bi-clicky? :-)

The switch on Sam's Element flashlights are neither forward nor reverse clickies. Then what are they?

On a perhaps unrelated note: among all my flashlights, which includes Fenix L2DCE, Pelican 7060, and SL 4AA PP, among others, I like the switches on the Sam's lights the best.

katx said:

The switch on Sam's Element flashlights are neither forward nor reverse clickies. Then what are they?

On a perhaps unrelated note: among all my flashlights, which includes Fenix L2DCE, Pelican 7060, and SL 4AA PP, among others, I like the switches on the Sam's lights the best.

Click to expand...

:thinking: :thinking: :thinking:

I don't know about your Sam's Element, but mine has a reverse clicky. You have to push it all the way in and then let it go to turn on.

bondr006 said:

I don't know about your Sam's Element, but mine has a reverse clicky. You have to push it all the way in and then let it go to turn on.

Click to expand...

First of all mine does not have "all the way in" per se. The distance that you push in is minimal.

You push in....you hear a click and the light come on both at the same time. Then you release and you hear another click and nothing else happens. The light stays on. You push....you hear a click and the light goes off both at the same time. Then you release and you hear another click and the light stays off.

Also, I thought forward clickies have instant on and reverse clickies have instant off. Is that not true? I have no instant off or on.

Lastly, I noticed today that Sam's has three versions of this light. A 10X, 12X, and 30X. Mine is one of the 10X ones.

What you have is a switch requiring minimum vertical movement, not a different type altogether.

What you have definitely sounds like a reverse clicky type switch.

johnny13oi said:

What you have definitely sounds like a reverse clicky type switch.

Click to expand...

I thought reverse clicky is one that when going from off to on, it first clicks and then establishes contact. And from on to off, it first cuts the circuit and then clicks. If so then what I have is definitely not reverse clicky.

I also thought that both reverse and forward clickies are asymmetrical in their respective operations. That is, they behave dissimilarly when going from on to off and from off to on, though their dissimilarity are opposite each other. If so, again, I can assure you that my switch is perfectly symmetrical when going from off to on and from on to off.

There is a kind of pushbutton switch that has neither forward nor reverse clicky capability.

And that's quite common, too.

For example, Dig your Dolphin out of the boot of your car, and you'll find it has no momentary capability at all.

Another light with this same type of switch is the older Dorcy Super 3 watt, the one with the side switch, not the newer one with the tail-switch.

There is no blinking capability with this type of switch ( bar clicking on and off full-cycle real fast). :shakehead

The Sams Element and this Dorcy are the same bodied light, and probably similar internal parts.

lctorana said:

There is a kind of pushbutton switch that has neither forward nor reverse clicky capability.

And that's quite common, too.

For example, Dig your Dolphin out of the boot of your car, and you'll find it has no momentary capability at all.

Click to expand...

Thanks for confirming my observation.

However, I thought I had a question only about forward and reverse capabilities of swtiches. Now I feel so inadequate. I have no idea what "Dolphin" or even "the boot of my car" are.

Should I also be joining a group of say "Cars for Dummies"?

katx said:

I have no idea what "Dolphin" or even "the boot of my car" are.

Should I also be joining a group of say "Cars for Dummies"?

Click to expand...

boot of your car = english for the trunk of your car

I think I might have misunderstood the question.

A SPST pushbutton switch can theoretically have four types of momentary capability - forward, reverse, both and neither.

Maglites have forward, Chinese torches have reverse, Dolphins have neither, and I now understand you are referring to the "both" condition.

That's what you meant by "bi-clicky. I get it now.

By the way, the Eveready Dolphin is far and away Australia's biggest selling torch. By a long, long way. And has been for over 30 years. Big Maglites are a very, very expensive luxury item over here. It spins me out to think someone doesn't know what a Dolphin is. I accept that it is so overseas, but it's very easy for me to forget. Sorry.

lctorana said:

I think I might have misunderstood the question.

A SPST pushbutton switch can theoretically have four types of momentary capability - forward, reverse, both and neither.

Maglites have forward, Chinese torches have reverse, Dolphins have neither, and I now understand you are referring to the "both" condition.

That's what you meant by "bi-clicky. I get it now.

By the way, the Eveready Dolphin is far and away Australia's biggest selling torch. By a long, long way. And has been for over 30 years. Big Maglites are a very, very expensive luxury item over here. It spins me out to think someone doesn't know what a Dolphin is. I accept that it is so overseas, but it's very easy for me to forget. Sorry.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I now have a much better understanding.