too many "Tactical" flashlights

anyone else tired of all the tactical flashlights glutting the market? seems to be the way the market is going (same with knives)......

i would like to see manufactures (or custom makers) go back to the simple flashlight design of the 50's, (big Jim, etc). Classic handheld torches liek the one below, but made from modern materials, batteries and components.



or something like http://elektrolumens.com/STELLAR/LUXEON_STELLAR.html
anyone with me?

EDIT: and in the spirit of the thread, anyone want to make me a 4" head (spot beam pattern) (like the one above) for a Maglight 4C????? (must accommodate a Malkoff dropin)

I think tactical lights, extremely collimated lights that can put a very bright spot on the wall a mile away but are useless for finding your shoes in a dark room, digital lights with SOS modes that signal passing airplanes but that you need a pilot's license to operate, are all phases that CPF'ers go through. Eventually you get to the custom lights that have none of that stuff. I think I'll edc my Mule PD for the next few days, it's been a week or so since I've carried it.

Handheld D cell lights with big reflectors are probably obsolete though, given rechargeable battery systems, LED's, HID spotlights, smaller lights with focusing optics, etc. You might try a 2.5" Fivemega head/reflector replacement? I forget what he calls it.

Eh, "tactical" is another word for "black" for many makers. Personally I find the functionality of the new lights beats the tar out of the big old clunkers. Although I do recall with great fondness an old Ray-o-Vac lantern I had. It used a 6V battery with screw terminals, the main head pivoted up and down, an there was a red blinker on the tail that was mounted on a boom-like thing that let it stand up as a marker. Sort of a precursor to the new Streamlight firemans' lights that have the red blinking LED on the back! I often with I still had it, although finding that battery might be a trick!

At any rate, if you want a good general purpose light, they're still out there! I like my Elektrolumens Tri-Star Phaser as an all purpose light that blows any 50s light out of the water.

oh i know modern light technology blows any 50's light outta the water....i just want that modern tech in a 50's body!

:naughty:

Oh, I hear that! Put a Cree in that old lantern I mentioned!!

Flashlights like that went out with 25 cents a gallon gasoline and five and dime stores. They used huge D cell batteries and probably put out less light than a mini-mag. "Tactical" is just another marketing block that manufacturers check when selling products. It is even more shameless when they mention "Used by Special Forces, Rangers, Delta, etc".

hey some of us still use huge "D" batts...

come on....lets start the next wave of FLASHOLICISM: modding vintage and antique lights! :naughty:

How did you find that link?

Bushman5 said:

or something like http://elektrolumens.com/STELLAR/LUXEON_STELLAR.html

Click to expand...

I guess you missed getting Elektrolumens' P4 long throw. (IIRC 3D with a 4" head) I do not think he will make any more. Too much labour.

At my local Walmart:
Energizer D NiMH 2500 mAH
Duracell AA NiMH 2650 mAH
why D?
Alkaline Ds have more capacity but alkalines leak.
I am moving towards LSD NiMH (Eneloop/RayOvac hybrid)but they are available only in AA/AAA

it was a google search result....

if it weren't for tactical flashlights, manufacturers would have very little reason to make our lights smaller and more powerful because nobody would pay a "tactical" price for the R&D

Wolfhound 9K said:

if it weren't for tactical flashlights, manufacturers would have very little reason to make our lights smaller and more powerful because nobody would pay a "tactical" price for the R&D

Click to expand...

Don't bet on that .

Paulr,
Nice light. Is it a SPY005 or a later model?

Bushman5,
I started a thread on new finds over at Marketplace. I listed all the retail/online info I've accumulated over the years over there. Can not post in your other thread - Dano closed it as I was typing.

^ Thanks LEDninja !

Bushman5 said:

i would like to see manufactures (or custom makers) go back to the simple flashlight design of the 50's, (big Jim, etc). Classic handheld torches liek the one below, but made from modern materials, batteries and components.

Click to expand...

Why regress? Current flashlight design is better than ever and some of the current form factors have really advanced ergonomics and utility, the first big push in years.

Look at the current Streamlight Sidewinder or the Zebralight or the Energizer HardCase Tactical. The Sidewinder and Energizer both have pocket clips and rotating heads and can be set down and adjusted to provide hands free lighting, both can also be clipped to the body or clothing and act as a lower mounted headlamp.

The Sidewinder is small enough to fit in the pocket and has excellent runtime and variable brightness. As far as utility goes the current light designs are better than previous years and are really branching out from the cylinder/head flashlight paradigm that is so outdated.

LEDninja said:

Paulr,
Nice light. Is it a SPY005 or a later model?

Click to expand...

It's a Spy 005 with a damascus head, that's Data's picture. Only 4 of them were made. If I'd been really determined, I think I could have hovered over the sale forum and gotten one of them, and I'm somewhat regretting not having done that, but it would have been financially even crazier than buying the ti version that I got, and I had cold feet because of the cost. They were snapped up almost instantly while I was off doing other things.

tactical has become a synonym for practical for me.
i like the form factor and output from most tactical lights, and operating such a flashlight is always intuitive. if i want a larger light, i'll buy a HID, and expect proper output from it. i can imagine you wanting something like that, but which looks like a '50 era flashlight, but i really couldn't care less about looks. actually i like the form follows function design most current "tactical" lights have. and i can't find anything wrong with it.

I have my share of lights with tactical, clickie and twisty switches on the end or bezel but it sure would be nice to see more modern lights with a simple thumb switch on the body. The only modern light I have that fits that description is my [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]UK 4AA eLED Zoom . I find that this format is still the most ergonomic for me to use.

Oops. I forgot to mention my Princeton Ted Surge. It also has a body thumb switch.
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I also miss that era of simplicity.

However, one good by by-product of the ''tactical'' era (correct me if I'm wrong, please), is the ''twistie'' switch which provides the reliability we all for an emergency kit.

Nostalgic design flashlights,
Steampunk flashlights , anyone ?

In my opinion, "Tactical" flashlight means high tech, custom design, purpose built.

I'd rather we get more lights that go down the Runtime & Output road than the Output & Size road.

Also, how hard is it for mainstream lights to have a variable output?

How about something in the mag 3d/3c form factor with a bad@ss reflector, high output emitter (or array) and some sort of variable output.

It wouldn't be a carry light, it'd be one you keep in your closet or under your bed. A low-low "glow" mode that you could use to find your shoes in the dark or illuminate a path to the bathroom, so you (or your night-blind SO) doesn't kill themselves trying to navigate. Or something happens outdoors and you need a manportable star. Well, set your phaser to shake-n-bake and you're good to go.