GODYGA / TorchEye design discussions with the community

Commercial Sellers' Spot
1

Hey everyone,

I’m part of a team developing EDC lighting products.We’ve been developing a compact clip-on flashlight with a built-in laser distance measure (Laser ranging accuracy: ±3 mm).

The idea was simple: combine two tools people already carry into one compact EDC device. While we think the concept makes sense, we’re trying to understand whether it actually fits how people use their gear.

We see the clear pros and cons here:

Potential Uses: Property inspections, construction/maintenance jobs, outdoor navigation/hunting, or just quick tactical/photography planning, measuring a package.

The Hesitations: Professionals already have dedicated gear, many people rarely need distance measurements, and EDC users often prefer simple, single-purpose tools.

So here’s a quick poll:

If you could only pick one, which would it be?

  • A. One EDC tool that does both.
  • B: Two separate tools that each do one job well.
0 voters

Drop an A or B in the comments—and tell us what matters most to you (size, convenience, performance, reliability, price, or something else).

Not trying to sell anything here—We’re genuinely trying to understand whether this solves a real problem or just appeals to a very small niche.

We’d appreciate any honest opinions, CHEERS!

GODYGA / TorchEye product promotions and updates
3

Curious what the EDC community thinks about this kind of idea.

Imagine a compact everyday flashlight that also includes a very basic short-range measuring function (room-scale use only, not professional gear or long-range applications).

Not talking about replacing proper rangefinders — more like a “just-in-case” feature for quick everyday situations where you normally wouldn’t carry a dedicated measuring tool.

I’m trying to understand whether this is actually useful in real life or just unnecessary feature stacking.

From your perspective:

  • A. This kind of combo maybe useful.
  • B. Flashlight tools should stay strictly single-purpose.
0 voters

Does adding a second function always make a tool worse in EDC terms?

Not promoting anything here — just genuinely trying to understand user preferences around multi-function EDC gear.

4

Personally I wouldn’t find that useful. I don’t need to measure things all that often and when I do I know where there’s a handy tape measure. Also, I don’t know how accurate you’re planning, but if I do need to measure something it has to be to the millimetre.

Adding a second function doesn’t necessarily make a tool worse, but unless it’s something you’ll actually use and that works well enough to be useful it is just adding unnecessary cost.

5

Would a device capable of measuring distances up to 20 meters with an accuracy of ±3 mm put your mind at ease? Plus, since these features are integrated into a small flashlight, they save space.

6

Which one is of better quality? Those who know, know.
Want to see any more flashlight teardowns? :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

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7

I can recommend the Trustfire Mini X7. But usually I prefer a standalone rangefinder.

8

Unless you’re a carpenter, rug-layer, or otherwise would use something like that, I can’t see any use-case for that.

I just replaced my ancient tape measure when it crinkled one too many times and sucked the tape inside it, never to be seen again.

New one has a rangefinder built in. Chonky little thing, but I never even used the rangefinder thingy, because all I do is measure window openings, screens, and the like.

9

I personally would not find it useful.

10

Honestly, no.

While I’m not necessarily saying that flashlights should be strictly single-purpose, that’s the closest available option with how the poll’s worded.

11

Yeh, that’s why I didn’t even vote. No 3rd option.

12

Nope, nor I think flashlight should be single purpose, I would like to see a function that would help me find it in a room or a house, similar to old whistle beepers, I used to have one on my keys almost 40 years ago, maybe even more. it looked like a keychain, but if you whistle it would respond by beeping and flashing. so I knew where my keys were if I lost them at home. This could be not only useful but fun, however sometimes it would react to noises, and beep when I was not whistling, but it was really old tech, i’m sure today it could be improved, you could make it learn certain sound or keyword , so its responses are more accurate

13

This specific implementation involves too much computational and engineering complexity, but I like the idea.

I’m thinking some sort of optional beacon-type setting that blinks, say, once every minute or something. Not bright enough to be a disturbance or drain too much battery, just bright enough to be noticeable in a dark room.

Though now that I’ve said it out loud, I think lighted buttons and aux lights have this function covered. In fact, I swapped the tailcap LEDs/resistors on my Convoy lights and color-coded them to indicate which emitter it has and what the state of charge is on the battery. This mod has been very useful for me when I need to grab a specific light in the dark.

But back to the OP: I think a flashlight that doubles as a rangefinder will just end up being subpar at both, and not meaningfully better than just carrying both devices separately. Maybe more useful would be a very good rangefinder with a secondary light+laser to let the user see what they’re aiming at.

14

Not really, it is actually pretty easy, ever heard of clap on clap off?

15

I actually have several clap on/off devices, but what they don’t do is

Learning to respond to a certain sound or range of sounds is much harder than reacting to just a volume threshold.

If the indicator beep is activated just by a volume threshold rather than a specific activation word, it has the potential to become annoying if activated by random ambient noise.

16

It’s ok, I’m sure people who actually work on this, will find a solution.
Actually they already have, There is an option in iPhone that will respond to certain keywords by completing certain tasks, as well as Alexa, and google home, So if it looks too complicated for you it only means it is too complicated for you.

17

Thank u for ur feedback :+1:

18

Thanks for the honest feedback! This is exactly why I posted here. It’s easy for us as developers to get excited about adding features, but real-world use cases are what matter.

You hit the nail on the head regarding the ‘chonky’ form factor of most rangefinders. Our main goal is to ensure that adding this feature does not compromise the flashlight’s portability. If it feels like a clip-on flashlight, but happens to have a small screen and laser for quick checks when you’re away from your toolbox, we think it could be a handy EDC item.

If you could design it, what would be the biggest dealbreaker for you? (e.g., if the UI is too complicated, if it makes the light too big, or if it drains the battery?)

19

I love that idea! It’s true—we’ve all spent time rummaging through drawers looking for a flashlight in the dark. Bringing that classic keychain tech into the modern era with sound recognition would be both fun and practical.

You’re right, modern tech could definitely filter out the false alarms better than the 80s version. Balancing the standby battery life for a feature like that is a challenge, but it’s a great feature to think about for the future.

Thanks for taking the time to share that! :+1:

20

Spot on with the Convoy tailcap mod! Color-coding for emitter/battery status is a top-tier enthusiast solution.
You also hit on our exact design philosophy regarding the ‘subpar at both’ risk. If this feature ruins the ergonomics, tint, or beam of the flashlight, it’s a failure.
Our goal is a high-performance, portable EDC flashlight first. The measuring tool is purely a hidden bonus when you need it.
Also, great minds think alike! We actually have that exact alternative—a pro-grade rangefinder with a secondary tracking light—on our test bench for debugging right now. Once that one is closer to ready, I’d love to drop some pics here and get your thoughts.
Appreciate the solid insights! :+1: