Some lights have two switches - at the tail and on the side. Often both have to be operated to use the light. Can I be explained why this may be useful?
Sideswitch to select the brightness/mode, tailswitch for on/off, best with a forward-clicky/momentary-on.
Ok, but isn’t that inconvenient? One needs both hands or grip change to operate it.
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Comes down to use case and personal preference. I have many lights and one or two with dual switches. I don’t care for them. But hey, lots of options for driver swapping them.
It depends of what flashlight you buy. Some flashlights have 2 switch in the tailcup and you use only one finger and others has one in tail and one on the side like Acebeam Tac 2 AA.
Not really. I always hold my lights “icepick” style, not “sword” style.
To me, a tailswitch is way more natural, vs a sideswitch where I have to “trumpet” the light with middle- or ring finger.
The Klarus ST20 was my favorite for a while…until I lent it to someone who ran alkaleaks in it…it was by far one of my favorite 2xaa flashlights ever, a very close second to my surefire e2laa
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I absolutely despite them.
You need to hold them in one orientation (Sword Style) to switch them on and then switch position to change modes - I don’t have any idea which person has any benefit from that, except for morse coding.
I have a Convoy L4 with dual switches where I put in a only-side-switch-driver to bypass the need for the additional switch in hte back.
I also have a L6 somewhere and there it is even worse. Dual 26650 Flashlight with a massive head - you basically need two hands to operate this light.
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It depends on the UI of the light, on the Olight Warrior you can fully control the light from the side switch and the tail will give you either medium or turbo depending on how hard you press it. This is my favourite implementation because the switches operate independently, other than that I really prefer either side or tail apart from the Acebeam L35 where the tail only does turbo.
For any light with multiple modes I tend to leave it in whichever mode I think is most useful, so with a tail on / off, side brightness light most of the time I’d only be using the tail switch anyway.
That would make sense to me.
I’m tending away from eswitches altogether that incur parasitic drain. I’m liking the tail clicky / eswitch on the side format more & more. Quarter-turn physical tailcap lockout and eswitch multi-click lockout that still incurs drain are just clunky to me.
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As a retired deputy that also worked a lot with other first responders; Fire, Emt, etc. The flashlight is usually preferred single mode only or two switch style. Scrolling through the brightness modes during a building search is not good. Also tail tapping to get another units attention while on foot, don’t want to scroll through the settings. The flashlight is a tool that always needs to work but can’t be pulling away our attention to reset the mode needed.
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And this one preferred level would most often be Turbo, I assume?
But then… most e-switch lights have a simple double click to turbo, without first turning the light in your wrist, so much faster and more convenient.
Also easier to build if you want to have another Switch in the back that just momentarily bypasses the current mode, that must be done digitally, so you need some signal going from the back to the front.
I was thinking that perhaps this arrangement originated from lights that people attach to long guns? The tail on/off switch with an extension cord (or not) is close to one hand - the side one for intensity more naturally close to the other?
May work with a gun but maybe not so well without it?
A relative by marriage is a recently-minted State LEO. He asked for a particular tail clicky Streamlight gift.
Was impressed / unimpressed.
Proprietary cell; multiple pre-purchase queries to Tech support about using standard 18650 was deflected with boiler plate response re: " … use approved Streamlight product …". Unknown if cell LV warning - that concerns me. Spares are $$$.
Rugged build, very good posted warranty if they really honor it.
A local LEO supply store refused to sell one to me because I don’t have / can’t make an account because I’m not LEO. They were short-sighted dicks about it too. Bought the identical item from amazon much cheaper.
Don’t like the cold white, but I get it; max perceived brightness on subject.
Dirt simple UI. I get that too. Seems there’s an unspoken rule that most all LEO have the same light, so any Officer can pick up another Officer’s light and use it with zero learning curve when it may be a life or death situation.
All that combined made me choose the item he asked for instead of gifting a supposedly ‘better’ light.
The Streamlight would not be my 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd. choice as a casual, reasonably-knowledgeable user.
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I believe you already own a Convoy M21H? Would be cheap and easy to try out dual tailcap light just by purchasing the “tactical tail”.
I much prefer single side switch lights, but I leave the tailcap switch on this one because it’s nice to just operate it as a single mode, forward clicky light.
No, just a level that lets you use the light. EMT’s usually just enough to see things on a person. LEO’s, most of my patrol guys, enough to search a yard and still take a cone to do traffic control. Firefighters are stuck with safety rated lights, almost always Streamlight. My last few years it was the Mateminco TK01.
Streamlight and Surefire have something most other lights don’t have and that’s a test protocol. They build a product you can beat the Hell out of and still work. Like pacemakers our equipment must always work or someone is getting hurt and the other sued. Streamlight honors their warranty.
Streamlight uses the 2600mah battery in the 18650 size with a built in charging port and PCB. Cheapest I can find them for is $14.00 not cheap.
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Going by this video it seems reliable. More than other lights?
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