Accidental Activation a Big Problem--Got Burned Yesterday!

[Lightbringer]

@Mark M

Emergency situations? You are not in a freaking war zone, you are not an operator in another country. We are dudes who use flashlights, I can’t even think about an EDC carry situation I would be in where I couldn’t quad click to unlock within milliseconds.

@Rusty Joe

EMTs, police, security, first responders all need instant access to light.

They don’t keep their lights in a pocket, but in a holster which almost certainly prevents accidental activation.

@Rusty Joe

If you can’t see that, then what I said last post is for sure true. I don’t want lockout/unlock any more than I want programmable. UIs should be intuitive and ready to use. The vast majority of people feel this way, I’d say.

I carried my 1-mode no-lockout ’502 for years. You can do the same. <shrug/>

[Rusty_Joe]

@Lightbringer

@Mark M

Emergency situations? You are not in a freaking war zone, you are not an operator in another country. We are dudes who use flashlights, I can’t even think about an EDC carry situation I would be in where I couldn’t quad click to unlock within milliseconds.

@Rusty Joe

EMTs, police, security, first responders all need instant access to light.

They don’t keep their lights in a pocket, but in a holster which almost certainly prevents accidental activation.

@Rusty Joe

If you can’t see that, then what I said last post is for sure true. I don’t want lockout/unlock any more than I want programmable. UIs should be intuitive and ready to use. The vast majority of people feel this way, I’d say.

I carried my 1-mode no-lockout ’502 for years. You can do the same. <shrug/>

Jacket pocket carry is very common. And I’ve had lots of times of lights activating in a side carry holster, usually done while sitting down and bumping it.

1-mode 502 is great. I think it has a lot to do with the switch tension.

[Lightbringer]

@Souichirou

As others have stated I don’t see why you needed a light to be in “tactical” mode for your specific setting example in a business meeting while in a suit I assume midday.

Interrogation consensus…

<whips out and shines blindingly-bright light at someone>

“You! Jones! What’s your opinion of the Corporate Plan?”

[Lightbringer]

@Rusty Joe

If you are among the ilk of those who would carry a light and turn it off, lock it out, and then unlock it to use it every single time, then you are indeed anal-retentive and just ridiculous.

At least they won’t set their pants on fire. :laughing:

[Rusty_Joe]

@Lightbringer

@Rusty Joe

If you are among the ilk of those who would carry a light and turn it off, lock it out, and then unlock it to use it every single time, then you are indeed anal-retentive and just ridiculous.

At least they won’t set their pants on fire. :laughing:

Yes, but they won’t have a light very quickly AND they won’t have fun signaling across the building at random times.

[Lightbringer]

@Rusty Joe

1-mode 502 is great. I think it has a lot to do with the switch tension.

Great little light, still got it. (It did like 95%+ of what I needed it for.)

No ano on any threads, so no lockout short of completely removing the tailcap.

[Souichirou]

@Rusty Joe

You are making things difficult because you are attempting justify a faulty design—lights with tall side switches that get bumped on when in a loose jacket pocket. That is the problem. I want momentary-on — two switches, ideally — but at least a light that resists bumps and accidental turn-ons. Any design whatsoever (including clickies with exposed buttons) should be discouraged from being made by us.

If you are among the ilk of those who would carry a light and turn it off, lock it out, and then unlock it to use it every single time, then you are indeed anal-retentive and just ridiculous. Most of us want a normal on/off function that isn’t always succumbing to a bad design.

I am asking you to agree and end this.

Now your just putting words in my mouth, I just refuted the faulty and flawed reasoning you put forth in attempting to defend your position and pointed out there are flaws in everything you said about “NEED” for tactical modes in the professions you listed albeit limited by scenario.

Hell for my EDC despite every light I have in my collection for single cells I’ve ALWAYS gone back to either my convoy s2+ with 18350 shorty tube with an SST40/XHP50.2 or more than likely my old beat up OG BLF A6 they both do everything I need as an EDC and provide light when and where I need it.

[alpg88]

@Chicken Drumstick

Every modern light should have a good physical lockout…

and almost every light has one, loosening of the tailcap,

[richbuff]

For me, the choice of not locking out, or twist tail cap lockout, or electronic lockout is a matter of personality. That's why I like all three.

[SIGShooter]

@Rusty Joe

@Souichirou

@Rusty Joe

EMTs, police, security, first responders all need instant access to light. If you can’t see that, then what I said last post is for sure true. I don’t want lockout/unlock any more than I want programmable. UIs should be intuitive and ready to use. The vast majority of people feel this way, I’d say.

Seems only Police out of your mentioned professions would need “instant” access to light and even that it seems limited since light would be in hand anyway for evening traffic stops or examining an area in the evening, EMT’s I don’t see why they need instant light either an extra second to unlock a light doesn’t seem that restricting as EMT’s generally work in pairs. Security would have light in hand for nightly perimeter patrols or indoor patrols so light would be unlocked anyway.

As others have stated I don’t see why you needed a light to be in “tactical” mode for your specific setting example in a business meeting while in a suit I assume midday.

But I don’t NEED to be a policeman to be entitled to instant brightness. I don’t understand the holdout on this.

If I was that concerned about my flashlight turning on accidentally I’d just carry another one that wasn’t as easily turned on. Let’s be realistic here, most flashlights will work as well as another one in the vast majority of situations. For example I’m hard pressed to construct a scenario where my Convoy S2 couldn’t be used in place of my FW3A as an EDC. The S2 isn’t as bright and doesn’t have ramping, etc but most times what I need in those situations is light.

[Tubercle]

roflmao

[ArtieT59]

@pennzy

Send me all your side switch lights. Problem solved. :Seriously, sorry about your suit. No thermal step down in that model? Be glad you don’t carry a Glock.

LOL

First off, sorry you burned yourself, glad your’e OK.

But, i don’t think eliminating an entire switch type is a solution. i very often (not always) lock out my lights, mechanical turn of tail cap or head, or adequate amount of clicks. i have never needed to EDC a “tactical” light (i truly think these two types of carry could not be more inherently opposite) so i don’t worry about the seconds needed to unlock my light either. I know that if I am wearing a SUIT the need for a TACTICAL light with tactical features like INSTANT access to on would go out the window … Maybe I’m wrong here? I get very angry when i burn myself with my light but this post is a little over the top… Banning or restricting any design elements in a free market that are not immoral/illegal/undeniably dangerous is usually counter intuitive. Yes some (a few) manufacturers could make better switches, but then again some people hate the KR1/KR4/FW3a switches and i love them, and ive had accidental activations with all 3 of those lights. i just lock it out now when i sit in my car or at my work desk, were 95% of my accidental activations happen.

[ArtieT59]

@Robin Dobbie

There’s side switches and then there’s side bumps. I don’t understand how any light that’s small enough to be pocketed has a raised button.

Looked up JKK20 and came up empty. I guess I’m too much of a muggle to know wtf light that is.

i couldn’t find it either, and that annoyed me. like the jkk20 is the most known torch on the market and i’m (proverbially) in the dark on it. i need to see this lights switch

[jon_slider]

Rusty Joe, I get your point.

Carrying an incendiary device with a hair trigger, loose in a pocket without a safety, causes burned pockets.

A design capable of turning on at pocket burning levels, paired with an eSwitch, is a new design problem. An unintended consequence of the Pocket Rocket Lumens Race…

back in the day, Tactical lights did not produce enough lumens to provide pocket burning capability, and their mechanical switches required considerably more force and travel than a modern eSwitch. And they were carried in a holster.

My Rapid Response Tactical light has no switch. The design cannot come on at maximum in pocket, yet can be activated to any level including maximum, as quickly as I can turn the dial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30IbfpNNyxg

Did people burn their pockets before Anduril, and the Olight Warrior?

[Oli]

I’ll pass on the surefire with its 500 lumens of blinding white light with cr123.edit, that was in reference to the twist tail safety . If you are going to carry something that can hurt you then you do need to take precautions.
Want,need,deserve,tactical,side switch(?), loose in pocket,? I don’t mean to pile on but I think that part of your anger is because your flashlight made you look like a fool. But I thank you for sharing. And I may slightly alter my carrying habits. I currently always keep one of my edcs in a lower mode to avoid problems. And I’ll consider lowering the level where I shut off my primary EDC. It will still be just two clicks to Turbo so that’s plenty “tactical”. Every light I have carried has had an unintentional activation and I’ve modified my carry or light choices.

[Bort]

Temperature regulation circuitry

[pennzy]

This works for me. The D4 and FW3A just couldn’t be pocket carried until I modded them. Now the D4 has had 0 accidental activations. I don’t carry the FW3A so I can’t say about it. The thermal limit is at the default(?) 45 C so it won’t burn me even if it did turn on.
If you’re going to pocket carry a Ruger LCP, you better use a holster that covers the trigger. Same deal.

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Yes, thermal regulation is your friend, assuming it works as intended. You might get a hot pocket, but it shouldn’t burn you. Make sure to only buy lights with good thermal control. Sometimes I turn it off, but at least I know the light is unsafe at that point, and wouldn’t pocket-carry.

[G0OSE]

I have to know, because I looked as well - what actually is a JKK20, couldn’t find a single mention of it on Google. Would you mind showing us? (more out of interest than anything else)

[pennzy]

@G0OSE

I have to know, because I looked as well - what actually is a JKK20, couldn’t find a single mention of it on Google. Would you mind showing us? (more out of interest than anything else)

No one seems to know.