foreward clicky vs regular

carrot's guide said:

Most clicky switches are based on the same mechanism that makes a retractable ballpoint pen work, which happens to be a very good mechanism for a pen but somewhat less reliable when electricity is involved. These clicky switches are mechanical clicky switches. These are extremely common in flashlights yet the original design of such a mechanical clicky switch was intended for a signal current (a very low current used to tell a circuit what to do) rather than a power current. Now this sort of clicky switch is fantastic, and I don't mean to turn you off of clickies, as I have many clicky lights I enjoy, but it is important to be aware of such a possibility.

There are two main types of these mechanical clickies. They are separated into "forward clickies" and "reverse clickies." Forward clickies allow for momentary activation of a flashlight, and as such they are sometimes referred to as "tactical clickies." Reverse clickies do not allow for momentary activation, but as their name suggests, they allow momentary de-activation of a flashlight that is already on. This is not really a useful feature but some flashlights use the momentary deactivation to signal to the circuitry inside to switch modes. Generally speaking, forward clickies are very desirable, because many end-users prefer the ability of momentary activation, whether it means split-second faster access to light or battery conservation or just being a bit simpler when one needs to quickly check something. Why not just make every switch a forward clicky, you ask? I have not compared the insides of forward and reverse clickies in depth but it seems forward clickies are more complicated to design and manufacture, as well as the possibility of forward clickies being slightly less reliable. From user reports it seems that forward clickies have a higher rate of failure than reverse clickies, but without actual testing data it is difficult to say this for certain.

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chaoss said:

I have a forward twisty, does that count?

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Marduke said:

You mean twist-momentary? Not the same.

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