To give you a reference point of what constitutes a too hard-to-press button:
When she complained about her current (noname) light being difficult to turn on/off, I offered her my gen1 Nitecore Tube, but she found its button even more difficult to operate.
Tint ramping Emisar D4S V2 with Osram W2, SST-20 deep red and a 26800 tube.
Nah, just a low power 4-mode Convoy S2+ with a protected battery or the new 2xAA model (don’t know how it’s called.
Your username checks out 
D4v2 or KR4 with 219B or E21a (or tint ramping?)
I have no idea how hard to press a nitecore tube is.
Otherwise i would recommend a Reylight 14500 (pineapple or something)
Dropping is suboptimal for all lights, maybe you can get a potted light?
It’s really a shame that all the hall-effect switches are on dive lights. Those rings and switches are perfect for grandma. But they don’t have built-in charging, and unscrewing the cap to charge the battery is a real biotch because of all the o-rings for water sealing.
But a Sofirn IF25A might work for her. The e-switch button is really light. Set the floor and ceiling so close together that she’ll never notice the ramping if she accidentally holds the switch down, and it’s a click-on click-off one mode UI. Or just leave it locked and in tactical moonlight mode. The head is small enough that it seems unlikely to break. I’ve dropped mine numerous times. In my experience, the bigger the glass (think C8 or old MagLite), the more likely they are to break. Nice tail-stand for nightstand duty, also.
Go to AliExpress, search Manta Ray S1.
Single mode AA flashlight, tailswitch, in a host similar to the Convoy T2. Can be operated with 1xAA or 1x14500 Li-Ion cell.
Yes, you read my mind 
Thanks for the tip, it looks very promising!
TBH, I was leaning towards Sofirn anyways (I was looking at the SC21 when you wrote) as I own an LT1 which also has a rather light button, so I was secretly hoping every Sofirn light had that quality.
I checked the specs on the IF25A , and it actually looks more suitable than the SC21: due to its larger form-factor, it would definitely be easier for her to handle. And still it is not lagre enough to break with a high likelihood when dropped. You are also totally right about the UI: Anduril is advanced enough to be able to believably mimic a dumb on-off switch, when configured that way
The only downside I could find is the price: $30-40 + our lovely 27% VAT on top of that.
I gave my 70+ year old mom a ThruNite Neutron 2c v3 for Christmas and it seems like it will work out well. I picked up a couple on sale a while back. Switch is easy to press but maybe hard to find. I set the ramp about half way and hopefully it will stay there unless she holds down the switch.
Seeknite D236 if it comes in stock.
Note: This is a new light that nobody has reviewed, but the design is on point for ‘grandma’ imo.
Yeah, if it turns out it can’t handle the abuse, that’s an expensive lesson.
I guess it’s also somewhere within the realm of possibility that she could accidentally 3C, 4C, 10H, 13H, or 15C, but that seems pretty unlikely.
Maybe the WildTrail WT3M (triple) or WT1M (single). 21700 cell so it has a larger diameter which is more comfortable to grasp while pressing a button for hands that may be weaker or arthritic, and the side switch on this one is very easy to press and in a natural position. It’s compact but still has a traditional look to it, which she’s probably used to. Runs anduril so you can muggle it for her and set the ceiling lower if you like, and she can enjoy the ease of the ramping or stepped light settings. Switch backlight can be off or set at different levels. It has USB-C charging, so no fumbling or damaging the cable or port trying to find the right side of a micro-usb. The only quibble might be that the rubber port cover is a tight fit and not the easiest to pop open, but it’s easily removed or she could use a fork tine or whatever to pop it out. I don’t think a protected cell will fit in there but with a 21700 and low level use it should last way longer than a couple weeks even with the switch light set to high. The wider head will make it easier for her to set it on a countertop or whatever without tipping over so easily, but this one will roll easily if laid on its side.
Another idea is the Wurkkos FC11, single emitter 18650. It uses the simple UI like many Sofirn lights where you can choose ramping or stepped, but it’s not so feature-laden or potentially confusing like anduril. They have a smaller diameter of course, a bit more length, and an easy to press side switch. Also USB-C and the cover is easy to pop open but stays put in use.
I’d probably vote for the WildTrail unless her hands prefer longer/thinner of the 18650 tube lights. Since she grew up with dim halogen lights, maybe ask her if she likes that warmer color temp more than neutral white or ugly-cold-blue white of the cheapie flashlights and pick the emitter accordingly.
It sure looks that way. My only concern would be the usb port access. That’s perfect for me, but if the threads are tight to get to the charging port due to water-proofing O-rings, that could be hard for old hands. I may have to order one of those when it becomes available.
ETA: probably not a replaceable battery. I guess grandma won’t care, but kinda eww, anyway.
:person_facepalming:
Acebeam EC50 with diffusion film, preset it to its lowest setting if you want low.
Big enough to get a good grip (26650 inside).
Soft-touch button that’s fairly big and silver-on-black so is easy to find.
USB charging.
Diffusion film widens the hotspot for a much better view, and “dilutes” the beam if its low is too low.
Click on, click off.
Those two also look intriguing, thanks.
Sounds like a good option, thanks.
What is the model of Convoy with 2xAA, does anyone know?
It is the T4 model, first introduced by Simon here: 【convoy】SFT40 5000K back in stock (sufficient) - #6147 by Simon_Mao
I am not sure if it is available yet :zipper_mouth_face:
What I am wondering about right now is: If I choose an Anduril-powered light (like the IF25A or WT3M), how is she going to be able to tell when to charge it (without letting the LVP fully shut it off)?
Having it blink out the battery voltage is obviously not an option
At the very low brightness levels she is likely going to use it, do you think the LVP step-downs will be noticeable enough to be used as low-battery indication? Is it possible there are no intermediate steps in that case, and the LVP just shuts the light down completely as soon as it kicks in? (Sorry if it is a stupid question. I have not really studied how LVP is implemented on Anduril, yet.)
Very good insight, i was thinking of the switch going red when needing charging but light blinking is not a bad idea.