Three most important factors to you in buying a flashlight?

What are the top three things you need your lights to have before you consider buying them? What are three deal breakers that if you don't see, you don't even look any further?

For me it is:
1. Must use normal AA/AAA batteries. [provocative comment removed - DM51]
2. Must have pocket clip. I don't know how people carry things like knives and lights without them.
3. Must have clicky. Prefer forward but reverse is better than try to twist a light with two hands.

Kind of goes without saying in this day that it also must have LED instead of bulb. I think in 2011, we just assume such things.

1. Must be able to use standard (AA/AAA) size batteries.
2. Must be waterproof to IX8
3. Must have 5+ year warranty.


NP

1. Must be lego-able.
2. If not custom, must be a name brand.
3. No pocket clip. (Don't like 'em!).

in small-sized torches up to 1x AA, dealbreakers are to me:
1. if it cant tailstand properly
2. if it cant be clipped to a baseball cap ("reversible clip": clip points tail cap down)
3. if it is bulkier than most of the competition
4. if the brightness regulation is modest only and not up to the officially claimed specs (e.g. LD10, LD20, a disaster!)
5. if it doesnt fit my Fenix diffuser kit and accessories (bezel diameter 21.5-22.0mm required!!)

There are enough torches which fulfill these demands ( Xeno E03, LD10 (well.. argh!), Quark's, Romisen's, .. )

For me it depends on why I'm shopping for a light. For my EDC I usually carry two lights, one smaller pocket sized and one mid-sized. For these my top three would be:

1. Good carry options - For my smaller EDC lights a secure pocket clip is a must and although I almost always carry bezel down I prefer the 2-way pocket clips because they allow the light to be clipped onto different things (like a hat brim) while in use. For my mid-size work lights availability of good holsters is a must. I would buy a light I liked even if it didn't come with a holster (or came with a bad one) as long as I have (or could get) a holster that worked well.

2. Reliability - I won't buy a light for EDC or work carry unless I feel I can trust it to operate when I need it.

3. Performance - It doesn't have to have the brightest high or the lowest low but it must have multiple modes, preferably without any head twisting. For my pocket lights I prefer lows at or below 5 lumens and highs at or above 100 lumens. For my mid-sized lights I'm not as picky about the low (or medium) but I want the high to be at least 300 lumens.

All that aside, if I'm buying a light for "collecting" purposes I have slightly different criteria:

1. I see it
2. I want it
3. I can afford it

I'm real good at staying true to number 1 and 2 . . . number 3 not so much

For me it is: 1. AA batteries - I have plenty of rechargeable ones available. 2. Must have a mechanical push or slide switch 3. Must be able to stand up 4. Small, portable 5. LED onyl

1.Good runtimes on alkalines
2. Water resistance to 50-100 feet
3. Compact small design

1. Must be a Malkoff
2.Must be a ZebraLight
3. Must be a custom.

LEO Application:

1) MUST be very bright (LED preferred and strobe a plus).

2) MUST have a rechargable battery that will run at least one hour.

3) MUST be dual-applicable (large enough or designed to use as a self-defense weapon in a pinch)(unless it's a back-up light).

speedsix... this is the last time for a while that you'll be permitted to post on your pet topic of AA/AAA vs. other batteries. Your single-agenda output is borderline trolling. Repeating yourself in this provocative way is annoying to other members.

You have been warned.

No AA, must use 18650's and CR123's
No head twisting to change modes, side or tail switch or magnetic ring
Must tail stand.

Must make light

Must turn on

Must be affordable

Be user friendly/look good
Be fairly bright
Fit in my pocket

speedsix said:

WTF? I don't even remember what you censored out of my OP. I know it wasn't anything important. I don't have a "pet" topic and I couldn't think of anything less interesting than "trolling" on a flashlight forum about the pros and cons of batteries.

Hopefully your "warning" sets me straight and I can control myself from talking about batteries so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of the townsfolk. LMFAO! What is going on? How did I get scolded on a flashlight forum? Tell me I am dreaming. LOL!

Click to expand...

You are baiting when you make posts ridiculing those you don't agree with in an attempt to squash what you see as dissent, not to mention your closing line in the OP letting everyone know that while they're welcome to state their own factors when choosing, they are not welcome to choose incans.

Now you are arguing openly with a mod and hiding your 'F' word twice in a single argumentative post, which has no place in a civil thread.

For what it's worth, I choose:

Beam pattern
Tint
UI

I also choose to like lights based on their own merits and not ones that attempt to achieve superiority with such devious messages as 'it's got led's instead of a bulb. Most of my lights are LED based and they are the only ones I carry on a regular basis, mostly because of their ability to be turned down, but some of my biggest joys until the advent of warm tints and high CRI lights have been incans.

speedsix said:

WTF? I don't even remember what you censored out of my OP. I know it wasn't anything important. I don't have a "pet" topic and I couldn't think of anything less interesting than "trolling" on a flashlight forum about the pros and cons of batteries.

Hopefully your "warning" sets me straight and I can control myself from talking about batteries so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of the townsfolk. LMFAO! What is going on? How did I get scolded on a flashlight forum? Tell me I am dreaming. LOL!

Click to expand...

speedsix, after numerous recent borderline-trolling posts, you were advised to tone it down, to no avail.

Please take seven days off for this, added to three days from here (posted a mere 6 minutes prior to this post).

Anyway, to me, being new to lights I will list how I look at lights so far, maybe in the future it will change...

Batt type
Levels
Quality (ie fit and finish, threads, knurling, etc...I hope this isnt more than one thing)

oldways said:

1. Must be a Malkoff
2.Must be a ZebraLight
3. Must be a custom.

Click to expand...

Where can I get a custom Malkoff-Zebralight?

I'm new to this whole flashlight thing but I think would be difficult to settle on just three things as my criteria would change for the particular light I'd get.

For a pocket flashlight I'd want

1. small size
2. moonlight mode
3. warm tint and or High CRI

For a light to throw in my backpack,

1. legoablitlity (to use many kinds of battery types)
2. multi mode with moonlight and a decent UI
3. warm tint or high CRI

For a light for my home/car

1. Many loooomens!
2. durablity, something that can bang the hubcaps off a flat tire.
3. runtime.

Or I guess more generally I could say,
1. Something cool
2. Something I don't have already
3. Something I want

Battery type, AA or AAA eneloops and SLA batteries.

Performance, usually 300 yards throw as a minimum but I make an exception for smaller lights.

Cost, no good it meeting the above specifications if I can't afford it.

1- use of easy access batteries aa`s d`s ect ect
2-fit and finish (has to look good )
3-price and value for the money