your EDC evolution... lets hear it.

so i was thinking about my past EDC lights and how i came about settling on my current EDC (surefire L1). so i thought itll be fun to see what others have EDCed.
lets start with your first, then the next and so on. please feel free to elaborate why you moved on from it, or came back to it, or why it was chosen.
the definition of EDC differs from person to person. how about we keep it to the light or lights that are carried on you that dont have a specific task, such as for work. ah hell, feel free to include those too. and keychain lights if you like.

ill try and get the ball rolling.... i started EDCing a light a few years ago about the same time discovering CPF.
nitecore D10 ramping version - cant really say why i sold it, but im thinking there were too many other lights i wanted to try. (it was early in my flashaholism)
zebralight H501w - i still have it, and sometimes it rides along as a second EDC. its found a permanant spot in my collection.
jetbeam RRT-0 R2 - gifted to a friend, couldnt stand the ringy beam.
quark 123-2 tactical R5 - sold it and replaced it with a neutral tint version of the same model.
quark 123-2 tactical neutral XP-G - encountered some minor mode switching issue. gone soon after that.
HDS high CRI P4 clicky - longest tenure ive had with a EDC. sold it thinking i would replace it with a HDS rotary. big mistake on my part
V10R Ti - control ring + tailswitch = too much changing grip positions.
surefire L1 red - still in EDC rotation
surefire cree L1 - still in rotation
2x surefire 1st gen L1 with high CRI nichia, and SSC P4. - my favorite lights of all-time best ergos, simple quick access UI, my perfect beams using narrow optics, high CRI, i honestly dont think theres any other light that could replace it besides a McGizmo LS20.

work lights:
mini maglite 3xAAA - died while on the job. search for a new light began... as well as a path to "enlightenment" :thumbsup:
olight m20 R2 - replace after discovery of neutral tint
jetbeam M III neutral tint XR-E - replace after i got a surefire E2DL and was astonished by its TIR optics beam.
Surefire E2DL - still used as a back up, but i wanted more lumens.
catapult v1 - tried it out, was just too heavy and big for me.
dereelight C4L1 or something (dereelight's p60 host) with a nailbender 3-mode SST-90 3000k - wanted my primary work light to be a surefire, after experiencing a contact issue, which was fixed later.
oveready C2 with McClicky and nailbender SST-90 drop-in - still my primary work light, but drop-ins have changed from the SST-90 to a NB XM-L 3000k, to a malkoff M61hcri.

lets hear your evolution :naughty:

My EDC evolution has been quite short.

I started with a Jetbeam Jet III-M, but found it too big for comfortable EDC.

Then I carried a one-off Custom SST-50 stainless steel 18350 by Ma-sha1, it was ridiculously bright, but had only one mode, so wasn't terribly flexible.

Then it was my Tri-EDC, with neutral emitters. Almost perfect, but low was too bright, and came on in high first, meaning in low-light I had to cover it up to flick down to low.

Then it was a Ti Quark AA regular, modded with a High CRI XP-G. A great and highly flexible EDC light.

Ultimately it was superseded by my Tri-EDC, which was upgraded with a lower power L333 board with High CRI XP-G's, with start-on-low firmware. I get the lower low I wanted the first time, I don't get blinded when I turn it on, and I get the beautiful warm toasty High-CRI light from the XP-G's. 500 lumens when I need it, an hour of 180 lumens on medium and a solid base to tailstand.

I can't find any light today that makes me want to replace the Tri-EDC.

My "key washed" Tri-EDC

i dont blame you for it being short, you jumped right into the higher quality stuff, and found what works best for you. i too prefer low coming on first. pressing the bezel against my thigh while cycling to low got tiring.
and honestly, for me most the EDC ive tried didnt last more than a few months, if that. the HDS was carried for about a year and a half.

My edc evolution story is also quite short:

1. Mini Maglite 2AA incan - the very first light I was carrying every day in school backpack. Soon I realized I need something smaller which can be always carried in pocket, so I got:

2. Maglite Solitaire - very good ergonomics but too dimm. Modded it with Nichia GS driven by 10440 Li-ion and resistor, LED was overdrived though and after several months it ed. Decided I need something with power led.

3. Trustfire XP-E F23 - solid built and pretty bright for 1xAAA, but useless strobe and short runtime dissapointed me. It was also too big compared to battery it used, it should take 1xAA.

4. Hugsby P31 - good size, well built and useful clip. I changed driver to DX sku. 7880 and it was in my pocket for a few months with no problems, but driver was not very efficient and mode changing was tricky. Hugsby was ok for me untill I saw:

5. Nitecore Smart PD D10 GDP - almost perfect UI and variable brightness - that's what I was looking for. Attached clip to it and changed LED to XP-G Q4 3000K 80 CRI. It was my perfect EDC light for almost a year. I thought there can't be nothing better and I'll never sell it but then I saw variable output Peaks in action and I knew I must have something like that. I couldn't afford Peak, so I started to experiment with QTC technology myself. And that's how I built my current EDC which I have for about 6 months now and it is:

6. CQG S2 as primary and CQG S1 as backup, both almost completely modified. I've even modded their bodies to better fit my needs. Both lights have MAG clips(from 2AAA MiniMag), grinded tailcaps for easy access to switch and new lanyard attachement points. S2 uses XM-L bin T2 3000K 80 CRI directly driven by 14500 Li-ion and QTC for controlling brightness/runtime compromise. S1 uses XP-G Q4 3000K 80 CRI and is DD from 10440 and has QTC ramping as well. S2 is my primary EDC and S1 is my backup neck-carry light. QTC implementation needs some enhancements to improve reliability and ramping smoothness, but for now I think I'm very close to build my perfect EDC light .

1 ) 2AA Maglight incan.
2) Inova X5
3) Inova X1
4) Cabelas XPG 2 CR123 5W luxeon
5) Photon Proton Pro
6) Sunwayman V10A R5
7) Sunwayman Anniversary Edition V10R w/extend & 17500

I'll probably edit the post after I think about it for a while. The lights I listed were ones I would go to the most.

1.Maglite Solitaire
2.Surefire E2D
3.Surefire U2
4.Mcgizmo Lunasol 20
5.RA Twisty 85Tr
6.Mcgizmo Haiku
7.HDS Clicky 120
8.Surefire T1A
9.HDS Rotary 200(Current EDC)

I started off with carrying single lights and then progressed to carrying multiple lights for redundancy and as backups.

Here's my list;

Maglite Solitaire

Cheapy 3 LED keychain light powered by 3xLR44

Fenix P2D

Fenix PD20

Fenix PD30

EagleTac P20C2 MkII

EagleTac T20C2 MkII

Lumintop TD-15
Quark AA Tactical S2
Arc-AAA UV

ThruNite Scorpion V2
Surefire L1 Lumamax, Milkyspit eXtreme (customized so that it has four different output modes, one of them which is a sublumen moonlight)
Arc-AAA UV

ThruNite TN11
Surefire C2 Centurion with Cryos head, Xeno ST05, Triad tailcap, McClicky and Solarforce LC-XPG
Surefire L1 Lumamax, Milkyspit eXtreme
Ultrafire A3 3-mode
Arc-AAA UV

ThruNite TN11
Dereelight Javelin head with C2H body with AA extender, with Dereelight XP-E R4 pill and Ultrafire reflector and Surefire FM34 (whopping 13,000 lux using 1xCR123A using Dereelight pill and Ultrafire reflector!)
Quark X Tactical LVH with AA body and Turbo tailcap
Ultrafire A3 3-mode
Arc-AAA UV

I realized that it's best if I keep powerful, lithium-powered lights as primary, and have ones that accept common off-the-shelf batteries as backups.

And, finally, here is my current EDC roster;

Surefire C2 Centurion with Cryos head, Xeno ST05, McC2S 60ohm and vinhnguyen54's XM-L drop-in driven at 4.2A (~15-20 lumens low and 900+ OTF when the beast is unleashed)
Quark X Tactical LVH with AA body and Turbo tailcap
Lumapower LM21
Arc-AAA UV

Coming soon to the roster; DEFT-edc multi-voltage with Enthusiast optics.

Short list here as well.

1. Ultrafire C3 (cheapo light when I didn't know any better)
2. Nextorch K1 (keychain duty, but lost it right after using it to escape the woods!)
3. Arc6 (current EDC)

I really want to try a HDS clicky. Maybe even a Surefire L1 head with E1E body (the only Surefire light combo I deem "sexy" [I like short lights]) But all of those are larger (and less bright) than my Arc6. I think I'm good for awhile.

i dont blame you for it being short, you jumped right into the higher quality stuff, and found what works best for you. i too prefer low coming on first. pressing the bezel against my thigh while cycling to low got tiring.
and honestly, for me most the EDC ive tried didnt last more than a few months, if that. the HDS was carried for about a year and a half.

~Deicide~ said:

1.Maglite Solitaire
2.Surefire E2D
3.Surefire U2
4.Mcgizmo Lunasol 20
5.RA Twisty 85Tr
6.Mcgizmo Haiku
7.HDS Clicky 120
8.Surefire T1A
9.HDS Rotary 200(Current EDC)

Click to expand...

what a list! those are some higher regarded lights. hmm.. i was thinking of getting a T1A since i cant get my hands on a HDS rotary.... but ive waited this long already, whats another year?

enomosiki said:

I started off with carrying single lights and then progressed to carrying multiple lights for redundancy and as backups.

Surefire C2 Centurion with Cryos head, Xeno ST05, McC2S 60ohm and vinhnguyen54's XM-L drop-in driven at 4.2A (~15-20 lumens low and 900+ OTF when the beast is unleashed)
Quark X Tactical LVH with AA body and Turbo tailcap
Lumapower LM21
Arc-AAA UV

Coming soon to the roster; DEFT-edc multi-voltage with Enthusiast optics.

Click to expand...

i couldnt help but let out an evil chuckle when i read 900+ OTF :devil:


Torchaddict:
i dont know if a L1 head will work with the E1E body, and you wouldnt be able to use the 2-stage mometary switch of the L1 with a E-series body.
i used to think shorter is better. but i actually found the HDS clicky too be alittle too short. it wasnt so comfortable to use in the over-hand grip. i used it in a cigar grip most the time.
my L1 is about 4.75 inches, and its a perfect fit for me.

all the other lights 2 cell lights are just alittle too wide, or long for EDC for me though.

I have to admit, I don't really know too much about Surefire. Just thought the combo looked nice.



I have girly hands (5'4", 115lbs) for a guy, so small EDCs fit me better :thumbsup:

Nice one.

WORK:

1- Maglite Solitaire
Then I stopped carrying it 'cause I didn't need a light at work anymore. Then I started another job where a light is a big help
2-L0D for a few weeks, wasn't enough
3-L2D for a few weeks, got too bulky
4-Quark AA regular for a couple of months, but it stabbed me in the sides when I got in the car
5-PD20, but I also needed a low low for dark rooms
6-Quark 123 tactical along with the PD20 and that is my current work EDC for over 2 years now. No plans on changing this one.


Weekend:

For a loong time it was mostly my latest light that would fit in a cargo pocket. I then started taking more interest in practical 1X123 lights and less in throwers.
I put my L0D on my keychain last year as backup and can't leave home without light.
At some point, last year too, I was rotating between E05, Q123 tac neutral, Q123 reg. high CRI, SC51c.
I now found my dream EDC light with the V11R high CRI special edition but I might start babying it and replace it with the coming M11R neutral.
If Ualnosaj and Sunwayman keep it up with these special runs, I might never have a steady weekend EDC... unless I order a second M11R neutral just to have one I can baby while I stop caring about scratches on the other...

First I started with a SF E1B. Then I got wanting something brighter so I ordered 2 VME heads. In one I have a Nichia M31 219, and in the other I have a M31. That way I can switch back and forth for various uses. I also put the SF Z68 tailcap on it, and a Ultra Clear Lens in both VME's, that way I basically got two lights in one.

I started out carrying a Maglite Solitare and added a AAA Minimag when I found one of them and those, lasted a number of years. Then I added a Surefire 6P. Then I added a Photon and then upgraded my AAA Minimag and AA Minimag to MJLEDs. After that I went to a 3AAA (a popular one that for some reason I just cannot remember). Then I found Inovas and I bought and carried the entire X series of lights. The X01 and X5 were the most used. I really liked the lens in the X series. Then I got some of the Tseries. Then I started to go smaller and I got several Fenix 1AA lights, and then went to a Fenix L0PSE which has been my every day pocket light for the past 4 or 5 years now (along with several Photons on the keys).

Now days I add a variety of AAA penlight styles, the Preon II, Streamlight Stylus Pros, or Lightstar 80 to back up the L0PSE when I think I might need something more powerful. Oh I still have a lot of AA and CR123 lights, including some newer cree lights, just dont use them much and seldon, read almost never carry one. They mostly do bedside table duty for bumps in the night with my .45, and car emergency light duty in the form of several year old X5s.

I worked my way through until I found nice small and just enough, and not too much.

My first "EDC" was an Inova T0 ~ 1 AA, 30 Lumen, and an amazing pocket light in 2004. ~grins~ In fact, I liked it so much; I bought six Inova X1's ~ 1AA, 30 Lumen as well, as Christmas presents for my loved ones that year.

I don't know if it was truly an EDC, but I also bought myself an Inova X0 for Xmas in 2004 too ~ 2 cr123, 82 Lumen, and 6.5 inches long. And, I upgraded that to an Inova T5 ~ 3 cr123, 125 Lumen, in February of 2006. Imho, Inova's TIR (total internal reflection) optics were four or five years ahead of their competitiors...

But, my first *real* EDC was the Olight T20-Q5 (XR-E) ~ 2 cr123, 205 Lumens, and 5 inches long. I religiously carried this in my front-left pants pocket from spring of 2008 thru spring of 2012 - four years! - It is supposed to have five levels; but I ended up using high or nothing most of the time. It's got a great throw and it can actually spot house numbers better than my current EDC..

The ZebraLight (cool white) SC600 has been my EDC since April; one 18650, 750 Lumens, and just 4 inches long! It just doesn't get any better than this unless you need to spot house numbers at 25 yards or bolt something with more throw onto your weapon. Personally, I like the slight flood for 99.44% of what I use my EDC for and can always stow something *bigger* when I need to search for distant objects without flooding nearby stuff to a compromising level.

iphone flashlight app -----> Fenix LD20 ------> Fenix LD05 -------> 4Sevens Preon 2 --------> SureFire Backup -------------> HDS Rotary + 4Sevens Preon 2


for wilderness:

(usually + a headlamp and backup light)

Maglite 3C -------------------------> Fenix LD20 ------------> SureFire 6PX Pro -----------> SureFire 6P ------------> SureFire 6P + Malkoff M61.

Mine is simple because I spended tons of money and got tons of light at once and so I basically go with a setup I like mostly and that's that. First going with just a BA20.. and then soon got geared up and changed.

Stage 1 - TD15x only, shorty but powerful

Stage 2 - Hooked with the Olight M30 and put the Jetbeam PA10 and the Fenix LD10 as backup lights

Now, pissed wth M30's holter which is a joke.. and so going with TD15x on 2 extension on holster (belt) and then a LD10 in my pocket, PA10 as a backup in the messenger bag. Wow, the TD15x is my weapon!