Do you have a torch in your collection ...

Do you have a torch in your collection for one reason or other you wish you never bought??? Mine would be the Inova X5T. Though it is built rock solid it's beam output is inadequate for most applications at best. Using it outdoors is a no no because of the slightest ambient light would washout it's smooth flood. For indoors the room you are using it in just about has to be pitch black to be able to benefit from the smooth flood. My X5T for the most part sit's around gathering dust...

yeah I had one and sold it shortly after purchasing it at the begining of this year... man they pumped up the talk about how bright it was though... good sales tatic.. built like a brick house though .. but not very bright

I was also disappointed by my X5T's. They do make great battery squeezers however.

Yeah, mine was the PT Impact XL. I've never seen such a dim, purple beam in my life. The LED "bulb" went straight into the trash, replaced by a regular Tec 40 bulb. I'm much happier with the light now (even though now it's basically a $35 Tec 40!).

CMG Reactor, LOL

CMG reactor never made it to the collection /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif but the X5HA did. I have lots of lights of lights in my collection and I use them often except the X5. It looks cool...that's about it. As a very regular and HEAVY USER of lights, IMHO single 123a lights suck! On the other hand if I were an a occasional user, a single 123 for EDC would fit the bill. There will be several that do not agree with me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif but for the most part they will not be from the type that NEED to use a light often daily as a tool. IT repair folk can be happy with the finger tip size but regular outdoor and working type need something that is comfortably wraped in a fist. NiMh and Pila compatable torches are the true work horses. They are the ones able to wistand /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dedhorse.gif a constant beating.

many years ago, before thinking about expensive flashlights, I bought one of this dynamo flashlights where You had to push a handle bar all the time to get power for the flashlight work. bad output and kind of annoying if You want to read a book while lying in the sleeping bag in a tent...

Well ... I have a few dozen LedLensers that did cost me a lot and just aren't up to the challenge. I consider it a service to CPF /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, the permanent LedLenser Guinea Pig /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
bernhard

Hm, my two ARC AAAs I am very unhappy with.
They are not very reliable ... otherwise they
would be nice little lights.

Ralf

The Photon III is probably the worst light I ever bought, and I bought two of them. They were what first got me into lights when I saw an add for them on ThinkGeek. I'd always loved flashlights but never really paid much attention to them until then, so I guess the photon iii wasn't a complete washout for me.

Still, they were just too unreliable. They'd always get turned on in my pocket when I kept them on a keychain, and I had to send one back several times because it was defective (I think the most recent replacement I received is also defective, but it's just in a box somewhere now). The unprotected LED also got scratched up way too easily, and the battery life was a huge disappointment. It was really cool right out of the box, but as soon as I got an Arc AAA I retired my photons for good.

Finally, since they were my first light purchase (beyond really cheap lights when I was younger) I had the worst sticker shock with them as well. $25 for a light?!? Now I've spent much more, but at the time that seemed outrageous.

- Russ

[ QUOTE ]
MrMom said:As a very regular and HEAVY USER of lights, IMHO single 123a lights suck! On the other hand if I were an a occasional user, a single 123 for EDC would fit the bill. There will be several that do not agree with me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif but for the most part they will not be from the type that NEED to use a light often daily as a tool.

[/ QUOTE ]

Funny how different perspectives can be. I go for weeks without needing a flashlight at all, and usually, when I do, it's more convenience than need. I carry one for emergencies- if I do need it, it will almost by definition be an emergency, certainly out of the ordinary.

For my use, the availability of the 1x123 size (Q-III, in my case) is the difference between having one on my person when I need it, or having one only in my pouch/pack, wherever that may be..

I guess the one I have the most doubts about now is the Streamlight TT 2L. There's nothing WRONG with it, it's just that now that I have a 2-stage L4, it's pretty much completely redundant. On low it seems too dim, on high it's... well, incandescent, which I had already lost interest in, it's just barely too big to pocket routinely, and I got it just about a week before the 3W 2L came out, which I probably would have bought instead.

I have the X5HA, but I'll probably keep it in the office for just that sort of IT use- peering behind and into computer cases on "used" 123s.

I think my least loved light would be the Eddie Bauer (among other names) flashlight/lantern. That's the one with one LED, 3 AAA's, extends to lantern mode, and has a beam like an X1. It works fine, but I guess it's just too big for its usefulness.

Geoff

Well most that I've purchased and didn't use I've otherwise disposed of in some manner (and I've sold a few that I regretted along the way as well...).

I'll go against the grain entirely here and state that my E2e was one light I purchased the I never used very much (although i wouldn't go so far as to say I regretting buying it - it was my first and only Surefire and I appreciate getting to see first hand the quality of their products - may eventually get a 2 stage L4). There was really nothing fundamentally wrong with the light, of course. Built rock solid, excellent beam, great shape and fit/finish. I just didn't use it due to the relatively short runtime and expensive replacement lamps (along with relatively expensive 123 cells - I've never gotten around to purchasing them online ... maybe if I'd done that I would have kept it). I replaced it with a Strion that - while not as nicely finished - is just as bright with an above average beam and is rechargeable.

I regret to get AAA Maglites (Solitaire, MiniMag AAA). The tailcap construction is just bad contactwise. I also regret my first generation of LedLensers V2, I believe it is. Fell apart in my pocket countless times, and the switch was hard to use.

Contrary to some opinions on this thread I just love the X5T. I EDC CountyComm's HAIII version, and this thing is just great to illuminate dark spots in electronics racks, computer housings and find small lost things underneath tables and shelfs. I work in a lab, and such illuminations are quite frequently necessary.

While I don't have any lights that I regret buying, I guess the closest would be the Dorcy 1AAA. I didn't like this light, but how much regret is there with a $6 purchase. Besides, I gave it to a friend who was able to use it.

By the way, I'm a little surprised how many people are saying their biggest regret is the X5. I really like mine. But to each his (or her) own.

I think that for every light there is at least one person who is ideally matched to it. I bought an Inova X5 as the ideal light for a friend who wanted a light for reading while she waits at subway stations. In this case a more flood-like beam is best. Also, she has carpal tunnel syndrome and doesn't push buttons, so the twist motion of the switch was easier for her. Different lights for different folks.

Paul

The X5T is a fine light ... long burntime, nice almost-flood, good quality. For most "normal" people this is an ideal all-around and backup torch. It just isn't flashaholic high-tech any more ...
bernhard

Buying the XM-2 was a mistake... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

I've got a bunch of Mags that I could call "mistakes", but I bought most of them years ago before I knew any better. I do use my X5T-HA from time to time. It is best when my surroundings are close to pitch black though, which is every night out here in the country. It's not ideal (or intended) for illuminating dark alleys that are 40-50 yards away.

-Keith

A Peak 1xAAA, single-LED "prototype" I bought over Ebay.

Welcome back, Icarus! You didn't take your XM-2 with you cycling through China and Nepal, did you?

Britt