~~ REVIEWS 101, - what would YOU like to see in a Review?

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

now that i have begin to focus on doing more reviews of factory-stock Flashlights from various sellers & manufacturers, and possibly lanterns, etc. added with some more new light under current testing & reviews, ( including the recent S1A from Olight here: > **REVIEW: ~ New Olight S1A AA EDC Flashlight** (photo heavy) and in the works is another model from Olight the M3XS-Ut,and others upcoming… What would you like to see focused on in Flashlight reviews. More beam shot comparisons? more bench-testing? more modability testing? lets hear your ideas! The recent S1A review was mostly focused on what a general consumer would look for in a light, meaning quality, price point, battery compatibility, usability, versatility, tint, beam pattern, features, design, all that.
As many of us are heavy modders and users of flashlights of all kinds, ( meaning we usually modify our personal lights beyond the stock offerings and sometimes to the extreme, but we are just a small percentage of “Flashlight professionals” so to speak, as compared to most of the general population & consumer who buys a flashlight for work, camping, emergencies, wilderness, home-use, auto-use, every day carry, or what ever the case may be.

What i am looking for is suggestions to improve the review of a light.
-Should i add a video-description portion to the reviews?
-do you want to see more comparison beam-shots photos?
-do you want to see more bench-measurements?
You get the idea. What i’m looking for here is your input on how we can make our reviews more informative. Let’s hear your thoughts! :+1:

2

I always appreciate a full disassembly, so I know what’s inside. But that is much to ask for because many lights are glued, and even if not, complete disassembly is a lot of work (actually getting the light back together is) and may even ruin the flashlight.

3

A full disclosure on how the item has been received and honesty in reporting. If a link is provided what part of the world the link is applicable. Most manufacturers these days seem to focus on US only and it would be nice to know before hand whether to go there or not. Develop your own style and run with it. All the best for future reviews.

4

1. Tint/color temperature: My favorite color temperature range is 3000K-4000K, with 4500K being my upper limit. Anything above 4500K is too cool and harsh for my eyes now that I’ve adjusted to the warm temps. Flashlight companies can claim that the tint is “neutral”, or “warm”, or even “yellow”. That’s not specific enough to tell me the exact tint of the LED and whether I’ll like it or not.

2. PWM: Now that I’ve seen the PWM effect and I know how to spot it, I can’t unsee it. So when I see the PWM effect, I get annoyed. I want to know if a flashlight has PWM, and if the frequency is slow enough to be visible to the eyes.

3. Outdoor beam shots to objects at various distances: If you don’t have a large back yard or live near open spaces, this could be an impossible request. But I’d like to see beam shots to targets at 50 yards, 100 yards, or further. If you see goinggear’s youtube extended reviews on flashlights, you’ll get the idea. Actually, I want to see close range beam shots AND long range beamshots. For example, someone asked why they would pick the Convoy M1 over an S2+ or a C8. The C8 is a thrower, the S2+ is a flooder, and the M1 is an in-betweener. I’d like to see beam shots at close range, say a row of bushes and trees, to show the S2’s floodiness while also showing that the C8 has a tight hotspot and gives you tunnel vision at close range. Conversely, I’d like to see long range targets lit up by the C8, but not by the S2.

4. Grip: Try holding and using the flashlight in the normal grip, the tactical grip, and the cigar grip. How do they feel to you?

5. UI diagrams: I want to see a diagram and a description list of what I can do when the flashlight is off, on, and in a special mode. Here’s the way I did it when I analyzed the Crelant UI:

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/40045

When I got my Nitecore MH20, I couldn’t figure out what a half-press from off did. I had to go through a lot of reviews before I finally found one that explained that this shortcut is used to toggle the side switch standby blinking mode. A visual diagram and a list of shortcuts from each state would have answered my question quickly.

5

Some good informative points there. Especially the different distance beamshots, I will certainly take those in concideration for my next reviews underway. Also i will develop graphic chart for the mode UI switching for reviews, and look into adding photos of light egernomics of holding lights on various ways.

6

Here are some more points to consider:

6. UI resiliency for the power user: If I know exactly how many half-clicks I need to reach a particular mode, can I half click as quickly as I want? Or do I need to be slow and delibrate with each half-click? My Lumintop IYP-365 penlight is very resilient - I can half click extremely quickly, and it will always changed modes in each half click. My Thrunite Ti4 and Ti5 - extremely quick half clicks often times stay in the same mode. I have to get each half click to stay off for a split second longer for the mode change to register. My Fenix LD10 R5 needs an even longer hesitation for the half click to change modes, which is very annoying.

Similarly, if I half click very quickly, will it trigger the double click mode? My Eagle Eye X6 has this annoyance - fast half clicks are registered as a double click, the strobe mode. It’s convenient if I were in a critical situation, but annoying the rest of the time.

7. UI response time to a critical situation: There’s a noise in the bush. QUICK! GO TO HIGH OR TURBO MODE! How fast can I pull the flashlight out of my pocket and access high or turbo from off? Or if I’m already holding the flashlight, from the current mode? Can I do it one handed?

That noise in the bush is some drunk guy, or maybe a stray cat. How fast can I access strobe from my current mode so I can disorient the guy or scare away the cat?

8. UI mode change DOWN without cycling through high: One annoyance I often hear is that when you want to switch back to a lower mode, you must cycle through all of the modes, including high/turbo, to get back to the low modes. Cycling through the high or turbo can ruin your night vision. Does the UI have a way to cycle DOWN to the previous mode? Or does the UI have a shortcut back to the lowest mode so you can work your way up to the mode you want?

9. Finding the side switch in the dark: How easy is it to find the side switch in the dark? Does the flashlight contain tactile clues telling your finger/thumb where the side switch is?

10. The light in the hat test: Some flashlights are small enough where they advertise that they can be attached to the brim of a hat as a temporary headlamp. Does anyone actually test this feature? How well will the flashlight stay attached to the hat if you move around, nod your head, shake your head, etc?

11. Physical lockout: Some reviewers mention this, other’s don’t. Can you physically lock out the flashlight with a twist of the head or tail? How much is the twist?