You’re thinking that muggles are going to buy a dangerous light. For their safety muggle mode should be enabled by default.
But I’m not sure you’ve quite thought through all the ramifications. Consider the following:
I. What happens if muggle mode is enabled by default?
If you enable muggle mode by default there are going to be a LOT of very disgruntled muggles who buy Anduril lights, don’t read the fine print in the manual, and then are incredibly disappointed that the light that they just bought that was advertised as “5,000 lumens” only appears to output 300 lumens. They’ll think the light is defective and promptly seek a refund, or flood the seller and manufacturer with complaints about selling a defective or inferior product. They may even accuse the seller of false advertising.
II. What about a warning in the box to inform customers about muggle mode?
To avoid that kind of customer disappointment, any manufacturer selling a light with muggle mode activated by default would need to include a very prominent warning placard at the top of the box explaining that the light ships in muggle mode, what muggle mode is, and how to get out of it.
… and of course upon seeing that any muggle would promptly then follow the instructions and exit muggle mode, which defeats the purpose of enabling it by default.
Muggles would also be a bit disgruntled by the extra hoop they had to jump through to get their new light working properly.
III. Perhaps the manufacturer should only advertise muggle-mode ratings?
This won’t work either.
If only muggle mode ratings are advertised the theory is most muggles won’t find out about non-muggle mode. Only enthusiasts who can handle the power will learn about it and safety is preserved. Would this strategy work? … not really.
The reason: lumens sell. A flashlight retailer is not going to market a 5000 lumen light as a “300 lumen” light. Such a light isn’t going to sell when there are so many other competing lights in similar size in the 1000+ lumen range. No muggle is going to look twice at such a “weak” light.
Of course informed flasholics on this forum would know about non-muggle mode and might still buy the light. But marketing a light to just members of this forum is a vanishingly tiny market. Most most manufacturers want to sell lights to more than just members of BLF.
BOTTOM LINE: MUGGLE MODE BY DEFAULT = NO-WIN STRATEGY. :weary: