Which switch type do you guys like for quick on/off bursts of light?

I work in a well-lit factory type of setting that has large machines I’m responsible for inspecting.
Although it’s well-lit, there are many places I need a light to inspect on the underside that is either in the shadows or very recessed. I’ve used a lot of AA Maglites but started using a Streamlight Stylus Pro 2xAAA with a tail-cap switch that works great and works well as a momentary switch.

Fast forward to this week and I finally picked up some CR123’s to use in my old Fenix PD10 and realized that I prefer a twist switch when I just need a quick burst of light to inspect and move on. Like I said, it’s a great light but a little smaller than I’d like (20mm x 73mm).

I started looking at new lights and see a bunch of new ones with the side switches which would probably work well too so my questions to you are…

  1. For quick bursts of light, which type of switch do you guys prefer?
    and
  2. Is there a battery type that is better for that type of use?

My stylus pro would last forever (2 x AAA) vs my PD10 (1 x CR123) which lasted about 4 or 5 days.

3) Any recommendation for a light about the size of PD10 (20mm x 73mm) up to 100mm or so would be great if it could stay at the same diameter and about 185 lumens.

Thanks for any help. and sorry for the essay.

I have found that for the very same purpose I like forward clicky switches.

+1 Affirmative :wink:

Thanks.
Although my penlight is easy to carry in my shirt pocket, I prefer front pants pocket, and I think that’s another reason I like the switch towards the front.

I don’t have any 18650’s so I run my Ultrafire S5 on 2 cr123’s and its crazy bright. I only really use it in short bursts because it gets pretty warm and I don’t want to burn it out since I’m not sure how many volts it can really handle but it seems to fit your specs. It is a reverse clicky though. If you really like the Stylus Pro, you might want to upgrade to the Protac 2aaa. 80 lumens vs 65 and it adds strobe and a 10 lumen low mode.

I prefer forward switches as well. Most budget lights that don’t have an electronic switch use reverse, but I wish they’d use forward by default.

Old-School but the Romisen RC-G2 is a surprisingly good little single-mode light with a forward-clicky switch:

http://www.dx.com/p/romisen-mxdl-rc-g2-cree-flashlight-gray-1xaa-3609#specification

Easily pocketable, tight beam due to the relatively large diameter reflector. Runs well from Alkaline and AA NiMh.

Forward clickies have 2 disadvantages compared to reverse clickies:

  • they’re much more likely to turn on accidentally especially when used for pocket EDC. Even a partial press of the button will turn the light on.
  • they’re not very good for multi-mode lights. The advantage of a forward clicky is you can do a half press to get instant light. This interface works great in single-mode lights, but falls flat in multimode lights where half-presses are likely to accidentally swap brightness levels.

I think most lights these days use reverse clickies because of the multi-mode thing. I only have one light that came with multiple modes and a forward clicky, and it feels somewhat awkward.

I prefer the forward switch. I also prefer multiple modes change by head twist or magnetic ring.

I own and prefer the:
Microstream Stylus/Stylus Pro
Foursevens Quark Tactical - twist the head to select between two modes.
Foursevens Maelstrom - twist the head to select between four modes
Eagletac - uses something similar to the Foursevens Maelstrom interface.
Sunwayman M and V series - nice single CR123 cell with magnetic control

I have a PD10 and you should be getting much more life out of one battery.

Side switches

But it’s only momentary. I agree it depends on the exact switch in question, but if the switch is being pressed, then it’s equal chance, forward or reverse clicky.

Sorry don’t agree at all with this.

I do agree momentary is nicer on lights that only use the button to turn on/off rather than mode switch.

But having momentary is an “extra” feature and causes no downside. A half press of a reverse clicky is just as likely to change modes.

Not sure I follow. “switch towards the front”???

This is why I don’t understand you comment I quoted above, the tail cap switch is not near the front.

I have a AAAA Stylus Pro, don’t know if the AAA is the same. You can either push the switch for momentary, but if you want constant on you have to twist the light.

Quite a rare UI, but being single mode it works quite well I agree.

[quote=mac4lou]

I started looking at new lights and see a bunch of new ones with the side switches which would probably work well too so my questions to you are…
Most modern side switch lights use an electronic switch, i.e. it isn’t a physical connection in the circuit. It’s a bit like pressing a button on your keyboard, and different press types do different things.

Some have what they call a momentary feature, although most are clunky to use or require you to spend more time faffing making it momentary, than it would be just to turn it on or off.

Electronic switches are great, but personally I don’t think they are the solution here. As some require a press and hold to activate or turn off or mode change.

Very clever and versatile as they allow a single switch to do many functions, down side is it’s often slower or require more actions to achieve simple things.

Depends exactly what you mean by this. I like something with momentary, i.e. you part push the switch and it lights ups, let go and it goes off.

This is commonly known as a forward clicky. The Stylus isn’t really a clicky as it never “clicks” and the push part of the switch doesn’t offer constant on.

Forward clickies can be located anywhere, although these days most commonly located in the tail cap.

I think part of this must be output related. The PD10 probably puts out a fair chunk more light and a single CR123a doesn’t hold the most capacity.

It’s then a balance of output vs battery size to = good runtime.

Sorry about that, not the clearest I know.

I liked the tail-cap switch of the Stylus Pro until I tried the twisty of the pd10…The twisty switch just seems like it’s perfectly placed when I pull the light out of my pant pocket.
And for this reason I was thinking that a forward-placed switch would be just as handy, as long as it also works as a momentary too.

right :slight_smile:

So I take it you tend to use two hands to turn it on, being a twisty then?

Afraid I don’t know of anything compact with a side switch that allows momentary.

I think FourSevens have got a rifle bolt style switch that looks like it might be interesting, but you don’t half have to pay a big premium.

There are quite a few AA style twisty lights out there. I find that most of them can be turned on/off with one hand, if the threads have been greased. Most of them are single AA or 14500. Not many side switch lights of that size that are any good or dependable.

If you only ever want a "burst of light", then you can make any clicky switch into a momentary one. It takes a little bit of tear down, but not much in the way of knowledge or tools.

this, reading this thread I'm not sure the OP knows the difference between side switch/forward clicky/reverse clicky.

Reverse clickys are the only way to go with a multI mode light. Forward clickys are sort of hard to use. It is nice that you can get momentary on with forward clickys, but it's really not that hard to click on/click off and the ease of mode switching and not get confused when switching modes with reverse Clickys make them way more user friendly.

Side switches are pretty nice too but I don't like that you have to turn the light on in the rear then switch hand positions to change modes. working in a well lit area with shadows that need lit up having the light start on high is what you need, I am in that situation during the daytime but at night it really sucks when the light fires in high and ruins your "night vision" for a couple seconds. For me it's just as easy to have a no memory light with reverse clicky that starts on low with a full press and a half click or two later if I chose I can use high mode.

working on machinery (like I do sometimes) you really want a brighter light, go for a 1,000 lumen light, try a cheap 18650 straight tube light and see if you like it just go for a smaller one like the convoy S lights...nothing less than 1,000 lumens will be good enough after you do, well worth it And only slightly bigger than your 20x100mm specs. Like I said the trade off in lumen output easily worth it!

All the side switch lights I know of have an electronic switch, but one of these might work for you. Here are a few of the AA variety that only have a side switch. There are several more that have a tail switch for on/off and a side for changing modes, but I did not include those:

Solarstorm SC01
Xtar WK41
Thrunite Neutron 2A V2
Sunwayman C15A
Olight S15
Zebralight SC52

One problem with an electronic switch is that it requires a small amount of current at all times, so if just left by itself for a long time they will drain a battery. One way around that is by ‘locking out’ the battery when not in use, if the threads of a flashlight are anodized then 1/8 turn of the head or tailcap will break the connection to the battery.

I guess I think of a forward clicky as being used for quick bursts of light. What you’d use if you wanted to do a message in morse code for instance. This wouldn’t work well with a multi-mode light because the fast clicks would cause constant undesired mode changes.

Sure you’d get those mode changes with a reverse clicky too. Reverse clickies with multimodes are no better for that application than the forward clicky.
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Regarding accidental pocket activation:

Reverse clickies are safer. If you light shifts around in your pocket and the button partially depresses it won’t turn on. Instead the button has to fully click before you get power. In contrast, with a forward clicky even a partial press will turn the light on. And depending on what else you have in your pocket and what position your leg is in, the button might stay in half-press for an extended period.

The switch and housing design can correct for these flaws. For instance, the forward clicky in the Coast HP1 is fairly stiff and completely recessed. Chances of accidental pocket activation are almost non-existent. In contrast, the tailcap in the Lenslight mini is rounded with the button protruding. There’s no shroud around the button protecting the forward clicky and only minimal pressure is required for activation. Chances of accidental activation are very high.
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My preferred switch type for quick on-off use:
Personally, if I wanted a light for quick on-off use I’d probably go with an electronic side or tailcap switch. Electronic switches are quiet and usually require less pressure than mechanical switches. They’re also mechanically much simpler and the switch should in theory last much longer. The best choice on the market for a non-tactical pocket light is the Zebralight SC62W.

Or, if I was modding a light, I’d use an electronic switch with DrJones Mokkadrv firmware.

I’m able to turn the light on single-handed as I pull it out of my pocket.

This just might be the understatement of the year. :slight_smile:
I thought there was only a tail-cap switch, like my Streamlight Stylus Pro, a twisty, like my Fenix PD10, and then a tail-cap type of switch that is mounted to the side, towards the front, like an Olight S10 for example.

Appreciate all of the recommendations, I definitely should find a good light among them.