Small edc light vs standard size edc

Thought I would ask you guys that have been doin' this much longer for an opinion.

I have a number of LED flashlights now. Most are really very close to about the same size with the exception of my Olight T20 which is much smaller. I just received my Solarforce L2P host which is my first 18560 rechargeable compatible flashlight. I really wanted a tactical light that would allow me to experiment with various modules and that was it. The battery creates some size requirements by itself.

So here is the dilemma. I admire the smaller flashlights that are out there, like the Mac's Customs XM-L but not really sure of their practicality vs cost. They are not cheap and in fact all of the smaller lights seem to be at the upper end of the cost spectrum. Yet, they are to small to be of any use as tactical defense tools, yet to large to suspend from a keychain (unless you want to replace your car ignition switch every few years).

So my question is....what is the practical application for these smaller flashlights at their price points. I guess the easy answer would be as a back up but how does that make sense? You end up paying more for a back up light than for your primary EDC??

Then when I look at what we have available as tactical edc's today compared to what we had not to many years ago, lights like the Surefire E2 and the Fenix X11 both of which I also own seem really functional and not that much to carry around.

As much as anything else, my question is what the hell am I missing? Why should I want to spend upwards of $200 for one of these smaller lights that appear to have limited practical application?

The practical application of a light is to provide light... If a smaller light can perform as well as a larger light than the reason a person may be interested in it seems obvious.

I personally am not in love with the super small lights I think the Surefire E2e is about perfect but it's just not bright enough for my taste anymore.

I don't carry a flashlight as a tactical defense tool so the size I prefer is small. I carry a Zebralight SC50+. As a lighting tool it is very versital, good low and adequate high.

Custom lights like the Mac's and McGizmos etc, don't need to have their cost justified. People buy them because they want that level of quality and uniqueness.

I EDC a light to illuminate things, so I don't feel the need to carry something on a daily basis that has any practical application beyond that.

With Mac's lights, you are buying directly from the guy who designs and makes them, and his work is - in my experience - flawless. Absolutely worth the price, if you can justify it. Not everybody can let themselves spend that much for a flashlight, but you are getting an extremely high quality hand-made item.

There are other small lights that get quite bright, and don't carry such high price tags. If you want something small and practical, there are certainly good lights from places like Peak, 4sevens, Sunwayman, and Jetbeam.

I have a small single 123 on my keychain, that way it's always there. Output is 10, 80 and 200 lumens, plenty for most normal use. I have lots of bigger lights but this little one fills a niche for me.

I consider 1 x CR123 to be a "standard" size EDC. Those big ones like 2x123 lights you're talking about are too big IMO. My primary EDCs are 1x123 with 1xAAA or CR2 lights being considered keychain lights or backups or dress clothes carry lights. There's no reason to discount the McGizmo sized lights from primary light status.

It's pretty easy yet at the same time difficult and here's why. First some people like myself carry as large a light as they can because that usually means more lumens and the ability to use 18650 or 2xCR123 for longer runtimes. Next their are other people who take a minimal approach and carry the smallest light they can find with the highest output.

Then their is another approach when some want that small light to be .1 lumen and run for 100+hrs, high output is never used so size and moonlight mode are most important. It may sound a little odd considering the very high output of lights today, multiple modes and long runtimes with lithium batteries but believe me their is a large group of members that just love this and if you really think about it it's not that odd it's actually pretty cool to get .2 lumens for 16 days with just one AA battery.

There are members who only prefer EDC light's that use the battery type they prefer like 18650 or Eneloop AA size, they go with a preferred battery chemistry and decide on a light built around that. Some only want 2xAA light's using Eneloop some want 1xAAA or 2xCR123. Some members like me carry multiple light's for instance one in their pocket and then a keychain light, some carry on a neck lanyard to.

Then their is how someone prefers to EDC the light, they carry deep in their pocket only or clipped to the pocket. Some don't like anything in their pockets so they holster carry and then some only like keychain light's because they don't like anything on or in their pocket or on their belt. Now that it's winter some like to carry a medium sized light in their jacket, or just another small light again depending on their preferences and things I mentioned like battery chemistry and runtimes and outputs, and..and etc..

You see their are so many personal preferences and different choices I probably have not even scratched the surface and probably left out a number of different EDC styles and ideas that lead to that style choice.

Their are many good threads on many different EDC topics like "how do you carry and why" read around their is some good stuff floating around.

I love high output lights EDC sized lights but don't want to carry anything too big. Single CR123 lights don't have the runtime I need so have always gravitated toward 2 cell units. After recently buying a Zebralight SC600 that utilises the mighty 18650 cell, I finally have a smallish light with high output and practical runtimes.

I think lights of this type are the future.

James....

Well there ya' go. To each his own I guess.

Once the led's either 2x CR123 or 1x 18560 got to a size where they could in fact become multitask edc's that became a minimum standard for a primary carry for me. I want something I can suspend from a lanyard if I want light and both hands free and I want something that can provide a limited amount of non-lethal defense in a pinch. When I walk my dog at night I want something I can lanyard around my wrist as the smaller light simply becomes uncomfortable to carry while on and while walking for any length of time. The 1x CR123 lights are considerably smaller, but for me they simply do not provide enough practical functionality over a really tiny led light. I just do not have enough practical usage for a small light with big throw that really does not do more than that. They are for me, sort of caught in the middle. In fact my Olight T20 is also caught in the middle...to small with no tactical defense capability but to large to be a backup light even though it has strobe.

The big transition that I saw in the flashlight was the transition from not being able to really carry anything practical because an incandescent mag light with 2xAA or 2xC really did not do much for you. One was to small and the other to large and neither provided enough light to matter.

I would love to see McGizmo or Mac Custom come out with 5 mode or anything with strobe for that matter as they would be McGizmo or Mac versions of that HDS light I referred to earlier. It is impractical to carry two lights the size of an SF L2P or anything like it. But carrying one light the size of an SF L2P or an E2 defender along with a smaller light with strobe is quite acceptable to me. Probably because my point of reference is those mag light days which are not that far in our past. The amount of practical functionality for really very little space and weight that two lights so configured and carried together would give you is staggering when you compare with what we had a scant ten years ago. The larger light does not in all cases have to be in a pocket either although they certainly can go into at least a outerwear jacket or hoodie pocket easily.

jnug said:

The 1x CR123 lights are considerably smaller, but for me they simply do not provide enough practical functionality over a really tiny led light. I just do not have enough practical usage for a small light with big throw that really does not do more than that. They are for me, sort of caught in the middle.

I would love to see McGizmo or Mac Custom come out with 5 mode or anything with strobe for that matter as they would be McGizmo or Mac versions of that HDS light I referred to earlier..

Click to expand...

I am interested in the two points above. There is nothing wrong with your opinion, just interesting to me. Why do you feel that the 1x123 lights are not functional? With XP-Gs and XM-Ls 1x123 lights can crank out hundreds of lumens with pretty decent runtime, and have the benefit of the convenience of their smaller size over the multi-cell lights. I'm unsure why you discount them. As to 'big throw', the beam pattern of a light is related to the size and shape of the reflector, not the battery configuration, so you can get large or small lights with throw or flood, so I wouldn't let that be a stumbling block.


McGizmo does make his lights with a three mode hi/med/lo driver, which is definitely practical. I have had 7 mode lights in the past and found I usually only used the low and high anyways, so McGs lights have the vast majority of my daily lighting needs covered. All the modes in between on many-mode lights are not usually spaced far apart for our eyes to see much difference anyways.

And you will probably never see a McG with a strobe.

AT work, I carry a Lumapower Trust 2 light on me. It is a 2 cell 123 light. I carry that about 90% of the time, but alternate it with my P20C2 Mk II Eagletac. I clip it to the inside of my front pocket of my dress slacks. When not at work, I carry my Eagletac T20C2 Mk II with the XM-L HO LED. I like bright. I almost always use max on any flashlight... Except in the middle of the night at home.

I prefer 2 cell lights and recently gave 1 of my one cell Solarforce lights to my son. It just sits on the shelf otherwise,...

JHC pointed out everyone has different taste or preferences for how and what they carry. I think another big factor is where you live. In this case the OP is thinking of his light as a potential impact device.

Some areas of the world and even certain areas of the united states are strict about weapons so a person might have to rely on a flashlight as an impact device. I wish more people on this forum would fill in their location as I think it ads context to a person thought process as well as being beneficial for othe things like sales threads.

Mikeg23 said:

Some areas of the world and even certain areas of the united states are strict about weapons so a person might have to rely on a flashlight as an impact device. I wish more people on this forum would fill in their location as I think it ads context to a person thought process as well as being beneficial for othe things like sales threads.

Click to expand...

I'm in Texas, but I have a concealed carry license. And, I take my Beretta 92 everywhere with me. So, the flashlight isn't really carried by me as a weapon. Some of those solarforce bezels are pretty sharp and would make a good weapon, though...

Why do you feel that the 1x123 lights are not functional?

Click to expand...

It is not that they are not functional at all. They are just not functional enough for the reasons I carry a flashlight and as a standalone don't offer me enough practical advantage over a tiny single led on a chain. For example, I don't have much need to carry a flashlight indoors. If I need a flashlight indoors I can always go over to my outerwear pocket where I am sure to find my somewhat multifunctional larger light and pick it out of the pocket. Outdoors, I want the added features of the 4.5" to 5" light.

I realize that the output is not correlated to the battery configuration but I am assuming for the purpose of discussion that the "smaller" lights are all single cell making battery configuration something of a mute point. That Olight T20 I discussed earlier is probably as small as a 2x cr123 led is going to get within reason and it is still not as small as the small lights we are talking about here.

Anyway, since my edc is really edc outdoors, I have ample room to carry the larger lights and in fact in many cases, like my dog walking example, the larger light is actually more convenient to use than the smaller lights as I find the smaller lights uncomfortable to hold in use for any extended length of walking time (like 5 minutes for example).

Now as I mentioned earlier while I like multi-mode regardless of the light, unless I find a small light like the HDS that has strobe I will likely buy an HDS tactical, install the clip and carry that in a pants pocket as a backup light. Again as indicated in this thread I would take advantage of the combination of strobe and memory in that light and keep it on strobe. So I would carry the larger light for illumination and in use either have it held or via lanyard to wrist or via lanyard to neck or even suspended from something if I wanted and I would have the smaller light already set on strobe in a pants pocket so that I would have immediate access to s strobe function. In that case then, when indoors I would not be going to an outerwear jacket or hoodie pocket to retrieve my larger light for illumination unless it had some feature that at the time made it a better choice than the smaller HDS that was in my pants pocket. I would simply go to the HDS, take it off strobe and use it for whatever indoor illumination task I was faced with at the time.

So in summary at least in my case you could say that without that strobe and memory function, the smaller led light simply does not offer me enough when I can just allocate some room in an outerwear pocket and carry the larger light and enjoy the benefits inherent to it. Size is not an issue unless the thing is to large or to small for that matter relative to the functionality, benefits offered and space provided either in pocket or in bag, the extreme case being something like the old days of having to choose between 2x incandescent lights, none of which really gave you much light with a huge gap in size and weight between a 2xAA model and a 2xC model.

However with strobe and memory, the small HDS gives me an added function that is meaningful in that it gives me immediate access to strobe if I want/need it....a pants pocket light that for most indoor use keeps me from going to my outerwear pocket to retrieve my larger light. It will also allow me all of the other benefits that come with actually carrying two lights...one small and one large with enough overlap of functionality such that I am even covered for those rare instances when you might actually want to be able to use both lights at the same time. You might for example want to tail stand your larger light someplace keeping the smaller light in hand or suspend the larger light someplace keeping the smaller in hand.

This is not to suggest that those that find carrying the smaller light as a standalone don't have their reasons. I started the thread to see if it would uncover something in that usage that I was just flat missing. In fact I did not mean to intend the use of the term "what am I missing" to be sarcastic or tongue in cheek although sometimes it is used that way. I was literally asking "what am I missing".

Seems to me then, that you have a very clear understanding of your usages and needs, and have selected your lights appropriately. You won't be dissapointed with and HDS, they are very good lights, I have several and I enjoy using them. :thumbsup:

So what about the 6 months of the year that you don't have outerwear?
I personally don't like having things in a jacket pocket because they tend to flop around or make the jacket feel uneven.
In addition to that I wear a t-shirt and jeans pretty much everyday so between the jeans pockets and maybe a belt holster space is a premium for all the junk I seem to carry.

Some areas of the world and even certain areas of the united states are strict about weapons so a person might have to rely on a flashlight as an impact device. I wish more people on this forum would fill in their location as I think it ads context to a person thought process as well as being beneficial for othe things like sales threads.

Click to expand...

Funny you guys should mention this because I almost added points in this regard to one of my posts. I live in NH and I do have a carry permit. In my case (and I repeat in my case) I became uncomfortable with the inherent lethality relative to the kinds of threats I was likely to encounter. I am still comfortable with it relative to protecting my home and its occupants. However NH has changed a good deal in the 30 odd years that I have lived here. I am no longer comfortable with being able to control the background in all cases and I am even a bit concerned that as I have aged I am no longer comfortable with my vision nor even the means to improve it particularly at night. For the most part I now carry an led and a tactical folder. While there is a certain higher order of security in "packing" I now have to take more time to judge the consequences of my action. Once that thing is in your hands you are hard pressed to revert back to something less lethal so in some ways it becomes a burden and a benefit.

I have to say that I really gave up pistol carry in all but the rarest of instances reluctantly as it said as much about changes to me and my surroundings that are not comfortable for me to acknowledge. In truth the preponderance of average citizens still carry nothing, not even a flashlight. I am banking on the element of surprise now whereas in the past I was banking on having an almost certain advantage in firepower and in practiced familiarity with the use of the weapon. So there ya' go but that is a very good point that you guys were alluding to in your posts.

As far as what I might come across is concerned...you guys might find it humorous to know that we still run into bear on occasion bounding through our backyards and you can still run across one out in the woods behind your own house. So those are instances where I do feel comfortable with my background and would prefer not to get hammered by a surprised bear even if it just means a warning shot in the air that startles the hell out of darned thing and sends it off in the opposite direction long enough for me to get the hell outta' there!

So what about the 6 months of the year that you don't have outerwear?
I personally don't like having things in a jacket pocket because they tend to flop around or make the jacket feel uneven.
In addition to that I wear a t-shirt and jeans pretty much everyday so between the jeans pockets and maybe a belt holster space is a premium for all the junk I seem to carry.

Click to expand...

Wait till you get older when you can enjoy the pleasure of basically being cold just about all the time. Seriously though, at my age I rarely leave the house without even a thin outer garment of some sort as I chill to easily. But to answer the question honestly....in summer I simply carry to much junk to be able to use pockets effectively for anything once the amount of clothing gets down there. I have been known to holster the light or carry it via clip in one of the outer pockets of something like a Victoronix day carry bag. Summers are not nearly long enough in NH anyway.

jhc37013 gave a great explanation of why one size does not fit all. I have two EDC lights. I always have one or the other on my person in a kydex belt holster at 8 o'clock.

When I am working I have started carrying a Zebral Light SC600W. I like the 18650 power source and the UI of the light. It is as big as I can carry on my belt without noticing it at all, which is part of my EDC criteria. The side switch keeps the overall length down compared to lights with tail cap clickies. It is purely for utility rather than my non-work EDC in which I need a more tactical performer.

When I am not at work, I carry a Nova Tac 120T, one cell CR123. It is very similar to the HDS lights, just a little shorter. The UI is simple and 120 lumens is plenty for the mission of the light. It strobes easily, but I don't have a real need for that function. It has a clicky that works very well when used in conjunction with my CCW pistol. CCW makes my light requirements a bit more specfic than individuals who choose not to carry, or live where CCW is not permitted. The NT is as small (both length and diameter) as I carry. I find the single cell CR123, tail cap clicky as small as practical for rapid, one handed operation.

I do not carry anything bigger than the ZL or smaller than the NT as a primary light. I carry smaller lights frequently as a back up. they can be on a key chain or pocket of my cargo pants. Outerwear in So. florida is at most a T-shirt with a baggy loose fitting overshirt so a jacket pocket is rarely handy.

I have bigger, and more powerful lights that I use for specific purposes, but they are not EDC lights in any way.

PS, both lights have very low lows and I use both lights indoors all the time. If I lived in a locale that banned CCW I would carry a pocket folder karambit rather than rely on a crenelated light bezzle. Google Steve Tarani to see how effective a simple folding knife can be.

Nova Tac 120T


Zebra Light