Why all of the added features even on the most simple flashlight???

By now I've acquired quite a number of the latest model flashlights. Not the big buck 500+ dollar versions, but the simple easy to purchase 20 to 40 buck models. Not one that I've bought thus far has had just a simple on and off switch and nothing else. Yep they've all had bonus features that I really don't need or want. I'd love to get just a bright flashlight that went on and then off with nothing else in between. Most all of my lights are what they call "five function". They go from high, medium, low, (light intensity), then strobe and finally S.O.S. I just don't get it. I have a new bicycle light that has yep, all five modes on it. I simply cannot see the use of going down the road flashing out S.O.S. to passers by? I also just got a headlamp for my gun work and other project type close in work. It came with two functions only. I had hope for this one with only two (sorry I guess it has three) functions. High, medium, and strobe. Why on earth would I need to be working on my RC model airplane with an unadjustable strobe light on my head???? When I got my latest, a UV flashlight I was in shock. As it had only two modes that it could possibly be in. Yep that's right, only two. On and off. Are manufacturers listening? Smithy.

I'm as frustrated as you. all I want is a flashlight that turns on and off and has a lot of light

I don't want moonlight mode, SOS, beacon low, beacon high, 5 different light settings, strobe, different color LED's

I don't want to cycle through 5 modes to get to the light I want, or have to click so many times within a second.

it's getting to be a novelty to have every possible function on your flashlight. that's why I prefer Surefire single mode lights.....you know exactly what you're getting when you turn it on. simple twist on/twist off......no clicky to break, no complicated circuits. simple

it's a real challenge these days to find a flashlight that just turns on and off

5kwkdw3 said:

By now I've acquired quite a number of the latest model flashlights. Not the big buck 500+ dollar versions, but the simple easy to purchase 20 to 40 buck models. Not one that I've bought thus far has had just a simple on and off switch and nothing else. Yep they've all had bonus features that I really don't need or want. I'd love to get just a bright flashlight that went on and then off with nothing else in between. Most all of my lights are what they call "five function". They go from high, medium, low, (light intensity), then strobe and finally S.O.S. I just don't get it. I have a new bicycle light that has yep, all five modes on it. I simply cannot see the use of going down the road flashing out S.O.S. to passers by? I also just got a headlamp for my gun work and other project type close in work. It came with two functions only. I had hope for this one with only two (sorry I guess it has three) functions. High, medium, and strobe. Why on earth would I need to be working on my RC model airplane with an unadjustable strobe light on my head???? When I got my latest, a UV flashlight I was in shock. As it had only two modes that it could possibly be in. Yep that's right, only two. On and off. Are manufacturers listening? Smithy.

Click to expand...

Take a look at Malkoff. Most are just on/off and you need to add the hi/low ring to get a low mode. USA made, potted electronics, long runtimes (without step down) and very robust.

That's why I like some of the Eagletac lights. Yes, they have a ton of modes, but in most cases if the head is fully tightened you're on the highest mode. It's hard to accidentally go into any other mode. That said, there is a feature when you double click it goes into strobe. However, I have never accidentally activated it. This is the case with my G25C2 II, T25C2 and D25a.

I will add that because many of these flashlights today put out 500-1000 lumens (unheard of just a few short years ago), there is more of a need for lower levels. 1000 lumens is a lot of light, and not really needed in many situations. I, for one, dial my lights down for a lot of situations, but I like that I can leave them in the highest mode.

I admit, Eagletac is probably one of the biggest offenders of too many modes, but like most things, they need to appeal to the masses. Bells and whistles sell lights. The funny thing is the masses don't even need those features, but they think they do. I'd be willing to bet that if they had single mode lights in their lineup they probably would't sell all that well, and they would have to make it cheaper, which means less profit.


Sent from my iPad using Candlepowerforums

For a simple on-off flashlight, look at the Peak lights. They have a loyal following and have a lifetime warranty.



Welcome to CPF!

Barry

5kwkdw3 said:

By now I've acquired quite a number of the latest model flashlights. Not the big buck 500+ dollar versions, but the simple easy to purchase 20 to 40 buck models. Not one that I've bought thus far has had just a simple on and off switch and nothing else. Yep they've all had bonus features that I really don't need or want. I'd love to get just a bright flashlight that went on and then off with nothing else in between. Most all of my lights are what they call "five function". They go from high, medium, low, (light intensity), then strobe and finally S.O.S. I just don't get it. I have a new bicycle light that has yep, all five modes on it. I simply cannot see the use of going down the road flashing out S.O.S. to passers by? I also just got a headlamp for my gun work and other project type close in work. It came with two functions only. I had hope for this one with only two (sorry I guess it has three) functions. High, medium, and strobe. Why on earth would I need to be working on my RC model airplane with an unadjustable strobe light on my head???? When I got my latest, a UV flashlight I was in shock. As it had only two modes that it could possibly be in. Yep that's right, only two. On and off. Are manufacturers listening? Smithy.

Click to expand...

The answer to this is multi sided.

First off, there are still single mode lights about. But I agree, not so many. But there maybe a valid reason for this.

Then there are also plenty of lights, that can act as though single mode, so despite having other functions, you need not see them unless you want too.

But I think first we need to consider and look at why there are different modes.

For different output levels this is also multi-fold, as they are likely there to address:

-Runtime
-Heat management
-Intended use.


Today many torches offer very high output. This is great for lumen headlines, but the reality is, the highest mode will drain the batteries quickly. For example, if you had a 16340/14500 powered light pulling 2.8-3.0amps with only a single mode. Total runtime would be maybe 15-20mins and down to 10 mins on poorer batteries. Lower modes simply give you so much more flexibility. Not just in runtime, but if the batteries deplete so that they can't power the high mode (the amp draw might trip the batteries circuit protection if it's a protected ICR battery), then a lower mode will be kinder on the battery and likely allow you to keep using the torch.

Heat management is related in many ways to runtime and output. A high output compact torch simply can't shed the heat quick enough. So while the battery might be able to power it for longer, it might simply get too hot to hold. With a single mode light, all you can do is turn it off or grab some oven gloves. Lower modes will allow you to continue using the light and reduce the heat being generated.

Intended use. This goes hand in hand with output and beam profile. e.g. a 1200 lumen (real 1200 lumens) is great for shining across a field, but try and read a map or a book with it and it'll be impossible from all the glare. Lower output modes therefore offer versatility to a torch.


In terms of the blinky modes, I agree they are more of a niche want and need. And the reality is, only a few people will find a use for them. But in terms of things like SOS, they exist simply because having a multi mode light that changes brightness each time you turn it on/off, means you can't really use it for Morse code like you would with a single mode light.

The strobe is certainly more of a novelty feature on most lights. But it's just so easy to achieve with the electronics and certainly in the earlier days it added a degree of "wow" factor to LED lights, because they did things most incan lights couldn't. And the reason you find this feature so often is simply mass production. The chips that make up the drivers are all built and sold on mass. So it's cheaper and easier to use them across many flashlight types.



Solutions?


Well there are plenty.

Many lights can be had that don't have any blinky modes on at all, or ones that allow you to switch them off. For example, the standard driver in most Convoy flashlights allows you the user to choose if it has the blinky modes or not.

Other lights (usually premium ones) have advanced user interfaces which hide such features. Olight is a nice example of this. You have to perform an exact button sequence click to see the strobe mode. If you don't you'll never see them.


In terms of single mode use. As I said, there are still some lights you can get that are single mode. But other options include lights with mode memory. Basically it'll turn on in the mode you left it. So the most used mode should be the one you get.

There are also plenty of lights that always start in high. Most Klarus lights tend to be like this. So in effect when you turn it on, it's always in high. This would give equivalent to a single mode use. The last option is pick a light with an advanced UI that allows you to activate the light in the mode of your choosing. Olight do this, for example on the S15, if you double click from off you'll always get high. So you can use it like a single mode light.

The last option is to build or modify lights to your own design. There are lots of bits you can buy to assemble a light.


However, as an example, here is a really great light that you can opt to buy as a single mode light:

http://intl-outdoor.com/xintd-c8-v5-xml2-u3-multioption-18650-flashlight-p-308.html

Well covered, Chicken Drumstick. I think most people DO want multiple modes, given the huge range of tasks a multi-mode light can help you accomplish. For specific jobs, sure, a single mode might be best, but it certainly reduces the versatility of a light overall. Features sell!

To the OP, instead of complaining about multiple modes, it might be better to use the light recommendation checklist. There are still quite a few single mode lights out there...you just have to know where to find them.

Its just a question of buying the correct light for your own use from the outset, instead of buying something, and then complaining it has features you don't want. Cheap lights, as mentioned, tend to have "value added" features, as its cheaper to include them with mass production than to have some w/o them and some with them....given MOST people WANT multiple levels, for the reasons also outlined above.

If you want to modify your multifunction light to be on/off though, just take out the board, and disable the blinky modes, etc...and you'll have a lobotomized on/off light.

If you want to buy one that comes that way...as mentioned, fill out the recommendation form, and/or read the ads that describe the features of the light.

I'm getting real close to having a firesale after accumulating so many lights and not using them due to certain features.

I'm basically thinking about keeping only my Zebralights, since the UI is just 100% perfect for me. I will also keep my S200C2 as a compact thrower, which also has a nice 3-mode UI. Simple.

masterP said:

I'm as frustrated as you. all I want is a flashlight that turns on and off and has a lot of light

It's a real challenge these days to find a flashlight that just turns on and off

Click to expand...

Please bring back the TK20.

5kwkdw3 said:

I also just got a headlamp for my gun work and other project type close in work. It came with two functions only. I had hope for this one with only two (sorry I guess it has three) functions. High, medium, and strobe. Why on earth would I need to be working on my RC model airplane with an unadjustable strobe light on my head????

Click to expand...

First: welcome to the forums!

Second: You bought some cheap generic Chinese headlamp, didn't you? They sell the same lights (with different attachment) for bike light. I've never understood why on earth you would want a strobe for bicycling.

I often use my EDC (Thrunite TN12) as one mode light as described by Chicken Drumstick taking advantage of its mode memory. If I need another mode for some reason I cycle back to 280 lm mode before I put it back into my pocket. Thus I have the best of the both sides: modes from 0.5 lm to 1000 lm and I know what I get when I turn it on. Also the mentioned 280lm mode has good balance of output and runtime. If I wanted 1-mode light, i'd leave that mode on and disabled the mode switch.

Most of my lights have some blinky modes, but they're always hidden. I had Olight T25 which has strobe in its mode cycle. I understand why someone would like his flashlight always turn on on strobe mode (disorientation) but for me having almost an epilectic seizure every time I wanted to go from hi to lo was annoyance and I gave the light away.

There is a very infinitesimal fine line between "Cheap Chinese" lights and really high rent, expensive and should I say superior? lights. If you look close they are identical in almost every way. Sure the outside skin is very different as American's do know how to run a lathe now and again, but so also do the Chinese and folks in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and many other asian countries. The thing about these lights are the internal components that are used. Sure you may find a nice strong as an ox flashlight made in the good ol US of A, but I'd bet lots of bucks that once inside you'll likely see the very same foreign electronics in it? If not the completed circuit it will be the individual electronic components like resistors, capacitors, Integrated Circuits, and so on, not to mention the star of this program, "the light emitting diodes". So, what's that got to do with anything?

Well I just cannot see myself paying over five hundred dollars for a flashlight that could be similarly had for 12 bucks on Amazon? That would be the hardest purchase of my life. I did see one US company that was making their lights out of specialty metals (but again the internals would be the same), hand turned stainless steel, copper, bronze, etc. Now those light you might expect a larger price tag and do. But it is not in the five hundreds as some aluminum lights are priced from premium US makers, no it's a more reasonable 150 or thereabouts. If they had a 2000 lumen, on/off, with adjustable focus light in a stainless steel housing, I could see myself paying the 150 mentioned above. But never double or triple that.

I encountered this before when looking for my first weapons light. I had just recently purchased a Sig Sauer 45 railed pistol and of course with a rail on the gun, I had to find something to put on that rail. Lasers were of course an option, but once sighted in you were stuck with it and couldn't remove it without running the risk of getting the laser out of alignment. What about a light I asked myself? It would only generally have to be pointing in the right direction and it wouldn't matter how many times it had come off and been put back on the gun. So I quickly found a bunch of US brand super weapons lights. Quick on off and usually with a curly cord dangling around and stuck with adhesive to the grip frame of the gun. I didn't like the cord thing so I kept looking. Low and behold when I opened up the search with more generic terms of the search, I found several high lumen weapons lights that fit the rail perfectly and had an internal switch that was accessible from the shooting hand. Perfect, but how much? Not a single one over twenty bucks. They all worked beautifully and left nothing lacking. Why would I ever spend three hundred bucks if it can be done for less than twenty? So, there's where I'm at right now. Smithy.

yoyoman said:

Take a look at Malkoff. Most are just on/off and you need to add the hi/low ring to get a low mode. USA made, potted electronics, long runtimes (without step down) and very robust.

Click to expand...

+1

MD2 TurnKey $99 - single mode,bulletproof, impeccable warranty record, Made in USA.

While more expensive than the $40 lights......$99 is an absolute steal for this light. It will perform exactly as you want depending what drop in you select. And it will likely outlive 3 or more of the $40 lights. If in the rare circumstance it doesn't, you can utilize their lifetime warranty. Good folks.

If your new to the whole drop-in thing. Give them a call during business hours and Im sure they will get you going in the right direction.

Wow! Now we're talking. I looked at the Malkoff drop ins and love what I've seen so far and the price point is not that bad at all. Now I can have my cake and eat it too. A nice big bulky three cell D maglight but with the omph of the more modern LED versions. I see that they offer a D cell sleeve? What kind of batteries and/or component would be necessary for say a three D cell maglight? I can't figure it out exactly? Smithy.

Here are some of my preferences for a good simple UI:

Different interface for power and modes(2 buttons, control ring, etc.)

No blinkies of any sort.

4 modes max if a button changes modes, more are fine if it has a control ring.

If using an electric switch you should be able to hold down/double tap from off to jump to the highest/lowest modes.

I'm still not sure if I like memory or not.

5kwkdw3 said:

Wow! Now we're talking. I looked at the Malkoff drop ins and love what I've seen so far and the price point is not that bad at all. Now I can have my cake and eat it too. A nice big bulky three cell D maglight but with the omph of the more modern LED versions. I see that they offer a D cell sleeve? What kind of batteries and/or component would be necessary for say a three D cell maglight? I can't figure it out exactly? Smithy.

Click to expand...

The secret to the Malkoff....

Don't be overwhelmed. There is a lot of info there and In the begining I made the grave mistake of feeling overwhelmed and putoff by all the options when in reality it's very simple provided you take the time to understand what they offer. ( Excellent stuff )

I favor the MD2 & CR123 format, they also have 1 CR123 lights. A turnkey MD2 will be ruffly 1/4th of the size of a 3 cell Maglight. The turnkey option runs @ constant 325 lumens for 1.5 hours before it begins a very long, and very usable taper as the cells drain.

Now. If your interested in the Mag dropins thats awesome. Simply read the description and it should give you the needed info and either the voltage or simply the amount of cells required along with the lumens / runtime.

The Mag dropins run alkaline batteries just like regular ol Maglights. No need for special cells. You can run rechargeable NiMH cells as well, but I would put that on the back burner for later and just familiarize yourself with the site and the products.

We'll help you out here as much as we can, but don't be shy shooting them an email with what you want to do. They are A+ in the service department, and pretty much everything else as well. I do not believe they answer emails during the weekend though. A lot of semi-custom manufactures don't as they are focused on production during the weekends.