Have you changed your mind?

Firelight2 · 2019-01-24T22:58:40.000Z

Yup. Several times actually.

Initially I was all about max output, so went for cool white.

then I realized how much better neutral white looked so changed my color temp preference. It started around 6000K, went to 5000K, then 4500K, then 4000K and now finally back up to around 4500K.

I also found about high CRI. For a time I bought into the hype and was going for high CRI. But as I got more experience, I realized that having a light of the right color temp and having tint below the black body line made a much more visible difference than high CRI. Also, it was annoying how high-CRI lights had much lower output than lower CRI. Keep in mind I was going for neutral tint lights by this point so even the low CRI lights I got tended to have around 80 CRI. Nowadays, I care for output, color temp and tint before CRI.

My battery size preferences have also gone through different phases. 14500, then 16340, then 18650, then 18350, back to 1450, back to 18650, and so on.

I also went through a phase where I almost exclusively went for zoom flashlights. got tons of them trying to get a perfect zoom light.

Also, initially I just bought stock lights. Now I routinely mod my lights and will often buy lights knowing that I’m going to mod it before I get it.

djozz · 2019-01-24T23:03:57.000Z

What changed is the way I look at reliability, of stock flashlights and my modded lights. It started in 2011 with: “happy when it works”, while nowadays I want my mods to work and always work whatever happens. I’m still not there but the quality of my mods have improved immensely over time.

Firelight2 · 2019-01-24T23:10:26.000Z

djozz:

What changed is the way I look at reliability, of stock flashlights and my modded lights. It started in 2011 with: “happy when it works”, while nowadays I want my mods to work and always work whatever happens. I’m still not there but the quality of my mods have improved immensely over time.

Same.

Initially when I started modding it was always an experiment and very often the mod didn’t work.

But since then, my experience, skills and equipment have all improved.

Nowadays when I do a mod, I expect it to work and it usually does.

Nev · 2019-01-24T23:12:19.000Z

No ,I still like cool white & I still think warm looks dim & dull unless it got some power behind it like the blf gt ,neutral white is alright if I’m indoors & just need some ambiant light.

Macka17 · 2019-01-24T23:19:20.000Z

As above apart from the soldering.
I can weld. no problem. But Soldering. I always seem to cook ’em (or something).
they very rarely work after I’ve had my hands “in” them. shhhh.
I tend to leave them alone now.
Nowadays. not too many come in the door. Just “different ” ones.
Like the Astrolux S41 Stainless in Cree G3 Have the 291b Already in 18650.
Plus I just rec’d half a doz Singfire 348’s as pressie’s on Australia Day to ladies.
90% of my beads are 5000 or thereabouts to suit “my” eyes.
But we ALL different.

Battery’s. I like the 18650. Think the 26650 is a better “all round” size and been using the 14450 and 10440 (AAA?)
Once you got a L6/L2/C8+/S2+, and a coupla small ones,
500lum to AO1 etc sizes…

Anything else is really a “want” only syndrome. We don’t NEED them.
Not many can truthfully “see” further without Bino’s.
But it’s still awful niiiice. When a new one arrives at the door.

koziy · 2019-01-25T00:05:15.000Z

I think the tint color and beam quality ones are pretty universal for people being introduced to flashlight hobbyism from previously not paying close attention to this stuff. I started out preferring cooler white LEDs (6000K+), then I realized that 5000K seems more true to life, and now I’m realizing that 4000K tints are more pleasing to look at than real life. Since the lumen ratings are so high across the board, I don’t really care about minor brightness discrepancies between different tints. Soon I’m sure I’ll be buying flashlights with 3000K tints (although I’m not there yet!).

Likewise, I used to think that the only way a beam could impress me was if it had hundreds of yards of throw. Then I realized that a light with a broader hot spot and a lot of peripheral spill was a lot more useful for EDC, and now I’m starting to look for flashlights that have beams with the smoothest transition from hot spot to peripheral flood.

After that, I definitely changed my mind about lithium ion batteries after I realized how inexpensive they are (I mean the <$7/battery unprotected cells, not the $19 brand name protected cells), that you can use the same charger for all your batteries and that they have so much more output and capacity than primary cells.

I have also changed my mind about buying products from Chinese companies (I mean the ones that basically have no market presence in the USA that are otherwise “unknown” to me), and also about buying directly from China. The Chinese flashlights I have tried so far have had quality way above their price points. Just 10 years ago, I would not have expected anywhere close to this kind of quality.

Previously, I would look at runtime on turbo/high and call it a day, but now I’m digging a little deeper for any flashlight I buy to find out how much they step down in brightness when on the brightest setting and after how long.

klrman · 2019-01-25T02:44:37.000Z

No longer excited by the biggest most powerful any more. When I was fairly new to the forum the bug really got me for those types of flash lights, but now a more compact well engineered light is much more satisfying.

BlueSwordM · 2019-01-25T02:47:14.000Z

@klrman, same thing.

The thing that I want know is the simple stuff.

Something with high CRI LEDs, good throw, high capacity battery support(21700), e-switch UI, high quality springs, buck boost driver, NarsilM/Anduril, good optics, etc.

Everything except a 17mm/20mm buck boost driver has been achieved with NarsilM/Anduril support.

The day this happens, I will be happy with my torches.

klrman · 2019-01-25T02:59:18.000Z

BSM, the lights are getting there and soon the solid state batteries too. The last hurdle may be to figure out how to manage the heat but I bet that is coming soon too with led advancements on the horizon.

jf_smm · 2019-01-25T03:56:21.000Z

Yes and no…

Re; Max Lumens - YES After chasing lumens, doubling or tripling them and then dealing with too much heat, short run times as well as going from changing a battery once a week to twice or more a night I’m right back to 1000 lumens seems about right.

Re: Tube Lights - NO I love this size and form, throwers are interesting but not useful to me.

Re: Tint - Yes but… I love the way things look under better CRI but I’m not usually in a situation where the lost lumens are worth it. If I’m taking pictures of a scene I’m probably lighting the area with half a dozen lights but most of them are cool white. If I have detail, close up shots where color is important I’ll use a better tint.

Re: Headlamps - Not really I can’t wear one if anyone can see me (I always think of the nerds in the trunk of the car in “Sixteen Candles”). I’ve done it while working on a car (in my garage) so it’s great for some things.
What I do love most about headlamps is that the ones with an angled head can be slipped in between the buttons on a polo type shirt and then rotated onto what I’m working on. I get to keep both hands free, my forehead is free and I’m not chipping teeth and drooling all over the place. Additionally, the 90* head style headlamps are really user friendly if you want to just set one down and point it somewhere.

Lightbringer · 2019-01-25T03:58:44.000Z

I used to buy lights just for the carcass, the Holy Trinity (SK98, WF501B, WF502B), then added C8s to my repertoire. Nice bespoke lights in whatever combo I wanted. OP or SMO, 4C or 5D or 7D, XM-L or XP-G or XP-E, N modes, M×7135, whatever you want.

Most of those were quite decent to begin with, excellent in fact, except for the cheap driver and at worst a LatticeBright clone instead of a real Cree. Then there was a race to the bottom to see who could outcrap the others, with plastic reflectors, lightweight Al pills vs brass, and it didn’t pay anymore to try to make silk purses out of sows’ ears. You’d be lucky to get a LB clone.

The only lights that start out with excellent quality that are easy to mod are the Convoys, and those purpose-built for modding (eg, Solarforce hosts). Everything else seems to be glued, soldered, welded, etc., and just not worth the ag trying to crack ’em open like an armor-plated coconut.

Now, most of the lights I get, I leave bone stock unless there’s something wrong with ’em. L2? Stock. F1? Stock. Q8? Stock. Stock, stock, stock. They’re good enough as-is for me to not be biting my fingers trying to mod ’em. Heresy, I know, but…

mmalive · 2019-01-25T04:04:56.000Z

Yes, because I would buy lights not worth anything.

Store bought lights, cheapos, etc…

Now, I would rather spend more for a good quality ” PRO ” style light

hank · 2019-01-25T04:10:08.000Z

I used to think I was okay at soldering.
Then I tried wiring a triple parallel.
Oh.

xevious · 2019-01-25T04:49:38.000Z

Definitely. I would be surprised if anyone said “No,” because there’s such a learning curve in all this.

I found CPF sometime in late 2007. Very different game back then. So much change up through now. Gets better every year. The only regret about missing anything in the past would be certain custom lights that had a limited run and were never made again.

Thankfully I didn’t go too crazy and start buying up a bunch of lights that I didn’t need. I live in an urban area just on the periphery of the most densely populated city in the USA (NYC). Technically, I don’t really need anything beyond your basic EDC. I don’t have a deep dark forest very close by that demands a thrower (but I occasionally take trips that demand one). But once you start appreciating flashlights, you really want to have at least one light for every form factor and purpose.

Today there’s so much choice, it’s overwhelming. For anyone getting into this hobby, I think the best approach is to make clear identifications of what you intend to use the light for, if it’s not going to be some entertainment piece. That’s what took me a number of years to eventually realize—buy a flashlight to fill a specific need!

Key chain — a nice small light that goes on the keychain, but can be more than a simple single mode or CR2016 squeezer. Photon Freedom with the house keys, Olight i1R EOS with the car keys.

EDC low profile — nice to have 2 sizes, one AAA and one AA. I have one mid size AAA for “any day” carry, to get beat up and not care, and one really small AAA for low profile carry. I recently got a rechargeable Nitecore TIP CRI, which may end up replacing one of the AAA lights.

EDC clip-on — larger form factor AA, CR123A, or 18350 for clip-on pocket carry. Have a few of those to enjoy different designs, UI’s, and emitters.

Home standby — something to hang or dock to the refrigerator, bedroom, garage, and so on, for around-the-house stuff and emergencies.

Car — EDC or larger to be tucked away for various needs, including emergency.

Outdoors — a medium size light for walk illumination and general search. This broadens the scope, with many different cells to choose from, body designs, UIs, and emitters. 18650 is a must-have. Then there’s the headlamps—lots to choose on there! This is the “scary” part of the hobby, as you can get lost in the choice.

In the beginning I was sensitive to tint and beam patterns/artifacts, but there wasn’t a heck of a lot of choice then. Now? Crazy how much choice there is. For pocket and EDC, a well balanced (neutral/slightly warm) tint is very, very nice and readily appreciated. You don’t need “wall of light” for close range, really. With large form EDC and throwers, I’m still tint sensitive but it’s not a deal breaker if all the other boxes are checked off.

That’s where I am today.

Zulumoose · 2019-01-25T06:21:42.000Z

Nev:

No ,I still like cool white & I still think warm looks dim & dull unless it got some power behind it like the blf gt ,neutral white is alright if I’m indoors & just need some ambiant light.

I think a lot of this boils down to what your attention is drawn to.
Basically if you are looking for the beam itself, that impressive cone of light, CW will always win.
If you are looking at the actual things you want illuminated, and want them to look natural, CW will always lose (at equal lumens)unless you are in a room painted blue.

smithd1 · 2019-01-25T07:38:40.000Z

I use to think that surefire was the best light.
now I think that they are good lights.

Nev · 2019-01-25T11:39:01.000Z

Zulumoose:

Nev:

No ,I still like cool white & I still think warm looks dim & dull unless it got some power behind it like the blf gt ,neutral white is alright if I’m indoors & just need some ambiant light.

I think a lot of this boils down to what your attention is drawn to.
Basically if you are looking for the beam itself, that impressive cone of light, CW will always win.
If you are looking at the actual things you want illuminated, and want them to look natural, CW will always lose (at equal lumens)unless you are in a room painted blue.

I have some nichia’s & warm lights but don’t use them ,my favourite tint is my zebralight HL600f @5700K.
I suppose it’s on the neutral side of cool white.

JamesB · 2019-01-25T12:07:06.000Z

At the very begining of the led flashlight era i would go shopping on Kaidomain or dealexteme, they had these generic flashlights in different number of modes, i pondered why would you choose the 3 modes one over the 12 modes one with a ton of strobe and what not for the same price, the 12 modes one is a better deal…nowadays i wouldn’t buy a flashight with blinky modes that are not well hiden in the UI, i’d rather have no blinkies at all in fact.

Also had the classic cool white max perf to neutral white and better CRI journey.

Convoylover · 2019-01-25T12:48:14.000Z

My timeline

Started with expensive brands like Fenix, Eagletac (Fenix I don’t like so much anymore - too much cool white, Eagletac still is nice)
Found out about Aliexpress and Convoy flashlights…
Bought a bunch of Convoy S2+ hosts, cheap $2 18650 lights, drivers and LEDs (Cree XML-2, XP-G2, XP-E2, Samsung 351, LG, some Chinese 3535). Some S2+ SMO and TIR reflector. Didn’t use the TIRs much.
Replaced the awful Q5 LEDs in the cheap lights with Warm White XP-G2 and XP-E2, which make the lights beautiful, just for $3 !
Also replaced the blinky China drivers with constant current AMC7135 driver.
Still occasionally getting a few lights from Simon when there’s new colors
Replace some of the older squealing 3/5 mode drivers with Biscotti.
Latest LED update is XM-L2 T6 5D4/5A1. Waiting for it… Will put in S2+ host with Biscotti driver.
I have a few Nichia lights, but the high CRI is not that important it seems. A Cree with a good tint below the BBL can be more pleasing, and more efficient. Let’s see about the 5A1/5D4…
Maybe I will replace cool white LEDs in some of the Fenix and Eagletacs with the T6 5D4, if the color is pleasing. The trouble with Fenix, is that they are so tightly glued

USA · 2019-01-25T13:34:52.000Z

1) Had an eBay coupon and bought random stuff, came across a cheap/fake sipik and put that one in my cart as well.
2) Sipik blew me away, never owned a flashlight for years and thought that is the real deal even though it broke after a few months.
3) Found CPF via google and signed up.
4) Started purchasing lights and tools to mod lights, this is where the expenses started to pile up
5) A long time after that I found BLF via CPF
6) Started learning about all the budget/good brands, technology, LEDs, tint, drivers/firmware, … (bought multiple Convoys)
7) Started selling off older lights via ebay to get some of the money back.

Biggest change over the years was that I like throwers but really have no need for them. Even a C8 is too much throw for me. Small, floody lights are perfect for my use cases.

Overall, I would say after learning how lights are designed/manufactured/marketed, I found building is way more fun than buying a product. More expensive brands and products no longer impress me that much - unless they have something really innovative. The community-designed custom lights on BLF are one of the best milestones of the global maker movement.