How would you tweak an LED Flashlight to make it perfect? (Fun thread)

So most of us committed flash-a-holics know a good deal about what production flashlights are out there to buy. I'm sure many of us out there have thought to ourselves... "if only they added / subtracted / changed these features / characteristics on that light, I'd buy it in a heartbeat".

So, if you could alter 1 or 2 things about a flashlight out there that would make it an instant buy / slam-dunk for you, what flashlight would it be and what changes would you make? In other words, take a light, tweak it, and then it would be perfect (well, almost) for you.

Let's keep this in the realm of possibility guys... no "well I'd like a D10 with 10,000 lumens". LOL Please make it feasible by some practical means.

Who will start us out?

At the moment I'm really into aspherics, I really love the light that an unfocused aspheric puts out and I would love this in a keychain format. I think a mini123 would be awesome for this but a good AAA light could work well too.

If Ra lights had a bezel down/deep pocket carry clip It would be right at the top of my list of must haves! For me when I look for a EDC light a good pocket clip can make or break the deal.

I'd get rid of the TK40's parasitic drain. That is the *only* problem (though it is a tiny one in my opinion) with what I consider to be an otherwise perfect light for my use.

I would add a 'custom service' for each vendor where they will program the light to what you want it to be.

Extra cost, say 2-3 weeks to get it back.

In some cases this would be going from L-M-H to M-H-L and in others it could be disabling the low mode.

The listing for the light would then have a 'c' added to it for custom.

If this existed then I would send in my E2DL-bk and have it set to 'remember last mode'.

Love the light however for my use, it would approach perfection if it came on in low if that was the last mode.

And for the dream sequence,... battery tubes for the same light in every format. So AA, AAA, D, C, etc.

It would of course require more of some types of batteries than just 1 or 2.

Once again, this would extend its use for me and I really like this as a platform.

Well, I'd start with a Surefire LX2. I'd keep the two stage momentary switch, but, instead of having to twist for constant on, I'd have some kind of little mechanism that could be flipped to lock the light in whatever mode it is in. So, you could push the switch to low mode, momentary on, and then if you wanted you could hit this mechanism and lock it in the low mode. Same procedure for the high mode. If the right mechanism were designed it would be faster than twisting the tailcap and easier to use with one hand. Also, then the tailcap could be screwed down all the way at all times, which I would like better.

Then, I would add a tiny bit of thickness to the pocket-clip.

And, I would build the FM54 flip-up diffuser directly into the bezel so that it was a seemless part of the light.

So now we have a light with:
-awesome throw for its size (with diffuser up)
-a flood mode (with diffuser down)
-a two stage momentary UI that also allows easy access to constant on
-all the other good things about the LX2


oh, and it could take rechargeables as well as primaries safely.


I call it the LX2000

I think I did just about everything on my tweak list for my LF2XT...
Added a titanium body, tritium button, sapphire glass, swapped in a MCPCB, swapped in silver wire, added spring tension to the clicky, swapped in an XP-G, soldered copper braid on the battery springs, tried aspherics both focused and unfocused, tried a TIR, anodized the body, removed said anodizing on the body...
I think the only things I still want to try is to add a sturdy titanium clip and braid a lanyard for it like I used to do for my microtechs.
Oh, forgot to mention I programmed a really low and slow blinker. I turn that on when I leave the light on my night stand.

I'd like a Quark 123^2 with a deep pocket clip, a 5A tint XPG, and trits to make it easy to find in the dark.

Fenix TK40 with a neutral or warm white led.

KuKu427 said:

I think I did just about everything on my tweak list for my LF2XT...
Added a titanium body, tritium button, sapphire glass, swapped in a MCPCB, swapped in silver wire, added spring tension to the clicky, swapped in an XP-G, soldered copper braid on the battery springs, tried aspherics both focused and unfocused, tried a TIR, anodized the body, removed said anodizing on the body...
I think the only things I still want to try is to add a sturdy titanium clip and braid a lanyard for it like I used to do for my microtechs.
Oh, forgot to mention I programmed a really low and slow blinker. I turn that on when I leave the light on my night stand.

Click to expand...

That's almost certainly the most mods on one light I've ever heard of. Uhhhhmmm, you do realize you are wacko in the skull, right?

Here's my preferences:

• Get rid of the stupid tail switch, and replace it with a rotary switch, or a sliding switch, with clicks at each setting. It would be faster and quicker to use.
• Add a simple focus mechanism to switch between spot and flood.
• Produce a short four AA cell light with the cells alongside each other and with ~350 lumens max. It would be not much longer than an AA light. No cell carrier, just some mouldings inside the battery chamber to align the cells, and a simple cap at the tail end which you insert before screwing on the tail cap. This light would fit in any coat pocket.

Somewhere in the massive Qmini 123 thread I imagined one with a tail switch and UI like a LiteFlux, including a lower low, and maybe a slick optic in order to keep the length as short as possible. Sounds good to me, anyway.

Geoff

The design of my underwater kinetics mini Q40 4aa xenon has potential to fitting the bill. It has the best 4aa cell alignment of any light I have seen. You have the option of a front forward click switch or rotary bezel switch. It is small, slim, and short. The cells drop right into perfectly molded slots with no carriers in a 2xAA parallel arangement. It is available in a 77 lumen led version, or 38 lumen xenon version. I would like to see UK offer this light in a metal bodied version of the same design, but only with a P60 compatable bezel/head assembly on the body. With p60 compatability, you can have most any beam style you prefer with the assortment of drop ins out there now.

LeifUK said:

Here's my preferences:

• Get rid of the stupid tail switch, and replace it with a rotary switch, or a sliding switch, with clicks at each setting. It would be faster and quicker to use.
• Add a simple focus mechanism to switch between spot and flood.
• Produce a short four AA cell light with the cells alongside each other and with ~350 lumens max. It would be not much longer than an AA light. No cell carrier, just some mouldings inside the battery chamber to align the cells, and a simple cap at the tail end which you insert before screwing on the tail cap. This light would fit in any coat pocket.

Click to expand...

I would actually tweek the batteries. Increasing the battery capacity by at least 5 times would be fantastic! Can you imagine an E2e with a 5 hour runtime?

On the fantasy front, an inter dimensional storage vessel so I could store 500 ml of single malt scotch in my tail cap would be perfect!

I like my HDS B42 XR, but would really like a bezel down carry clip.

Other than that, not much.

EDIT: Oh, and a 2AA battery tube. I like the light to be compact, but CR123's can be expensive!


@Kelmo
Hey, if the light had an inter-dimensional storage area, why not just carry around a bunch of primaries, rechargeable batteries, chargers and adapters, and a solar panel? Then you would have the perfect survival light!

kelmo said:

On the fantasy front, an inter dimensional storage vessel so I could store 500 ml of single malt scotch in my tail cap would be perfect!

Click to expand...

+1, but make mine a bourbon

I wish I could make changes to the UI programming on the HDS/Ra/Novatac lights.

I'm not being critical of Henry's programming, I just wish I could make some minor customizations for my own ideas. He's done a great job.

A deep pocket carry clip for the Quark AA2 tactical would make it just about perfect. And of course, a few more lumens and slightly longer run times would always be appreciated.

Leupold MX-121:

• Machine the bezel to accept aftermarket P60 drop-ins (works great!)
• Machine the body to accept an 18650

Could be the ultimate P60/18650 host.