Itâs just my preference, but I like lights with only two modes: on and off. With varying modes, itâs pretty much always going to be in the wrong one. Maybe Murphy just likes me more than other people, though. Two days in, Iâd get sick of it and fling this light into an abyss.
I agree. Strobe and SOS are annoying, but sometimes Low is handy.
Most of these uberpowered lights are way brighter than I need for handyman purposes, Iâm not looking at something 20 yards away! I too hate the multi-modes, but also hate the rear pushbuttons that always get turned on accidentally in my pocket. My perfect light would be AAAx2 with no flared end like a MAG but with the MAGâs twist ON.
The worst multi-mode is the rear bike lights that have 8 different patterns that you have to go through just to turn the thing off.
It occurs to me that Iâve yet to see one of these things that is USB-rechargable. Those exist, right?
A portable charger was posted the other day that had a little flashlight in it, but it seems to me that a flashlight that happens to be able to act as a charger would be a useful gadget.
@jlw: âI agree. Strobe and SOS are annoying, but sometimes Low is handy.â
@jddrew: "Itâs just my preference, but I like lights with only two modes: on and off. "
Totally agreed. And the most common chipset has you cycling through the three modes in order of âbrightâ, âlowâ, âstrobeâ, then off. So right before turning it off you get blinded by the strobe! Ugh!
For example Iâve been using these cheapie headlamps for ages. Theyâre cheap (and getting cheaper, down to $13!) and bright and work well enough, but they make you click through all the modes to turn them on/off:
Iâve been using them for years, and still every single time I pass the strobe mode I cringe. So I finally bit the bullet and bought a quality headlamp and wow what a difference:
Aside from the fact that it feels about a thousand times more solid, and is fully waterproof, its just a better design: press the button to cycle through the modes, but to turn it off you press long (1/2 second). Then when you turn it back on it remembers your mode, so no need to cycle. And it has no strobe anyway, which is a relief.
And it has a nice feature where if you hold the button long (3 seconds) it goes into a âburst modeâ thatâs super bright for 30 seconds.
Anyway, if youâre sick of Chinese crapware and use a headlamp often and feel like splurging, that flashlight is a nice antidote.
Wouldnât any working flashlight throw out more light than one thatâs lost to the ages?
Why didnât they use a long-press as âoff nowâ?
The control interfaces should be designed to not need visual feedback, to get them to a desired state without having to look. So, short (or long) press for âonâ to low brightness, then click to high, click to strobe, click to lowâŚ, and from any of these on states long press to off.
Would it be that much difficult, given the thing is most likely some ATtiny-class microcontroller?
Looks a lot like my current bike headlight, though that does have long-press âoff nowâ alongside short-press âmode changeâ (actually, itâs âfull-pressâ and âhalf-pressâ), and it uses either standard rechargeable cells or a USB-rechargeable cell (came with two of the latter)
I bought mine from Amazon UK, but I donât see it there now.
Random Google link:
http://www.silverwingsbikes.com/product/oxyled-quick-release-bike-light-set-1-cycling-front-led-headlight-2-rear-taillight/
Never heard of this retailer; this isnât an endorsement!
I know no one is expecting that much for $14, but beware of the lumen ratings. Even if it does 900 lumens on the highest setting it likely canât run it for more than a few minutes without overheating and dropping the brightness. That might be important for some folks. There is a huge online flashlight enthusiast community and if youâre serious about a nice hi-powered, durable, and dependable one, do some research. I recommend the reviews by a person who goes by selfbuilt and posts them to the candlepower forums. Ridiculously detailed.
usb rechargeables exist. Nitecore usb rechargeable flashlight. Iâm sure there are cheaper options -this is a recognized quality brand.
Unavailable or Iâd buy one to review 
If you do not have an 18650 battery around, that may present a hidden expense!
Your not a problem solved, plus two of your friends, plus bonus added flexibility:
You know, Iâve had a few powerbanks with LED flashlights in them. And seen plenty more - theyâre common at conventions, particularly among staff.
But Iâve never seen a single damned one of them that had one of those LED flashlights that was worth so much as a thin streak of pelican piss. Fucking useless, the lot of them.
Just got one of these. Excellent quality and super bright. Just sayinâ. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2015-New-ultrafrie-e17-cree-xm-l-xml-t6-zoomable-adjustable-waterproof-modes-3800-lumen-LED/32533500087.html
Iâm sure it works, but all those specs need to be taken with a huge grain of salt.
2000 lumenâŚmaybe thatâs a theoretical max impulse. The CREE XM-L series maxes out around 1050 lumen with a 3A draw, which means a set of AAAâs would last you about 15min at full brightness.
Donât worry, I always some salt with my Chinese orders. Or a dusting of Melamine! Decent light for the price, though. Costco has some nice ones right now: 3 for ~ $21 CDN (which is peanuts in US funds).
It really ticks me off that itâs ÂŁ116 new on Amazon here in the UK. Iâve burned out two Lensers a T7 & a P7 in the last three or four years and am looking for something to replace themâŚThis looked a good alternative until I saw the price tag. If I can find someone visiting the US maybe Iâll have a wordâŚ
