Unpopular Flashlight Opinion Thread

“Truth” is the result of believen beliefs, with feelings being one of their results.

And if I don’t plan to go near water but end up going near it anyway? Hasn’t the “electronic hits rain puddle” thing never happened to you? To me it has.

  1. That is very very true. The hobby goes way beyond having a portable light source. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to explain it to muggles.

2) I don’t really need to, not after you launched Biscotti :heart_eyes:

3) Honestly, as far as practical purpose goes, I feel a 3* or 4*7135 Nichia S2+ doesn’t quite do it for me. The moonlight at 0.1% is nice, but most of the time I use a torch, the 1% is too low and 10% is too high. Might swap the driver for a 6x7135 from one of my CREE’s, and all should be good in the ’hood.

What's up with Sunwayman?

For people whose needs and tastes vary significantly from the majority, we have a lot of source code available for extensive customization. It can be a little daunting at first, but most people who have tried it found it was significantly easier than they expected.

As I was saying just a few posts ago, more people should make (or at least customize) their own user interfaces. There’s really no other way to get a perfect flashlight, because we all like different things.

You’re implying the UI on every light has the “muggle mode” of Anduril (a UI specifically designed for enthusiasts). That is not the case. There are a number of highly customizable tail and side switch UIs where accessing the settings mode takes a great deal of effort.

The state of the industry is just sorry. It’s easy to make outstanding lights beause most makers don’t even try.
To illustrate that: several months ago we had a launch of a light that:

  • did literally nothing innovative
  • screwed up basic stuff so badly that lights would self-destruct

Yet it generated a lot of enthusiasm and many positive reviews. Because it’s the only light in its size-led count class and once you right the wrongs yourself it actually works well.

When I count innovative flashlights that came out this year - nothing comes to my mind. I’ve seen a hint that one party tried to implement an obvious thing which should have been a standard for several years already. As of now it’s innovative and may come out this year.

"Unpopular Flashlight Opinion Thread" OK?.

Practically Speaking: ...

The next mode Memory is dumb. It's awkward, "Excuse me while I cycle my light back to moonlight mode. I'm sorry about killing the "mood/moment". Resetting to a particular mode takes time. Time you won't spend if you are in a hurry. Somebody please give me a scenario when this memory function would be of any use. Except for the following or anything just like it:

A dark night (duh!!) walking through a public space known to harbor muggers, terrorists, rapists, robbers, and other undesirables. You set your trusty 1200 lumen retina burner to come up on strobe on the next click. You place it in your off hand at the ready next to your hip. You may or may not utilize a less bright light in your primary hand.

Except for some pretty unusual sets of circumstances the next mode memory usefulness does not offset it's inconveniences. It should be replaced by instant/quick access to turbo/strobe in all cases.

Oh, you’re in good company here… almost no one likes that. It’s mostly only used on cheap generic drivers, and the person who wrote the code likely had no idea what they were doing. It probably only exists because it’s easier to implement than a better interface.

[quote=ToyKeeper]

Well good. Thank you for that. I had seen plenty of gripes about unavoidable strobe modes but nothing about next mode memory. I was beginning to think there might be something about it that was practical and I didn't understand. Then I got one of those cheap generic drivers (UltraFire UF-A3). Honest, it was a very inexpensive impulse purchase. I just wanted something to plug the AA/14500 hole in my lineup. This one also has the dreaded high-low-strobe firing order. I now have some better samples coming. Looks like my granddaughter will get another flashlight.

Cheater! Popular opinions don’t count! :smiley:

I don’t like angry-blue tints :innocent:

Doesn’t even need anything said about it, is all. Kinda like whether/not you’d want Hitler for a next-door neighbor… does it really warrant mentioning at all?

I was thinking maybe I should get a Wuben TO50R instead of modding my other lights but I believe it has this “next mode memory”. So, I likely won’t buy this “premium” light because of the UI.

I had a Streamlight flashlight that had a center emitter with 3 mules surrounding the reflector. No matter what it turned on Low flood, then High on the center, then back to low flood on the 3 mules. Not even mode memory, just the same dumb cycle through the emitters with one of the modes twice! The Twin Task I think it was. And it was issued from the military! Let me use this flashlight that I cant momentary on, and everytime I use it Im either blinking away trying to turn it off or stuffing it against clothing and having to peek to see if Im in the right mode or turned off!

It's not my fault. I didn't know.

This is the UI for the TO50R:

The next mode UI. Holy Cow!

I agree the faster UI is nicer. I don’t like dumbing things down by making them slow or replacing interesting modes with boring ones. That’s what the client wanted though, so that’s what I made. I did try to convince him not to bother with SOS though. I mean, has anyone here ever actually used SOS mode for something where another mode wouldn’t work?

It really shouldn’t have much hype. It’s not an exciting flashlight. It doesn’t have fancy aux LEDs or dramatic body styling or massive turbo lumens or throw. It’s not going to win any beauty shelf contests. It’s meant to be utilitarian and somewhat boring. And that’s why I use it so much.

It really shouldn’t be taking so long to produce though. It’s honestly pretty ridiculous.

So do short ones. I don’t like having my computer forcefully shut off. It’s seriously disruptive, and carries a high risk of permanent damage. That’s how my last one died.

OTOH, pro tip: While power outages can be a fun excuse to use flashlights, no excuse is necessary. Enjoying torches only during power outages is like showering only when it rains.

I’m not really familiar with that, but it may be possible. It looks like there are three different HDS clicky UIs. All three sound like they would be simple to implement in FSM. Which one are you referring to?

Aye, I remember you mentioning that in the Biscotti launch thread. Them’s the breaks. [shrug]

Honestly, if I ever needed SOS, I’d put my torch on strobe and wave it around maniacally - guaranteed to call the eye of a passerby very quickly.

Yeah, I can see that happening if you work out of a computer, especially at home. Me, I don’t use my PC much anymore aside from a few short hours of video games to stave off sleep, and I’m so detached from my workplace I really couldn’t care less if my workstation fries up forever. Ain’t like I’m doing more than “face, badge, face, badge” anyway.

When you live with family that gets miffed that you only use your lights instead of the ceiling lamps and complain that it’s too dark, you tend to need excuses :stuck_out_tongue:

EDC lights should not be sold if they don’t have a trit slot.