With all the great emitter choices and flashlight choices are zoomies yesterday’s technology?
Some people like them, but I almost never use the few zoomies that I own.
I never really liked them and couldn`t see the point of having an outdoor light that you can only use if the weathers nice, else risk sucking up water, and why would you need a zoom indoors?
I’ve never seen the point, plus I hate seeing the LED die when I’m zoomed in.
They’re even more unnecessary these days in my opinion. My EDC will easily light a few acres, giving me considerably more light than I need for almost any situation. A zoomie would just make my EDC bulkier while degrading the beam quality. For the incredibly rare situation I do need more light, I can go grab a thrower that will light up anything I can see with my naked eye for as long as I want to look at it.
I like zoomies because they make a nice even blanket of light almost like a mule.
On the other hand they also have a laser-like beam when zoomed.
Generally I prefer high CRI zoomies but I also have a XPL HI and a 3V XHP50.2 zoomie. High power leds like the XHP50.2 or the XHP70.2 in a zoomable flashlight can reach up to 700m when fully zoomed in and produce a wall of light when zoomed out. Of course they also heat up fast.
There are many cheap cinese zoomies but a well-made zoomie can be awesome.
Zoomies are useful, but they do have their limitations.
Advantages:
- Lack of spill helps - A throwy multiple LED light of comparable size, like an Emisar D4, might have similar throw to a zoomie’s spot mode. However, the lack of spill is an advantage. Unlike a D4 there isn’t a lot of light hitting things in the foreground to wash out the small amount of light that hits things in the distance.
- Can be quick to adjust - Being able to adjust a zoomie quickly and easily is a plus. I prefer push-pull zoomies that I can constantly adjust with one hand. Screw-type zoomies can be made more waterproof but tend to lack the advantage of being quick to adjust.
- Uniform beam - For up-close work some people prefer the completely uniform beam that many zoomies feature.
- One light - does two jobs: up-close and distance. Handy if you only want to carry one light.
Disadvantages:
- Durability - Most zoomies feature moving parts which makes them less durable.
- Most are intentionally not waterproof. This is because the moving parts change the internal volume of the light when the zoom is cycled. If the light were air-tight a piston-effect would cause the bezel to move on its own as air pressure tries to equalize inside and outside the light. Generally, only screw-type zoomies with very stiff bezels tend to be waterproof. If your light often gets wet a zoomie is probably not a good choice.
- Compromise - A zoomie can be good for both up-close and seeing stuff in the distance. It’s nice if you only want to carry one light. However, they tend to be nowhere near as good as a dedicated non-zoomie at each role. A multi-LED light is far better for up-close, and a dedicated thrower is better for off in the distance.
- Build-quality - zoomies are fairly rare and there isn’t much innovation going on in their design. Result is most zoomies tend to be of a fairly standard cheaply built design.
- Size - with more innovation and a much larger pool of lights, it is possible to get downright tiny fixed focus lights. In contrast, most zoomies tend to be quite large. Indeed most are much larger than they need to be with a lot of empty space inside that did not really need to be there.
I don’t think so 
Some of my last flashlights are zoomies (On The Road Z821 and On The Road i5) and I really like them a lot. Compactness and good building quality are the major points for me!
I’m extremely disappointed with how the flashlight makers neglect zoomies.
Most are crap, none are great except for some niche uses…even though they have a lot of potential to be great overall lights.
Zoomie is my first choice for indoor flashlight because aspheric flooders are the best flooders.
And I use my lights indoors a lot, much more than outdoors.
That’s one of the things that disappoint me with all production zoomies. They are either not waterproof or waterproof-enough but very stiff. And waterproofing them isn’t that hard!
I am still waiting to see Manker’s new liquid crystal lens zoomie
I like zoomies. My first nice LED flashlight was a zoomie with a Cree XR-E and it was nice. Now that most of the highest performing lights are reflector or optic based, zoomies are becoming more obscure, but still have a place I think for enthusiasts. If anything for their versatility alone. It’s nice to go from a wide flood with no hotspot to a spot really fast, and with advanced UIs and good high cri or high output emitters they are even more versatile. When I k0dded my UFT20 with a 3v xhp50.2 it was pretty bonkers, huge flood and intense spot. Yah you lose 40% of the output of the emitter depending on zoom, heatsinking isn’t great, you lose some water resistance, but if you can live with that, a zoomie is really useful.
Zoomies are versatile, best flooder flashlights. Period. Heatsinking is also good in well designed ones.
Obsolete? Whoever thinks this way can oficially kiss my arse. ;-)
Not obsolete. Our primary household/yard/dog walking lights are all zoomies.
Some stock, some modded with amber emitters for no-blue-light evening hours.
Just say no to Zumiez.
Just say no to Cool White.
Purple NO NO NO
Obsolete due to the bad quality of most. But if a new high quality small zoomie would hit the market I would order immediately.
always have been
Already covered, but to me a smooth flood-beam and no-spill are the biggest advantages, and horrible efficiency the biggest disadvantage.
This really is an exaggeration. Their efficiency in flood is good at least, in fact very good in flashlights which allow the emitter to sit close to the lens, providing a wonderfully uniform blanket of light beam with a lot of the total emitted radiation. Best flooders no doubt.
My worktable lamp is using plano-convex lenses held just over the emitters, glued over circles made of small interspersed neodymium magnets. And it rocks…
I only liked these zoomies if that’s even considered zoomies.
-My modded Sipik SK68 with XM-L2 T6 5A tint, stock driver, running 14500. Good warm flood. Probably the last solid pill ones I had and ever get.
-Ikea jansjo USB. Wait that’s prolly not a zoomie but the collimated lens + warm 3000k? tint is perfect for my pc table illuminating my keyboard.
But overall I really want it obsolete just so that newbies won’t get tricked into the zoomie functions
I like zoomies, but most aren’t what I want.
I like (very) floody lights, but once in a while a thrower.
Unfortunately a zoomie in thrower-mode gives a ugly square.
If producers like Convoy or Sofirn make AAA-AA/14500 Zoom would be nice.
These formats are much easy to carry than 18650.
Because on the market I find only mediocre or bad quality AA zoom lights
from unknow brands with
blue leds,hollow pills,press fit drivers with pwm disco strobe, cheap switchs