As someone who could easily end up owning far more lights than I could ever use (turn into a "collector"), flashlights are one of those items I need justification for buying and keeping. For me, the question I pose to myself is "what is it for?"
Through this process, I have certain roles I want my lights to fill. Listed in the order of frequency of use, these include (1) walk-the-dogs illumination; (2) EDC for general illumination needs; (3) EDC for defensive purposes; (4) a light to stow in the car for emergency use and (5) a light (or two) to keep handy in the house for emergency use.
By deciding what role the light needs to fill, it's far easier to determine what is needed in terms of features and performance. This helps to avoid the purchasing of lights that have features that are little use to me, and allows me to identify what features are truly useful for me for that role. For instance;
The walk-the-dogs light must have a broader, more uniform beam for lighting up a larger area. I also want reasonable runtime and a means of avoiding over-discharge of the cells (my wife uses the same light for the same purpose). In this role, I have found the MD3-M91B with H/L switch running on a pair of protected 18500 cells to be perfect. When walking out into the back yard (surrounded by heavy woods filled with wildlife) I scan on high and once I don't see any "eyes in the woods" I drop it down to low, which I find perfect for the task. The simple H/L 2-mode operation also prevents my wife from finding a way into "programming mode" which she always seemed to do with a Foursevens Quark;
I suspect like many here, the search for the perfect EDC pocket-carry light has led to much experimentation. I want light and small, but I also want 100% reliability. I want something bright enough for outdoor use, but I also want a few hours of useable runtime. While having multiple output levels would be handy, the only light that meets the small size requirement with a multi-level UI that I truly like has been an old NovaTac EDC 120T. I really like that light but it drains a 16340 cell pretty quickly. The light that I have (for now) settled on is a MDC 1CR123 shrouded body, VME head with a M61L residing inside. While I occasionally miss the multi-level capability of the NovaTac, I absolutely adore the simple UI, utter reliability and nice blend of output vs. runtime this light provides;
As someone who lives in a state that allows concealed carry, and as a competitive shooter for nearly four decades, the use of a light for defensive purposes has been a true study of mine. A light configured for this purpose must have a simple UI, single mode of operation to ensure the light always activates on maximum output without fail, a momentary-only tailcap switch and blinding output (high lux/candela). The role of this very specialized light is to (1) positively identify a threat and (2) the ability to temporarily deprive an assailant of their ability to see me (flash blindness). The light must be small and light enough to EDC with comfort, and be carried in such a fashion as to be instantly accessible. With the EDC pocket-carry light also on my person, this light is configured for this purpose only.
My current "fight light" setup is an E2 Hyper Throw head on a Surefire body with a twisty tailcap. Simple operation, blinding output, easy to carry and handles well with or without the use of a pistol;
The three lights above are examples of lights tightly configured for defined roles. They have the features and performance I prefer for their respective roles with none of the features that I have no use for. Through this process I have identified the following preferences;
I've found that a car light and emergency-use lights do not require such tightly-defined specification, but I still prefer something that meets my preference above. For my car light it's an old SF G2 Nitrolon with a M61LL drop-in. The household emergency lights are a collection of lights from various manufacturers that don't meet my needs for the specific roles defined above.
So in conclusion the mission drives the light specification. These are the lights that are the most useful to me and therefore the most used. I certainly own lights that are interesting from a "flashlight nerd" perspective, but they are not used very often. If I coud only grab a few lights in a "bug-out" situation I know without hesitation which ones I'd take.
I hope this ramble is of some use to you.
Through this process, I have certain roles I want my lights to fill. Listed in the order of frequency of use, these include (1) walk-the-dogs illumination; (2) EDC for general illumination needs; (3) EDC for defensive purposes; (4) a light to stow in the car for emergency use and (5) a light (or two) to keep handy in the house for emergency use.
By deciding what role the light needs to fill, it's far easier to determine what is needed in terms of features and performance. This helps to avoid the purchasing of lights that have features that are little use to me, and allows me to identify what features are truly useful for me for that role. For instance;
The walk-the-dogs light must have a broader, more uniform beam for lighting up a larger area. I also want reasonable runtime and a means of avoiding over-discharge of the cells (my wife uses the same light for the same purpose). In this role, I have found the MD3-M91B with H/L switch running on a pair of protected 18500 cells to be perfect. When walking out into the back yard (surrounded by heavy woods filled with wildlife) I scan on high and once I don't see any "eyes in the woods" I drop it down to low, which I find perfect for the task. The simple H/L 2-mode operation also prevents my wife from finding a way into "programming mode" which she always seemed to do with a Foursevens Quark;
I suspect like many here, the search for the perfect EDC pocket-carry light has led to much experimentation. I want light and small, but I also want 100% reliability. I want something bright enough for outdoor use, but I also want a few hours of useable runtime. While having multiple output levels would be handy, the only light that meets the small size requirement with a multi-level UI that I truly like has been an old NovaTac EDC 120T. I really like that light but it drains a 16340 cell pretty quickly. The light that I have (for now) settled on is a MDC 1CR123 shrouded body, VME head with a M61L residing inside. While I occasionally miss the multi-level capability of the NovaTac, I absolutely adore the simple UI, utter reliability and nice blend of output vs. runtime this light provides;
As someone who lives in a state that allows concealed carry, and as a competitive shooter for nearly four decades, the use of a light for defensive purposes has been a true study of mine. A light configured for this purpose must have a simple UI, single mode of operation to ensure the light always activates on maximum output without fail, a momentary-only tailcap switch and blinding output (high lux/candela). The role of this very specialized light is to (1) positively identify a threat and (2) the ability to temporarily deprive an assailant of their ability to see me (flash blindness). The light must be small and light enough to EDC with comfort, and be carried in such a fashion as to be instantly accessible. With the EDC pocket-carry light also on my person, this light is configured for this purpose only.
My current "fight light" setup is an E2 Hyper Throw head on a Surefire body with a twisty tailcap. Simple operation, blinding output, easy to carry and handles well with or without the use of a pistol;
The three lights above are examples of lights tightly configured for defined roles. They have the features and performance I prefer for their respective roles with none of the features that I have no use for. Through this process I have identified the following preferences;
- A simple, non-programmable UI
- Single output level
- If a low output mode is useful for the role, a H/L switch does the job nicely
- Other than the NovaTac, I don't like changing output levels via the tailcap switch
- For the EDC lights, no sharp edges (no love for deeply crenulated bezels)
- Carrying two lights, one for general use and another for the defensive role, is far more preferable than trying to fill both roles with a single "do-it-all" light
I've found that a car light and emergency-use lights do not require such tightly-defined specification, but I still prefer something that meets my preference above. For my car light it's an old SF G2 Nitrolon with a M61LL drop-in. The household emergency lights are a collection of lights from various manufacturers that don't meet my needs for the specific roles defined above.
So in conclusion the mission drives the light specification. These are the lights that are the most useful to me and therefore the most used. I certainly own lights that are interesting from a "flashlight nerd" perspective, but they are not used very often. If I coud only grab a few lights in a "bug-out" situation I know without hesitation which ones I'd take.
I hope this ramble is of some use to you.