I was looking for a stainless steel flashlight (the 1AAA and 2AAA Peak Solutions look nice) but I hear they are on the heavy side. I am a mimimalist and appreciate the lightness of plastic and aluminum lights but they are always much thicker. I don't need a flashlight that can withstand being run over by a tank. I figure they could reduced the wall thickness of a current stainless steel flashlight by maybe 50% or so, making the same light at half the weight, thinner, and still be strong enough for reasonable use. I prefer flashlights that are designed around the battery it takes, with minimal flash and material. I prefer function, low maintenance and longevity.
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". -Leonardo Da Vinci
Maybe a keychain or pocket light, or even a "doctor's" exam light that looks profesional and even resists bacterial growth. Surgical Stainless Steel could even be used.
My Zebra ink pen is made out of very thin walled and light weight steel tubing. A tad thicker walled and /wider to take AAA cells and it would be perfect flashlight material and light weight. Think of a nice stainless steel pen like a Parker that costs maybe $10 and is very durable, turned into an AAA flashlight with a few changes. Even the stainless steel clicky would be similar.
Remember the chrome steel flashlights from decades ago? They were fairly light weight and inexpensive.
Aluminum is a softer metal, scratches easier, must be painted or clear coated or anodized or it it oxidizes (rusts), it wears faster, and is not the best for wearing surfaces like twisty screw threads on flashlights. Ever clean the dirty twisty threads on your aluminum flashlight? That's worn paint and aluminum. Aluminum must be thicker to get the same strength.
Titanium is very expensive, difficult to manufacture, scratches and wears, not best for thread material.
Stainless Steel: Doesn't need paint, polishing is optional, strong, doesn't wear or scratch easily, good for threads, smooth action for twisties, retro and modern looking at the same time, cleaner, looks good. Stainless already reflects light well so it can be used as the reflector, doesn't need wiring like plastic lights.
Today everything seems to be disposable, made to last a few years so it needs to be replaced. Look at an old aluminum cooking pot vs an old stainless steel cooking pot. My grandfather's old steel flashlights from the 1950's (?) are in much better shape than my plastic flashlights and my aluminum MagLites from the 90's which are all scratched up and worn out. I now prefer bare metal instead of paint and even anodizing.
The only downside I see to stainless steel is weight, but it seems that these lights don't need to use so much steel when designing the flashlight, especially for a tiny and light weight AAA flashlight. Aluminum flashlights seem to have too many ridges and extra add ons at the expense of thickness.
There is something about an all steel flashlight, chrome or stainless, vintage or new, that plastic, aluminum, or even titanium can't beat.
So why don't the flashlight makers use more stainless steel when designing flashlights? Has stainless steel for the most part been abandoned for good, or will it make a comeback?
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". -Leonardo Da Vinci
Maybe a keychain or pocket light, or even a "doctor's" exam light that looks profesional and even resists bacterial growth. Surgical Stainless Steel could even be used.
My Zebra ink pen is made out of very thin walled and light weight steel tubing. A tad thicker walled and /wider to take AAA cells and it would be perfect flashlight material and light weight. Think of a nice stainless steel pen like a Parker that costs maybe $10 and is very durable, turned into an AAA flashlight with a few changes. Even the stainless steel clicky would be similar.
Remember the chrome steel flashlights from decades ago? They were fairly light weight and inexpensive.
Aluminum is a softer metal, scratches easier, must be painted or clear coated or anodized or it it oxidizes (rusts), it wears faster, and is not the best for wearing surfaces like twisty screw threads on flashlights. Ever clean the dirty twisty threads on your aluminum flashlight? That's worn paint and aluminum. Aluminum must be thicker to get the same strength.
Titanium is very expensive, difficult to manufacture, scratches and wears, not best for thread material.
Stainless Steel: Doesn't need paint, polishing is optional, strong, doesn't wear or scratch easily, good for threads, smooth action for twisties, retro and modern looking at the same time, cleaner, looks good. Stainless already reflects light well so it can be used as the reflector, doesn't need wiring like plastic lights.
Today everything seems to be disposable, made to last a few years so it needs to be replaced. Look at an old aluminum cooking pot vs an old stainless steel cooking pot. My grandfather's old steel flashlights from the 1950's (?) are in much better shape than my plastic flashlights and my aluminum MagLites from the 90's which are all scratched up and worn out. I now prefer bare metal instead of paint and even anodizing.
The only downside I see to stainless steel is weight, but it seems that these lights don't need to use so much steel when designing the flashlight, especially for a tiny and light weight AAA flashlight. Aluminum flashlights seem to have too many ridges and extra add ons at the expense of thickness.
There is something about an all steel flashlight, chrome or stainless, vintage or new, that plastic, aluminum, or even titanium can't beat.
So why don't the flashlight makers use more stainless steel when designing flashlights? Has stainless steel for the most part been abandoned for good, or will it make a comeback?
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