Do you feel the current flashlight industry is meeting your needs?

I'm looking to gage the opinions here on CPF as to how the flashlight industry is meeting your lighting needs. I think it is information justifying a poll in this case. Thanks!

I would have to say that the industry represented by Surefire, HDS and the high quality lights from China like the Fenix line are definately meeting my needs and exceeding my expectations.

My tastes, developed here on CPF, tend toward the boutique manufacturers like the excellent Orb in the U.K., but I would include them as competitors in the overall industry.

I also enjoy the cutting edge developments found here with the CPF Modders. These lights are not usually developed for a mass market but rather taylored to a specific group or even individual. I enjoy participating in these projects, not so much for need as for desire. My CPF lights like the USL, Nano, and Exolion (all yet to be enjoyed) are either hotrods, works of art or both and allow me to participate in this great commuity without the knowledge or skill others contribute.

It is a 50/50 thing with me,
A combination of LuxV Mag mods, Fenix mod and a few Peak lights meet 95% of my needs at this point. Have a Fire~Fly III coming in the mail and presently purchasing parts for an eventual BAM 400+ lumen Mag mod.
A lot has changed in the last year, now I can purchase 2AA regulated Luxeon lights and single AA/AAA form factor running a Luxeon are available. Multiple output lights are more common and the modders on this forum offer HA-III bored Mags, stainless and HA-III extended bezels for Mags, drop-in modules, Fenix upgrade boards, custom builds and multiple options.
The flashlight industry provides 50% and CPF modders and small manufacturers provide the other 50%.

Really, all I *need* out of any of my lights is the A2, since it could replace all my lights. The rest are just fun.

However, I'd like to see a 4-LED Photon Freedom 1xAA. No overdriving. It could be three 5mm white LEDs and one 3mm red LED. It'd be perfect.

I think my paycheck is doing a poor job of meeting my flashlight needs.

Scott

One important missing light that I keep lobbying for is a lightweight 1AA headlamp, ideally like a Petzl Zipka except with an AA and a boost converter.

paulr said:

One important missing light that I keep lobbying for is a lightweight 1AA headlamp, ideally like a Petzl Zipka except with an AA and a boost converter.

Click to expand...

I have to agree on that. It would be great see a headlamp like that.

So many good lights, but personally I'd like to see fully regulated incans become available. The A2 is by all accounts an awesome light, but there are a wide range of other incans that would be awesome if regulated (preferably with low batt warning). The technology is already out there...

Andrew

I am looking for more multi-lux lights which the current dealers are lacking in. I mean multi-lux as in more than 4 leds . Elecktrolumens comes to mind though. Waiting to see how the K2 stunner turns out.....

Other versions that can take the place of multi-lux could be multi-die leds like the one lambda used recently. Pity its still an unknown led as of now...

I guess it is because the basic function of a flashlight is to be a simple tool that so many manufacturers have failed to make flashlights more tailored to end user needs. Nite-Ops seems to be one of the few (if not the only company) to have addressed this problem by asking the question what is required from the end user in military and law enforcement and then getting the engineers to make the light, aka the Gladius.

Unfortunately, in my view, too many lights are designed without finding out what they are going to be used for and who will be their target group. Logic dictates that if you make a light exclusively for one group of individuals then sales will naturally be limited (in general) to that group. For this reason many comapnies try to design something that will appeal to the masses rather than for functionality if only to maximise a good return for their financial investment.

How often have you seen a light which looks cool and has some wonderous attribute only to find that you can't carry it easily because no one has thought about that aspect of the light in the design stage? How often have you thought that this light is great but...............?

In general terms most manufacturers seem to limit new designs to output and aesthetics rather than function over form.

IMHO very few companies actually listen to what is needed by the end user. If they did then no doubt the sales would be a lot less but a at least the lights would be better. Your views may differ but for my money there are very few falshlights out there which are up to the task they are sold for.

Doug

Yes and no.

Without getting into specifics, I mean that we all have those little things that we want with regards to power/brightness, runtime, pattern, switches, ergonomics etc., considering the infancy of some of its technology, the flashlight industry, as a whole, is doing a pretty good job availing quite a variety of products. But because there are so many people to do so many different kinds of jobs and tasks that require a flashlight, as many quality flashlights that there are, sometimes, not one will hit the mark perfectly for a particular user or specific need.

73
dim

Dim,

The point of my post was that manufacturers such as Streamlight market particular lights as more suitable for some uses than others. i.e, firefighters, LEO's etc. However, no one tells you how these lights were researched as fit for the role suggested? Where was the market research and what particular attibutes the maker has designed and incorporated to make the light/lights suitable for the intended role?

When you buy most domestic appliances ,you are sold the item (insert whatever) with reference to it's particular attributes and what makes it the best (insert whatever) type of machine for the role intended. Most flashlights however are presented as great pieces of technology but then it's left up to you to find out its strengths and weaknesses.

When I bought a Gladius I knew exactly what I was getting because the manufacturer had already ensured that the light was designed and marketed to do a specific role. The fact that it can be made or used differently to its intended use for the military/LEO market is just icing on the cake for Blackhawk because they'll sell more of them. I don't use it in its intended role but then I know why it has x design attributes incorporated into it and not because I found out by chance.

I think more manufacturers should identify the role/use that they envision the light will used in and then engage with potential customers for strengths and weaknesses in potential designs. IMHO very few lights are designed with a purpose in mind and many come into being as a result of wishful thinking on the part of some manufacturers hoping that their light will become popular?

Doug

Yes, look at all the great lights that have,come out and will be coming out soon,a few years ago the choice of flashlights was not good,now the amount and types out there is impressive. The led turned the flashlight world around,from no excitement to wow look at that.

Yes, I remember only just a few years ago if you wanted a good Led Flashlight
you had to get one custom made or modify it yourself, the same applied with
incand lights but not as much. Now you can easily purchase some great lights, eg: Nuwai, Fenix, the orb, Surefire, the list goes on. There are quite a few good mod kits available as well.

I'm at the point where I want a Gladius (or a U2) that will run at full output for about 4 hours (can you imagine the lower output runtimes!!!)

What I'm about to say may be regarded as heresy by some CPFers, but frankly, I prefer a light to have the features I'm looking for inherent in a light's production design rather than having to rely on modding.

While I own some modded lights (and my 2 stage Fenix has proven to be one of my most useful EDCs), I just prefer the psychological security in knowing that a given operation was planned for from the ground up and has been thoroughly tested for long-term reliability.

As for custom built lights, these are generally too expensive and valuable for me to own and want to carry and risk damage or loss.

For the most part, the industry has done well in continually offering brighter, better tinted and cheaper options that use more common batteries, etc. Now, I would just like to see more lights that are as small as they can be and have at least 2 brightness levels at similar pricepoints.

My needs are well met. My wants are just barely met - there are plenty of lights with some of the features I'm looking for, but only a couple with all:

two-stage pushbutton switch
twist for costant on
lock out
regulated
clip for bezel-down carry
no extra gimmicks (e.g. SOS mode)

There are lights at $50 or less with any one of those, maybe a few of those... but to get all of them costs $200 or so. I'm sure it's just a matter of time though.

Yup.. I prefer the professionally-tested lights as well. Commercial outfits can afford $$ to destroy lights in the name of destructive testing - and I'm sure Surefire does that.

They nailed my light of choice in the form of the U2, that was it. So I feel they've met my requirements. Of course, having a choice of modded lights is nice too, for other occasions and requirements.

U2 at max for 4 hours = 4X normal runtime, if that trickles down linearly, 48 hours on the lowest setting will become a massive 8 days nonstop!

For all of my needs and purposes the Flashlight Industry has met and exceeded my needs. At this point, if I buy a new Light, it is more so because I think it would be a great addition to use. However, as for needs, they are currently all being fulfilled.

Whenever I feel the need for another expensive light, then I know EXACTLY where to shop, and I generally get the light that fills my perceived need.

If I had to narrow down my collection to 2 lights that I would really miss, then it's the Surefire 8NX I use at work, and the SF L1 I use at home. I have many others, but in many cases, they are 'want' rather than 'need' lights.

I think the industry (I will refer to SF, as I'm more familiar with their products), has reached yet another plateau, LED lights are making big inroads into the EDC of consumers, and they now have long runtimes AND adequate brightness (sometimes multi-level). In order to keep on selling expensive lights to people who already have many expensive lights, they need to offer something 'new' and exciting. The SF Kroma is a good example of this, it's got the coloured LEDs (Aviator), the multi level light with optic (L1), and now, we have BLUE LEDs too ! I would probably consider the Kroma, if it offered colour options for the LEDs, maybe UV or NVG green, instead of blue.

I have a SF M6 on the way to me at this moment, so I'm no stranger to paying the cash to get the light, but I find that these days, I appreciate smaller, simpler lights more. My EDC in my jacket is a SF 6P, and also a SF M2 with HOLA and SW02, and I always have an ARC AAA-P on a neck cord.