Prefered flashlight interface for EDC

Comments?

Twisties annoy the beejeezus outta me. Turn on in my pocket or in a holster. Not cool to find out your batteries are dead when you REALLY need a working light. Anyone else find this to be the case?

Cheers.:buddies:

A combination momentary tail button/twistie constant on is waht I like best.

Scott

Not in my case Diesel bomber. They start burning my leg before the cells die.
I also voted for the clicky but with the proviso that it would last as long as the rest of the light.

Macaw - Yeah, that was another thing that annoyed me about my A2. Great light, no doubt, but not meant for me.

I rather like the HDS interface. Single button, multiple modes. Easy enough to use once you figure it out. Might not be so easy for other people (could be a good thing or a bad thing).

I selected twisty for the opposite reason of Diesel Bomber--I've never had a twisty turn on in my pocket, while I've had clickies turn on in my pocket.

My actual edc these days is a Photon II: squeeze momentary (may happen in pocket once in a while), somewhat difficult to actuate constant-on, and very long runtime (if you don't mind it getting pretty dim).

I guess yet another possibility is a pushbutton with a flip-up cover. Imagine an eternalight built like a clamshell-type cell phone.

HDS = Perfect User Interface

paulr said:

I guess yet another possibility is a pushbutton with a flip-up cover. Imagine an eternalight built like a clamshell-type cell phone.

Click to expand...

Maybe you can marry a tailcap flashlight switch with a cover like on a pepper spray dispenser?

For a two-stage switch, I find the A2, L2, L1, Kroma switch to be the best and most intuitive.

As far as the interface for mulitple levels, I think the lowly Photon Freedom Max has the most intuitive interface I have ever used.

The added length of a clickie is something to consider for an EDC.

The big thing to me for EDC would be absolute reliability. I think a good clickie will break long before a good twisty will.

Either may outlast me. I'd just hate to lug a light around for a few years just doing the wall shot thing every day only to find that it didn't work when I really needed it.

I'm also a hypocrite cuz I like clickies and have them on some lights that better work when I need them.

I should modify my initial response to also say that on small (keychain) lights I like twisties, since they save space and won't accidentally turn on as easily. Putting a clicky on something like an Arc AAA or a Jil would defeat the purpose of a light that small. Even a side button wouldn't work well since it'd always be inadvertantly turning itself on. Even though I keep my Photon Freedom on momentary setting, it still manages to turn itself on once in a while.

I've always liked the Clikie

Twisty like arcAAA or L0P, possibly with momentary like INOVA X1 or X5 etc.
Clickies seem to be awkward and prone to flicker. That said the clickies on all of my Coast Led Lensers seem to be very reliable and easy to operate without coming on in the pocket or holster.
Side switches are annoying and spoil the look of a well designed torch.

Well, it all relative to the light. I am really suprized to see more people don't like a clickie on the neck, but the poll is still young.

I am fine with my Fenix L0P being a twistie, because it is so small and not in use all the time. In this case, a clicky is something else to break, and would be very small. Not the case with Twisties.

Then my Inova X03 has momentary clickie, but is a twistie to turn it on. I was ok with this at first, but you really have twist it to get that bugger on. I don't enjoy the feeling of having to "assemble" a light just to turn it on. On the other hand, it is elegant in design, HAIII black with chrome tip, and drains the bejebus out of batteries.


What about those simple push switches on those cheap flashlights? Think before you scoff at the cheap design and twitchy contact points. Many elderly people have arthritic hands and could not push a clickie. A sliding switch is a God-send to them. To each his own.

Twistie for keychain EDC for reliability, smaller size and it won't turn on in my pocket.

Clickie for work EDC with reservations! IT MUST DO THE FOLLOWING TO HAVE A CLICKIE!

1. Spare clickies available to be kept at work
2. Twistie option for those times work is in other countries and reliability is king.

Tail clickies break eventually so spares are required at work. Luckily, my Mediterranean 2AA uses a Kroll and I have a few spares when they eventually fail. I use the cap to take place of the Kroll to convert the body to twistie for desert use so it remains ultimately reliable. Always nice to have an option.

For ease of use I prefer the tailcap clicky although I know it's less durable. For pure reliability I hand it to the twisty. Have had clickies/momentaries turn on in my pocket before, but that was more a factor of being bezel-up and the tailcap hitting other items in the pocket when sitting.

I like either a standard clickie (tho most of my lights are reverse clickie) or a "tactical" momentary on twistie.
Ideally, the standard clickie would be a 2-stage with low and high.

two lettters, PD. Twist head, easy to access two stage piston. It's a thing of beauty. Too bad not more people know about it.

I LIKE clickies, but trust twisties....unfortunate dilemma

I now try to carry a spare clickie when I can.