Why are the Liteflux lights overlooked?

Snow

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Apr 3, 2005
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Kansas City
I hardly see any talk about them on here. I've had an LF1 for a few months now and it's my most versatile light. Probably my favorite, too. I recently put a Seoul P4 in it and gave it a new lease on life. Now it rivals my L4 in output, although the beams are different in character.

Things that LF1 has going for it:

great form factor
good matte finish, not as slippery as Fenix
1 or 2 cell options
uses AA batteries
excellent 2 stage forward clicky switch
Nice low mode and decent bright mode
optional "turbo" head for great throw
spare reflectors, switch covers, and o rings
can be used with a 14500 in one cell mode
can tailstand, even with lanyard attached
exceptionally easy to disassemble and mod

I'm a Fenix fan as well, but I just can't understand why this great light doesn't have more of a following.
 

RebelXTNC

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Feb 8, 2006
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North Carolina
They did get more traffic here several months ago. I think it's because they don't have the US dealer support like other brands unless that's changed and I don't know it yet.
The LF2 is still on my wishlist, but I haven't ordered one after several months of debate.
 

swxb12

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If LiteFlux offered their lights to a US reseller I think I might be more likely to bite as well. Is forum member 'LED Cool' the only available source at the moment?
 

Snow

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Both of you make a good point that I hadn't really considered. LED Cool is who I bought mine from, and he may in fact be the only US distributor. 4sevens is a great resource and makes buying a Fenix a nice experience. Maybe if LED Cool had a website like fenix-store.com the Litefluxes would sell more.
 

Oddjob

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Mar 24, 2006
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London, Ontario, Canada
I have an LF5 and an LF2 and they are both great. I agree with what has been said about having a dealer in North America. I recommend picking one up to anyone looking for a bang for the buck kind of light. I especially like the extras (lube, diffuser, spare O-rings) they give.
 

PhantomPhoton

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Jan 15, 2007
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NV
I like my Liteflux lights. I have a LF2 (ssc) and a LF3. The big thing is that while I'd definitely recommend it to flashaholics and other such technicaly inclined audiences, I wouldn't give it to my mother. one wrong twist and she'd be lost for days trying to figure out how to make it stop blinking and go back to just on. Well that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I did watch her fiddle with it for several minutes trying to make it work. No success. :ohgeez:
 

Patriot

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Feb 13, 2007
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Arizona
If LiteFlux offered their lights to a US reseller I think I might be more likely to bite as well.

I really prefer to purchase my lights from a US reseller. I've had some poor experiences the other way.
 

Tubor

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Sep 6, 2007
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Brighton, UK
Dunno. I buy internationally and have both the LF2 and the LF3. I would have preferred the LF5 to the LF3 but the LF3 is still very good - very nice diffuser, and colour options. The LF2 is small yet just as feature packed, makes it my favourite. :twothumbs
 

Paul6ppca

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I carry my lf 3 all the time,great EDC.I think people are intimidated by the interface.
 

Gatsby

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Jul 20, 2006
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Charlotte, NC
I have an LF2 and an LF5. Both pack a lot of features and performance into a well made and functional light.

I admit that I had to tinker with my LF2 switch as an Energizer lithium cell appears to be just a hair too long so I had to add a brass washer shim over the switch to add a bit of length. Alkalines seem OK so it literally is fractions of a millimeter. Still it is a very good keychain light, nice size, good anodize finish, good build quality and a great beam (SSC) for that type of light. I bought mine used so I haven't bothered trying to get any sort of service due to the switch issue as it works perfectly with the brass washer. AFAIK I haven't heard this problem from anyone else, but it may be a factor of others using NiMHs or 10440s in theirs (my next purchase will either be a Costco Eneloops pack or AW's 10440/Nano deal).

The LF5 has been rock solid and I run it on 14500s and it works great.

I really like that I have the option to choose the levels, but that it works just fine as a 2 stage (3rd level optional) twisty light without any other programming or effort straight out of the box - really no more difficult than a Fenix and really more intuitive and easier. I can't emphasize this point enough as I agree that the UI seems to be a stumbling block for many. You can use it like any other two stage twisty (like the Orb or CR2 Ion or many McGizmos) right out of the box.

What you get is the option to use the third user adjustable mode (easily accessible with a double "switch" to toggle it to that mode, single "switch" to toggle back to standard mode) and to change the default first and second levels you reach from twisting from the IIRC 15% and 50% factory defaults - including a very low low which many have clamored for. Every feature, whether it is strobe, SOS, overdischarge protection, voltage indicator, programming mode, etc... is tucked away some number of "switches" away and can be completely ignored if you desire. And while programming is a bit of an effort to do, I don't think it is anymoreseo than the HDS EDC lights were other than the positive "click" you got from a tailswitch rather than the silent twist. Once you set your levels, if you want to do so, you can again leave it alone. For most users you aren't going to have to do a bunch of twists on a daily basis. And there is a factory default reset feature if for some reason you get lost - another well conceived feature. And of programmable lights, how many other than either the Surefire Titan/U2 or VB-16/Proton style one level adjusted by a ring/buttons is really that intuitive? By nature with a switch or twisty there are only so many choices in terms of how to access advanced features - read the new Arc LS manual of arms to see what a year plus of thought get you - not the riddle of the Sphynx exactly but not really intuitive either.

I do think that a few opt for other lights despite the rich feature set of the Liteflux lights not only due to a concern (not necessarily justified IMHO) of the UI, but for the absence of a US based dealer, and also for some slight performance advantages of some other lights, particularly the Fenix. The Liteflux is a very capable light, particularly on NiMH and Li-ion cells for which it really seems to be designed, but in 'shootouts" with other AA based lights for example there are some others that are slightly more efficient and give slightly more output - again mostly Fenix which does appear to have a really efficient driver but a much more limited set of options. The Liteflux still seems to be about the best combination of programming features and performance that does not have HDS/Novatac stamped on the barrel.
 

PocketBeam

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Jun 22, 2004
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Battery life was the kicker for me. If they could get the run times up higher...

From my perspective if I give a light I have to expect it to be run off regular alkalines, so i don't want them having a bad experience because they are buying batteries every hour of use on high mode. And as for myself, even on nimh I still want the best runtime at highest brightness.
 

xoltri

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Nov 24, 2005
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I think it is just a problem of familiarity. People see the 'difficult' programming guide and that it is not from the US and they are kind of wary of it.

However, if you were to actually use one you would love it. My LF2 is by far my favorite flashlight. It can run on many types of batteries which is excellent. I have tried alkaline's, NIMH and 10440's. It is amazingly bright and I love the very low-low I have set up for getting around at night time without waking anyone up.

When I first got the light I spent about 15 minutes with the guide infront of me programming it how I wanted it, and now I will never have to touch that again. Now with 1-3 easy switches I can have access to 3 brightness levels that _I_ chose and a cool strobe mode (that I just use to annoy people :p).

If you are concerned about future service, don't be. My friend had a problem with his and after contacting LED Cool he had a replacement in 4 days (to Canada) and was told to keep the broken one for spare parts.

So I hope they gain more success around here as well. They make awesome lights and I can't wait to see what they come out with next.
 

gswitter

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Apr 26, 2006
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I hardly see any talk about them on here. I've had an LF1 for a few months now and it's my most versatile light. Probably my favorite, too. I recently put a Seoul P4 in it and gave it a new lease on life. Now it rivals my L4 in output, although the beams are different in character.

(snip)

I'm a Fenix fan as well, but I just can't understand why this great light doesn't have more of a following.
The LF1 was/is a great light. Arguably my favorite of the pre-Cree/Seoul Chinese ligts. I'd list candle mode among it's pro's, as well. Upgrading the emitter has been on my to-do list for a while. The one gripe I recall was the current draw on low (same as high).

I was really looking forward to the LF2, and ordered one as soon as I saw the announcement, but was disappointed. Some people like the new UI. I'm not one of them.
 

mchlwise

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Apr 28, 2006
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949
II can't emphasize this point enough as I agree that the UI seems to be a stumbling block for many. You can use it like any other two stage twisty (like the Orb or CR2 Ion or many McGizmos) right out of the box.

I think this is key, along with availability (or lack therof).

There's really nothing to be afraid of, but you don't get that sense from reading the manual or other descriptions of how to program it.
 
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