# of Quality Classifications ?

How many different levels of construction and beam quality are there and which lights should occupy what level? I'll throw out some starting points - please change or add as you see fit. Many of you have much more experience and I'll appreciate any improvements you make. Please add lights to the various ranks which haven't been listed yet - including modified and "home made" custom products. Thank you all.

#1) The Best - regardless of price.
Any SureFire or Arc, Inova (X5T, AA)

#2) Excellent - And sometimes a better value. Mostly metal bodies.
Many StreamLights (TL's, Scoprion, TT's), Pelicans (M6-8-10)

#3) Very Good - Maybe the best output/price class. Plastic or metal bodies.
Plastic Peli's (Sabre, Stealth), SL's (PP- 4AA PP3C), UK's, PT's

#4) OK - Inexpensive but reasonably reliable.
Some "Consumer Grade" lights from the manufacturers above plus a few Eveready, Ray O Vac, Brinkman, M*g, Dorcy, Coleman etc.

#5) Cheap - Most Eveready, Ray O's, Garrity, Store Brands etc.

#6) Crap - $1 cheapest of cheap junk.


Please correct my misplacements and add model names to the catagories. Is six classes enough or too many? Feedback please, and thanks again.

Perhaps rankings of A - F is more appropriate. #5 & #6 ranked lights would receive a grade of F. Keep in mind that these are CPF rated so that even a "C" grade is much better than typical consumer fare.

The Stereophile Magazine uses that method of rating audio products and for them even a "D" rated item will sound good to the general public.

Not having the vast experience that some of our super modders and other members have, I don't know how some of these lights compare in quality. Where do Mr. Bulk's & Electrolumen's unique lights belong - in class "A"? Are the SL-Stingers & Pelican M6-10 in "A" or "B" etc, etc.

Every year Stereophile comes out with a rating of recommended components. Some of our independent reviewers
give ratings to the products reviewed. I'm not savvy enough to compile a comprehensive list of lights and rank them but I'm wondering if it's a worthwhile undertaking.

A list that groups lights into best to worst categories may
be helpful for flashaholics and newbies alike.

Individual lights must be ranked on their own merit. There are many review sites such as LED Museum, CPF,and others for that.

you're underestimating the Streamlight 4AA Propolymer LED! i'd definitely put it up to @ least a B or C on your scale. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

and all CPF'er modded lights that are sold in quantity are most likely A+ products.
i'd also say the same about Elektrolumens.. (except the FT3C which i'd give more like a B or a C+ to)

We all could adopt the 5 star rating system of Flashlightreviews.com if we knew what his specific criteria were.

<font color="800080">...if we knew what his specific criteria were.</font>

We do, kind of. See the bottom of this page: http://flashlightreviews.home.att.net/reviews/reviews_methodology.htm .


/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Wow! I think I may faint - someone actually looked at my methodology page! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just remember, that unless your classifications are based on measureable data, your rating system will always be subjective and will differ from one rater to another for the same piece of equipment.

Quickbeam and the other reviewers sure have already done much of the heavy lifting and of course Roy is right about subjectivity influencing the ratings.

Perhaps it's not worth the effort, but I'm fishing around here to see if it might be worthwhile to expand upon existing reviews. There are numerous popular lights that aren't reviewed except by their owners. Would it be worthwhile to begin with, say, Quickbeam's list and add lights to it for overall construction quality and a separate beam quality rating?

The 1 - 5 star rating is fine, I just wasn't thinking when suggesting grades A - F; we might as well stick with what already works well. Also, I understand that usefulness is more subjective and separate from quality.

I appreciate the time consuming work that all of the reviewers have done. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif I'm wondering if it would pay to combine some of the info from these existing reviews into a comprehensive CPF list, similar to the fantastic Throw vs. Spill chart. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

If this is too redundant and not really useful enough, well then...nevermind. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif

I wish that we had a compilation of the reviews at one site, with each lights reviews all together so we had one reference source.

Maybe a 2 week time delay so the reviewers could post on their own sites, take comments, etc. before they were posted at the joint site.

I do like the 5 star rating system, though.

Bill