Anyone else glad to see more side switch options?

With regards to click switches, for years I have been puzzled why there were not more lights with side switches, given the fact that when I observe MOST people holding a flashlight, for general-purpose work, they are holding it with the thumb at the head end, not the tail end.

It seems that there is finally a push toward the side switch, with manufacturers other than ZebraLight. I think this is fantastic. Anyone else?

Not sure why it has taken so long, but it seems as though makers are finally realizing what ZebraLight has proven to be a desirable feature in a light - no surprise to me, as it's common ergonomics.

LOL

You mean side switches like lights have had since they were invented?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Patent_617,592.png/150px-Patent_617,592.png





The move AWAY from side switches started when people tried to operate smaller lights while holding a gun...IE: TACTICAL use....before that just meant the light was black.

The tail switch was an evolution away from the side switch, which was in a bad place tactically.


As "Tacti-Cool" became popular...people who've never trained with night fighting techniques, or heard of them, bought lights called "Tactical" because they assumed that if LEO, etc, used them, they must be "better".

They then complained about the switch being on the side, the light coming on in high, and other tactical requirements they didn't appreciate, being non-tactical.

TEEJ said:

LOL

You mean side switches like lights have had since they were invented?

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Yes, for decades all cheap flashlights had side switches. But in the higher end lights, practically NOBODY was making them. Most were twisties or rear-end clickies. It seems that it wasn't until ZebraLights came out that the other makers started doing this.

I do believe maglights have had them for decades and still do.

So it was more about being "cool" than practical eh?

Funny how things come back around. Now it seems everyone is jumping on the side switch bandwagon which I never got off.

TEEJ said:

I do believe maglights have had them for decades and still do.

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True, but who wants a D cell light?

jbrett14 said:

True, but who wants a D cell light?

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LOL

I guess the vast majority of people who buy flashlights?

Is there a brand that is outselling maglight?



Not my cup of tea per se...but if you "follow the money" you will always find your answer....just like the rush to label lights "tactical" because it "sells".


For non-tactical use, side switches are easier to use most of the time....hence lights being made with them since the 1800's.

I'm fine with tail switches, but I do like lights with more than one switch (one for on/off, another for modes, etc.) so in that sense I'm glad to see the return of side switches.

TEEJ said:

LOL

I guess the vast majority of people who buy flashlights?

Is there a brand that is outselling maglight?

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You mean the "vast majority" that have never even heard of any brands that are not commonly found on the shelves of WalMart? What about those in here, who I was addressing? I don't see a whole lot of talk about D-sized lights.

I don't know if there is a brand outselling Maglight, but if there is not, it's likely because most folks are oblivious to the fact that there are far better lights out there. Or, they simply won't spend more money to get them.

Anyway, my point about side switches was regarding the brands that we flashaholics prefer. There is clearly a push lately, with the higher end makers, toward side switches. This is the first time I have seen this push since being a member here. It seems odd, given that, as you already pointed out, side switches have been around forever. And yet it has taken all this time for these higher end makers to catch up.

The new trend will be toward side switches, as most folks will realize that they are NOT tactical users. It's nice to have more options coming with this type of switch. I was just curious if anyone else felt the same.

I guess what I'm saying is that side switches have never gone away...and, more people have bought side switched lights than any other type.

You are looking at a thin slice in history where a VERY SMALL number of lights were given tail switches for tactical, and then tacti-cool reasons...which worked for the tactical users, and did not work for the tacti-cool users...which made the non-tactical market go BACK TO side switches too.

The number WITHOUT side switches has been a small minority, and only recently in the overall scheme of things. OUR WORLD of high end high performance lights may cloud your worldview...but, trust me...MOST people are not flashaholics, we're outnumbered by stamp collectors ferchrissakes.

MOST flashlights have, and continue to have side switches. ZL, while I love'm....did not invent the side switch, or cause a massive migration, etc...it was simply one of the makers who decided to forgo the tacti-cool demographic, and go for the real world user. This is why the lights are floody instead of tight, have sub-lumen lows, a side switch, etc.



The Fenix TK70, Olight SR90, etc, had side switches before the SC600 did etc....

So, bottom line, the switch is best positioned so that the light remains balanced and supported when used as intended....and for some users, that's at the tail, and others its at the head, etc.

Control rings, ramping options, programability...these are all adjustments to all of the above.

I think it is what I grew up with and I am used to. So thank you Sunwayman- C20C, Zebralight sc600.

I think we have to thank George from TaskLed who was one of the first to make an LED driver with a side switch and excellent UI.
A certain Mr.Bulk made and sold many lights on this forum around 2002. Sadly he left this forum somewhat under a cloud or his lights might have continued on like McGizmo's,but all using electronic side switches.

TEEJ said:

The number WITHOUT side switches has been a small minority, and only recently in the overall scheme of things. OUR WORLD of high end high performance lights may cloud your worldview...but, trust me...MOST people are not flashaholics, we're outnumbered by stamp collectors ferchrissakes.

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Good point. I guess it is because I am a flashaholic, and not a common Mag-user, that this has been an issue with ME. You are right, in the world of common users, side switches have been the standard. MY view has been not so common, in that I have been wanting side switches on the higher end lights since I first got into lights that were beyond what WalMart sells. Thanks for you input. Good points.

I remember my days of owning my first Brinkman some 30+ years ago. It was an adaptable D-size light that would take 2, 3, or 5 cells, and it had a great side switch. Then, as I moved on to better and smaller LED lights, there was nary a light to be found, that had a similar side switch. The first one I came across was a Luxeon LED at Cabella's. Excellent quality, but no where near the output of what was being made by SureFire, Streamlight, or others. So I guess it's just been a long wait, for ME. Hence my excitement to see that there are finally many better makers now introducing a slew of side switches. The Rambo stuff never had any real application for my work, camping, hiking, general purpose use, etc.

Thank you ZebraLight for taking lights to another level for others to follow. Now for some competition.

The side switch is one reason I especially liked the Proton and Proton Pro when they first came out. At that time it was in a class of one (at least for a multi-level 1AA light). It is very nice to have more choices now.

Geoff

As people have pointed out on this thread, how do people really carry a flashlight (flat), and they have since "the 1800s", in other words, a side switch.

This rear button stuff is like the square coffee cups in sci-fi movies, or the awkward flashlights or guns that make no sense in regards to human bodies in the movie future.

jbrett14 said:

So it was more about being "cool" than practical eh?

Funny how things come back around. Now it seems everyone is jumping on the side switch bandwagon which I never got off.

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Actually, no. There is indeed a difference between tacti-cool and tactical. Those of us with real experience with firearms know the difference. This isn't about things coming back around. Which companies have you seen flooding the market with new models that only use side-switches? Which companies have you seen discontinuing their tailcap mounted lights in favor of side-switch models only? I haven't seen that. Definitely not on a mass scale that it has become the latest buzz or craze in the industry.

A SureFire 6P is an example of a true tactical light. It's not designed for mundane lighting chores. Though could be pressed into that role if no other light is handy. Simply put though, it's not specifically designed to be a general purpose / use flashlight.

My loaner light in my BOB is a 2AA LED Enercell model. It's designed for general use, has a side-switch, and fits nicely into the compact umbrella pouch on the side of my BOB. Main reason I wanted a side-switch light is that it won't accidentally switch itself on while riding bezel-up in my BOB. Many of my lights that do have a switch, have it on the tailcap. Some of them are indeed ideal for mundane lighting chores. If it's a short chore, I just keep my thumb against the tailcap switch until I'm done. Never presented an issue for me in holding it in such a manner. If it would be more comfortable holding the light in a more traditional grip, here's what I do . . . twist the tailcap until the light switches on, then just re-position my grip. Or, click it fully on; and once again re-position my grip. It's not a big deal. And, as was mentioned before, on smaller lights a side-switch really isn't pragmatic. The light I keep by my home-phone is a Dorcy AA model. Short, stout, with a large bezel. There's literally no place to put a side-switch on it, and then hold it comfortably without constantly pushing down on such a switch.

Monocrom said:

Which companies have you seen flooding the market with new models that only use side-switches? Which companies have you seen discontinuing their tailcap mounted lights in favor of side-switch models only? I haven't seen that. Definitely not on a mass scale that it has become the latest buzz or craze in the industry.

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Up until this last year, Zebralight was about the only popular maker that was using side-switches, apart from what one can find at Walmart. Now, within the last 6 or so months, there has been a serious introduction to side-switch lights by just about every brand talked about in this forum. It's not that they are no longer making tactical lights. It's that they are finally realizing that for general purpose, folks, for the most part, prefer side switches. In other words, regarding NON-tactical lights, it seems that the new standard is going toward side switches rather than tail end switches. And I believe this is in large part due to how much praise Zebralight gets from so many flashaholics.

jbrett14 said:

Up until this last year, Zebralight was about the only popular maker that was using side-switches, apart from what one can find at Walmart. Now, within the last 6 or so months, there has been a serious introduction to side-switch lights by just about every brand talked about in this forum. It's not that they are no longer making tactical lights. It's that they are finally realizing that for general purpose, folks, for the most part, prefer side switches. In other words, regarding NON-tactical lights, it seems that the new standard is going toward side switches rather than tail end switches. And I believe this is in large part due to how much praise Zebralight gets from so many flashaholics.

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Sigh.

You just didn't know about the other lights, just like you didn't know about why tail switches tend to be the preferred location for tactical users. I get that YOUR experience started with Zebralight, and that, to you, as you noticed ZL, and they had side switches, you simply assumed that time started when you became aware of it.

Did plenty of lights come on with side switches before you were there to see them? Sure....and some trees fell in the woods and no one was there to hear them fall.



They still fell nonetheless.


Just let go of the impression that ZL had anything to do with you essentially NOTICING lights with sides switches, other than acting as YOUR baseline.

There were plenty of high end lights with side switches before the ZL...you just didn't notice them.

The real "cycle" is based more upon the BRIEF adoption of tacti-cool styling by non-tactical market demographic lights...and you walking onto the scene about when, during this BRIEF interlude, makers noticed people were BUYING tacti-cool lights, but not happy with the tactical UI...and then buying non-tactical replacements...so they WENT BACK TO selling more of those TOO.

I am happy with a switch,it can be side or rear,anywhere suits me just get rid of twisty, I am there standing there like a total muppet twisting to make my light work.Did Noah invent the twisty whilst building the ark.:naughty:

I prefer tailcap clickies for the following reasons, although many are purely personal preferences. Side clickies:

- tend to make a light thicker while tailcap clickies > longer
- need to be rotated into the right position for use - just an extra step
- have a greater risk of accidental activation with EDC pocket carry
- tend to be electronic, are more complicated (less reliable??), less user-serviceable, and won't Lego (for preference or repair)
- I like holding a light cigar style (between the ring and pinky fingers which frees up my three primary fingers for other tasks) and cannot operate a side clicky single handed

Course YMMV, and everyone has there own preferences.