Are side switches over-rated ?

[2_DOGS]

@Enderman

@2 DOGS

I like the side switches but the parasitic drain and sometimes being hard to find in the dark can be a problem.
As usual get both.

Just because a switch is on the side does not mean it needs to be an e-switch.
This topic is not about e switches vs physical switches, it is about tail vs side.

Also if the light is designed well then it takes the same amount of time to find a side switch as it does a tail switch, assuming you have working nerves in your fingers.

Triggered?

[mortuus]

nah why would u say something like that? they are handy i think on lights to have.

[DavidEF]

Side switches: :student: :innocent: :partying_face:

Tail switches: :nerd_face: :cry: :weary: :confounded: :person_facepalming:

[chadvone]

How would you turn on a Maglite 3D without a side switch ?

Rear switches are the new kids on the block.

[Firelight2]

I prefer a sideswitch on my pocket EDC.

• More secure and comfortable grip than a tailcap switch.
• A well designed sideswitch won’t turn on accidentally in the pocket even when lockout is not used. Example: Zebralights, Eagtac DX3b mini.
• A well designed sideswtich can be easier and faster to find in the pocket than a tailcap switch - example: Zebralight SC64w… switch is deeply recessed inside a cavity that funnels the finger onto the button.
• Most sideswitches are e-switches which allow a more natural and intuitive UI than mechanical clicky switches. They’re also much quieter.
• More compact … always a good thing for a pocket EDC.

[jon_slider]

Twisties are my first love.

Im most likely to have the two on the left in my pockets.

I tolerate a sideswitch, IF I have a clip installed opposite, or the button is not flush, otherwise hate fumbling in the dark. Top right is the worst to find by feel in the dark.

For my senior hands, tailswitch use is the most physically uncomfortable.

[chadvone]

Jon_slider Both those side switch lights looks like they would give me trouble.

[jon_slider]

the one on the right is by far the worst as there is no Olight style pedestal, nor Zebra style indentation around the switch. And the metal button does not feel different than the rest of the light.
Rolling it in my fingers, I have no idea where the button is (unless I use a clip opposing it.)

Rolling the light on the left, with the Olight style raised switch pedestal, (even with no clip), the button pedestal is obvious to the touch. The rolling diameter of the pedestal stands out like a cam lobe, it is larger than the rest of the body tube. Plus the rubber button feels different, grippier, than the metal part.

The form factor makes it easy for me to figuring out which end of the light the switch is on, and where the middle of the button is. And I have not had any in pocket, switch activations. It works well. I also like that it wont roll off a table, thanks to the raised switch pedestal.

I think a Depressed Zebra button is even less likely to false illuminate, and equally easy to RolLocate. I dont own any, so dont know if they like to roll off a table when clipless.

speaking of degree of manipulation difficulty, that little flush electronic switch copper tool is not easy for me to locate in the dark. I often press on the bezel, before finding the switch end… it is harder for me to manipulate the light to feel each end, and Im more likely to fumble and drop it, than when Rolling a sideswitch light between my fingers. The light will also easily roll off the smooth wood nightstand.

[chadvone]

Check this out. Beam0 has a nice idea.

My latest solution for locating a side switch in the dark

There have been many methods for this, gluing on rings, rubber pads, or line up a pocket clip, I recently came up with this idea (although probably not the first) and it works great! It’s sold under many different names: Anti-skid tape, Safety tape, Grip tape, Skateboard tape (you get the idea) I’m using the very aggressive “mineral based” stuff. (sandpaper grit texture) A small pad of this goes a long way for locating a side switch in the dark. [image] .[image] . [image] .[image] . . Anoth…

[jon_slider]

thanks
I do think side buttons vary in how difficult they are to locate in the dark, and adding a friction dot can help

I dont think sidebuttons are overrated, but some are easier to find, when the switch surround is assymetrical to head circumference.

The switch on the copper light, is easier for me to feel in the dark, than the switch on the black light.

[ToyKeeper]

@nottawhackjob

like under a car IOW.
… best of both worlds - IOW. You know depending on the application IOW. So are they overrated IOW? … quantity of sales IOW … So who cares IOW?

Maybe over-preferring vs overrated is the better thought here. IOW.

IOW = In Other Words

Did you mean IMO? (In My Opinion)

[Lightbringer]

Iow, tbh imo idk, omg lol wtf? lol lol lol eieio.

[ToyKeeper]

@Flashy Mike

The more options I build into my firmware,the more I appreciate e-switches. Meanwhile the UI is so feature rich that it can’t be used with a clicky anymore in a reasonable way.

+1

BTW, have you released any of that yet?

@Boaz

Are side switches over-rated?

I don’t think so. Side switches and tail switches are both good. Both come in power-disconnect and e-switch varieties, though side power switches and tail e-switches are pretty uncommon.

I like the side e-switch on my Olight S-Mini Ti. I like the tail e-switch on my FW3A. I like the twisty power switch on my L3-L10. I like the tail power switch on my various bistro-style lights.

For my purposes though, I find that an e-switch lets me make the most interesting UIs. A side e-switch also allows for additional mappings like “hold button then tighten tailcap”, or can be combined with a tail clicky. But I find a tail e-switch to be the most ergonomic overall for EDC-style lights.

For other styles, I prefer other switch types. Like… the BLF Q8 or GT or Lantern would be ridiculous with a tail switch. And for small 1xAAA or 10180 lights a twisty is probably a better idea.

[Lick]

I don’t think side switches are overrated at all. If anything I’d say it allows a light to feel smaller than it is, and even with the 18350 S2 I have its not easy to press it one handedly.

If I had a choice of either, I’d choose the e-switch, although it has its own problems (mainly that drivers aren’t very cheap or have bad UIs).

I like anything that will make my light feel smaller. The Sofirn SP10B I have is longer than my S2, but it feels smaller because of the side switch (and also probably because its thinner too).

I can kind of turn my S2 into a twisty but its not easily turnable as a ‘real’ twisty.

[nottawhackjob]

Toykeeper asks……

“IOW = In Other Words

Did you mean IMO? (In My Opinion)”

IMO IOW no I did not.

[jon_slider]

IMO rubber sideswitches are easier to feel in the dark than metal sideswitches. IOW, rubber sideswitches are the best, IMO.