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Thread: Single Output EDC/Defensive/Utility Lights? I Dont Get It.

  1. #1

    Single Output EDC/Defensive/Utility Lights? I Dont Get It.

    So.

    Watching trends on the Instagram is hilarious. New product gets released, people gush about it with pretty photos and a sentence or two about how awesome it is but rarely does anyone explain WHY its awesome.

    Enter Modlight and their soon to be released handhelds featuring their OKW and PLH (I dunno if they're offering both heads) heads.

    I literally CANNOT wrap my head around a single output handheld light.

    I've asked people for use case explanations and no one has offered up anything compelling.

    ALL of my EDC lights are dual stage high/low or low/high.

    ALL of my work lights are the same.

    Weaponlights are completely different and I think everyone can agree that weaponlights should be single stage.

    Can anyone offer me up a compelling reason as to why a single stage light is a useful tool? Who would want this? What is the application? How is it used?

    Lucy 'Splain.

  2. #2
    Just another thing opinions differ on.

    For tactical operations I have never once used the low setting on any low - high lights, not once. It's always been on high all the time (with the lights that had the ability to do both).

    I think the surefire "throttle" low to high types aren't that great. In fact I think it's a way for companies like SF to advertise high run-time hours.

    Modlite, nightstick lighting, and even streamlight have adopted rechargeable flashlights and/or rechargeable batteries for their hand held flashlights either early on or from the get go.

    I'll probably get a modlite hand held as soon as they are available. The OKW head is amazingly bright and exactly what I want from a hand held, off duty, flashlight. One button, with either click on/off or tap on/off with click on/off ability.

    The nightstick lighting USB-558XL which I am currently running is awesome in the fact that I don't need to change the batteries ever, I just recharge it over night, on my drive into work, or during work if I needed it on duty, and off duty, I can go about a month or two with normal use before I need to recharge it.
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  3. #3
    Manual strobing of a handheld high-intensity light can get funky fast with a multi-mode switch.

    If I am drawing my work light in support of the handgun or to ascertain if the handgun is dictated, then I need all of the light and preferably right now.

    My handheld is effectively my weaponlight, but it is not attached to the weapon and it can desirably travel separate from it - but it does in fact illuminate in support of the weapon's usage. By your stated guidance of: "Weaponlights are completely different and I think everyone can agree that weaponlights should be single stage," than it should thus be single stage - as it is.

    Your needs may not speak for nor translate well to those of others.

    What do you do for a living?
    Jules
    Runcible Works

  4. #4
    Site Supporter psalms144.1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Bloomington, IN
    I'll take an opposite point of view from previous posters - I like having hi/lo output capability in a single tool. There are plenty of times I've used my Malkoff on "low" mode looking for something in my bedroom while trying not to wake my wife, looking for something in the glove compartment at night, etc. I COMPLETELY agree that default "low" is stupid - if I need my light in a hurry, I need it NOW and BRIGHT. Surefire's default low on multi-output, IMHO, is just stoopid. I love the Malkoff's bright default, twist to lower the output.

  5. #5
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Perhaps not what you might expect but:

    Dog walking. I carry a 2xCR123 light in my pocket early in the morning. I usually have my headlight on low, to see the dog on her lead. But when / if I pull out the bigger light, I want it on max, RIGHT NOW.

  6. #6
    + another for everything right now. I never have and never will use strobe and would love to not have it as an option.

  7. #7
    I usually carry two lights, because I don’t like tactical lights as utility lights, and vice versa. The light I always have with me is a Surefire EDCL1-T. It’s extremely simple to use, it’s crazy bright, it’s small and durable, and I’ve never had issue turning it on full brightness. My utility light is an HDS System 140 CRI. It has a ton of modes, brightness levels, and it has great color rendering.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by runcible View Post
    Manual strobing of a handheld high-intensity light can get funky fast with a multi-mode switch.

    If I am drawing my work light in support of the handgun or to ascertain if the handgun is dictated, then I need all of the light and preferably right now.

    My handheld is effectively my weaponlight, but it is not attached to the weapon and it can desirably travel separate from it - but it does in fact illuminate in support of the weapon's usage. By your stated guidance of: "Weaponlights are completely different and I think everyone can agree that weaponlights should be single stage," than it should thus be single stage - as it is.

    Your needs may not speak for nor translate well to those of others.

    What do you do for a living?
    I'm not passing off my needs as the needs of all. I'm asking others for their opinions and their use case experience. I'm not a closed minded person. I'm just trying to get past the trendiness of the new hotness and down to the nitty gritty of why and how its supposed to be used. I'm looking to learn here.

    I think my logic is sound. There is NO situation EVER where a weaponlight would be used as a Utility light whereas a handheld in MY mind, should be a double duty light. Utility function with offensive/defensive capability. Hence the original topic of this thread where I sought answers as to why people think a high only option is sufficient in a role where a handheld is OFTEN used as a utility light as well AS a defensive/offensive tool.

    I'm a night shift Deputy.

    Lights are for gathering data. I gather data all the time without having to use the high option on my handheld. I'm certainly glad that I have the option of a high output and can toggle between the two but I would never want to have just one or the other.

    I carry four lights at work.
    Weaponlight
    Handheld
    Backup microstream
    Quiglight as a hands free task light.

    I go to the same primary handheld for all searching tasks until I need to transition to the handgun.

    Talk to me Goose, explain.

  9. #9
    Member Wheeler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Jawja
    Quote Originally Posted by Magsz View Post
    So.

    Watching trends on the Instagram is hilarious. New product gets released, people gush about it with pretty photos and a sentence or two about how awesome it is but rarely does anyone explain WHY its awesome.

    Enter Modlight and their soon to be released handhelds featuring their OKW and PLH (I dunno if they're offering both heads) heads.

    I literally CANNOT wrap my head around a single output handheld light.

    I've asked people for use case explanations and no one has offered up anything compelling.

    ALL of my EDC lights are dual stage high/low or low/high.

    ALL of my work lights are the same.

    Weaponlights are completely different and I think everyone can agree that weaponlights should be single stage.

    Can anyone offer me up a compelling reason as to why a single stage light is a useful tool? Who would want this? What is the application? How is it used?

    Lucy 'Splain.
    Some folks don't want a multifunction light to use for potential defensive applications. Having shot a couple of low/no light classes and CoFs I've come to the conclusion that if I'm planning to use a handheld light for defensive purposes it needs to remain at the high setting.
    Men freely believe that which they desire.
    Julius Caesar

  10. #10
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Wokelandia
    My current EDC is a Malkoff Bodyguard v.2 with a 1 cell body. It's pretty much the perfect light for defensive use. It is so bright that I cannot use it for general illumination like dropped stuff in a movie theater. But, I have an iPhone for that.

    I have had so many different lights, I've pretty much lost count. Based on that large sample, the more modes a light has the more chance there is of it not being on really-fucking-bright when I need it to be. Even high quality 2-level lights like SF and Malkoff where you have to turn the tailcap or head to change brightness have failed to be on high when I needed it.

    My favorite multi-level lights are:
    Klarus XT2C and the Malkoff M61HOT MD2 with high/low Tricap
    Last edited by Clusterfrack; 11-11-2019 at 08:07 PM.
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