It sounds like a lot of drama just do a light what people here want it’s the easiest way to get a foot in again ask toykeeper she is like a hero in this forum for over a decade if you ask all you will run into the to many chefs spoils the soup issue there are a very few amazing creators and investors here but also many of the opposite
Woah! Old school indeed. I can’t remember the name Dereelight af all. Maybe you disappeared from the market before I got into it? I have reviewed (like Tim M) almost 200 flashlights from different brands and I will tell you what’s good and less desirable (not necessarily ‘bad.’):
In 2026, flashlights should have regulated drivers (boost or buck or boost/buck). The technology to make them, engineering, and materials has come down in price a lot so it’s no longer a matter of cost per unit anymore, but product line scaling and integrity (like you mentioned).
LEDs have also come a long way. In general, the same rules applied in 2014 as now: Lumens amd specs sell, so that drives LED development. However, hobbyists want more than Lumens or candela. We want good tint (neutral or -duv less green and purple), high color rendering, and warmer tints than 6500 or 7500K. The shift towards 3 volt LEDs is also a thing now since we’re getting really good 3 volt LEDs with good efficiency Lm/W and low vF. However, there will always be a need for a 6 volt LED (SFT-70W, xhp70.3) behind a nice boost driver.
Hosts and batteries: 18650 is still totally relevant today! I actually really like a good 18650 light. You have 4 Ah 18650s now or 18650 thst can handle 30 amps no problem. 21700 still rules the world though, so maybe think about producing hosts with that compatibility.
Rotary UIs are cool! I love and hate them beczuse when well done they’re great (especially with a physical button), but when not done well it hurts usability. For the UI, four brightness levels is fine, Convoy does this and most of my Convoy lights are stuck in the 4 brightness level mode group. 1%, 20%, 50%, 100% (if i recall). No strobe, no sos, no beacon.
Also, aspherics are good for zoomies, but for regular use a TIR (bonus points if you can swap it for beam shape and type e.g. spot, flood, spot/flood) or reflector is recommended.
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Yes. Australian hunters are using red/white headlamps and white flashlights with either an aspheric lens or a deep reflector. The white flashlight is often mounted to a rifle. Olight Javelot series and Wolfeyes are quite popular.
Thermal scopes are becoming more popular but the cost of a good thermal scope is still quite expensive. It’s about AU$600 for entry level. And then you’re looking at AU$3,000 for a decent thermal scope where it’s easier to identify the animal.
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Dc38 — yes, that was a C2H with a CR123 body and AA extension. Ten-year-old product; I honestly don’t remember the exact timeline myself either.
Our current white modules are exactly that: 5050 round-die, domeless. So an updated engine for the DBS would be the same direction — good to know you still have one.
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Thanks, Pizzanaut. Javelin and CL1H are long discontinued, but we may still have a small amount of parts for them. I’ll check whether we can assemble a few complete lights. No promises, but if anything comes together, it’ll show up on the website.
On the P60 gap — we actually do sell a P60 drop-in on our site, with the 5050 domeless white LED. So that part is already available.
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Fair, jack-bkk. Not trying to create drama — just being upfront about what we can actually build. The too-many-chefs point is taken. I’m not going to design by committee or ask every thread to vote.
ToyKeeper’s input would be welcome if she wants to give it, but at the end of the day we have to pick something we can execute and support. A light people here actually want is the goal.
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Thanks, irstinky — this is the kind of specific feedback that’s actually useful.
On drivers: you’re right that regulated drivers are the norm in 2026, and cost isn’t the barrier it used to be. Our linear choice is for a specific reason — sitting next to image intensifiers — not because we can’t do buck. But that reason is weaker on the white/zoom hosts, and I won’t pretend otherwise. A buck option is something we can build to order; whether it becomes standard is a product-line decision.
On flicker: this is the one I’d underline. Nearly 20 years in this business, and flicker is the biggest pit we’ve stepped in. A light with visible PWM at low levels is basically unusable — totally agree with you. Our current driver runs PWM at 33 kHz, well above visible, but the principle stands: low modes have to be clean.
On LEDs: agreed on tint, CRI, warmer CCT and the move to 3V. Our white module is a 5050 round domeless emitter chosen for beam shape through the aspheric. High CRI doesn’t help much if the optic throws the benefit away, but for non-aspheric models it’s worth revisiting.
On cells: 18650 isn’t dead, but 21700 compatibility is a fair ask. Noted.
On UI: simple 4 levels, no strobe/SOS/beacon — agreed. Rotary is great when done right and painful when not.
On optics: aspheric for zoom; TIR/reflector for general use, ideally swappable beam shape. That’s a good direction.
No promises, but this is the kind of thing we’re here to hear.
Thanks — that’s a useful picture. Good to hear aspherics and deep reflectors still hold up for red/white hunting, and that rifle-mounted white lights are common. Olight Javelot and Wolfeyes being the ones people trust says a lot about the form factor and beam they want. The thermal pricing is helpful too — AU$600 entry vs AU$3,000 for reliable ID keeps it niche for now. Noted.