What's your favorite UI design on flashlights?

bykfixer

Flashaholic
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Aug 9, 2015
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Dust in the Wind
A famous knife maker that rhymes with FOG makes some multi-setting tactical lights with a neat interface. Half press gets high only so the user can morse code or signal easily. Full press activates either full time on or allows the option of changing levels or flash mode with a half press. Release and it stays on the setting you picked. Full press again to turn it off.

The only change I'd like with that interface is two quick full press for strobe and leave it out of the cycles.
 

greenpondmike

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Dec 7, 2017
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South
As I said before my favorite is a slider with a detent for signaling but Coleman came out with one I like even better. A slider with a detent for low output then foward to high. When member @greenpondmike spoke of that one here I said outloud "oh be still my beating heart, the grail is amongst us". The low on the one I bought is 4 lumens and high is 250. Trouble is it's not very sturdy.
Somebody please do a sturdy version (hint hint xtar).
I could be wrong but I think its 350 lumens bykfixer. That light was a big help at the petro trucks stop I used to work at. I had to check the truck numbers and DOT numbers with it amongst all the light pollution. Best one of all my flashlights for that. The convoy c8 and wurkus (sp?) fc11 did fine, but that little coleman was more convenient and the 2 stage hotspot was perfect.

I have a bigger coleman from 2012 that puts out well, but it doesn't work when cold.
 

bykfixer

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Aug 9, 2015
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Dust in the Wind
I get the numbers confused. 250 lumens/325 meters, 325 lumens/250 meters..... all I can say for certain is low lights up my shed, high lights up my back yard with a nice thrower hot spot via slider switch.
 

Flynn's Arcade

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Jan 17, 2020
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51
My favorite user interface is the infinitely variable, rotary control found on the Surefire Titan, and also many Jetbeam, Nitecore, Sunwayman designs.
 

thenikjones

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Dec 11, 2004
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The rotary knob on CoolFall lights is the best I've found so far.

The Oveready "first mode change goes to lowest" is reasonable alternative.
 

Labrador72

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
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1,851
Location
European Union
My favorite UI design would like this:
Single or dual tail switch (no side switches)
Easy direct access to turbo mode (no fine motor skills required)
Direct access to the lowest mode (1 to 5 lumens - motor skills don't matter)

In addition to that: programmable UI, well hidden SOS, and no strobe or an optional strobe in one programmable UI setting would be OK but want to have the option to disable it.

Unfortunately, there are very few lights out there that allow direct access to turbo and low (ultra-low or moonlight) and too much marketing fluff glorifying strobe.
 
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HB Guy

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May 5, 2019
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Cool Fall's rotary mode selection dial on the SPY005 and SPY007 combines simplicity with usability, in my opinion. The haptic feedback on the 007 Ultra is an added benefit. Overall, Cool Fall's is best.
 

Msf

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Joined
Jul 14, 2016
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262
Location
Virginia
HDS for continuously variable.
H17x or similar for mechanical switches, but definitely want it with a forward clicky, not reverse. like how I can have more than one mode group to easily adapt to different environments.
 
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