Tailstanding?

Hello

From time to time, I see references made to "tailstanding" - usually a mild complaint that this or that light lacks such capability. Would one of you tailstanding fans out there explain why this is important and what you use it for?

I do believe it refers to the practice of standing a light on its tail. This is done to illuminate an area like a candle. Actually, some light heads may be removed and leave the bare bulb/led which acts much like the flame of a candle when used this way.

I think I have only used a light this way while camping. I recall it was very handy.

Greg

A light pointed up at the ceiling can provide some area illumination. If you do that with something powerful, like a Magcharger, a good-size room can be lit well enough for most purposes.

Useful when camping, when the power fails, or when you need general area lighting from a flashlight. Especially nice when you don't have to look at a bare bulb.

Most lights are top heavy or don't have a base that allows the light to stand on end. Usually not an essential feature but nice to have. Try it.

The nifty tail cap of a E2D SureFire fits on an L4. Standing on a table, straight up, makes very nifty ultra small portable lamp


NikolaTesla /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

An Arc lamp is the Spark that takes away the Dark--

http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tomw9sx/slideshow?&.dir=/c6ab&.src=ph

Let's suppose you have to take a shower at completely dark bathroom in hotel, since room light is out of order(Bellboy can not speak English).

In my case,I used mini-mag ,candle mode, few years ago in China /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

Ever since,I always carry talestandable lights(or at least one) in travel /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Ceiling bounce. I never gave it much of a thought 'till I read about it hear frequently. Comes in mighty handy at times to light up an area without much shadowing. I do it when I have to go into the kid's room at night, and it worked nicely when the power went out.

Mark

Or you can just stick the butt of the light in a toilet paper roll or cup bigger then the flashlight itself.

Well I could.
But I dind not wanna let the lady showering with me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleye11.gif konw I am a sorts of Macguyver /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nana.gif

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GotCoffee said:
Or you can just stick the butt of the light in a toilet paper roll or cup bigger then the flashlight itself.

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My thoughts exactly. I've never understood the obsession of being able to stand a light on its tail. There's ALWAYS something around to prop a light up with.

To me personally, it's not an overwhelmingly important feature. Nice but not 100% required.

Having said that, if a light cannot stand on it's own, I wouldn't consider it an ideal light.

I sometimes stand my EL Blaster 1-R on its tail,
makes a good emergency light when there is no power.

None of my lights are tailstanding. They either have tailcap clickies or lugs. Oh, well...

Hi All,

While I do not think it is an absolutely requirement for me to purchase a light with the ability to stand on its tail, it is a feature that I personally like.

Not long ago I had come home all sweaty from a Tennis match, only to find out that the power had gone out. As such I took one of my flashlights, put it on the bathroom counter, where the light both reflected off of the mirror as well as the ceiling. It worked like a charm.

So whereas the cardboard insert from toilet paper can come in handy if the light is not already tailstanding, I personally prefer lights that stand on there own, if possible, for reasons such as I have stated above.

That's my opinion,
John

It's a nice feature. But, if it doesn't have that feature I don't care. I'm not going to have that stop me from buying the light if it is nice. Bring on the toilet paper roll.

Maybe I don't get all the hype about this. But its a feature I couldn't care less about when considering a potential light. But I will admit I used it a few times and will consider doing so again should a need arise. The reasons I don't care about it is because you need a very smooth and level surface which you may not have. It seems that most lights seem to be top heavy or too thin of a base for their size which makes them easy to fall or knock over. I also found I can just lean a light against something to point it upwards and then it will work good enough. If not I just lay the light sideways for what I'll call wall bounce. It won't be effective in a room with high ceiling and its even more useless outdoors. The so called candle mode makes it more useful but, most lights won't work with the head removed. Its good thing to know this because it may get you out of a jam or emergency. But I think most people would agree its way down the list of important features.

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Robban said:
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GotCoffee said:
Or you can just stick the butt of the light in a toilet paper roll or cup bigger then the flashlight itself.

[/ QUOTE ]
My thoughts exactly. I've never understood the obsession of being able to stand a light on its tail. There's ALWAYS something around to prop a light up with.

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With my Surefire L1 I can always find something to clip it to if I want the light pointed up or any other direction.

I must say that while I have plenty of lights that lack this feature, I use it more often than I expect to if I have the luxury. Sure, you can always finagle (spelling?) or jerry rig something if you must, but the ease of just setting the light down and going about your business hands free is quite nice.

Usually tailstanding means that the light has a protected switch, too, which is an additional nice bonus feature.
AND it is true that you can use something else to make your light point to the ceiling for a good bounce effect, but it is so much cooler and quicker if the light has the feature built in.

I admit though that it's a more important feature for the indoor user like me ...

bernhard

Interesting thread. I've never understood the absolute necessity that most folks on CPF put into tailstanding nowadays. It is a nice feature but it wouldn't cause me NOT to consider a light if it didn't have tailstanding capability. As another alluded to, if a light has an activation button on it's end, I consider a ring around it more of a safeguard against accidental activations instead of a tailstand.

I have a FireFly Rev.1 that dosen't have the tailstanding capablilty. I like it much better than the FF2 that has it simply because the FF1 is a more compact package without it.

If a light comes with it, that's fine but if it's a nice light without it, it doesn't hinder the light in my world. Actually, most of my lights have the feature but I can't honestly remember the last time I used it.