2008 Light Thread

What light or lights are you looking forward to in the new year? What kind of features would you like to see in your lights in 2008? Any predictions for 2008?

Looking forward to what SureFire may announce at SHOT 2008

Regards,
Tempest

Inova's switch over to CREE's in their T-series, plus hi/lo/strobe

Tempest UK said:

Looking forward to what SureFire may announce at SHOT 2008

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I hope that this is not the only reason I have to visit SS2008.
I'm serious. SHOT Shows have resulted in my getting several really useful lights over the years that haven't been SureFires.
For example:
Princeton Tec EOS Head Lamp (orange) (I've purchased three)
PhotonII To the MAX MicroLights (white light) (I've purchased 'loads')
Pelican MityLite 2440PLB LED (Photoluminescent Body) (I want at least one more)

SHOT Shows are times when Flashaholics can get close to products (old and new) to handle them and see them for themselves. There is so much variety that there is lots of everyone.

What would I like to see?
- More flashlights with GITD (Glow In The Dark) bodies/bezels.
- Better head lamps (it's really about handling these that convinces me)
- I want to explore HID a bit more. Not entirely sure why.
- I'm interested in vehicle amber strobes and emergency beacons/cones etc. I'd like 2008 to develop these further than I've seen before.
- I want to see good looking / stylish flashlights if possible.

Al

P.S.
Don't get me wrong - My main focus of the trade show is to see what SureFire plan to do in 2008.

I hope SureFire isn't the only company announcing cool stuff at SHOT 2008 too, but I love following SureFire and seeing what they come out with. So it's not the only reason I'm looking forward to SHOT (not that I'm actually going...) but its one of the biggest.

I'm also looking forward to seeing what the new Arc turns out to be like My HDS TR70 probably won't get to me before the new year, so I guess that counts too.

Perhaps a bit OT for this thread, but I'd love to know what your favourite non-SureFire light is, Size15s

Regards,
Tempest

I wanna' see more PLASTIC flashlights ! ! !


Especially Streamlight's upgrade/replacement for the ProPolymer 4AA Luxeon.


Come ON, Streamlight. Get crackin' !

:nana:
_

I'm not sure about anything. Except that I want a Wolf Eyes Storm Q5!

I would like to see a pivoting head flashlight.One that would tailstand or lie down and be able to point the head in many directions.Stil small and pocketable though.

More Premium AA lights - something different please

by premium i dont mean fenix

I'm looking forward to buying an HDS Systems Twisty in the new year. I'm also interested in seeing the new Orb Raw design reportedly coming out in the early part of the year. A new Surefire L1 would be nice, although not really necessary.

Features I like to see always: a very high quality light with thick threads, a well-protected lens, an efficient and well-made LED putting out more lumens without overheating, and three or four light output levels with no strobe or SOS. All at an affordable price, of course.

I agree. SL needs to get with the LED times!

Burgess said:

I wanna' see more PLASTIC flashlights ! ! !


Especially Streamlight's upgrade/replacement for the ProPolymer 4AA Luxeon.


Come ON, Streamlight. Get crackin' !

:nana:
_

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Well Im looking foward to Surefire's 08' U2. Someone said it's supposedly going to have a 2-300 lumen high. If that's true, than I think fenix will lose alot of business.

man now I start to drool.... just thinking of what I want....

Its really to bad I cant visit SS08! I really would want to go! But I cant afford to, very poor student with to many light purchases to afford traveling...

Its a good thing this forum exist! Then I can read the posts from people than have been there!

I to are interested in what SF will come up with, but are also very interested in every other manufactor! Its just to many diffrent things I want, so I better leave it alone, otherwise I wont be able to sleep tonight....

Man do I have a weird hobby! Am I alone with this hobby?

What the Chinese will do by way of more light for less power consumption at a price I can afford. Preferably looking and feeling good as well. Not smelling like most Chinese stuff does would be nice too.

I have no idea what sort of solvents they use, but they smell truly vile and my nose was burned out many years ago by industrial chemistry. For an example of this nastiness, smell the output from Xerox colour laser printers.

I want to see very cheap, plastic CREE torches.

The imminent release of the R2-bin CREE, with its 3.7Vf capability, has raised the possibility of cheap, direct-drive 3-cell LED torches that consist of battery-and-bulb only.

Lightguy27 said:

Well Im looking foward to Surefire's 08' U2. Someone said it's supposedly going to have a 2-300 lumen high. If that's true, than I think fenix will lose alot of business.

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Dang, I jumped the gun and bought a U2 just a couple days ago. :sigh:
Anyway, I'll buy it again if I must.

I'd also like to see a revamped L2 & L4. (needs better runtime!)

Oh yeah, it'd be great if it were a federal crime to make EDC lights without a momentary-on tailcap switch.

Two points I've concluded about SureFire's future products:

1) It's all speculation until SHOT Show when SureFire shares what it plans to do in 2008.

b) It's still all speculation until what SureFire shares actually arrives at dealers available to be purchased.

4) Even then SureFire may not share what it plans to do, and anyway plans change.

My suggestion is to get the flashlights you want now and not worry about what may be in the future. Enjoy the flashlights you can have now.
Otherwise you'd be holding out and holding out for the next best thing and then the next best thing after that. You've gotta have flashlights to be a Flashaholic, not just want them!

Al

I'm most interested in Surefire LEDs which would sorta update the L2 and L4 and I'm interested in small, higher wattage HIDs. I'd like to see AE introduce a 35w class HID with a pleasing 4200K beam. I'm also curious about the future of portable power and batteries. I'd like to know what may be coming along in the future to supersede Li-ion technology. Maybe we will get some hints in 2008.

There are some important categories of flashlight products that seem to have been less well developed to take advantage of the latest LEDs. So I would hope to see progress there. My main issues:

--headlamps and lanterns and bike lamps: these seem to be coming into the new LED age very veeeerrryyy slowly. Very little to none selections with the latest LEDs.

--Molle designs: I like this type of 90 degree angled head flashlight design. I am speaking about round designs, by the way, so not counting in the Streamlight Sidewinder (which is in any case not powerful enough). But the selection is very little and very poor. Why are the latest LEDs not exploited for this design? That Pentagon Molle design that was first showcased in the 2007 Shot Show was very nice looking, but came in with a very weak LED.

--Diving lights: Tektite needs to step up! They've just improved their LS4 to use a Seoul P4 (about time!) to a manufacturer claimed level of 200 lumens, now what about the rest of their line? The LS4 is a mighty strong flashlight, but it is also mightily heavy (for a non-rechargeable formfactor).

--Maybe something like the Glow-Tubes, but in stronger output?

--Longer lasting, longer (bigger than 12") lightsticks.

--Well, and better battery technology - maybe something like a fuel cell that can be used in a small size.

The only light I'm in the market for in 2008 is an HDS Twisty. I'm refining my selection process as I acquire more lights. I really want that illusive "perfect" EDC, but luckily I don't think I'll ever find it.