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

[LogansRun]

As mentioned by others...
1. Disco modes
2. SOS mode - c'mon, Flashoholics know SOS in morse code, right? On the other hand, if you signal SOS, will the person who sees your light even understand what SOS is?
3. The need to cycle through the disco, SOS modes to get to the basic modes
4. Crenelated bezels
5. Puke green tint
6. Two switches - just means more things to fail
7. Program modes that require you to always have a cheat sheet around - if you lose that sheet, you may never be able reprogram your light again
8. Overkill on knurling, i.e. weird patterns, sharp edges. Flashlights are tools, not fashion accessories.
9. Multiple coloured anodizing - Not into weird colours, just give me black, grey, natural or silver.

 

[Javora]

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

I can understand that for most people. For me it's been a Godsend when trying to collect evidence. YMMV of course.

 

[JimIslander]

Strobe

 

[lion504]

A lot of the other stuff has been covered, so I'll add forward clicky.

 

[lion504]

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.

+1

 

[bykfixer]

Forward clicky?
Do elaborate...please.

 

[lion504]

Forward clicky?
Do elaborate...please.

IF I have a choice, I'll go reverse clicky every time. But many lights don't offer the choice, so I just have to deal with it.

The reason I prefer a reverse clicky is that I don't like to commit to a mode, since I regularly want to vary the amount of light I'm using to exactly match the task at hand. With a fwd clicky, you cycle quickly through the options and then choose one. This choice is 'permanent' (I say this tongue in cheek, fully cognizant of the fact this is a first world problem . Permanent in the sense that you have to turn the light off to switch to a different mode.

With a reverse clicky, on the other hand, the 'permanent' choice is to turn the light on. But the mode selection remains variable. As my needs change, I can easily adapt the output by softpressing.

 

[Modernflame]

For me, using a reverse clicky is like trying to write left handed. Just can't do it.

 

[bykfixer]

So a reverse clicky can change modes too? Brilliant!!!

I suppose my thoughts of a clicky are kinda right handed to borrow from Mr Flames post. Signaling before commiting is like writing left to right to me. But with multi setting lights that does pose a problem.

With a reverse a comittment has to have been made. I got used to the reverse click in one setting lights. A $3 Rayovac for example. I'd never really considered it for mode changes for "good" lights because I've only used reverse on lights you have to cycle through a series of settings to turn off. I'm intrigued now.

Now one setup I found intriguing was the LED Lenser P7 where no motion was without a change. Forward gave turbo, reverse stepped down a notch. Forward back to turbo then reverse for low. Forward to turbo, back for off.

My pop told me I was left handed until the government converted me to right hand in kindergarten. Came in real handy when I broke my right wrist in middle school. I did not know then how I picked it up so easy as I was in my 20's when he told me that.

So I suppose I could get the hang of a "good" reverse clicky setup.

I prefer not to not like any features of any working flashlight. But if I had to pick one or be killed I'd have to say having to cycle through a series to turn my light off is a drag. Even more if strobe is in the mix.

 

[340pd]

Conundrum,

Most disliked: My own personal inability to fully click on my Malkoff recessed tailcap switches using my thumb. (hopefully mitigated on my new HD 18650 w/Tricap that is in the mail)

Most liked: The recessed tailcap switch on all my Malkoff flashlights. They are designed to allow tail standing and are nearly impossible to accidentally activate when in one's pocket.

 

[flatline]

Forward clickies vs Reverse clickies

I like forward clickies on single-mode lights. If I only need light for a moment, I can half-press and then release. A reverse clickie requires 2 full presses to turn the light on and then off.

I like reverse clickies for multi-mode lights. Click the light on, half-press to get to the desired output. If I want to change output later, I just half-press again. No need to turn the light completely off and then on again like with a forward clickie. Also, I have problems with forward clickies momentarily activating in my pocket which can advance the mode in a multi-mode light (this is only a problem for lights with mode-memory...which I despise, but have learned to tolerate).

--flatline

 

[Cosmodragoon]

#1 blue tint & poor CRI
#2 PWM
#3 Any start mode other than LMH
#4 Strobe

Good answer!

I might expand on 1 a little. I want to see clearly. I'd also like my light to be pretty and easy on my eyes. Depending on what I'm doing, I'm happy between 3000K and 5000K.

I'm a little more flexible on 3 but I definitely prefer starting low. Starting high can be a shock and that violates my condition on 1 above. Starting in a sub-low like "moonlight" can be good in some situations but not always. I tend to agree with the people who hate having too many modes. I'm usually happy with LMH, LH, or even a single-mode flashlight so long as one of those modes is offering generally usable light for a reasonably long run time.

 

[idleprocess]

In keeping with a number of responses, loathe most >5000K LEDs, slow PWM, SOS/strobe in the main mode sequence.

I used to be all about that forward click some 10+ years ago when single-mode lights were the thing, but that era is gone. Now even the cheapest of lights have multiple modes, often using power interrupt as a means to trigger modes, something the reverse click is excellent at with good design.

I also used to be skeptical about programmable lights, deliberately avoiding the likes of HDS. But then I discovered the Emisars and lately the FW3A and have realize the UI isn't all that difficult - the hard parts are largely set-and-forget and even then I find that the knowledge seems to stick.

Fast PWM also doesn't bother me. I don't notice it and I gather it's a great way to implement the kind of arbitrary output options that slow PWM enjoys only without the perceptible flicker.

I can't get my head around the ultra premium lights out there, but the lower end of the market I enjoy lately doesn't seem to be lacking for similar performance in a more utilitarian package. A great deal of the complexity-for-complexity's-sake design out there is similarly wasted on me.

I find the inability of many single cell designs in AA/AAA form factor to handle the spectrum of cell chemistries baffling and disappointing. Inexpensive brands can manage this trick, thus it's something everyone should be moving towards.

 

[idleprocess]

Oh, and the market obsession with throw confuses me. I understand that some people need to sweep fields, treelines, shoot light down corridors, etc. But it feels like 0-60 times for performance-oriented cars - something that's not needed anywhere near as often as the marketing material would have you think that it is.

Living in the suburbs, my throwers sit on a shelf and mostly serve as overly complex battery holders. It's not until I visit the folks in the country that they have any real utility for me. Otherwise >90% of the time I need to see something less than 10 meters away; another ~9% of the time I want to see perhaps 30 meters; the final ~1% I might want to see more than 30 meters. My overwhelming use case is task lighting - see where I'm going, find something in the dark, illuminate an immediate area; if I need more reach than that it's typically neither mission-critical nor so demanding that briefly smashing turbo doesn't do the trick.

On those occasions when I do need a thrower, the useful reach isn't the kilometers that the likes of the BLF GT or HID spotlights claim. In my experience there's enough water vapor, dust, and pollution in the air reflecting back at you to obscure the target to an annoying degree. Short of moving some ways off axis, there's not much one can do to mitigate the effect. More than 100-200 meters away and the falloff in utility is swift.

 

[LRJ88]

I have a feeling i know which thread OP meant.

For me there are a few, but the main ones are:

Overly complicated UI for something that should be pretty simple (twist head counter-clockwise and tap the button fast 15+ times to change to the next programming mode, only to be able to see if it worked after 10 seconds of no further input etc.).

Hold-to-start buttons, i need light now, not in 3 seconds.

PWM, it messes with my eyes.

Non-replaceable tailcap boots.

Skimping on the hardware, if i can see that they used o-rings that barely seal i question that they cared much about the other internals either before putting it together.

 

[Fireclaw18]

Least liked feature?

- Bad UI. I prefer instant access to moonlight, max and off. I hate UIs that require long presses for on or off, or have to cycle through modes to get to off.

I don't mind green tint or ringy beams. Those are usually easily modded away. However, a bad UI is harder. Fixing it requires a driver swap or reflash.

 

[xevious]

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.

I have a Nitecore EC4GT that has 2 switches. Compared to my EA4, the button UI is more flexible and usable for me. However, I do like the Anduril UI that utilizes a single switch. But it requires developing a familiarity with the UI pathways. Once you know them, it's actually not bad. But when considering how much easier it would be with 2 buttons, I'm hoping that there will eventually be a 2-button Anduril UI.

PWM is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Thankfully most quality lights available today are free of visible PWM. But there are still some out there... like the Rovyvon Aurora A8. It's a terrific little light, but has visible PWM in the lower modes. Since I use low more often than high, it's a little annoying.

 

[mightysparrow]

Magnets - I have to carry several magnetized key cards, so magnets are a deal-breaker. That rules out a lot of great lights, these days.

 

[Skaaphaas]

Magnets - I have to carry several magnetized key cards, so magnets are a deal-breaker. That rules out a lot of great lights, these days.

And that's somehow one of my favourite features, a strong tail magnet like in my Olight S1 Baton.

I've carried it in pockets with parking lot cards and credit cards and have not had any issues with them, but I don't know how key cards work.

 

[xevious]

Magnets - I have to carry several magnetized key cards, so magnets are a deal-breaker. That rules out a lot of great lights, these days.

Have you considered putting the magnetized key cards in protective sheaths? I do that with my frequently carried credit cards. It helps protect them from RFID scanning, plus minimized scratching. They're paper thin sleeves with a foil coating inside.