Individual preference for silver flashlight

[thedoc007]

I work in the area of aircraft hot component repair where titanium is used quite frequently for its specific properties.

That was exactly my point. Some people act like it is a miracle metal, that does everything well and is only (relatively) uncommon due to cost. But this is not the case...it has strengths and weaknesses just like every other metal/alloy out there. If it is used in applications that play to its strengths, then it is wonderful. But it isn't good at everything.

I dont know if i would go so far as to say it is "lousy" at electrical conductivity either. a bit of an overstatement dont you think?

Well, how you interpret "lousy" is of course subjective. But among common metals (in the flashlight realm), particularly copper and aluminum, I do not think calling it lousy by comparison is an exaggeration.

Thermal conductivity of titanium is 22 W/(m.K). By comparison, aluminum is 205 and copper 401 W/(m.K). 10 to 20 times better than titanium.

Electrical conductivity of titanium is 2.38×106​ S/m. By comparison, aluminum is 3.5×107 ​and copper is 5.96×107​ S/m. 15 to 30 times better than titanium.

When you have cheaper materials that are 10-30 times more conductive, whether electrically or thermally, I think it is entirely fair to say that titanium is lousy by comparison. You may disagree, but that was the basis for my opinion.

I am in fact a huge fan of titanium - it has many uses, and if you play to its strengths, there is nothing else like it. But flashlights is NOT an area where the unique benefits of titanium are realized, in my opinion. In fact, it is more of a handicap than an advantage. But you may use lights differently than I do, and conductivity may not be that important to you. Again, my point was that titanium has its uses, but is not some miracle metal that is better than everything else, as some people seem to think.

 

[BriteLite2]

all I did was use a bit of color in my wording to express my love of that particular metal . as many do there was the usual need of some to post their perceived superior intelligence by making off colored comments about Koolaide drinkers.
My reference to it being the ultimate is my opinion of it as a metal that has a silver natural finish that doesnt require a coating like aluminium and to me has a better lustre to it than stainless steel. I should have clarified that I guess. to me it does have a magical quality to it and much of that may be hype. I think its cool in bikes /knives/flashlights , jewelry and other products. Its even used in the medical industry with great success. Its a metal that for some reason in flashlights looks better with use and age.
And when I think of particular flashlights that have titanium housings like McGizmo products the word "lousy" doesnt come to mind . and i havnt heard of any of those lights suffering from overheating leds or having lousy runtimes or reliability issues due to conductivity inefficiency . Of course you wouldnt run a titanium based light at absurd current levels like some light manufacturers do with lights having aluminium hosts or copper light engine housings.

on the other hand I dont understand the constant demand for lights that run for 5 minutes at 1000 lumens off 1 cr123 battery or require 4-8 18650 Li-ion cells and require complicated unreliable circuitry to function. But I am not gonna rain on the parade of the passsion for that type of thing . those who like that sort of thing get enjoyment from it for their own reasons and thats great !! I suppose I could list some statistics and numbers of how the lifespan of their leds will be diminished by overdriving them even in copper housings but I am sure they have researched that already and understand the risks and rewards .

I have to say I like copper and thinks its kinda magical too!!! But it fails to perform well at many things unfortunatley just like Titanium


but you are entitled to your opinion as am I and I wont resort to insults to make a point

 

[mcnair55]

all I did was use a bit of color in my wording to express my love of that particular metal . as many do there was the usual need of some to post their perceived superior intelligence by making off colored comments about Koolaide drinkers.
My reference to it being the ultimate is my opinion of it as a metal that has a silver natural finish that doesnt require a coating like aluminium and to me has a better lustre to it than stainless steel. I should have clarified that I guess. to me it does have a magical quality to it and much of that may be hype. I think its cool in bikes /knives/flashlights , jewelry and other products. Its even used in the medical industry with great success. Its a metal that for some reason in flashlights looks better with use and age.
And when I think of particular flashlights that have titanium housings like McGizmo products the word "lousy" doesnt come to mind . and i havnt heard of any of those lights suffering from overheating leds or having lousy runtimes or reliability issues due to conductivity inefficiency . Of course you wouldnt run a titanium based light at absurd current levels like some light manufacturers do with lights having aluminium hosts or copper light engine housings.

on the other hand I dont understand the constant demand for lights that run for 5 minutes at 1000 lumens off 1 cr123 battery or require 4-8 18650 Li-ion cells and require complicated unreliable circuitry to function. But I am not gonna rain on the parade of the passsion for that type of thing . those who like that sort of thing get enjoyment from it for their own reasons and thats great !! I suppose I could list some statistics and numbers of how the lifespan of their leds will be diminished by overdriving them even in copper housings but I am sure they have researched that already and understand the risks and rewards .

I have to say I like copper and thinks its kinda magical too!!! But it fails to perform well at many things unfortunatley just like Titanium


but you are entitled to your opinion as am I and I wont resort to insults to make a point

+1 Very nicely written well done.

As you are use to working with the expensive materials.Could a light be made out of Kevlar and would that be similar in price to Ti?

 

[thedoc007]

as many do there was the usual need of some to post their perceived superior intelligence by making off colored comments about Koolaide drinkers.

but you are entitled to your opinion as am I and I wont resort to insults to make a point

If bringing FACTS into the discussion, rather than opinions, is "posting their perceived superior intelligence", then I am guilty. I apologize if you were offended by the Kool-Aid joke, but I wasn't even responding to your post. If you notice, I was thanking Retrotechie for not hyping titanium, not criticizing you (or anyone) for your opinion.

I have an opinion, but it is based on facts. When people have opinions that are not based on facts, they often say things that are misleading. Just trying to say what I know about titanium to add to the discussion.

 

[Fireclaw18]

I like the look of polished titanium and stainless steel over bare aluminum. But for a flashlight that I'm going to carry around I tend to grab aluminum. I feel like an idiot if I carry around a light that's made of stuff that is basically worse than aluminum in every respect except looks. Especially if it's an EDC light where I'll be feeling the weight in my pocket most of the time.