Q8, PMS SEND TO THOSE WITH ISSUES BLF soda can light

The Q8 was designed by a flashlight hobby forum, believing that it would turn to be a 100% tool is naive, of course it is full of toy-features :slight_smile:
But I also think that, with the limitation that it is not idiot-proof, it does quite well as a tool too, and perhaps even more so than comparable flashlights of expensive brands.

As I noted, I thought I was moving from one light to another with similar goals. My error. The complexity grew over time. I went with it. I know it is a flashlight hobby forum. I really do. I have been a member for about 4.5 years.

There are no obvious reasons why this should be hard. And alternate version of the software would be fine. A version of the software that allows an owner to select dumb or cool. With sufficient protection so that dumb and hobby shall never see each other. Some participants have offered solutions to change the Q8 behavior to something closer to dumb. And that will be fine. The choice of simple and hard would be very useful. But one or the other could also work at a reduced level. I am not currently able to go through the various alternatives. I have other issues to deal with.

Offering an alternate “dummed down” version (or a switch) would be useful. And I think they exist. The manufacturer may also find an advantage with providing two versions. Dumb user and full blown hobbyist.

It is getting sort of old to be chastised for not understanding, and why did I participate. I did, and I did.

A flashlight of this power should never be able to go to a dangerous mode with a person simply wanting a flashlight. It does not currently meet that criteria. It is a disservice to people (random civilians) that just buy a Q8 and do not really understand what they are getting into. This light is dangerous in unskilled hands. And maybe some skilled hands, but that is a different discussion.

@ alternety……… For the life of me I cannot understand what you find so difficult with this UI as it comes from the factory.

All you have to do is push the button & hold it till it is as bright as you want it & then quit holding the button down.

Then…. when you want to turn it off, click the button & it is off.

To me… this is not complicated at all. How much simplier could it possibly be?? Seriously??

Just how could that even be “”dumbed down”“??

And as far as it being a “disservice to people (random civilians)” and “dangerous in unskilled hands”…… that may be your opinion, which is just fine. But I doubt it is shared by very many people. (which is my opinion)

And anyone should have enough sense not to look into the ‘business end’ of a flashlight when they are turning it on and/or using it. IF they do not, they have no business using any flashlight.

I guess different strokes for different folks……. but, as I said above; I fail to see how this could be made much simplier than how it came from the factory.

When you want it ON…. push switch button & hold…. releasing button when desired brightness level is reached.

When you want to turn it OFF…. click the switch button. It is then OFF.

Repeat when you want it ON again.

I don’t even stir the pot with Alternety. He knows he chose the wrong light for his particular needs. He admitted it.

Maybe his next light will be more suitable now that he knows what to look for and what to avoid. Same for me when looking for an ideal work light.

Peace be to him. :+1:

/\ Good point. :+1:

And try to take some closeup pictures

OK, I will be quiet!

Alternaty a solution to your problem is to buy another flashlight that meets your needs. Put the q8 in a cabinet somewhere else so you can have it as a reminder to research a product to see if it meets your personal needs and requirements before you buy it. By the way, a flashlight hobbiest website who teams up with manufacturers to make advanced flashlights that the members of said website can purchase cheaply is probably not the place to buy an emergency flashlight that any child can use. Good luck finding the light that actually meets your needs, maybe try the sporting goods section of your local Walmart. Cheers!

I’ve had good success handing the Q8 over to noobies. They figure it out quickly, it’s a fantastic product. For easy access I still have my old Malkoff converted 2 D cell maglite, on/off - easy/peasy. It never seems to get used though. My daughter likes to go walkabout with the dog late at night. I have a 1000 lumin Nitecore MH20GT now which I leave out for her that has a mini-USB plug so she can charge it whenever it needs. She had once grabbed my Convoy C6 to shine on the guy she caught breaking into my truck at 3am. We both learned that in an emergency, having a tail on-off switch AND a side button for modes was not a good idea. She was unable to work the flashlight, but the good news was the guy wasn’t alerted and her phone call to the police resulted in his arrest.

I think Alternaty’s main “beef” with the Q8 is that while it’s “intuitive” to a certain point thereafter it rapidly can become nonintuitive. It’s an understandable complaint considering that the average public user of modern led flashlights have generally been pre-conditioned by the standard fare of on-off-high-click-medium-click-low-click-possible-strobe click.

The Q8 ain’t one of those lights to say the least. You really only get “intuitive” with it after you read the directions thoroughly and then practice with it a lot. It takes effort. It is NOT intuitively simple to use once you get much beyond the ramping up and down then just turn it off features. Again, I think that’s his point and he’s taking a bit of umbrage at those that make him perhaps feel a bit stupid. All these videos explaining how to better clearly interpret the fine print directions is a testament to that deal.

That said, his point to consider from a potential increased sales standpoint that an intuitive version and a nonintuitive version being offered is a valid one. To sum it all up: KISS vs let’s make it challenging. Who’s kidding who? The Q8 is ultimately challenging.

Clearly one may not know what they’re getting into until one actually gets into it. Complex things tend to do that. The Q8 is NOT necessarily simple to understand unless you know what the creators of it intended it to be.

A typical led flashlight was obviously never the original intent here. This is an upper grad-level light, man. I’m not saying anything profound here that hasn’t already been said. I’m just kinda defending the guy’s perspective.

@ nottawhackjob……. Well said and true. But as Throw me in to darkness said above…. “it is only complicated if you make it so”.

Forget all the bells & whistles completely…… stick with the basic on & off and it is very simple.

Past that, I agree completely; it is definitely complicated to the newbie as well as some who are not a newbie. :wink:

Teacher,

Yup, the hard part of the Q8 is in not making it overly complicated on purpose. :wink:

Oh one other thing. If I had designed the Q8 UI in hindsight I probably would’ve had TWO factory default optional settings.

One default is the one ya got now.

The second default would’ve been the KISS option: Click-On get low, click again get Medium, click again get High, click 3 times anywhere in the cycle get Strobe click 4 times get moon. Or something to that effect.

That would be one extra helluva light IMO. :blush:

Nottawhackjob,

Interesting thought. :+1:

Only problem there would be for some to figure out how to switch between each default. Unless it was light specefic that is. :smiley:

:wink:

If we had designed the Q8 as a light for dummies, I would change 2 things:

1)it would have internal charging, probably via a base, like your average electric kettle or tooth brush
2)it would have a turnable switch like the power/volume knob on old radio’s, turn it to switch on, turn further to ramp up.

Still a nice variant to consider having built, but complicated to design.

I will say this:
I would like all my flashlights to be so “complicated” :slight_smile:

For me it is the best and very intuitive system.

That. I keep thinking about new builds, but then I realize they won’t have an e-switch and Narsil/Andúril, and I lose interest. I need to find a good e-switch host, find a driver that will work with the cool firmware (and fit in said host), and start flashing drivers. Then I can mod or build again.

Komeko,

If ya think the Q8 is very intuitive I bet you play a mean game of 3D chess too.

:smiley:

I do not have time to play and I’m too old for it :slight_smile:

The first three people I gave the Q8 to play with ended pretty fast in configuration.

Since I have a standard introduction to the Q8, there were no more problems in handling the lamp.

I think it is not intuitive, more easy to get. But you can end up pretty fast in config/blinking if you only play arround.

Quick introduction for newbies or relatives:

- Don’t hold the button down for longer than 8 seconds! The lamp will enter configuration and starts wild blinking. Don’t push a button or you change things. In case handle it to a pro or search for reset in the cheat sheet.

- Don’t look in the working end!

- One click on, one click off.

  • Push the button and keep it holding for ramping. Rember to release within 8 seconds.

You never should have bought this light. It sounds like you would be better served with a 4xAA light, of which there are several nice ones. You’ll only get 1000 lumens from them, but that is more than enough for almost every purpose.

I suggest removing the batteries from your Q8 and never use it again. It can be very dangerous if not properly handled, including doing things such as installing batteries the wrong way around, or accidentally turning it on high when it’s close to something flammable.

The Q8 is meant for flashaholics, and people with prior experience with 18650 lights. A “random civilian” should not use this light. It’s safe if used with common sense, but that is often shown to be lacking.