Twist tail cap switches

What is your opinion of these type of switches? I have several led lights from ccrane, one from dorcey that use a twisting switch to turn them on and off. I feel this is a somewhat inferrior way of doing something. How much more can a switch add to an already expensive light? The led lights I have from the ccrane company can sometimes flicker if I do not unscrew the cap enough, on the other hand it takes a deal of strength for me to tighten them to make them come on. Sometimes they flicker back off and i need to scre on and off the cap to find where it lights and stays on. The dorcey 1aaa light is a keyring light and I fear it unscrewing itself and rolling off somewhere. Many other lights I have, even the el cheapo ones from the check out lane use a mechanical push button or slide switch.

Why?

Hello Cobb,

I believe the twist style is more fool proof and simpler. I have had several slide and push button switches get gunked up and require cleaning. The most recent one is a kroll switch on a Mini Mag 2AA with a sandwich in it.

Flickering in the light generally means a bad connection. Try cleaning anything you can reach and see if that helps. If you tighten too tight with a twisty, it is possible to dent the batteries. Then you have to tighten harder to make contact.

One of my favorite switches is McGizmo's McE2s two stage switch on my TW4. This is a precession switch that is a twist style as well. SureFire makes several lights that twist on, so it can't be all bad.

Tom

The question; how much can it cost to add a switch?

The twistie is one of the easiest designs to make. You actually end up with most of the twistie by default when you design an end-cap. The surfaces that make contact are continually cleaned/burnished each time you turn the tailcap.

The addition of a switch adds:
weight
complexity
failure points
length
cost.


Even if it only costs a dollar for a kroll switch, you need to drill the hole the right size and then thread it to match the kroll. You need to add a quality control step to get rid of or fix any switches that are faulty. You need to add a rubber boot to cover the end of the switch.

Daniel

Not all twisty switches are created equal. While the CCrane/Expedition flashlights are high quality, I've noticed that their twist-on operation could be better if they had something other than that thin metal strip making contact with the head. The twisty switch on my Longbow Micra is excellent--two circles of metal make solid contact with each other, and there is never any flicker.

The Dorcy AAA and Surefire twisties give you an intermittent switch that can also provide constant-on or lockout and it is reliable and saves space. That is an acceptable set of advantages for some extra twisting. But there are a lot of lights with clickies if you prefer.

I see plenty of references to these KROLL switches, but I can't seem to find them for sale anywhere? I've ordered a couple (ok, 3) different drop-in sandwich thingys for a 2AA MiniMag, and I'd like to try some KROLL switches too.

Where to buy them?

In the case of the flashlights I'm making now, there is no other way (unless complicated magnetic switches) to have a real waterproof switchn which won't activate under pressure.

Twist switches are a very good solution, and they tend to clean themselves by just using them. Anycase making a reliable twist switch is not so cheap, and in my case I'm having done for them my own contact areas made of stainless steel, and also custom stainless steel springs. Just this two parts does cost 1,13 Euro, and that is more than a complete Dorcy AAA Led. Quality is not for free.

The real inconvenience I find on thsi switches is that you need both hands to activate them. The only way to improve thsi is adding a momentary option, Surefire working style.

I just want to buy a replacement tailcap clicky switch for a 2AA MiniMag. I'm not a diver, so I'm not too worried about the switch activating under (water) pressure. I would like the light to at least still be dunkable, though.

[ QUOTE ]
ArmyPilot said:
I see plenty of references to these KROLL switches, but I can't seem to find them for sale anywhere? I've ordered a couple (ok, 3) different drop-in sandwich thingys for a 2AA MiniMag, and I'd like to try some KROLL switches too.

Where to buy them?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Sanwdich Shoppe has Kroll switches.

Thanks for clearing that up. I had no idea what cost or liability would come with a switch versus the twist method.

I have a few twist tail cap lights and they are fine,
I do prefer the Clikie tail cap switch for one handed operation.