What makes a light "EDC"?

[Tasky]

Following on from a similar topic...

I see many lights marketed as EDC or designed for EDC. Certainly I'd not carry half of them every day, but of course my needs differ from everyone else's.
With such a wide variance in size, features, cells, performance and so on, it got me wondering if there's a general standard for such things...

So, rather than a tactical one, or one for hunting, or Duty, or inspection... What would you (in your personal view) say defines an EDC light?

 

[idleprocess]

What would you say defines an EDC light?

Handy enough for most of the market to carry on their person daily with adequate utility.

 

[Olumin]

EDC really means nothing, except an item that you carry on your person on a daily basis. There is certainly no fixed definition for "EDC" flashlights. However, most of the lights marketed as EDC are on the smaller side and are always at least pocket-carryable. AAA to 1x 18350 format for the most part. They also tend to have more then one mode and most of them have a pocket clip. You will also usually find a more floody beam-profile on lights marketed as EDC compared to ones marketed towards law enforcement, security, military, camping or other outdoor activities.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

Handy enough for most of the market to carry on their person daily with adequate utility.

I'm in a good mood today, so I'm going with you.

If the light has enough output for one's needs and you don't notice it, it's a great EDC.

I carry a gun, pack of gum, keys, wallet, SwissChamp, big cell phone and a lipstick sized light and that's a lot of stuff.

Don't need more output for my EDC needs.

Chris

 

[richbuff]

If I carry a light every day for a while, I call it an edc light. I started big: MM15, M43, TN36UT, TK75 4 x 70, X45.
But I have gradually lowered my edc to a smaller size class. D18 W2, MS06, TM9K, MT07, FW21Pro, EC03, NSX53, MS03, E4K and FT02S.
My backup edc is FW4 W2 or D4V2 W2. I like variety/rotation.

If anyone carries a light every day for a while, it is "edc".

 

[bykfixer]

I think it comes down to the user preference. Every Day Carry varies from person to person. One person might prefer to carry a Streamlight stinger in a backpack where another a 1aaa number on a keychain.

The marketing folks probably figure a pocket sized lighting tool could be called EDC since the tacticool buyers find those passe' anymore. In other words EDC is the new tacticool.

 

[Jean-Luc Descarte]

Convenience.

A light, to be EDC, has to be of a size convenient to the user (not too big as to add bulk to the setup, and not too small where it can be easily lost or it affects runtime), useful in every day tasks (so usually floody to look into close range stuff), and bright and long-lasting enough for neither to be a concern.

After this, it's a game of variables as to what suits each user. But whatever the size, power and beam format you pick for yourself, your ECD torch has to be convenient for your everyday needs.

 

[idleprocess]

I think it comes down to the user preference. Every Day Carry varies from person to person. One person might prefer to carry a Streamlight stinger in a backpack where another a 1aaa number on a keychain.

Context is important.

• Verb: I EDC a personal laptop, work laptop, assorted laptop accoutrements, BLF A6, Olight H2R, Manker E11, spare cells, powerbank, numerous USB cables, small toolkit, pens, and a pad of paper in my work backpack
• Noun: My EDC lights are a LD01 on my house keyring and a Nitecore TIP on my car keyring

The marketing folks probably figure a pocket sized lighting tool could be called EDC since the tacticool buyers find those passe' anymore. In other words EDC is the new tacticool.

The law of averages suggests that by the time the formfactor demands holster or bag carry it's not going to be widely defined as 'EDC' (noun) even if it's carried daily (verb) as part of a kit - convenient for a front pants pocket seems to be the limit for the genre.

 

[Katherine Alicia]

a Light that you... wait for it!... Carry Every Day

to make a good EDC light it`s daily benefits must outweigh its inconvenience, that`s why I EDC the Manker E02, it helps me daily with all sorts of mundane things and isn`t the least bit of trouble to clip on and forget, it`s the perfect EDC light for me. But if I worked outside at night regularly then I`d EDC my Wrist light instead or probably holster something, so there`s probably no `Perfect` or ideal EDC light that could be set as a standard.

 

[subwoofer]

It looks like so far, people are deciding that EDC has to be personal carry, but on that I would widen that scope to include any other mobile aspect. I have levels of EDC ramping up from constant personal carry through work bag carry and ultimately to vehicle carry.

The reason for saying that is that an EDC light for me can vary massively and there is no absolute definition of an EDC light. An EDC light is as varied as the people using and carrying them - my personal 'range' of EDC lights being anything from a Photon micro up to an Olight SR96.

 

[Tasky]

It looks like so far, people are deciding that EDC has to be personal carry, but on that I would widen that scope to include any other mobile aspect. I have levels of EDC ramping up from constant personal carry through work bag carry and ultimately to vehicle carry.

See, that's what got me wondering...

A manufacturer decides that their light is intended for Tactical, or Outdoor, or Workplace, or EDC purposes and markets it as such. In my recent case, it was the Fenix E18R, although that general design has become popular enough in the Tacticool/EDC cultural scene that it is frequently regarded as the definitive EDC light design by which all others are measured... probably due to Olight and their S1 Baton series.

But for me, while I find such things cute and cool and fun, it's just too small and fiddly to use for EDC.
So I was just curious as to how much variance there was between the manufacturers' designation, and people's own ideas of what lights they EDC.

 

[subwoofer]

Of course, no light is any use if you don't do the 'C' part. Like the best ever survival knife (being the one you have on you).

As you say, there are then the ergonomics, and how they suit the individual.

One of the easiest types of design to assess are the real 'tactical' lights. These get used when 'poop is going down' and you won't be thinking, or changing modes. You want to hit a button and have light - that is it. And do this while wearing gloves, so can't feel for buttons.

Everything else comes down to patience and usefulness, and size. I still find 2xAA longwise, one if the best size/shape to hold.

 

[Tasky]

Of course, no light is any use if you don't do the C. Like the best ever survival knife (being the one you have on you).

Or, as a friend of mine is fond of saying, "The .22* you're carrying beats the .45 you left at home"!
They call it 'program compliance', in that the design is enough to be suitable and usable under most situations, often with additional features too, but not so big/small/unwieldy that you just end up not carrying it. I find that also applies very much to torches, and generally all my other stuff, too.

One of the easiest types of design to assess are the real 'tactical' lights. These get used when 'poop is going down' and you won't be thinking, or changing modes. You want to hit a button and have light - that is it. And do this while wearing gloves, so can't feel for buttons.

Ja, see, to me that's pretty EDC friendly. I take the µPerun or the LD15R when I am working and need a headtorch, but for general everyday life I look for a general everyday torch. Some days it's raining or cold and I'll have gloves on, some days I'll want to minimise the amount of junk I have, so it's all about finding the one torch that covers as many bases as possible.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around Anduril and all the double-half-press-long-hold-secret-handshake combinations that access the various functions. While I think it's pretty darn cool, I couldn't imagine dragging out the manual and going through all that on a daily basis!!


Also, I just noticed that your avatar is animated! :laughing:



*.22, .38, 9mm or any other calibre routinely derided as inferior compared to the "stopping power" of the mighty .45ACP!

 

[Cruzzer08]

IMO its gotta fit in a pocket, be durable, have multiple modes (secondary color and programmable is a plus but not a must), and replaceable batteries. If it does all that then I wanna carry it every day


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[ScaryFatKidGT]

Any light is a EDC if you carry it every day. Oh this? I'd just my buddy Max beam, say hi to him.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Small enough to carry at all times, brighter, longer running, and more durable than a cell phone flashlight, waterproof, drop proof, rechargeable or lithium batteries (no alkaleaks), multiple brightness levels, I prefer it to have hands free options (clip for a hat, magnets for mounting to metal, etc.). My edc is the Nitecore Tip 2.

 

[dmattaponi]

I like a single easy to find anywhere battery, with a pocket clip, and several levels (a low for long battery life, medium, and high). Also in regard to size, not so big that it's uncomfortable or takes up too much room in a pocket, while also not being so small that it's awkward to handle. I like a single AA sized edc light.


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[fuyume]

Following on from a similar topic...

I see many lights marketed as EDC or designed for EDC. Certainly I'd not carry half of them every day, but of course my needs differ from everyone else's.
With such a wide variance in size, features, cells, performance and so on, it got me wondering if there's a general standard for such things...

So, rather than a tactical one, or one for hunting, or Duty, or inspection... What would you (in your personal view) say defines an EDC light?

What defines an EDC light is that you carry it every day. That what EDC means: every day carry. It's the act that defines the category, not the manufacturer's marketing or design decisions.

My EDC light is a 2021 Fenix E12 v2.0. Why? Because I long ago decided that the 1xAA format was right for me because of its particular combination of size, weight, and availability (particularly the weight and availability of Energizer L91 lithium iron disulfide primary cells), and the E12 has the type of operation mechanics I prefer: tail switch, always turns on in lowest mode, three modes only.

But my 2021 Fenix PD36 TAC could quite easily be my EDC flashlight if I felt like carrying a larger and heavier light. Fenix markets this as a "tactical" light, and it actually does meet my definition of a true "tactical" light, but it also cleverly incorporates just enough additional features to make it usable as an EDC light without compromising its tactical usability. The only thing the PD36 TAC doesn't do is offer a 5 lumen mode; its lowest mode is 30 lumens, which I regard as too bright for most of the reasons why I carry a flashlight every day, in the first place. But, that 30 lumen mode is fine in many other circumstances.

My regular EDC items are all tiny:
Victorinox Rambler knife (my most-used knife)
Fenix E12 v2.0 light (with extra AA battery)
Fisher Buller Space Pen (all-weather emergency backup for my fountain pens)
Bic mini Bic lighter (most convenient fire starter)
and a few other items of similar size, in a tiny zipper pouch in my handbag

Now, I almost always also carry a larger knife, a Gerber Harsey AirFrame, but I don't feel the need to carry the PD36 TAC on a regular basis. Mostly, it's my bicycle headlamp.

The two other lights I would consider for EDC are a 1x16340/CR123A (Fenix E18R) or a 2xAA (Fenix E20 v2.0). Anything larger/heavier is something that won't "go everywhere" for me, which has to include fitting in a tiny formal evening clutch or wristlet.

 

[fuyume]

The law of averages suggests that by the time the formfactor demands holster or bag carry it's not going to be widely defined as 'EDC' (noun) even if it's carried daily (verb) as part of a kit - convenient for a front pants pocket seems to be the limit for the genre.

Perhaps for men, but women in our society routinely carry handbags of varying sizes, and so do a lot of men, on top of which a lot of people of all sexes/genders have careers where the majority of the time they are not at home, they have a briefcase with them.

Of course all these bits and bobs do add up in weight and volume, so generally we all like to keep it as small and light as it consistent with our personal comfort.

 

[idleprocess]

Of course all these bits and bobs do add up in weight and volume, so generally we all like to keep it as small and light as it consistent with our personal comfort.

Different pressures yet a similar outcome...