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https://web.archive.org/web/20221220093741/https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/72499
I would also vote for a hidden beacon mode.
+1 for Huny and hidden beacon mode ;) (voted "Sos and strobe in hidden modes only" tho)
I want strobe and sos. And beacon. And slow strobe. And Slow beacon. And multi beacon. And glow. And high. And medium. And low.
The more the merrier.
If the flashy modes come hidden, the better.
Strobe SOS - [ I so wish manufacturers would let go of these junk modes ]
Hidden Beacon mode - I could live with that .
Strobes should stay where they belong... in the disco. SOS is pretty much useless in my urban environment. Pure and many brightness levels FTW, 4-5 for XML and 3-4 for everything below. I am really looking forward to the infinite adjustable dimming selector ring XML lights (0-3Amps) for under $20.....and don't destroy my dreams. ;-)
I (as most light junkies I guess) have dedicated lights for camping/hunting, SHTF, urban outdoors, indoors, dog pooping etc. For camping or SHTF lights disco might come in handy. Probably not, but there is a slim chance that at least SOS would be needed. For other uses, no flashy silliness for me. Hidden, no problem.
What's the beacon good for? I have that in couple of my lights and I've not been able to think any possible use for that. Enlighten me.
Every now and again we are hit with some awsome winter storms where many people get stuck out on the drifts in whiteouts. A beacon or strobe in that situation could stop other vehicles and snow plows from slamming into them. It happens all the time. Of course if you have the foresight to carry a beacon in your truck or car, you probably wouldnt wouldnt be out in that crap. Just one example.
I think a lot of people here are the types who like to be prepared for lifes odd and not so often occuring troubles. Many carry knives, guns and of course flahlights. Reminds me of last summer when we were packing the car for vacation in Gulf Shores Al. We were taking my wifes Scion XB because it gets pretty good gas mileage. Space was at a super premium and while loading my son tried to stick a huge Rambo survival knife in there. I told him we really didnt need that big old thing in there. He told me "Thats when you really need it dad, when you dont think you will". Love that kid. Needless to say we brought it and we had to use the needle out of the handle to remove a splinter from my daughters foot. Jake was so proud that he brought the survival knife.
I hate strobe and sos with a passion ..So much so I don't even want it hidden . if iwanted a bike light that had a strobe or if i was a bouncer or a swat team member I'd expect to go out and find that kind of light .The fact that I have my light on high in the kitchen and want to turn it down while walking thru the living room to get to the bathroom...suddenly every neighbor sees my house like a rave party disco palace .I have a remote cabin on a lake ........ see ...no comment needed .
did i just join the signal corp..??
No flash, no way , never ... Hide extra modes instead
Beacon mode = I like a flash every second , if you get lost in the bush or what ever , the beacon mode will offer extended run time , full output , and still needs to be a hidden mode .
I have a few 16/17 mode drivers ... 3 levels ..
One level is - Hi - Med - Lo
And the others levels have the junk modes , which is fine .. If you need the junk modes , they are there .
Would be nice if there was a 1.4A driver and a 3A driver set up such .
i have the 16 mode KD driver with an r2 and its nice to have the blink modes hidden within the 3 different groups
I'm okay with strobe and SOS if they are hidden, but I have no use for them in day-to-day use. I know some bicyclists use strobe to draw attention and SOS, I guess in some extreme situation. I think what might be better is a SOS at real Morse speed (pretty quick) once every 30 seconds. That should run for a really long time. The alpine distress signal seems like a pretty good idea too, but I don't think anyone in the US would know what it was.
I use beacon (one bright flash every 10 sec) as a marker for deposited equipment or the camp. First time I thought of it was when caving: If you explore a part of a cave but don't want to take all your equipment with you it helps you to locate your stuff in the dark when you return. Before that I had used a simple camping light for that purpose but the beacon is more effective (and my camping light is not really good).
Matt, if you mean this driver from DX there is a place for a fourth 7135 on it, so at least 1.4 A is easily available.
That would be Nanjg 105 or 106 flashed with BLF-VLD then. 2,8 amps max, silly low low. 3-5 active modes + 7-5 more hidden, including SOS, alpine distress, beacon, stobe, police strobe. Flashing equipment costs 10$. It's awesome stuff.
Ok, so there is actual use for beacon. Nice to know how ppl are using their lights in a ways that I have not thought of.
Thats one , Im not sure if I still have one [ spare ] .. But should work well with a XP-G R5 with the extra 7135
I've voted for first option, but would also be for hidden modes (sos, strobe, beacon) if that driver won't be much more expensive.
And if I do want a strobe, I want a slow strobe, not a Halloween-Party-Fast strobe.