Best Looking Flashlight (Brand)!

What's your favorite looking flashlight! Weather it's a custom, limited run, self build, modded or regular production doesn't matter.

There is also the thread Best LOOKING Flashlight ever! back from 2007, but since the last time anyone posted there was in 2013, and this thread is a tad different, I thought I'd start a new discussion here!

There are no wrong answers!

Pictures are very much welcome!


For me personally I'd have to say SureFire, especially classic SureFire, without hesitation. There are few models I don't like the look off, and whether old or new, most of their lights simply look good to me. I tend to like duty-focused, tough and simple designs. Their minimalistic and pragmatic approach to design, combined with their high-quality finishing and machining, gives their lights a "tool-like" look and feel that not many others can match.

Recently the design of the R1 Lawman has really caught my eye. The light is a bit quirky, and I don't think it's a light I would use personally, but it has to be one of my favorite looking modern duty lights.

Ill also put the SureFire E1e here. This little Incan is certainly high on my wish list, and something I'd actually carry and use too. Much the same can be said about the M2 or C2.

I like Malkoff designs for much the same reason.


Im not sure if I am allowed to post pictures here which I dont own, so I wont. Google image search is your friend!

What are YOUR favorites?

for Hosts I`m going to have to go with Manker, they have some really original stuff. For Emitter arrays I`m probably going with the Emisar D4V2 types with the RGB aux leds and Carclo TIRs with embedded trits.

Gotta go with McGizmo. They're more than a pretty face, though. Don made them to be tools and they're just as satisfying to use and abuse as they are to look at.

Katherine Alicia said:

for Hosts I`m going to have to go with Manker, they have some really original stuff. For Emitter arrays I`m probably going with the Emisar D4V2 types with the RGB aux leds and Carclo TIRs with embedded trits.

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Pictures?

Olumin said:

Pictures?

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I don`t have any pics myself and we`re not allowed to post links, but looking up the Manker E04 or T02 for instance will give an idea of some of the designs, as for the Emisar D4V2s it`s prety much the same, you`ll have to do an image search, a lot will be comercial sites so I Defo can`t link to them, Sorry!

I would say Armytek. And a classic Maglite. And Surefire 6P. This is difficult to decide only one...

I like silver colored.


L to R: foursevens Palladin titanium, PKDL PL2 polished alluminum, SureFire E1 cross hair gun metal, E2 tear drop gunmetal, de-anodized SureFire 6P, Inova X3 Snap On edition, 1940's Olin 2C with safety wand head, 1920 Ray-o-Lite 2D nickel plated miner light, 1980 Bright Star made generic 2C and member LightLover's all time favorite the polished alluminum Maglite D sized.

Something about the mighty E……


Top to Bottom: E2 tear drop, E2 defender, E2 executive

Some of my favorite art work lights are by PK's Icon brand.


Top to Bottom: The 2aa Solo, 1aa Rogue, the 1aa Modus.

And speaking of PK:


What he called the 6P 2.0 the FL2 LE in HA type 3 and copper kerekote with a modified clip from his PR-1 light.

I get stoked about a lot of other lights like a dark green Maglite, a yellow SureFire, a tan SureFire, any first generation Kel-Lite or the Bianchi B-Lite, a Malkoff MD2, or………


A ginormous 7D S&R light by Dog Supply House or a stock late model 6P.

Fantastic stuff byk! Love to see the vintage lights in there. I don't have one that old myself, most of my lights are quite modern, but am definitely planning to. These vintage flashlights have their own charm. The 6P is definitely another one of my favorites, especially with a upgraded metal bezel.

Both Jetbeam and Lumintop make some very clean and elegant hosts. The Lumintop LM10 is the prettiest I've ever seen.

Jean-Luc Descarte said:

Both Jetbeam and Lumintop make some very clean and elegant hosts. The Lumintop LM10 is the prettiest I've ever seen.

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For me, the best looking manufacturer has to be the older Surefire generation. PK Era?








Now for custom makers who are active, my favorite would have to be Cool Fall and Sigma Customs. Cool Fall because there's just not anything out there that is even close to what Dave has created. Sigma Customs because Devin's philosophies of designing a flashlight very much align with what I feel make a great EDC light.

Olumin said:

Fantastic stuff byk! Love to see the vintage lights in there. I don't have one that old myself, most of my lights are quite modern, but am definitely planning to. These vintage flashlights have their own charm. The 6P is definitely another one of my favorites, especially with a upgraded metal bezel.

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A few years back I made a pact to own at least one light made from each decade between 1910 and (back then) 2016. What I ended up with was several from each decade. Many did not light so an exploration of how they could get electricity to conduct through rubber, plastic and various alloys took place with various polishes and a digital volt meter set to beep and give an ohm reading. A non working light stabbed at each end with a probe then later beep was a reason to celebrate. Beep meant success in electricity conducting again. The lower the ohm reading the brighter it lit. Often the probes showed a dirty switch, a dirty spring or something simple was the issue. Some required a wee bit of inginuity to get a non replaceable part working. Copper foil tape is your friend.

Some of the earliest light were absolute genious, but I also learned as much as things changed, much had remained the same for about 100 years. The biggest jump in technology after the tungston filament in 1910 was the alkaline battery in the 50's then a clicky switch in the 1970's. Next was the LED. Arguably the rechargeable light was also a game changer so the 1970's was probably the best decade for flashlights since the early days when sliding switches, vulcanized rubber or metal tubes and tungston filaments allowed them to run longer than a "flash".

Small improvements took place over time from the earliest lights to the 1970's. Maglite took off thanks to rock solid reliability based off some of Kel-Lites ideas as a platform. Krypton bulbs, then xenon made a big impact. Halogen did too but since they burned so hot the xenon was preferred. But when the SureFire 6 came out the game changed again. Using tiny camera batteries, and shock isolated xenon bulbs, caused pocket sized sunshine using an uber reliable twisty switch. The genes from mighty Maglite and SureFire 6P still show up in more lights than Gangus Kon genes in Mongolia.

Lots of artwork has gone into the electric fire on a stick.

Good thread.

(edit) These are among my very favorites, chosen solely based on their design aesthetics ....

I don't own one, but the Okluma Ti DC1 is one of the best looking lights I've seen.

badtziscool said:

For me, the best looking manufacturer has to be the older Surefire generation. PK Era?

Now for custom makers who are active, my favorite would have to be Cool Fall and Sigma Customs. Cool Fall because there's just not anything out there that is even close to what Dave has created. Sigma Customs because Devin's philosophies of designing a flashlight very much align with what I feel make a great EDC light.

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I see we are very much in the same boat. Those Sigmas look fantasic, very clean design. Great stuff!

In no particular order:

McGizmo anything. I think the aquaram is my favorite looker but it's tough competition.

TNC anything. Especially their dragon pattern knurling.

Oveready BOSS.

Mac's Custom EDC. Derivative designs like Okluma and some Sigmas are great too, but I'd give first credit to the original.

archimedes said:

(edit) These are among my very favorites, chosen solely based on their design aesthetics ....

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Very nice! That Pineapple Aleph 3 looks fantastic. Titanium I assume?

"Classic" Surefires, for sure.
The regular C2-HA, Z2, Z3 with black M2 bezel or *SRTH* turbohead, and the M3T-along with the M4 or Millenium turbohead on a Leef 2x18650 C-M body, those are just the best-looking lights ever, IMO. "Serious" lights that were sexy and wicked looking without being gaudy, that kind of thing.
Also love the 2 cell E series lights with longer Outdoorsman-style clips.
Still have a beater that's a black E2e body with a long clip, Aleph tailcap, and VME bezel w/Malkoff M60WLF dropin, and a Millenium turbohead that I never got around to selling, but the rest of my SF stuff is long gone. Kinda miss those Legos, though...

Olumin said:

Very nice! That Pineapple Aleph 3 looks fantastic. Titanium I assume?

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Thank you. And yes, the one pictured above is Ti, correct.

I also have a couple others in aluminum too, both raw and HA/black finishes.