someone pointed out that it only looks as though it does. Completely cosmetic.
 
If I press the button or slide the slider and it comes on I like it.

If it refuses to work it goes in the trash. Simple.

There are some I think are really stupid but if it works.... I like it.
 

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