It is. But isn’t electronic better?
If the man wants a Ferrari with a dirt bike engine in it, we aren't going to be able to change his mind.
Exactly what I was going to post. Side switch on big, tail switch on smaller.
They both have there pluses and minuses.
Tail switch does not accidentally activate in a pocket
Side switch is much more convenient for daily use but has parasitic draw
If you need a light to go for 6 months at a stretch between swapping batteries, then sure, parasitic drain is important. But in a light you use every day, and swap cells every day or two? It's a non-issue that everyone likes to get all worked up about without ever thinking about why.
The Roche F6 lights I build have a green indicator/locator LED running anytime the light isn't locked out. I have two sitting on a shelf that are just for testing this myth. After two solid months, the last time I checked about a week ago, the Samsung 28As were down to only 3.96 volts. Just how long do you expect them to last, anyway? Two months of inactivity and still almost 4 volts isn't good enough?
Comfychair. I don’t want a dirt bike engine in a Ferrari, I want a dirt bike engine in a dirt bike.
Ferrari will not go where I want to go.
If its my light then i recharge every week or more so i don’t care unless its in a survival kit that does not get used much (Was it the EA4 that self discharges in a week or two?)
If i give it to someone else it will sit in a drawer for a year and be dead as a dodo, when they need it in a power outage its dead and they would probably just recharge a 0V li ion which may lead to an explosion
Then it's your fault for giving them the light and not explaining how to store it.
Do you have to be right at all costs? This is why i would not give away such a light :–5
This is exactly why side switch does not work in every situation, face it
Comfy you sound like a Zebralight fan from CPF 
Edit— What the brightest AAA key chain light ???
Zebralight SC63w
I don’t care much for side switches most of the time. I like the mechanical tail clicky. Part of it is parasitic drain, but a bigger part of it is the accidental activation and the index issue. I don’t like trying to find the switch when I want light! And I don’t like an e-switch that is flaky, like the TK75 and TK61. I want to go as fast or slow as I wish, not have to get in synch with a goofy side switch.
When I mod an e-switch light, I love TK’s or Comfy’s ramping firmware, very seldom use anything else. But I usually also add a tail clicky lock-out if at all possible.
Sure, the switch under your thumb is handy, but it’s not about a comfort zone it’s about seeing in the dark! 
Personal preference, like with most everything else. I’m 100% right. For me. Comfy is right for comfy, and so on and so forth. I want a flashlight with a checkered Goncalo Alves, Burl Mesquite or Purpleheart pistol grip and a frickin silky smooth trigger! 
Maybe I need to build that…
I’m a fan of tailcap switch.
Side switch is only good if they design it properly so I don’t have to roll the flashlight just to locate the switch with my thumb.
Tactical rear clicky with a side switches for changing modes, something like the EE X6R.
I love side switches too as I find the handshake position more preferable and less tiring for general use. However, in the last 4 months I killed both the EE X6R and a Convoy L4 in the BC winter rains. Water built up on the switch detents, and got in when I press for mode change. I think their rating was for submersion, but not repeated pressing under heavy rains. That said, I still very much like side switches. My Nitecore mh20 that I can lockout hasn’t given me headaches - yet(but YMMV). I also like my EA11, EC11, both tail lockout possible, but operate in the main thru side switches. Both survived the winter, but it may be possible that they’re so small, my paws covered most of them
+1!
I agree - side e-switch for home use (as the Mrs likes them better), and better hold for walking around the house when the power goes off.
Forward tail-clicky for EDC and outdoorsing.
Enjoying all the feedback, though next time I will choose a less controversial topic like do you prefer Clinton or Trump lol.
I think I will stick to my tailcap lights for EDC and maybe I will be open to side switches for the lights I leave around the house. Biggest problem with that is that other family members use them and they disappear (!) I don’t mind that so much for a sub-$5 light, but I think the cheaper lights tend to be tailcap lights.
Of course my backup EDC is a keychain light with a twisty so…
QUOTE
Like’em both, depends on the light, Big Lights = side switch, little lights = tail switch.
ENDQUOTE
siskel and ebert give this 2 thumbs up… lol
Ok, this is an honest question, not trying to start an argument… I’ve read tons of threads regarding li-ion safety and what the potential hazards are, instances like Comfy mentioned. So how come old electronics such as my 6 year old cell phone that I haven’t touched in over 3 is still able to safely charge (even if it can’t hold the original capacity)?
Oh and my contribution to this thread: side switches for some lights, tail clickies for the others. Really just depends on the size of the light for me like others have mentioned
You’ll need a honed McClicky with a 2lb pull and no overtravel to go with that >-)
I found a set of wood factory grips from a god-knows-what Colt DA revolver in a house I was refurbing and my second thought was incorporating them into a light. Guess I’m a confirmed flashaholic now!
Phil