I always use two hands to turn my torch on and change modes.

When using my torches with a tail switch , I always hold my torch in my left hand and press the button with my right thumb ... It seems un-natural to hold the torch like a dagger just to be able to press the button with my thumb ... I find that a torch with a body-mounted switch gives a more natural hold ... My torch is normally held at about waist height ... The "dagger-hold" with thumb on the tail-switch means that the torch is at above shoulder height which I find uncomfortable when walking the dog or searching for dropped items in the garage.

I have three twisties and again I always use two hands to switch on and to change modes ... It doesn't matter how slippery the stainless steel is , as I never have trouble when using two hands.

I can see the need for tail-cap switches (as opposed to the twisties) when the torch is mounted on a weapon , but the body mounted switch still seems to be the most natural position for everyday use.

As far as I can see , the disadvantage of the body mounted switch is that the torch body has to be wider to accept the switch and the battery ... Twisties and tail-switchers don't need this extra width , though the tail-switchers are longer ... It seems that the majority of LED torches are either tail-switch or twisties , so I will just have to go with the flow.

I can live with being a two-handed switcher , but I suppose that I am part of a very small minority.
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I carry the light about chest high bending my elbow back with either cigar or overhand grip so clicky's usually work best for me.

march.brown said:

I can live with being a two-handed switcher , but I suppose that I am part of a very small minority.

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Look on the bright side - it'll stand you in good stead when you get old and develop arthritis. :sigh:

This could start an interesting discussion, perhaps with some fancy claims like "I always hold my Mag6D between my teeth," LOL.

I'm moving it to the General section, as it is not specific to LED lights.

Depends on what I'm doing. If I'm doing close range stuff like reading a map, an overhand grip definitely works better than underhand. For longer ranges, I'll use a cigar grip, although I'm not averse to changing to an overhand grip if I'm looking forward and down at something.

I hold my smaller torches like Mr Churchill's cigar so I can use them with hand high or low. I like to turn them on and off with the first joint of my thumb (that's why I only like protruding switches).

However, I too would much prefer that all torches came with a body mounted switch like my old maglites and evereadys and like my newly ordered SC30 Zebralight.

march.brown said:

The "dagger-hold" with thumb on the tail-switch means that the torch is at above shoulder height which I find uncomfortable when walking the dog or searching for dropped items in the garage.

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you know you can simply click the light on, then change your grip to whatever you prefer, right? just because a light is turned on in one orientation doesn't mean you HAVE to keep it that way. it's not like when energized the light is glued to your and in the position it was turned on it.

Depends how it's carried. If in a breast pocket with a clip, when it is retrieved via one end with one hand, a tailcap guarantees that you find the switch first try. Same as jacket pocket carried.

However, if it's a "hand-carry" like a multi-cell Mag for example, you're pretty much walking around with your thumb on the switch anyway, so body mounted is the way to go there.

One reason I like my Surefire E2E with tail twisty, as I can hold it "regular" like you do, and momentary on with my pinky for 30 seconds easily, and if longer needed, two handed twist for full on.

A light for each purpose and only one handed operation.

Ragiska said:

you know you can simply click the light on, then change your grip to whatever you prefer, right? just because a light is turned on in one orientation doesn't mean you HAVE to keep it that way. it's not like when energized the light is glued to your and in the position it was turned on it.

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propensity for stating the bleeding obvious?

march.brown said:

.....I find that a torch with a body-mounted switch gives a more natural hold. [...]

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JaguarDave-in-Oz said:

.....I like to turn them on and off with the first joint of my thumb (that's why I only like protruding switches).

However, I too would much prefer that all torches came with a body mounted switch. [...]

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This is one of the reasons that prompted me to choose the Polestar A6 (body-mounted switch) as I've been using torches for so long that this location, to me at least, is more than intuitive. And like Dave, if I were to use a tail-end clicky, then it'd naturally fall under the first thumb joint, and not the tip of my thumb (which is counter-intuitive IMHO).

Admittedly, the overhead "tactical" hold looks a lot more gung-ho (certainly in their ads) but what makes it — apparently — so necessary that 90% of manufacturers choose this style?

—Jack.

JaguarDave-in-Oz said:

propensity for stating the bleeding obvious?

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i find the obvious eludes most people, so it's best to err on the side of caution.

Ragiska said:

i find the obvious eludes most people, so it's best to err on the side of caution.

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yes, I do agree that does appear to be your general mindset............

thank god for zebralight sc series and itp sa eluma series with their front switches.

i like the zebra alot! (it is the way i used to use my lights past 20-30 years) clicky in front.

but past year i have come accustomed to the rear mounted ones. my grip depends of the task i do.. and i do rotate the light to more convinient hold.

most times i seem to hold it like a pen. (cigar grip) and turn it on with my thumb one handedly.

icepick grip ( thumb up, fingers down..) is more rare.. only when i aim something that is high. (lookin up a tree or roof or up the hill. and the light is already of bigger kind.. most of my lights are edc sized, single cell and AA)

underhand grip is reserved for longer lights and longer use time like walking around.. (then i just turn it on and rotate the light to this position)

also.. i noticed that i do like to use the fenix tk11 still with the grip ring in it.. i can turn it on with base of my palm when holding it in cigar grip. (just sqeeze my fist tight and light comes )

the twisties.. normally i do have to turn them on with other hand. part of the reason is also the fact that i turn them far OFF to avoid accidental on. (half a turn instead of 20% that is more normal i presume) but i dont take a twisty out of my pocket unless i have both hands free or am in a hurry. then i pick a tactical clicky light. (good reason to carry different lights.. one cliky one twisty at minimum. they have their specific tasks to come to rescue)

-wonder how i would like the jetbeam rrt0 with its ring selector. its very similar to my ideal flashlight desing of the past, but it just is too expensive for me to buy just for kicks. (maybe i dont like it after all) it might be perfect.. turn it on and twist it to your liking with one hand.

hmm.. a thought.. maybe you dont have lights that have nice clickys in them? some lights do have better clicky-feel than others. (top of my head of my lights.. bad: dereelight c2h, good: quark tactical. and fenix tk.)

march.brown said:

I can see the need for tail-cap switches (as opposed to the twisties) when the torch is mounted on a weapon , but the body mounted switch still seems to be the most natural position for everyday use.
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I used to have a Fenix P1D twisty as an EDC for years & even tried a LD10 tail cap clicky for a short time, and somehow I got used to and accepted both the twisting motion or the tail-end clicky motion. However, once I switched over to the Zebralight SC50 with the side clicky, I am never going back! It is so much quicker and easier to turn on and change the modes in a side clicky. I will still buy tail-end clickies and twisties for general purpose use - but they will NOT be my EDC.

march.brown said:

As far as I can see , the disadvantage of the body mounted switch is that the torch body has to be wider to accept the switch and the battery
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That's true, but I guess it depends on how wide one would consider acceptable. For example, the SC50 is only 21mm wide and 22mm deep at the side clicky in a AA body. There are tail-end clickies with thicker bodies than that.

I prefer my switches to be intuitive, easy to turn on without groping, or looking for the switch, so I prefer tail mounted switches, and also twisty switches. I will usually change the position of the light in my hand for continued use, and use a short palm lanyard, to secure the light to my hand when I have to do quick work requiring two hands.

Bill

youre not alone. I frequently use 2 hands to operate my lights, even though I can easily use them one handed.

God (or millions of years of evolution) provided us with 2 hands... may as well use them.

kramer5150 said:

...
God (or millions of years of evolution) provided us with 2 hands... may as well use them.

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One hand is for holding a coffee cup.

I tend to do both, one handed and two handed operation, depending on if I have both hands free or not. I'd like to see lights with both side and tail switches so the user could have an option of using whatever they preferred, but that would increase the cost of the light.

TorchBoy said:

Look on the bright side - it'll stand you in good stead when you get old and develop arthritis. :sigh:

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Well , I'm 72 years old and I have good joints ... (No , not those sort of joints) ... I mean the elbow and wrist joints that make it easier to move a whisky glass up to my mouth !
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NonSenCe said:

hmm.. a thought.. maybe you don't have lights that have nice clickys in them? some lights do have better clicky-feel than others. (top of my head of my lights.. bad: dereelight c2h, good: quark tactical. and fenix tk.)

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Clickies are :- Romisen RC-U4 , Trustfire F20 , two Solarforce L2s , Solarforce L2i , Nkoray 106 plus a couple of others ... Twisties are :- Maglite 3AA LED , iTP A2 , iTp A2 Stainless and iTP A3 stainless ... Side switch is an old Maglite 2C.

I'm happy with all the torches so far with the exception of the old (dim) Mag 2C (unmodified) , though I like the side switch ... I'm not going to waste money on modifying the 2C as it is too big to carry in my pocket.

I do realise that I can alter my grip on a torch during use , but I will still use the other hand for switching modes etc.
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