This was updated a couple weeks ago. I don’t look at enough new light listings to know if this is as good as it could be, what do you think?
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This isn’t a ‘best’ list. It’s in the title - “arbitrary list”.
@zak.wilson literally says
There is no best flashlight, so this is an amalgamation of what enthusiasts have been buying and recommending to others lately along with the author’s arbitrary preferences and biases.
And personally speaking I don’t agree with every single choice there - but as far as general lists trying to recommend flashlights for various purposes, I have yet to see any other which has had more thought and work put into it.
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Fair enough, i’ll adjust the thread title, the point being is it a good high end list of lights one should look at or is it just a pseudo random list?
Wow, that’s a long list.
I wish Zak would have included pics of each light he recommended.
I can sort of tell if I would like a flashlight just by looking at the size and shape of the flashlight, coupled with what the emitter choice is (and what battery it takes.)
I don’t know how great Zak’s list is, but it looks reasonable as I glanced over it. 
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I agree with it!
I call it arbitrary because it is. Anyone making any kind of buying guide has to make decisions about what to include, and there’s no good way to be objective about that. Even trying to pick criteria that can be applied objectively doesn’t really work because the choice of criteria is subjective. It’s also important to note the list is slanted a bit toward being useful to people who aren’t already into flashlights as a hobby.
I lean toward tools instead of toys, sustainable output instead of hot-rods, include more EDC sized options than big powerful lights, and I’m an admitted CRI baby. I also lean hard on reputation and consistency; the Acebeam E75 went on the list very fast, while an identical light from a new manufacturer would get a few months waiting period to see if problems showed up.
Manufacturers with a history of problems usually don’t end up on the list.
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I didn’t expect the author to show up!
Nice to meet you 
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Man, I’m so dumb…
I didn’t realize Zak was a BLF member!
Thank you for the list.
It should help a lot of people choose a nice flashlight. 
Neither did i 
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You mention FC11 UI weirdness, do you know roughly when that was changed, not sure if mine is pre or post changes?
I want to say the UI changes were in late 2020.
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I bought mine on BF in 2021.
Is there a quirk i can look for to check?
For contrast you could put together a separate article of models and manufacturers to avoid.
Yes. Long-press from off gets you low in the updated UI.
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Then it seems i have the new UI, long press from off goes to moonlight which i can then click and hold to ramp.
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On the old UI what did long press from off do?
Nothing. A very long press would switch between stepped and smooth ramp.
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Ah, so i do have the new version.
I’'m surprised its only two years old, its my most used light (besides the Xtar Moon RC2)
Not fully. There are some lights that IMO are just bad on it, as well as missing good lights, but in general it’s a fair starting point for a total beginner.
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He’s usually pretty receptive to suggestions for improving the list, if you care to go into detail.
I can’t say the list is exactly what I would choose either, but I’m not really qualified to make that sort of list. I’m not familiar enough with the market as a whole, or objective enough.
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Thanks for the time and effort to create and maintain this.
I don’t understand, its his list, what’s there to improve? If he makes his list the same as your list would that be better? Then it would be your list and not his list.
Only a few things on a flashlight are objectively measured, Lumens, Candella, and some others.
The rest of the light is completely subjective.
There are 100 reasons to prefer the TS10 over the Acebeam TAC AA but I don’t care about any of them. I prefer the TAC AA. So the TAC AA may be on my list and not yours.