Like a boss
We seem to be going round in circles a bit here. We could do with some diagrams and shared terminology.
From what I can tell much of this depends on the preference to hold a light either at waist hight or head hight.
How’s this for naming? What other ones are there?
- Waist height
- Remote control grip, thumb, very common (e-switch)
- Upside down grip, forefinger (e-switch)
- Cigar grip (tail switch)
- Awkward pinky grip (tail switch), with heavier lights
- Head height
- Ice pick grip (tail switch)
- High pinky grip (e-switch)
- Pen grip (e-switch)
I like to hold mine like a lightsaber and pretend I’m a jedi so sideswitch all the way for me!
Maybe we should get more creative in the naming! :smiling_imp:
- “Upside-down three-armed monkey grip”
- “Reverse mutant elephant grip”
- “Baby duckbilled platypus grip”
Those are all good ones. But let’s just keep it simple when it comes to Grip Terminology. 
- 1. Handshake
- 2. Tactical
- 3. Cigar
*4. Unorthodox
*5. Catholic
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I just hold them in my 
. If I ever get crippled things may change…then I’ll come back to this thread for some inspiration.
I am right handed, but being ambidextrous I hold with my left and us my second finger to run the switch. I find that my left hand has better dexterity for rapid clicks on most switches. I also carry on my left side as knives are clipped into my right change pocket or normal pocket. Tailswitch lights are also easier to operate with my left hand. Once on, I tend to wrap the whole hand around the light, either left or right. I think this explains my love of larger tube lights 21700 and 26650 format.
‘mic style’
I hold my side switch lights the proper way. 
Any other way is improper.
I used to carry a rechargeable Maglite for work when I was a teenager (long ago). I rested the main weight of the body on my shoulder, hand partially around the base of the head, with the side switch at the index, middle finger, or ring finger. One mode, so the only time you needed to press the button was for on or off. The head didn’t get that hot with the limited power of the time.
It was very comfortable and intuitive. It felt a little like carrying a short baseball bat rested on your shoulder. At the time, there wasn’t the whole “on-off… on-off… on-off” (momentary) technique taught today (that I’m aware of) so even less need for excessive button usage. The newer Streamlight Protac HL5-X works well with this technique, although it’s too short to rest the weight of the flashlight body on the shoulder.
IMO, with the smaller lights of the last 20 years, the tail switch just seems more ergonomic with the higher hold. Heat accumulation of today’s higher power flashlights is also significant around the head and not so touch friendly. Additionally, with the higher lumen flashlights of today, more lumen can be designed into the spill, which can increase the shadow casting when compared to the tight spot of the old, throwy, incandescent, Maglite style lights/reflectors.
IMO, some of the reasons for the higher “tactical” hold that don’t include defensive/offensive use scenarios might include efficiency of movement (since it is held closer to the body and related pivot), easier to find and actuate the tailswitch in the dark or with gloves, and for shining over things that are above waist height, such as a couch, railing, vehicle, bed of a truck, bushes, etc.
Generally speaking, with current flashlights I hold the flashlight low (handshake?) if I need to shine it for long periods of time, and higher (tactical and sometimes cigar) for shorter, more immediate tasks (if a tailswitch is available). With the old 4D sized Maglite, since the weight was mostly resting on your shoulder one could keep the high hold for long periods of time, even though it was a large and relatively heavy light.
…….
Handshake Grip
.
Tactical Grip
.
Cigar Grip
Only thing about calling it “microphone grip” is that the business end of the light is exactly opposite of the business end of the microphone.
This will possibly confuse many.
Your “Microphone grip” looks the same as my “CopCarry”.
Ice Pick aka Tactical, aka overhand, aka Cop Carry, aka Microphone,
elbow bent less than 90 degrees, light at shoulder heght, tailswitch
Handshake aka Underhand, aka Sword Grip,
light held at waist height, elbow angle expanding past 90 degrees, sideswitch
Cigar, chest height, elbow at about 90 degrees, light about sternum height, tailswitch
switch type variations
electronic
mechanical forward clicky, aka tactical, aka momentary
mechanical reverse clicky
I personally avoid sideswitch lights, but if I want to use them overhand, I still put my thumb on the switch (the way cops did with maglites). Or I turn the light on however I have to, and then change grip to whatever suits the situation.
I prefer tailswitches because I think they are easier to find in the dark, not because of the carry height I want to use at the time.
I was resisting “chiming in”, but they’re generally called
cigar grip
sword grip
icepick grip
so…
This. And on a microphone the widest portion, the head, sticks up above the hand not below. I think a “microphone grip” should be the exact opposite of how you’re holding that light.
I tried the microphone grip with my SBT90.2 light hit turbo and it was like staring at the 
sun!! I hung in there for a few seconds and had to stop. For several hours I couldn’t see properly after that. NO more microphone grip, never again…it really suck’t.