What new trends are on the horizon?

[zulumoose]

I would think that the best solution to both the heat dissipation and the run time is to research emitters that convert a higher percentage of their energy consumption into the desired frequencies of light, and have therefore less waste in terms of heat or undesirable light frequencies. The theoretical ideal light source produces no heat except that which is created by the desired light frequencies interacting with a medium.

I wonder which avenue is making greater strides these days in flashlight terms, battery technology or light efficiency? What would be the scale used to measure that, something like "lumen hours per gram in a <1kg system?"

 

[Modernflame]

I disgree with this idea with the strongest emphasis possible. See Matthew 6:24, and I am not thumping anything here, but making a point (which is that the underlying principle is ancient).

May I ask what is meant by this? Not at all looking for a debate, I'm just struggling to find the connection.

 

[Zak]

Actual trends I've noticed:

• Neutral white options are becoming a little more common
• High-CRI options are becoming more common, with Nitecore even making an effort to educate the uninitiated
• Right-angle headlamp/handheld hybrids are really catching on. It used to be just Zebralight and Armytek. Now it's also Nitecore, Xtar, Skilhunt, Imalent, Acebeam, Sportac (Eagletac), Fenix and probably others I'm forgetting
• Max modes are getting more bursty. Olight now has lights with 30 second stepdowns, and several reasonably pocketable 1x18650 lights (e.g. from Armytek, Zebralight and Klarus) can do over 1500 lumens fairly briefly before the thermal sensor backs it off
• Onboard charging is growing in popularity
• Olight has somehow managed to make proprietary batteries marketable again when the industry had been moving away from them

I do think a powerbank/light combination could sell well. Here's how I'd do it:

• First and foremost, it needs to be pocketable with the USB cable included. A right-angle plug and flat cable should do the trick. It would have a good, removable pocket clip.
• It needs to have nice tint and CRI so it's good for photography, makeup, inspecting detailed work, etc... a 5000K, 90 CRI 219C would be nice.
• There should probably be an easy way to carry a diffuser, e.g. by slipping it on the tailcap when not in use.
• It would include a removable, standard 18650.
• The UI would be sane, with shortcuts to high and low, and probably no blinky modes.
• Max output from the USB port would be high - at least 2A.

None of these things are especially hard to do. What might be hard, however is to sell a reasonable volume with a reasonable profit margin. This would not be a $25 device.

 

[nitedrive]

I'm waiting for some company to design a flashlight-camera-GPS-phone. Who ever makes that thing will make a killing. (sent from my iPhone)


Seriously, I think one needs only to look at point and shoot cameras. For a while they were all the rage. Each year we would see new features packed into the latest pocket sized camera. Sure some phones had cameras but they were really poor quality. Fine for remembering where you parked but not sufficient for real photography. But the phone seems to be the killer device that everyone carries. So better quality cameras became a thing. Sure most are still inferior to my 10 year old point and shoot... but guess which one comes with me all the time. For many their EDC flashlight is built into the phone. I'm almost there but I like how easily I can turn on my Ti3 vs fumbling with the phone controls. Yes, the phone is a lousy EDC for almost every reason other than I already have it in my pocket.

Anyway, I wouldn't hold my breath that flashlights will evolve into multi-use devices so much as that other devices might get better flashlights.

 

[wjv]

When attempting to add unnecessary features to a tool that is already effective and satisfactory at it's single task, you dilute and cripple its original purpose, and reduce the effectiveness of that tool from it being excellent at its purpose, to making it mediocre at any purpose.

Yes!

Despite cameras in phones becoming better, they still can't compete with a nice dedicated pocket camera with a 12x optical zoom.

Last year when I was in Ape Cave I was amazed at the number of people using their phones as their primary flashlight. Yes I know that the leds on the backs of most phones are pretty bright, but again, my simple S1 Baton will blow any cell phone "flashlight" out of the water.

Plus there is the fact that once you add features, you need to make the "UI" more complex.

I prefer my flashlights to be flashlights.

As to future trends. . .

Brighter, Brighter, more extreme claims of throw, brighter, lower runtimes with higher outputs. . . 6,000 Lumens. . . for 15 seconds, then dropping to 250 lumens. . .

 

[wjv]

The one thing I would like to see in a flashlight is a RED TAIL LiGHT option.
Flashlights work great for seeing & beeing seen from the front, but not so good from the back.
Actually a red dome on the back end of a light would help with side visibility as well.

Here you go!

 

[bykfixer]

^^ LifeGear makes some. WalMart sells them.

 

[wjv]

^^ LifeGear makes some. WalMart sells them.

SEARCH LIGHT 250
SEARCH LIGHT 500
LED GLOW STICK + FLASHLIGHT
GLOW FLASHLIGHT
GLOW FLASHLIGHT MINI
PRO SERIES RED ALERT 300
PRO SERIES RED ALERT 500

 

[bykfixer]

A couple of company shwag items arrived today.

One item reminded me of this thread.

A cute little geek light.
Comes with a screwdriver to open the case of a laptop and a bottle opener to crack open a geeky bottle of high caffinated beverage.
(On the left is some kinda safety light to wear on my safety vest at night)

And if they drop a screw...

A great little shadow lighter.

About $2.35 at the company store. So the geeks in my family are getting these for Christmas.

 

[eh4]

Better emitters and better batteries, also more efficient inductive charging and highly efficient, electrical contact, in - host charging without compromising the body (no rubber plug micro usb) and without needing proprietary batteries.
Programmable lights with programmable buttons, better mechanical switches and even more durable switch covers.
Also tech beyond led, like 100 CRI nano carbon filaments with IR reflecting/recycling domes that allow infinite ramping with the color temp traveling along Kirchhoff's curve, giving us deep red firefly and cool white for turbo, and everything in between, tunable for the user's preference.
Tunable optics that are tough and environmentally sealed, sapphire outer lenses...
Mass production replaced by one off custom production in local fabrication labs...

 

[stephenk]

Actually, that is precisely the danger. Crenellations, anyone? Crenellations are perhaps useful to some tiny minority of users, and among that population, will only actually get used for any purpose very very rarely, if ever. An unused feature is a useless feature. Crenellations were and still are mostly unnecessary, mostly unused, and therefore, useless. Also, they're ugly, and they destroy pockets and ultimately do far more damage to the user than the vanishingly small probability of an attacker, or being able to sucessfully defend against such an attacker with such a feature on a flashlight.

Yet once introduced to the industry, crenelaltions spread rapidly to all corners of the Earth and nearly ubiquitously to almost every flashlight, not unlike the scourge of a virulent and highly contagious plague. There are less than a handful of flashlight manufacturers that somehow are immune to catching the crenellation plague.

+1. Seriously, has anyone on this forum actually used a crenelated/attack bezel for self-defence purposes? Pretty much pointless feature that seems to be on far too many lights these days.

 

[bykfixer]

The crenalation feature is now touted as "glass breaker" or my favorite... to let you know you left your light on when placed on a table bezel down....
Still can't get my mind around why John Q Public wants strobe while walking the pedigree dog(s). I guess it's part of living comfort eagle...

 

[Witterings]

Still can't get my mind around why John Q Public wants strobe while walking the pedigree dog(s). I guess it's part of living comfort eagle...

I've never had to use it but the other night I was walking in a quiet area (with said pedigree) and someone told me some "unpleasants" had been seen leaving a stables which had been stolen from recently and it was comforting to know I had it, we were also going for a weekend break and some of the areas were described as "not the best" to walk at night and again whilst we actively avoided known "bad" areas it was just quite nice to know you had it there.

Granted it's not like carrying an AK47 but it is very disorientating and in my opinion a nice option as long as it's not something you keep activating by mistake.