Your favorite light vs your "favorite"

You probably have a light that you like best, and you consider that your favorite. But what if you define "favorite" as "the light you use the most". You might not love the light you use the most, but for some reason or other you use it. Many years ago, I mostly used a MiniMag that I wasn't very attached to due to the weak light, but the cheap batteries and fact that I felt okay banging it up meant it saw the most action. What moves the bar for you -- why aren't you using your favorite light the most? Does a picture of your perfect light emerge that's surprisingly different than what you think you want?

On the basis of use:

Third favorite: Aeon, which is actually my top favorite in terms of lights I love. I love the craftmanship, and brightness vs size ratio. I carry it on me every day, all day, but ends up seeing only the third-most use, because the two lights below fit my needs so perfectly.

Second favorite: SF L4. And I'm not even a SF fan! I use it because I run my "used up" 123As in it, so using it feels "free", plus the wall-of-light beam characteristic is so perfect for where I keep it: next to my closet, gadget shelves, and nightstand, which frequently require the use of bright flood light to find what I like. If I stored this light anywhere else, it'd never get used.

Top favorite: Orb 1W. I bet most people didn't even realize Orb made these, it was a short limited run from what I recall, aimed at primaries instead of rechargeables. It's the light I grab once I change into my pajamas at night, because it's got the tritium locator, it's small enough to carry in pj's, and has two reasonable levels of light. This means at night, whether checking on the kids, or wandering through my room without waking my wife, or just wandering about the house in general without turning all the lights on, this is what I use. It gets used every single night.

An Aeon with a tritium locator might end up my perfect light...

The light I like the most is my 6D Maglite, but the light that sees the most use is my Nitecore D10.

I'm pretty sure most anyone will tell you they don't use their favorite light the most because it's not fun to beat up something pretty.

That being said, certain finishes just hold up better to daily use, and hard-anodizing makes it a lot easier to compromise. Back when I still had my Arc-P, I several times dropped it on the concrete, and a few times I stepped on it while trying to pick it up, and while I dented the aluminum, I never once scratched the HA3 coating.

Nowadays, the same thing is true of my Fenix P1D; I value it on-par with my Arc6, and I use it outside where there are sharp pointy rocks waiting to (try to) damage it. I have no doubt the Arc6 would hold up as well or better than the P1D, but the Arc6 sees less use because it cost 5x as much.

BTW...shout out to Fenix-Store for explaining to me what the differences were between Type-2 and Type-3 anodizing, and that HA3 didn't need to be olive (though I like it anyway).

The Jetbeam III M is probably my favourite (barely nosing ahead of my E1L), but it doesn't get used most because it's too big for my pocket and I mostly use a light indoors. I always carry my D10 and E01 - the D10 being used most.

Light I love the most: Spy005 S.S. SSC model.

Lights I use the most (real favorites):
- HDS B42 (modded with SSC to produce 120lm)
- Ra 100WW just acquired is likely to bump the HDS, too soon to tell.
- Battered looking MillerMod 2stage luxeon L0P. Still on my key chain after all these years.
- Fenix L2D Q2 (with permanent med diffuser), I have a Q5 but I use this because of the diffuser.

The Spy is so fabulous and irreplaceable I hesitate to use it. Sad I know. :mecry:

My favorite light is my Aeon, and it's also my EDC light. SO it gets used almost all the time.

The perfect light for me would be the Aeon in "rose gold"!

B-)

Well I can say I'm closing the gap... My Favorite is a NovaTac... However, in the past I used my L0D more... but during the last few winter months I've been EDCing a NovaTac so it is now also my most used light and an LD01-SS is second. Since I have lots of lights I actually don't just want to use 1 light. The right light for the right job.

Based purely on runtime, my favorite woud be the 120P.

The flashlight I have the most affection for would be the S.S. LD01. (It would have been the Aeon, but I gave that to my wife. :mecry

I only have 5 lights ( I know, I'm not a true flashaholic ), but my favorite and most used light is one and the same - my D10. I guess my L-mini would be next, but it's not even close on either scale.

First pic.....fenix LD10 because its the only quality led light that I own Second......My old beat up 3 D cell maglite, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking

Used most-- Fenix E0 natural finish

Favorite and most used= Fenix L1T Version 2.0

My favorite light was always the Inova X0 Tiros, with the Inova X5 coming a not so distant second. That changed about 6 or 7 months ago when I got the Streamlight Stylus Pro, I love the size and the output and it is now my favorite and my most used both. I probably use it 5 or 6 times for the use of every other light.

I will probably say that my Neutral Nitecore Extreme or my Ra Twisty are my favorite lights, because they mean a lot to me.

My Novatac Military series, modded by datiled with a high cri seoul, with a 17670 tube and Hogo's 18650 method of using it... is my most used. It still makes me smile when I turn it on. It really isn't far behind my perceived favorites.

based on runtime - brass peak matterhorn.

favorite light 6D mag/p7/d2dim/der wichtel buck/6x 10k lsd nimh's/ucl/mop
awesome UI, over a month runtime on low, p7 bright, doubles as a weapon.

runners up are my edc's (spy007, peak pacific, high cri ex10, ra twisty)
it would be hard to go anywhere without them.

My new favorite is the EagleTac P10C2 that I just received. I also have a SF L4, which is a great light for a wide beam. The ET P10C2 has amazing throw and is very well made at 1/3 or 1/4 the price of the SF.

Some one was right, this is not the forum to save $$$; I'm looking at a Wee NS or RAW NS as my next toy.

I'm sticking with my Inova X1.v1, it's the reason I came to CPF and I haven't found anything better for me, yet. Nichia GS upgrade makes this light 2x better.

The form, fit and function of this light is ideal.

Some favorites change eventually. Based on most often used recently, that honor would have to go to my Photon Rex, which is in my pocket at home and makes a great read in bed light. Second favorite, the one I carry when out and about, is the L0DQ4 or the Proton Pro or both. Neither get used as much as the Rex. Third favorites don't see much use, except playing, I'm sorry to admit, but I like them the most. They would be an Arc LSL, Surefire L1, and LiteFlux LF3XT. It's just impossible to narrow this down to only two or three.

Geoff

I really don't have a favorite. The flaws in all my lights annoy me from time to time depending on my mood at the moment. Sometimes my preference is an AAA solitaire

Lately I have been preferring a modded superfire 501B.

Around the house I tend to reach for my Surefire L5, which runs on a 17670 cell (and is also one of my most prized lights).

My E2DL and M60-equipped 6P are my "wow" lights but are used less frequently.

My Pelican 7060 mostly gathers dust except when going on CPF hikes.