You Can't Have It All

Compared to the flashlights of the past we are overwhelmed with choices, so much so that it gets a bit confusing as to what we want or need. What are your priorities or needs in a flashlight either for work, home or EDC?

I'm torn between the quest for brightness, compact size and run time. I am seeing more of these qualities coming together, and it's great for a EDC. The car can get by with a larger body flashlight, moderate brightness and moderate run time 8hrs, or so.

I think the one thing that I must have is the ability to have immediate access to the low and the high. I can live with slightly less output, slightly odd tint etc. Odd I guess, but a UI that doesn't match up to your needs will end up sitting in your drawer collecting dust.

Not having that ability is usually an immediate no sale. It's another way I would consider a light being "tactical" ie a minimal low for closeup needs and access to your max.

Few exceptions I could live without it AAA light, Searchlight....etc

I agree that when you compromise on certain things eventually they become annoying and the light is used less. I bought a few lights from dx the C3 and A1, plenty of brightness, compact, inexpensive, BUT no mode memory and when their replacements with memory arrive, these will be living in a drawer.

The fact that newer lights with more features are constantly being introduced, I believe will lead to more and more good flashlights being set aside to collect dust.

I'm in total agreement with flasherbynight. It may sound a little extreme, but having immediate access to low and high is really important both for tactical use and EDC use. I'm not saying that all my lights have that functionality, but all the ones that I have in my EDC rotation do.

As you've pointed out, it is really hard - if not impossible - to meet every criteria that you need in a single light (which is why none of us own one flashlight, right?) but flashlight design has gotten so advanced now that you can get most of the things you need out of one or two lights.

For me, an EDC is not something to take lightly. It's a tool, like any of the others that I carry and work with every day. I'm an engineer and many of you will appreciate that an engineer, like a mechanic or a tradesman cannot do a job properly without the correct tools and more importantly, tools that are made to a high standard and are reliable. That brings me to my first necessity for an EDC, reliability. I need to know that when I need it to, it will do its job.

The others are less important but still matter. I clip all my EDCs except my 1xAAA backup to the pocket on my jeans, so they have a strong pocket type (not belt type) clip. I also like the light to ride low in my pocket and simply for asethetic purposes, the clip to be something more than a strip of metal i.e. have a design.

Runtime is obviously important. On low, I'd need more than 5 hours and on high, at least 60 minutes. This often dictates battery type as well, and recently I've favoured 1x123 lights over anything else for EDC. That's obviously what this class of light was designed for. Tactical modes are less important on EDCs than lights I use for more specialist purposes, so as long as the light has high and low and maybe the option of adjustable levels, I'm happy. Even though I own both, clickies have always appealed to me more than twistys, but again this is something I'd be willing to compromise on. My often carried RA Twisty and Bitz lights are prime examples! Last but not least are ergonomics and asthetics. A light is nothing if it can't be used easily and properly and let's face it, we are all suckers for a pretty flashlight

For my needs I can essentially have it all with the LiteFlux UI. This is especially true with the LF2XT. It's small enough to comfortably carry in my pocket, is bright enough for probably 95% of my needs, and has a good low. While I can imagine times when I would need something brighter or longer running, they haven't happened yet. If they do I'll likely have another light handy.

Geoff