Planning for next Christmas and non-flashaholics.

[KBobAries]

I've been trying to change the perspectives of family members and some friends to be better prepared for life's little nuisances; jumper cables and a tire pressure gauge in the car - that sort of thing. I'm going to try something different this year and hopefully jump-start the process. It will take some time to save up and get them ordered before the Christmas rush. I also want to introduce them to a decently made light that will be carried regularly in a purse or pants pocket. They need to get beyond the 89 cent plastic special sitting on the auto parts store countertop.

The group is male and female, early 20s to mid-60s. Most wouldn't know the difference between a Maglite and NovaTac. Some of the others would recognize the quality of a Ra or Surefire but would never spend that kind of money.

I need at least 10 and, depending on the price of the light chosen, as many as 16 lights. Finding that many individual lights is a rather daunting task so I'm hoping to find a light that covers a broad spectrum. I've been pondering this thread for a few days and what I've decided thus far is below.

MUST haves:

1) LED (hence this forum) because they're not going to run around town looking for a Surefire dealer that has incandescent bulbs in stock.

2) Single cell; as small as possible. None would bother to match voltages and quite likely mix a primary with a rechargeable. The smaller size will also, hopefully, increase the likelihood that they'll actually carry them. Models which have the option for adding an extender tube are fine.

3) AA or AAA. Some are expatriates and finding CR123s or button cells might pose a problem.

4) Battery versatility. Must run on anything because they're going to grab whatever is in the cupboard and not worry about ni-cad, lithium, etc.

5) Simple UI. (Discussed further below.)

There are some decisions I haven't made because this is the first time I've considered gifting lights. I know what I like and go buy it. For others? Hmm...

Flood or throw? (Mine are mostly throwers because that's what I need for work.) Is either better than the other for a first-timer? I'm leaning toward flood.

Warm or Neutral? None will care about a high CRI but will likely ooh and aah over the appearance of being brighter.

Tailstanding? I think it's a nice feature but not all my lights have it.

Anti-roll feature of some sort? Would be nice but a few of mine don't have it.

Clip? Hmmm...no opinion. Some of mine do, some don't.

The UI. A couple have carpal tunnel issues so I'm leaning toward forward clickies. I think a simple HI-LO would be best. I think my Surefire A2 and Nitecore EX10 are great but I could be imposing my own biases. As a possible part of the UI, I want to mention knurling. A couple have played with my EX10 and were put off by the tactile feeling of the machining. I've seen models with faceted (hexagonal? octagonal?) barrels and I think those would work with twisty lights. A smooth-bodied twisty might be tough to operate. It would also work for anti-roll.

I'm hoping to keep this in the $50 range; less is better. Feel free to suggest a light and/or ideas to think about when considering such a large group of people.

Dan

 

[duboost]

wow you start early lol. I gave a few lights this past christmas and they were all well received.

I gave a lot of ITP A3's. It's something cheap, available in different colors and finishes, simple UI available in 1 or 3 modes, can be attached to a keychain to be sure they will always have it on them when they need it (and not just throw it in some drawer), and the brightness from a light that size will blow most non-flashaholics away.

I also gave some quark tacticals (either 1AA or 2AA). I showed them how to program it (although i highly doubt most remembered how to reprogram it), but once i set the two levels for them, it's a very simple UI. I just set one mode to max and the other to low for when not much light is needed or in an emergency/power outage when they'll need the runtime and can't remember how to reprogram the light. I also didn't really like the idea of running these lights with alkalines though (which im sure they would do) so i set them up w/ a 4 pack of eneloops and the sanyo charger. That's simple enough for them to use and they don't need to worry about batteries.

If they are into camping or hiking, a zebralight might be a good gift as well.

Some other lights i'd consider getting as gifts are any of the romisens from shiningbeam, fenix e20, Icon Rogue 1 & 2 or Modus 1 & 2, malkoff or terralux mag drop ins since most people are very familiar with mag lites already

also it depends who you are giving it to, i found some of the younger folks didn't mind the idea of CR123's as they do a lot of online shopping anyway and if you can just show them where to buy them for a good price it's not that big of a deal to them. Something like a quark mini 123 or quark tactical. And maybe u could set them up with a nice little pelican 1010 or 1020 case with the foam to hold the batteries.

hope that gives u some ideas :thumbsup:

 

[KBobAries]

wow you start early lol.
LOL, yeah. Have to; save, buy, and get some through customs.

I gave a lot of ITP A3's.

Looks promising. Would probably go with single mode. One has already had wrist surgery and another has carpal tunnel.

I also gave some quark tacticals.

No joy on the Quarks. Over $50.

I also didn't really like the idea of running these lights with alkalines though (which im sure they would do) so i set them up w/ a 4 pack of eneloops and the sanyo charger. That's simple enough for them to use and they don't need to worry about batteries.

Batteries are on them. I can't afford to set up 10 people with a light, batteries and charger.

Some other lights i'd consider getting as gifts are any of the romisens from shiningbeam, fenix e20, Icon Rogue 1 & 2 or Modus 1 & 2, malkoff or terralux mag drop ins since most people are very familiar with mag lites already

I can look at the romisens and smaller fenix models. Malkoff's are too expensive once you add in the cost of a host light and I prefer to stay with stock lights for this project.

I found some of the younger folks didn't mind the idea of CR123's as they do a lot of online shopping anyway and if you can just show them where to buy them for a good price it's not that big of a deal to them. Something like a quark mini 123 or quark tactical. And maybe u could set them up with a nice little pelican 1010 or 1020 case with the foam to hold the batteries.

I'm going to stay with what's readily available for batteries. The pelican cases are nice but I'm not going add those in. If I can keep the costs down on the per light price then I want to expand the group beyond family to friends.

hope that gives u some ideas :thumbsup:

Thanks,

Dan

 

[tucolino]

well,based in my experience with family and flashlights,what most people want is easy of use.
let me explain this.
i gave an itp a3 to may father in ss,nice little light.not too complicated to use.but for him it has too many options.
my sister got from me a minimag led version and miniquark aa.same thing.
finally i gave a fenix e01 to my mom,the golden one.she loves it,and so my sister and my father.
so after spending more than 100 $ trying to find perfect light for all of them,finally i finished buying like ten or more e01 for most of my close family.
easy to use,lots of runtime,can put all types of aaa, bomb proof,small,different colors,cheap....
i know it´s "only" arround 10 lumens,but consider that quantity is enough for most ppl.
anyway my 2 cents

tony

 

[curiousone1]

+1 on the Fenix E01.....small size, easy twisty UI and long runtime on easy to find AAA batteries.

 

[Black Rose]

Any of the following would be viable options.
Affordable, quality lights that won't break the bank too much.

Fenix E01 (AAA), iTP A3 EOS (AAA), iTP A2 EOS (AA), Maratac AAA

 

[LEDninja]

None of the people I gifted have a light on them next time I run into them. :sigh:
My recommendation is to ask for their keychain and attach the light yourself. You can always wrap the box with the spare o-rings etc. Just throw a spare battery where the light goes.

Don't forget older lights such as the Fenix L1T v2.0.
Loosen head for indoor use (16 lumens).
Tighten head for outdoor use (98 lumens).
Tactical forward cicky does not tailstand.
$10 cheaper than the L1D/LD10 because of lack of the blinking modes. Don't forget your CPF discount code!

 

[Flying Turtle]

I'd go along with the E01 suggestions for the truly non-flashaholic mechanically challenged ones. For the others maybe Maratac AAA's or AA's.

Geoff

 

[KBobAries]

Thanks all. After a 12 hour work day and an hour of cleaning up around the house, I'm exhausted. I'll do some research into the all the suggestions and see what I can come up with.

Dan