Tail stand fascination

There seems to be a great fascination on this forum with the idea of making a light tail stand. Is this something that you guys do a lot of or you just like the idea of being able to do it?

I have always been intrigued by flashlights and have a decent collection of lights. One thing that I do like is a slightly shrouded tail cap so that it doesn't activate on accident. However, I find tail caps that are able to tail stand are too difficult to press with my thumb and generally have to use my index finger instead.

I remember seeing on the Mini Mags package several years ago that they had a candle mode, but I've never had occasion to find this type of feature useful at all.

Interested in reading your thoughts.

I tend to agree with Robert De Niro in Analyze This.:laughing:

ETA: For some reason the post are out of sequence.

Phallic... spewing forth it's... light.

I use this feature rarely...but it's nice to be able to do it without having to find something to prop your light against.


CFU

Go to loo.

Tail stand 12 leds Ghost 2 torch on window sill.

Pee.

Just right amount of bounced light....

Alternative, stand torch face down onto CD, silver side up. Nice effect.

Checking my work email in the morning. Our bedroom is huge - the left side has the bed and the right the desks and computers. First thing after getting up a bouncing the light from my HDS off the ceiling gives me enough light to see the keyboard without being too bright to wake my wife.

I find using this ability in my little Fenix's to be just the right amount of light especially for visits to the bathroom.

Geoff

Heh, we all think alike, I use this feature in the bathroom too (Fenix L1p), and have occasionally used it in a bedroom (Arc AA) when I need to move around and someone else is trying to sleep in the room.

During the NYC blackout I used my Arc AAA bounced off the ceiling to create some light in the room so we could all keep chatting around the kitchen table. The AAA has no tailstand so I just plopped it into a coffee cup. There's usually something you can improvise like that, so tailstand isn't a vital feature, but it's handy.

So you guys don't find lights that tail stand hard to activate with your thumb?

Huh? No, not a prob for me with the Fenix, the pushbutton is almost flush with the top of the tail. Might be a slight prob with the original McLux TK, which isn't in front of me right now. I don't know about the PD etc. (I don't have). Most other lights I can think of with tail stands are twisties, so thumb activation isn't possible.

I like all my lights to be able to tail stand and the reasons that i want them to tail stand for are 1)When the power goes out 2)When i get dressed in the mornings i can't turn the light on otherwise it will disturb my wife 3)When using the toilet in the night because turning a light on will make my eyes sting. I find the feature of being able to tail stand very useful because you have both hands free and the light gets spread around the whole room not just where you are pointing the light. The push button tail switches are not a problem for me either. I find them very natural to operate.

Note that setting a non-tail-standing light on the window sill or side of the sink or something, so it bounces off the wall instead of the ceiling, works ok too. The tail stand is just handy but not a big deal.

I find the Arc AA tail stand fiddly to use because of having to flip the split ring into the right position. The Fenix and McLux are a lot better in that regard.

Btw, my Fenix was missing for several weeks but I just found it under my bed (and I thought I'd checked there before). :thumbsup:

I use tail standing much more than I thought I would, I think this is an essential feature for lights intended to be used indoors.
Some tail standing lights are much more difficult to activate while others, e.g. SL Strion, is still very easy to activate.

Sigbjoern

Most of the Twisties are tail stand capable
My Amilite Neo T3 and my orb RAW are tailstand able, using the ceiling bounce method is a great way to use these lights. They're really handy when you're travelling and just don't want to use the light switch.

paulr said:

Btw, my Fenix was missing for several weeks but I just found it under my bed (and I thought I'd checked there before). :thumbsup:

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Good deal. I bet that made your night.

TAIL STAND TO ME IS VERY IMPORTANT,power outtage here is fairly common in the winter and i dont yet have a generator, so tail standing is of importance. most of my lights are multi level so i can candle mode them easy.its a very handy feature.only my tactical lights and arc are not tail standing capable

not in the slightest,

Mikeg23 said:

So you guys don't find lights that tail stand hard to activate with your thumb?

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I use it alot for work. Handy to be able to flood an area with light thats not in your face.

I generally prefer that the button on the tailcap protrude for easy access.

I activate the switch with the pad of my thumb, or often times with the base of my hand, so find that shrouded tailcaps are not as easy to activate. I pretty much have to use the end of my thumb with shrouded tailcaps, which often requires a grip adjustment.

A light that can tailstand carries an ergonomic price for my use.

When I do use the light in constant on for some task that requires free hands, I set it down and bounce the light off something laterally. The very rare times when I want ceiling bounce are not enough to warrant a shrouded tailswitch -- I just lean the light up against something so it points up.

Scott

Mikeg23 said:

So you guys don't find lights that tail stand hard to activate with your thumb?

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no....usually tail stand is a constant on function, no point togling the switch unless you plan to strobe it.

rather than tailstand and burn lithiums i just prop my mag 3D with the 3W lux up and use that for most of my needs....lasts 10 ish hours before any dimming can be expect