the_guy_with_no_name
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2009
- Messages
- 3,939
### 2014 Must Have List Results & Summary ###
*The Flashaholic's "Must-Have" List* (Top 10 Lights by Ranking)
Results & Summary 2015-02-14
Thank you to everyone who posted their vote and especially for all those who posted in the correct format.
Thanks to your support for the new format, more frequent updates of the counts were definitely easier to generate this year.
Having kept an eye on results and posts from time to time, one thing that dawned on me was that because all votes are based on the requirement that you actually own (or have used) the light you voted for, opinions and therefor votes, would be limited to and by the range of lights that you own.
In a simple yet extreme example, this means if you only ever owned the worst flashlight on the planet and you spend a fair amount of time in dark places, that one flashlight may still very much be a "must have" for you because there's a strong chance that it will be better than the alternative (pitch darkness, zero visibility), in the same way that some vision is better than zero vision.
Another example that skews the results is use-case or put simply "what you use the flashlight for most". A Coal Miner, may find a headlamp to be a "must have" no matter how good or bad. Someone in Law Enforcement may find a large, baton type light to be a "must have", and a Surgeon might find a small penlight to be their "must have".
That means to accurately measure &/or understand the "why" something is a "must have", would require more information on the use-case at the least, and then perhaps some more information on how many other flashlights a person might have used or tried for the same task, along with some way to detach the emotion that comes with buying your very first "expensive" or "premium" flashlight from having influence on your final judgement.
Of course, I'm sure there are many voters with vast collections of flashlights and experience to match such a collection. Its also highly likely many of those who voted use flashlights because they enjoy doing so (as opposed to an occupational requirement).
One more observation I had was that of course, the more well known a product is, the higher the chances that someone will own it and therefor potentially vote for it. This is not just due to reputation, brand strength or age but also due to availbility of the product in various markets/channels along with various other factors. This too will skew results.
Further down the page, I've played with some numbers to see if that could be accounted for somehow by a handicap or score adjustment. I'm deliberately using the word "play" because although I've applied a consistent formula, the datapoints are too few to call it more than interesting but interesting it is.
A flashlight nut myself, I thought of a few well made lights that are not in the Top 10 though perhaps they could or should be and in fairness to those makers, anyone looking at this data should understand that its basis is perhaps anecdotal at best. Without going into a head to head comparison of features, function and quality, broadly categorized by type, size &/or use-case means that perhaps every flashlight in the list, may actually be worthy of further exploration to see if it fits your needs, budget and taste.
This has been my first year to run the "must have" thread (that mostly means doing grunt work for free), so I thought I'd try and fancy up the results just a little, so thanks again for all the input, support and here are your results....
First up, The Top 10 by Brand
(Votes for all models are grouped by the brand name and totalled)
Next up, The Top 10 by Model
(Votes for all model sub numbers are grouped eg. D25A, D25B, D25C are all counted as D25).
The following, is somewhat experimental...
I wondered what would happen if I applied some kind of adjustment/handicap based on availability or how well the brand was known, or even how old it was in relation to how many votes it received.
A very quick hack really but I searched Google for each brand like this "brandname flashlight" (eg. Surefire flashlight) and recorded the total number of search results. Its not an exact 1:1 relationship but very roughly, the more results that appear, indicate either a very strong online presence or (my hope is) an indication of how broadly the brand is recognised.
I then normalized the votes to 100,000 Google results, so Surefire's 41 divided by 5.37 = 8 Votes (adjusted), ZebraLight's 32 divided by 1.43 = 22 Votes, etc..
Basically I'm hypothesizing if each brand had the exact same exposure, the number of votes would likely be different, which is represented by the Adjusted Votes. Of course I don't expect it's 100% reflection of fact but for my own benefit I ran the numbers and thought you'd find it interesting too.
Below: Top 10 Flashlight Brands, with an adjusted score.
Below: The same adjusted score analysis by model
Finally, below is the full list including all votes counted by the automated script by brand and by model.
Full list ordered by most votes per brand
Full list ordered by most votes per model
Shortly, I'll start to get the 2015 thread ready. In the meantime, feel welcome to post any comments in this thread but please note no further votes will be counted (2015-02-14).
### 2014 RESULTS END HERE ###
### ORIGINAL INTRODUCTORY POST BELOW THIS LINE ###
Happy 2014 Flashaholics :wave:
This is Guy (aka: Tgwnn) and I'm looking forward to maintaining this years "Must-Have" list.
A big thanks to RichS for running last years thread and looking forward to your votes for the 2014 list.
If you don't see your vote counted, its probably because it doesn't match the required format.
Please scroll down for more details.
The Flashaholic’s “Must-Have” List is an annual list updated each year.
To stay on the list year after year, light makers will need to remain relevant, innovative and on the cutting edge of ever-expanding lighting technology. This does NOT mean that there is a restriction on what year a light was made to be eligible for a vote. You may have a 20 year old light that is no longer made, but you feel like it is a true "must-have" for you. It can go on the list. The point is, no light will remain indefinitely on the list as it will be started fresh each year. It will be difficult for lights to remain relevant and compete year after year with no updates.
So here we go – this is the 2014 Flashaholic’s “Must-Have” List. At the end of 2014 we’ll crown the top 10 lights of the year, and start a brand new must-have list on 1/1/15 with a goal of keeping track of the annual top 10 winners each year so we can see who stays on top over time.
Here are the rules for casting votes for the “must-have” list:
NOTE:
This year, I'm hoping to using a little automation to enable more frequent tally counts and make keeping track of votes a little easier so I'd like to ask you to kindly use the format below when listing your choices.
(it doesn't have to be in bold, that's just to make it obvious
)
#1# Brand name : Model : version, sub model,mods, or other info
Example
#1# HDS Systems : EDC Clicky
#2# SureFire : C2
#3# MBI : HF-R : UTT Ti 3Mode
#4# OMG Lumens : Deft-edc : LR
#5# Foursevens : Mini ML : 123
Here's the same list with O's in place of the actual info
#1# OOOO : OOOO
#2# OOOO : OOOO
#3# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO
#4# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO
#5# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO
The third column is optional, and less than 5 choices is fine too so your list could look like this
#1# OOOO : OOOO
#2# OOOO : OOOO
or just this
#1# OOOO : OOOO
The format broken down in detail
#Your Vote Number# : Brand/Maker name: Specific Model: Sub Model Info
The red parts above are required.
#1# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO = Your Vote Number (#1# or #2# or #3# etc..) Please use 2 sharp signs
#1# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO = Brand/Maker name (eg. SureFire)
#1# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO = Specific Model (eg. EB2)
#1# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO = Sub Model Info (eg. Ti version) the last part is optional
Finally, please use the colons : to separate the information.
___________________________________________
Ok, I'm going to start with my favorites not ranked in any order.
Obviously as I have the privilege of designing lights for my own use, they end up being my favorites but of course your list is your list.
#1# MBI : HF-R : UTT Ti with ZoomHead & Momentary Switch
#2# OMG Lumens : Deft-edc : LR
#3# MBI : CoreTi : Blasted
#4# MBI : HF : Brass
Here's my why's...
The HF-R, been living on my keychain for what seems like forever now, dropped it on hard concrete more times than I care to admit and it covers 99% of my lighting needs and oh yes, its very bright!!
The Deft-edc, because it out-throws anything else in its size.
CoreTi, Its small enough that I usually forget I have it with me, has a long run time and makes for a good navigation light around the house in the late late hours.
HF Brass, just love the retro look, solid feel and that buttery smoothness that only brass seems to have.
___________________________________________
*The Flashaholic's "Must-Have" List* (Top 10 Lights by Ranking)
Thank you to everyone who posted their vote and especially for all those who posted in the correct format.
Thanks to your support for the new format, more frequent updates of the counts were definitely easier to generate this year.
Having kept an eye on results and posts from time to time, one thing that dawned on me was that because all votes are based on the requirement that you actually own (or have used) the light you voted for, opinions and therefor votes, would be limited to and by the range of lights that you own.
In a simple yet extreme example, this means if you only ever owned the worst flashlight on the planet and you spend a fair amount of time in dark places, that one flashlight may still very much be a "must have" for you because there's a strong chance that it will be better than the alternative (pitch darkness, zero visibility), in the same way that some vision is better than zero vision.
Another example that skews the results is use-case or put simply "what you use the flashlight for most". A Coal Miner, may find a headlamp to be a "must have" no matter how good or bad. Someone in Law Enforcement may find a large, baton type light to be a "must have", and a Surgeon might find a small penlight to be their "must have".
That means to accurately measure &/or understand the "why" something is a "must have", would require more information on the use-case at the least, and then perhaps some more information on how many other flashlights a person might have used or tried for the same task, along with some way to detach the emotion that comes with buying your very first "expensive" or "premium" flashlight from having influence on your final judgement.
Of course, I'm sure there are many voters with vast collections of flashlights and experience to match such a collection. Its also highly likely many of those who voted use flashlights because they enjoy doing so (as opposed to an occupational requirement).
One more observation I had was that of course, the more well known a product is, the higher the chances that someone will own it and therefor potentially vote for it. This is not just due to reputation, brand strength or age but also due to availbility of the product in various markets/channels along with various other factors. This too will skew results.
Further down the page, I've played with some numbers to see if that could be accounted for somehow by a handicap or score adjustment. I'm deliberately using the word "play" because although I've applied a consistent formula, the datapoints are too few to call it more than interesting but interesting it is.
A flashlight nut myself, I thought of a few well made lights that are not in the Top 10 though perhaps they could or should be and in fairness to those makers, anyone looking at this data should understand that its basis is perhaps anecdotal at best. Without going into a head to head comparison of features, function and quality, broadly categorized by type, size &/or use-case means that perhaps every flashlight in the list, may actually be worthy of further exploration to see if it fits your needs, budget and taste.
This has been my first year to run the "must have" thread (that mostly means doing grunt work for free), so I thought I'd try and fancy up the results just a little, so thanks again for all the input, support and here are your results....
First up, The Top 10 by Brand
(Votes for all models are grouped by the brand name and totalled)


Next up, The Top 10 by Model
(Votes for all model sub numbers are grouped eg. D25A, D25B, D25C are all counted as D25).


The following, is somewhat experimental...
I wondered what would happen if I applied some kind of adjustment/handicap based on availability or how well the brand was known, or even how old it was in relation to how many votes it received.
A very quick hack really but I searched Google for each brand like this "brandname flashlight" (eg. Surefire flashlight) and recorded the total number of search results. Its not an exact 1:1 relationship but very roughly, the more results that appear, indicate either a very strong online presence or (my hope is) an indication of how broadly the brand is recognised.
I then normalized the votes to 100,000 Google results, so Surefire's 41 divided by 5.37 = 8 Votes (adjusted), ZebraLight's 32 divided by 1.43 = 22 Votes, etc..
Basically I'm hypothesizing if each brand had the exact same exposure, the number of votes would likely be different, which is represented by the Adjusted Votes. Of course I don't expect it's 100% reflection of fact but for my own benefit I ran the numbers and thought you'd find it interesting too.
Below: Top 10 Flashlight Brands, with an adjusted score.


Below: The same adjusted score analysis by model


Finally, below is the full list including all votes counted by the automated script by brand and by model.
Full list ordered by most votes per brand
Rank | Brand | Votes | % of Votes |
1 | Surefire | 41 | 18.3% |
2 | Zebralight | 32 | 14.3% |
3 | Fenix | 26 | 11.6% |
4 | Eagletac | 13 | 5.8% |
5 | Nitecore | 12 | 5.4% |
6 | HDSsystems | 10 | 4.5% |
7 | Malkoff | 8 | 3.6% |
8 | FourSevens | 7 | 3.1% |
9 | MBI | 7 | 3.1% |
10 | Sunwayman | 7 | 3.1% |
11 | Armytek | 6 | 2.7% |
12 | McGizmo | 6 | 2.7% |
13 | Olight | 5 | 2.2% |
14 | l3illumination | 3 | 1.3% |
15 | Prometheus | 3 | 1.3% |
16 | Convoy | 2 | 0.9% |
17 | firstlightusa | 2 | 0.9% |
18 | itp | 2 | 0.9% |
19 | ledlenser | 2 | 0.9% |
20 | lri | 2 | 0.9% |
21 | maglite | 2 | 0.9% |
22 | niwalker | 2 | 0.9% |
23 | omglumens | 2 | 0.9% |
24 | supbeam | 2 | 0.9% |
25 | coolfall | 1 | 0.4% |
26 | dqg | 1 | 0.4% |
27 | firefoxes | 1 | 0.4% |
28 | jil | 1 | 0.4% |
29 | kathmandu | 1 | 0.4% |
30 | leatherman | 1 | 0.4% |
31 | liteflux | 1 | 0.4% |
32 | luxrc | 1 | 0.4% |
33 | mac'scustoms | 1 | 0.4% |
34 | modamag | 1 | 0.4% |
35 | oveready | 1 | 0.4% |
36 | peak | 1 | 0.4% |
37 | ra | 1 | 0.4% |
38 | rayovac | 1 | 0.4% |
39 | rofis | 1 | 0.4% |
40 | solarforce | 1 | 0.4% |
41 | tain | 1 | 0.4% |
42 | tigerlight | 1 | 0.4% |
43 | velenodesigns | 1 | 0.4% |
44 | xeno | 1 | 0.4% |
Rank | Brand | Model | Votes | % of Votes |
1 | surefire | 6P | 12 | 5.4% |
2 | zebralight | SC600 | 12 | 5.4% |
3 | eagletac | D25A, D25C, D25LC2 | 12 | 5.4% |
4 | zebralight | SC52 | 11 | 4.9% |
5 | hdssystems | EDC(any) | 10 | 4.5% |
6 | fenix | PD35 | 6 | 2.7% |
7 | fenix | TK75 | 4 | 1.8% |
8 | malkoff | MD2 (any) | 4 | 1.8% |
9 | MBI | HF | 4 | 1.8% |
10 | nitecore | tm26 | 4 | 1.8% |
11 | sunwayman | v11r | 4 | 1.8% |
12 | zebralight | sc62, sc62d | 4 | 1.8% |
13 | armytek | predator pro | 3 | 1.3% |
14 | armytek | wizard pro | 3 | 1.3% |
15 | fenix | tk41 | 3 | 1.3% |
16 | fenix | tk61 | 3 | 1.3% |
17 | surefire | e1b | 3 | 1.3% |
18 | surefire | m3 | 3 | 1.3% |
19 | convoy | s2, s2+ | 2 | 0.9% |
20 | fenix | e01 | 2 | 0.9% |
21 | fenix | tk35 | 2 | 0.9% |
22 | firstlightusa | tomahawk | 2 | 0.9% |
23 | foursevens | quark tactical (any) | 2 | 0.9% |
24 | itp | a3 eos | 2 | 0.9% |
25 | l3illumination | l10 | 2 | 0.9% |
26 | ledlenser | t7,t7.2 | 2 | 0.9% |
27 | lri | photon, proton pro | 2 | 0.9% |
28 | malkoff | hound dog | 2 | 0.9% |
29 | malkoff | wildcat | 2 | 0.9% |
30 | mbi | hf-r | 2 | 0.9% |
31 | mcgizmo | aleph (any) | 2 | 0.9% |
32 | mcgizmo | pd, pd-s | 2 | 0.9% |
33 | nitecore | p12 | 2 | 0.9% |
34 | nitecore | srt7 | 2 | 0.9% |
35 | niwalker | mm15 | 2 | 0.9% |
36 | prometheus | alpha | 2 | 0.9% |
37 | sunwayman | d40a | 2 | 0.9% |
38 | surefire | c3 | 2 | 0.9% |
39 | surefire | eb1 | 2 | 0.9% |
40 | surefire | eb2 | 2 | 0.9% |
41 | surefire | lx2 | 2 | 0.9% |
42 | surefire | p2x fury | 2 | 0.9% |
43 | zebralight | h600 | 2 | 0.9% |
44 | coolfall | spy tri-v2 | 1 | 0.4% |
45 | dqg | iv aaa | 1 | 0.4% |
46 | eagletac | sx25l3 | 1 | 0.4% |
47 | fenix | bt20 | 1 | 0.4% |
48 | fenix | e05 | 1 | 0.4% |
49 | fenix | e20 | 1 | 0.4% |
50 | fenix | ld01 | 1 | 0.4% |
51 | fenix | pd32 | 1 | 0.4% |
52 | fenix | rc40 | 1 | 0.4% |
53 | firefoxes | ff4 | 1 | 0.4% |
54 | foursevens | atom al | 1 | 0.4% |
55 | foursevens | miniml | 1 | 0.4% |
56 | foursevens | preon 2 | 1 | 0.4% |
57 | foursevens | quark minix123 | 1 | 0.4% |
58 | foursevens | quark pro | 1 | 0.4% |
59 | jil | cr2 | 1 | 0.4% |
60 | kathmandu | keyring mini | 1 | 0.4% |
61 | l3illumination | nichia 219 | 1 | 0.4% |
62 | leatherman | serac | 1 | 0.4% |
63 | liteflux | lf2xt | 1 | 0.4% |
64 | luxrc | fl33 | 1 | 0.4% |
65 | mac'scustoms | tri-edc | 1 | 0.4% |
66 | maglite | 2d | 1 | 0.4% |
67 | maglite | 3d led | 1 | 0.4% |
68 | mbi | coreti | 1 | 0.4% |
69 | mcgizmo | haiku | 1 | 0.4% |
70 | mcgizmo | mule-pd | 1 | 0.4% |
71 | modamag | draco | 1 | 0.4% |
72 | nitecore | ea4 | 1 | 0.4% |
73 | nitecore | p10 | 1 | 0.4% |
74 | nitecore | sr3 | 1 | 0.4% |
75 | nitecore | tm06 | 1 | 0.4% |
76 | olight | i3s | 1 | 0.4% |
77 | olight | m10 | 1 | 0.4% |
78 | olight | s10 | 1 | 0.4% |
79 | olight | s15 | 1 | 0.4% |
80 | olight | sr95 intimidator | 1 | 0.4% |
81 | omglumens | deft-edc | 1 | 0.4% |
82 | omglumens | deft-x | 1 | 0.4% |
83 | oveready | p60 host | 1 | 0.4% |
84 | peak | peak logan 17500 | 1 | 0.4% |
85 | prometheus | beta | 1 | 0.4% |
86 | ra | twisty | 1 | 0.4% |
87 | rayovac | indestructible 2aa | 1 | 0.4% |
88 | rofis | tr31c | 1 | 0.4% |
89 | solarforce | l2n | 1 | 0.4% |
90 | sunwayman | v10r ti | 1 | 0.4% |
91 | supbeam | k40 | 1 | 0.4% |
92 | supbeam | x40 | 1 | 0.4% |
93 | surefire | 9p | 1 | 0.4% |
94 | surefire | a2 aviator | 1 | 0.4% |
95 | surefire | c2 | 1 | 0.4% |
96 | surefire | e2e | 1 | 0.4% |
97 | surefire | e2l outdoorsman | 1 | 0.4% |
98 | surefire | g2x pro | 1 | 0.4% |
99 | surefire | kroma milspec | 1 | 0.4% |
100 | surefire | m2 | 1 | 0.4% |
101 | surefire | minimus | 1 | 0.4% |
102 | surefire | p3x fury | 1 | 0.4% |
103 | surefire | saint | 1 | 0.4% |
104 | surefire | z2 | 1 | 0.4% |
105 | surefire | z3 | 1 | 0.4% |
106 | tain | zenith | 1 | 0.4% |
107 | tigerlight | 600s led series iii | 1 | 0.4% |
108 | velenodesigns | quantum d2 | 1 | 0.4% |
109 | xeno | e03 | 1 | 0.4% |
110 | zebralight | h502 | 1 | 0.4% |
111 | zebralight | h52w | 1 | 0.4% |
112 | zebralight | sc31 | 1 | 0.4% |
Shortly, I'll start to get the 2015 thread ready. In the meantime, feel welcome to post any comments in this thread but please note no further votes will be counted (2015-02-14).
### 2014 RESULTS END HERE ###
### ORIGINAL INTRODUCTORY POST BELOW THIS LINE ###
Happy 2014 Flashaholics :wave:
This is Guy (aka: Tgwnn) and I'm looking forward to maintaining this years "Must-Have" list.
A big thanks to RichS for running last years thread and looking forward to your votes for the 2014 list.
If you don't see your vote counted, its probably because it doesn't match the required format.
Please scroll down for more details.
The Flashaholic’s “Must-Have” List is an annual list updated each year.
To stay on the list year after year, light makers will need to remain relevant, innovative and on the cutting edge of ever-expanding lighting technology. This does NOT mean that there is a restriction on what year a light was made to be eligible for a vote. You may have a 20 year old light that is no longer made, but you feel like it is a true "must-have" for you. It can go on the list. The point is, no light will remain indefinitely on the list as it will be started fresh each year. It will be difficult for lights to remain relevant and compete year after year with no updates.
So here we go – this is the 2014 Flashaholic’s “Must-Have” List. At the end of 2014 we’ll crown the top 10 lights of the year, and start a brand new must-have list on 1/1/15 with a goal of keeping track of the annual top 10 winners each year so we can see who stays on top over time.
Here are the rules for casting votes for the “must-have” list:
- It has to be a "must-have" for you. Meaning, of the lights you own, this one is a "must" have - and therefore you would never consider selling it. (unless of course you were in dire straits)
- It must be a specific light - this is a specific "must-have" flashlight for you, not a favorite manufacturer or line of flashlights
- Please limit your total votes to no more than five (5) lights. This does not mean you should automatically list five of your lights, but this is the limit. This is not intended to be a list of all the lights you own. If you have more than one light you feel is a true "must-have" light, feel free to list more than one. However, we want to avoid individuals indiscriminately listing all their lights.
NOTE:
- You cannot cast a vote for a light you do not have - you are casting a vote of confidence based on your experience with a light.
- You can change your mind at anytime by editing your original post or adding a new post but please limit your votes to 5 flashlights. Only your 5 most recent choices will be counted.
- Feel welcome to mention why you like a particular light but please keep those comments either above or below the list, not on the same line.
- Only the total number of votes for each flashlight are counted so whether you list a light as #1# or #5# has no impact on the final outcome.
This year, I'm hoping to using a little automation to enable more frequent tally counts and make keeping track of votes a little easier so I'd like to ask you to kindly use the format below when listing your choices.
(it doesn't have to be in bold, that's just to make it obvious
#1# Brand name : Model : version, sub model,mods, or other info
Example
#1# HDS Systems : EDC Clicky
#2# SureFire : C2
#3# MBI : HF-R : UTT Ti 3Mode
#4# OMG Lumens : Deft-edc : LR
#5# Foursevens : Mini ML : 123
Here's the same list with O's in place of the actual info
#1# OOOO : OOOO
#2# OOOO : OOOO
#3# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO
#4# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO
#5# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO
The third column is optional, and less than 5 choices is fine too so your list could look like this
#1# OOOO : OOOO
#2# OOOO : OOOO
or just this
#1# OOOO : OOOO
The format broken down in detail
#Your Vote Number# : Brand/Maker name: Specific Model: Sub Model Info
The red parts above are required.
#1# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO = Your Vote Number (#1# or #2# or #3# etc..) Please use 2 sharp signs
#1# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO = Brand/Maker name (eg. SureFire)
#1# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO = Specific Model (eg. EB2)
#1# OOOO : OOOO : OOOO = Sub Model Info (eg. Ti version) the last part is optional
Finally, please use the colons : to separate the information.
___________________________________________
Ok, I'm going to start with my favorites not ranked in any order.
Obviously as I have the privilege of designing lights for my own use, they end up being my favorites but of course your list is your list.
#1# MBI : HF-R : UTT Ti with ZoomHead & Momentary Switch
#2# OMG Lumens : Deft-edc : LR
#3# MBI : CoreTi : Blasted
#4# MBI : HF : Brass
Here's my why's...
The HF-R, been living on my keychain for what seems like forever now, dropped it on hard concrete more times than I care to admit and it covers 99% of my lighting needs and oh yes, its very bright!!
The Deft-edc, because it out-throws anything else in its size.
CoreTi, Its small enough that I usually forget I have it with me, has a long run time and makes for a good navigation light around the house in the late late hours.
HF Brass, just love the retro look, solid feel and that buttery smoothness that only brass seems to have.
___________________________________________
Last edited: