What is the least important/most disliked feature for you in flashlights?

[koziy]

Lights where the ONLY way to turn the light on is a long-press, IMO that's almost always because the light's button is badly designed, and it's too easy to go on in a pocket (viz. various Nitecore pocket lights, etc). I would not ever consider a light where the only way to turn it on is a press-and-hold. I'm okay with long button press to turn it on, ONLY IF it's an alternative to a single-click on mode. For example, I often like a UI where a single click turns the light on to turbo, whereas press-and-hold turns it on in lowest mode. I especially like it if the light ramps automatically if I continue to mash down the button.

Long press off drives me crazy. 99% of the time it's an automatic deal breaker. A light would have to be otherwise uniquely hit my requirements in order for me to even consider a light that required a long press for off. In fact, in my entire life, last month I bought my very first light with a long-press off. I screw it up often, and am constantly doing a click off, seeing that the only thing that happened is that the mode changed, and then sighing and long-pressing

Yeah, I'm totally OK with it, and I even consider it a beneficial feature, if a flashlight has two ways to turn on, for example a quick click to turn on at one brightness level and a long press to turn on at a different brightness level. But if I can turn it on with a quick click, then I had better be able to turn it off with a quick click or else I'm going to put it in my pocket on moonlight mode by accident sometime.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Least Important? "Turbo Mode"

I have found turbo useful, but sort of like it as a more hidden mode as too often lights cannot sustain the output long enough to make it a regularly used mode. I have a headlamp that you have to double click to access the mode and I'm fine with that.

 

[fresh eddie fresh]

Echoing others:

-Strobe
-Klingon Bezel
-PWM

 

[SWE]

-Klingon Bezel

[emoji1787]

Is PWM visible on the "quality" drivers? I'm thinking Dr. Jones.

 

[xevious]

I can't stand visible PWM. If it's barely visible in lowest mode, only noticeable if you concentrate hard, then that's OK if the sacrifice is a notable drop in price. Not acceptable in mid or high modes. Otherwise, direct drive current control is preferred.

I can't stand modes that start on HIGH, without any means of changing it. Thoughtless.

• L-M-H with mode memory -- GOOD
• M-L-H with mode memory -- OK
• H-M-L -- BAD, worse without memory

I'm growing less tolerant of lights without a mode memory. But, I'm OK if they have a nice logical progression.

Long press for FULL OFF is OK (meaning, locked out), but not for standard OFF.
Long press for ON is OK if that's what gets you to moonlight (as with Zebralight old UI).

While I like the Nitecore EA4, I can't stand the switch UI. It is NOT intuitive. It is so easy to do a full click on and go immediately to Turbo. Thoughtless. It requires a half-press to start on last mode. That's annoying. Nitecore was smart to fix this on the EA41. Can't sell the EA4 used for anything more than $20, so no point in it...

 

[Fireclaw18]

Features I dislike in lights:

* Long press for on-off
* no shortcut to turbo
* no shortcut to moonlight
* UI that requires cycling all modes including disco mode just to turn off.
* Cool white color temp
* Greenish tint above the black-body line.
* protruding easy-to-press button in a pocket EDC light (worst offender: Nitecore Concept 1)
* USB covers that don't stay in their sockets.
* Crenelations in the head and tail.
* No knurling
* Low frequency PWM

 

[Rasher]

The crap UI found in the fast-n-furious hello kitty glowing-lights-under-the-stanced-car with disco/candle/lava/toilet modes with the added insult of needing click-click-doubleclick-click-hold-wait-click-click interactions to get what you want, yet still can't be set to prevent someone from picking up the light and wildly clicking away resulting in the "programming" being changed.

Usually found on the lumen drag racer darling of the month lights, giving 5 seconds of maximum output before plummeting to actual maximum output.

Two utterly useless characteristics.

 

[Modernflame]

Easy. Programming that requires a computer. Mode cycling without direct access to a desired output. Oh, and a nasty cold beam tint with low CRI.

 

[Javora]

PWM
Bad Green or Blue tiny.
Copper or Brass.
Complicated mode cycles.
No mode memory in anything other then L-M-H.
USB charging that is harmful to the battery or takes forever to recharge.
In tactical flashlights, mode button that isn't next to the rear on/off switch and not having stainless steel bezels on both ends of the light.

 

[Fireclaw18]

...Usually found on the lumen drag racer darling of the month lights, giving 5 seconds of maximum output before plummeting to actual maximum output....

I quite like having a burst turbo that can output thousands of lumens from a light way too small to sustain it. It's useful for when I need a lot of light on something and for wowing friends.

However, I agree that 5-seconds of turbo is too low. But something like the Emisar D4 that gives me 20 seconds of turbo before gradually ramping down to a sustained high over the next 30 seconds or so is quite useful.

 

[SWE]

Easy. Programming that requires a computer. Mode cycling without direct access to a desired output. Oh, and a nasty cold beam tint with low CRI.

Isn't that only one driver?

Conversely I *love* optical programming. It allows me to dial in without guesses exactly what I want. And since I have my phone I can download other programs and load them on the fly replacing entire sets of configuration on the fly without figuring out the taps. My only gripe about the 371D is four modes seems like a small number for such an advanced driver.

 

[slumber]

Two switches on the tail.....PASS.

 

[Thetasigma]

1. Any CCT above 5000K, AND **** poor tints with purple mixed with green or sharp blue rings.
2. Strobes and flashy modes in the main rotation, these should not be on lights, or at least buried if they must be there
3. Descending mode order, a light should always start at the lowest level, but a shortcut to high is fine
4. USB charging due to water ingress and poor implementation
5. Long press for ON or OFF on e-switched lights
6. Sharp tacticool styling, in particular sharp crenelations
7. Low frequency PWM
8. Weak or useless pocket clips
9. Poor mode spacing
10. Turbo modes in main rotation, I understand having them, but I prefer them behind a double tap with an actual useful high mode in the main cycle.

 

[koziy]

The crap UI found in the fast-n-furious hello kitty glowing-lights-under-the-stanced-car with disco/candle/lava/toilet modes with the added insult of needing click-click-doubleclick-click-hold-wait-click-click interactions to get what you want, yet still can't be set to prevent someone from picking up the light and wildly clicking away resulting in the "programming" being changed.

Usually found on the lumen drag racer darling of the month lights, giving 5 seconds of maximum output before plummeting to actual maximum output.

Two utterly useless characteristics.

I think it would be game-changing if some manufacturer could develop a flashlight with a very basic visual UI that they then could port to all their models. The most basic digital wristwatch UI has all the functionality required. It just needs a very small LCD to display one line of info with just two function buttons (something like "mode" and "set/reset," where you hold them both for 3 seconds to enter programming mode and then everything is self-explanatory from there). I understand that there are much more advanced options out there today with high resolution OLED touch screens, but even the UI of a digital wristwatch from 20+ years ago would be a huge step up from the 15+ click, click-hold, double-click mess that many modern flashlight UI's result in for the user that ventures into advanced functionality. The Nitecore TUP is a step in the right direction, just not a hugely appealing flashlight in the market.

 

[likethevegetable]

Having two switches. WHY WOULD A NITECORE TINI NEED TWO SWITCHES? IT IS TINY!

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Having two switches. WHY WOULD A NITECORE TINI NEED TWO SWITCHES? IT IS TINY!

Heh, I'm the opposite. I feel like the most ridiculous, unacceptable, and cumbersome UIs are all one-switch. All it takes is a second switch to really give the UI designers some room to give a better user experience -- simple and easy shortcuts to turbo and extra low, mode switching separate from on/off, etc. For my type of usage (I realize you might use your light different from me, which is probably the reason for our opposite views) the only place one switch tends to work better is single-mode tactical, and to a much lesser extent, some of the really brilliant one-button UIs from folks like HDS and Zebralight.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

I quite like having a burst turbo that can output thousands of lumens from a light way too small to sustain it. It's useful for when I need a lot of light on something and for wowing friends.

However, I agree that 5-seconds of turbo is too low. But something like the Emisar D4 that gives me 20 seconds of turbo before gradually ramping down to a sustained high over the next 30 seconds or so is quite useful.

I love burst turbo and use it often -- for my usage, it's an amazingly useful feature and I lean hard towards lights with that feature. Unlike when I'm using low or medium, in an EDC light I tend to use turbo mode in momentary bursts anyway, so it's a perfect fit. I've never heard of a light with 5s of turbo, I'm assuming that's hyperbole? But many lights have a minute of turbo (longer if you are flashing it), and that often works great for me.

 

[Berneck1]

Complicated UI's annoy me, so I typically avoid that. The flashy modes are largely useless. If the light has them, I prefer that they can be either disabled or are buried in the UI without chance of accidentally activating. Otherwise, it's a dealbreaker.

I don't like a light that is too floody, I prefer more throw. I like to focus on what I'm pointing the light at. If it's too floody it actually distracts my vision, if that makes sense.

Anything overly tactical looking. Crenelated bezel is something I avoid, especially if it's not removable.

While I will probably never get rid of all of them, I'm moving back toward lights that take common battery types. They're achieving performance with AA batteries that was only achievable with Li-ion a few short years ago.

 

[Tixx]

1. Any CCT above 5000K, AND **** poor tints with purple mixed with green or sharp blue rings.
2. Strobes and flashy modes in the main rotation, these should not be on lights, or at least buried if they must be there
3. Descending mode order, a light should always start at the lowest level, but a shortcut to high is fine
4. USB charging due to water ingress and poor implementation
5. Long press for ON or OFF on e-switched lights
6. Sharp tacticool styling, in particular sharp crenelations
7. Low frequency PWM
8. Weak or useless pocket clips
9. Poor mode spacing
10. Turbo modes in main rotation, I understand having them, but I prefer them behind a double tap with an actual useful high mode in the main cycle.

Features I dislike in lights:

* Long press for on-off
* no shortcut to turbo
* no shortcut to moonlight
* UI that requires cycling all modes including disco mode just to turn off.
* Cool white color temp
* Greenish tint above the black-body line.
* protruding easy-to-press button in a pocket EDC light (worst offender: Nitecore Concept 1)
* USB covers that don't stay in their sockets.
* Crenelations in the head and tail.
* No knurling
* Low frequency PWM

+1 on all!

 

[Morelite]

Most disliked for me is a twist operated because I don't have use of both hands anymore. And the most liked feature is a battery voltage check function like the Nitecore tup has. I don't think it needs to bea digital screen , just a way to know the voltage when I decide to check it even if it is a matter of counting flashes to represent a range of the voltage another dislike is tints that are not natural or warm white. A good pocket clip is always a most have and preferredly One that allows clipping on a hat brim to function like a headlight.