What is the least important/most disliked feature for you in flashlights?

koziy

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Playing off the other thread, but is there any feature or features in a flashlight that just makes you turn up your nose and say "no," despite the flashlight perhaps being technically good in other ways?

For me, it's having a long button press to turn it on or off, especially if it's possible to accomplish either on or off with a short click, but the other operation requires a long click. The trend in the industry is to accomplish on/off with a short click, and reserve the double click and long press to for mode changes, so only a minority of flashlights are using a long press for on/off. For me, that means that either a) I'm going to struggle to turn on a flashlight in the heat of the moment if I forget which type it is, or b) if I don't pay close attention, I'm going to accidentally put a flashlight into my pocket on moonlight mode, thinking that it's off. What backwards engineer thought it would be a good idea to make people wait for light anyway?

The other thing I'm finding myself less and less enthused by is having a mode memory with no way to bypass it that could accidentally result in blindingly bright light when not desired, or a flashlight that lacks mode memory not starting in a useful mode. As an example of the latter issue, the BLF A6 firmware is great for an EDC flashlight, but when you put it into a thrower like the C8, all you get is a purpose-built long range flashlight that isn't able to accomplish its purpose with the most efficiency.
 
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LeanBurn

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#1 blue tint & poor CRI
#2 PWM
#3 Any start mode other than LMH
#4 Strobe
 

flatline

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Mode memory that I can't turn off or bypass. I prefer L-M-H mode ordering, but as long as the starting mode is predictable, I can live with M-L-H or whatever. I make an exception for lights that use a ramping UI since I consider those to be programmable single mode lights.

Crenelations that make a light difficult (or dangerous) to put in my pocket. If I can't easily carry a light, then I'll never use it.
 

MAD777

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Least important would be the look of the flashlight. I know that some pay hundreds or more for exotic beauties. While I agree that they are dazzling eye candy in daylight, I buy my lights for lumen/lux performance at night. My lights are mostly modded lights & I also pay hundreds for them. Just a matter of preference.

Most disliked feature would be a bad UI, such as long press to OFF or even having a strobe.
 
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Joe Talmadge

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Playing off the other thread, but is there any feature or features in a flashlight that just makes you turn up your nose and say "no," despite the flashlight perhaps being technically good in other ways?

For me, it's having a long button press to turn it on or off, .

Lights where the ONLY way to turn the light on is a long-press, IMO that's almost always because the light's button is badly designed, and it's too easy to go on in a pocket (viz. various Nitecore pocket lights, etc). I would not ever consider a light where the only way to turn it on is a press-and-hold. I'm okay with long button press to turn it on, ONLY IF it's an alternative to a single-click on mode. For example, I often like a UI where a single click turns the light on to turbo, whereas press-and-hold turns it on in lowest mode. I especially like it if the light ramps automatically if I continue to mash down the button.

Long press off drives me crazy. 99% of the time it's an automatic deal breaker. A light would have to be otherwise uniquely hit my requirements in order for me to even consider a light that required a long press for off. In fact, in my entire life, last month I bought my very first light with a long-press off. I screw it up often, and am constantly doing a click off, seeing that the only thing that happened is that the mode changed, and then sighing and long-pressing
 

sween1911

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Yeah, that "long press" for on-off is a killer for me. I'll take an old school Surefire 6P incan before I rely on a light I can't flash-and-dash with.
 

raggie33

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looksssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss by far i also dislike heavy metals like brass or copper or stainless
 

Finkin

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Twisty UI - NO!
Tail switch or rotary - why not!
Side switch - absolutely!
 

vadimax

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Vilnius, Lithuania
I wonder how those idiots suppose this light to be carried?

Bezel down? What pocket or sheath will survive that?

Bezel up? Ok, I wish them luck grabbing it in emergency...

tactical-self-defense-flashlight-with-spikes-0.jpg
 
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Lumen83

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Sep 21, 2017
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I've never used strobe. None of my friends like to dance.

The most disliked feature is a UI with modes that you have to cycle through while pressing and holding or repeatedly clicking through. Give me a two brightness level gas pedal or a single mode light any day of the week. A selector ring would also be fine. But, having to cycle through modes to get the level I like is the worst. I refuse to buy one unless its a headlamp.
 

Lynx_Arc

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Tulsa,OK
Lights with medium and high modes not spaced far enough apart to tell a lot of difference, many are typical 25%-50%-100%.
Lights with super low and super high modes with no useable medium modes so it either runs forever dim or very short blinding light
Lights that make you cycle through strobe and SOS modes to get back to low mode, especially with mode memory.
Lights with next mode memory, that when you turn them off you start in the next mode every time, rather have no memory instead.
Lights that you have to cycle through colored LEDs to get to the next mode (like red) when you almost never need to use the color LED.
 

tech25

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Near the Big Apple
Regular mode memory. I hate trying to remember what mode my light was on and will guess what will be on next or to cycle through all the modes to get to the one I want.

Hybrid memory where it saves what you are on but next press will go to the beginning of the cycle is ok as it is more predictable.
 

peter yetman

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Anything over 5000k.
Disco modes.
Cycling though modes.
Mode memory.
Mechanical clickies.
Side switches.
Crenellated bezels.
Oh, and anything over 5000k

P
 

Paul6ppca

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Jun 8, 2006
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RI
Long press to turn on.

Worst idea ever !
I hate the K 18 for that reason.
 
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