What common flashlight feature do you hate most?

There are two criteria to this, firstly it must be a recognized design trend rather than a one-off oddity on just one of your lights (although that would also be interesting). Secondly, it must be something you really hateYell, an instant deal breaker even if you otherwise might really like a particular model.

For me at the moment it's a toss up between protruding tail switches and complicated UI's. E.g, I really like the ZL sc600 but I'm put off big time by the loosen-head-press-twice-quickly etc etc. Not rocket science but too busy for my taste.

Strobes .

Artifacts in the beam .

Blue , green tints and/or pronounced tint shifts .

And since we're in a budget light forum , having to learn how to mod flashlights just to be able to get the light operational .

..unless you can switch them off with clever UI modes.

Probably lack of tailstand ability or a clip - those are now deal breakers for me. Hate strobes, but I will suffer thru blinky if I have no other choice. Blue tints are also at the top of the suckability list.

inability to tailstand and stupid strobe/sos modes

Strobe/SOS |(

The effect on my wallet. That one is common to all my flashlights :P

SOS is the most useless. I've never even heard of anyone using it. Wouldn't strobe be just as useful for signaling if you're really in a rescue situation? More pet peeves than things I hate: GITD tail buttons and o-rings (except in the front, where they actually work), lanyards, cool white tints, HML mode order, memory that takes longer than 1 second to set.

The inability to lock out the light with a slight counter clockwise turn of the head or tailcap is a feature that gets left out most of the time on budget lights. i hate to pack or stash a light in a bag or glove box without locking it out to prevent accidental activation of the light.

lack of strobe

Strobes, crenelated bezels (or tail caps) non-removable clips (yes, I know they can all be removed eventually),excessive and unnecessary heat fins, memory, not being able to get behind the lens to diffuse or change tint, mushy tail cap switches, beam artifacts, poor output level spacing.......

Strobe, bad PWM

SOS mode. Also 3-mode lights that are H-L-Strobe and not H-M-L.

Instant dealbreaker? Price. Some features I dislike. Some things I may even hate. But given the right price, I'm willing to live with them.

When buying a car or motorcycle, I feel strongly about what I like or don't like. I won't buy a car without ESC (I know it's mandatory now and the issue has become sort of moot) and I won't buy one which doesn't allow me to turn ESC off. I would never buy a bike that doesn't feel right. I use my car every single day. I have to be able to trust my motorcycle, at least to some extent.

Flashlights are different and budget lights even more so. If one particular light isn't suitable for a given purpose, I'll just bring another. If there's a feature I don't like, I won't be using that light as much. I can always sell it, give it away, shelf it, whatever. I have other options and since I'm no longer spending $100+ on a single light, I can live with imperfections.

Besides, if you want perfection, you will pretty much have to build it yourself. Doesn't matter if it's cars, guns, boats or something else. That's why lots of people do it. Plus, it's fun. :D

The fact that it doesn't evolve to be brighter and brighter by itself :)

Langcjl, I thought I was the only one! Unless you were being ironic.. I could tolerate no strobe on a good cheap light but not if I were to pay £30+.

I really do love a good strobe. Comes in handy a lot for me. I do hate a crappy slow strobe though. Now you have outed yourself as someone who is not afraid of the strobe.

Blinky modes, attack bezels & noticeable PWM are the main bugaboos.

Sometimes the lack of a clip but that really depends on the light.

+1. I like and do use the strobe mode on my EDC lights. Not on a daily basis, I'll admit that, but still. SOS I can happily do without. No strobe and EDC or "car light", however, do not mix for me.

Blinking modes, lack of low mode and forward switch with 'clicky' modes.