zakreviews.com/arbitrary-list-2024.1.html
Arbitrary List of Popular Lights - Spring Equinox 2024 Edition
Tbh, reading this subreddit is like reading a flashlight magazine.
First issue only $1.99 with your free gift of a TS10. Following issues $13.99 each. Binder sold separately for $2.99.
I was having a rough day until I saw this comment and it made me audibly laugh out loud. Thank you and may your lights shine bright.
I had a dc1 that was a real chore to replace the driver and mcpcb. There was potting(?) compound in there I had to melt out first.
Wurkkos TS22 never made it to the list yet is highly recommended on this sub.
I believe the auto-lockout is the reason. Such a stupid thing that Wurkkos refuses to fix. I would have bought 20 by now for friends and family, instead I bought 0.
I get it even if it doesn't bother me that much. I can still disable it and then twist the cap to stop battery drain when not using. Or accept that it might turbo when I unlock it.
Just received one, and immediately bought a 2nd. The auto lockout can be easily disabled via programming the button light, as I did to mine.
Sofirn IF19 does this too. I mean, it's not a huge problem in that a simple double-click unlocks it. But still. It's just a different flow to have to get used to.
What is auto lockout?
After the light isn’t used for 2-3 minutes, the light locks and won’t turn on. You need to double click the button to use it again. Ridiculously stupid design.
Thanks, and yeah that is very stupid haha
The auto lock out is annoying but didn't bother me as much as the heat produced. I wish I had done more research oh well.
Pushing that much wattage in a light that small is going to generate a lot of heat, regardless of the specific light (even with a very efficient driver and LED).
Eesh. I frickin love that light. What do you recommend instead that's similar in features + price?
Ts25 for better colors if you like the ts22.
Truly amazing light, bought multiple for friends and family. Let them turn it on, explaining the auto-lock in the process. They play with it on turbo for a minute, it gets hot and they’re now aware of the heat it produces. Great gift light!
Thanks for sharing! A couple of quick points.
Acebeam E70 high CRI is sold out everywhere. It has been like that for many months. I've been trying to get one but only the cree version is available.
Would love to see JETbeam M64 added to the duty lights section as a good double-cell 21700 option.
Acebeam E70 high CRI is sold out everywhere.
Removed.
Did you try the official website? It's available in black and in teal, the nichia 519a.
You're thinking of E75 not E70.
My bad, sorry
I’m bummed the SC32 HCRI was discontinued. :(
My sentiment exactly: https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/s/fY0klliylV
Acebeam h16 is the poor man's h150, but I can get why it would be passed over
They're pretty close to the same price, but the h150 has magnetic charging, more LED choices, lower moonlight mode and a floody TIR. Is there something about the h16 that I'm missing?
They really aren't close to the same price though. With discounts, the H16 regularly can be bought for ~$25 on Amazon. I got mine for less than $20. That being said, I sold my H16 for the H150 since the H150 is just such a better light.
Gotcha thanks!
I have to try to remember if there's a reason I didn't add it in winter.
I mention it because it's a more affordable (when on sale) dual-fuel right angle light. Nimh for kids or for packing in the car. Lithium primaries for emergency prepping.
Though it's been a while since it was on discount on Amazon. So nevermind. Pass https://3cmls.co/US/B0BX928NWQ
I think my reason may have been that the discount wasn't reliably available. It would go on the list if it was always $20 - that's a great value. It won't go on the list if it's close to the H150's price.
If I remember correctly, the H16 is 2 click for on which seems weird to me. Also, I really prefer the button on the side for headlamps so the skillhunt is better. Might pick up an h16 just to try out, though.
The description of the FC11 in the Quicklist mentions the 519a, while it doesn't in the 18650 lights list. Is that intentional?
Probably just that I edited them at different times and didn't think about it.
Awesome work! Supprised that the L18/L19v2 are not part of the thrower list. They are recommended quite a bit. Also the new wurkkos TD01C as a more budget orientated option.
L18 is in the duty light section.
My bad! Wow I'm pretty blind!
The L18 is in the duty section.
Yeah I suggested the TD01C the last time but it’d be a bit redundant with the IF22A (TD01C being larger though). Sad to see it’s not included, it’s very good value IMO. Very usable beam from that large TIR.
It has regulated output and a 3000k, 95 CRI option, though. I don't really see them as equivalent. The Wurkkos seems nearly ideal if you can deal with the size, and it's slightly smaller than the L19.
Use the edit icon to pin, add or delete clips.
Woohoo! Question for anyone. Is H300 obsolete with h200 now? Why not?
No. Sustained output with the H300 is much higher, and it's likely cold weather performance is as well.
Thanks Zak. I was wondering that but didn’t look too much into it yet. Guess I need a h300 as well!
R the rr
3 reasons in my mind it isn't. 1) In the lights I have, the nichia 144 looks better than the 519a. 2)H300 can sustain different levels on different modes. Turbo, high, and medium all converge on the h200. 3) I don't really have a use for red light when walking the dog, so it needlessly complicates the UI and makes me feel like I'm missing out on the brightness/efficiency of a third led.
Thanks for your response friend! Useful knowledge for me.
Hell yeah!
I am still holding out hope for a 21700 second one day.
Finally! Looking forward to reading it
The mf goat, Zak. Appreciate your contributions and insights.
My kingdom for an E2A in brass
I jus cam
Thanks once again for the "Arbitrary List"!
A few thoughts / suggestions: * I notice the Winter Solstice 2023 List has an index for easy navigation and it would be nice for the latest list to have an index as well. * I noticed the new "Toys" category. I'd suggest the Lumintop GT Nano for this category as it packs an amazing punch for its size (makes for a good party trick). The 10440 tube makes it much more practical. * No Reylights? I suppose availability is an issue (no more difficult than ordering from Hank, in my opinion). I see a Pineapple Mini on Amazon and there are the CountyComm rebrands.
Can we get a change log?
It's in the comments at the bottom.
Oh I didn't see lol
It's in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Great post as always.
The only reason to get this is because an intrinsically safe or explosion proof light is required.
Is explosion proof really the correct word choice?
It's a technical term used in safety standards, so I'm going with yes, but only from a certain point of view.
That's fair, but I still don't love the language.
.
Let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Last fall this helped me decide my first edc light, ended up going with the acebeam e70 mini. Love it
u/Zak, Could you highlight lights that have a red secondary in a special section? Especially headlamps?
This is such a fantastic resource. Thanks!
Parametrek search is a good way to find lights with specialty features.
Many of the headlamps on the list have very low sub-lumen modes, including the Zebralight H600 series and the Armytek Wizard Pro. This is a good option for many of the use cases people want red secondaries for.
The EK1 looks nice! It's a bit of a toss up against the i1r Pro. Had you ever thought to include the latter?
The EK1 has a slightly larger battery, so presumably more capacity, and a high CRI option.
The i1r Pro is a hair shorter and narrower, and has a low of 5 lumens versus EK1's 10.
I don't know how the tint is in either, but the tint in the older i1r EOS was a nice neutral.
I'd give it to the EK1 for its high-CRI option.
For myself, a lower low would trump CRI in such a backup flashlight. But it depends on how noticeably different the low is. I'd have to see the EK1 in action.
It would be nice if somebody managed to get three levels into one of these. Something like 1/30/150.
Absolutely. Also return to the user-replaceable battery and we might have a buy-it-for-life item.
As covered in my review, the battery in the EK1 is user-replaceable, but not field-replaceable. I needed tweezers, and would recommend a clean working area because there are small retaining clips to lose.
This is probably also true for other brands.
Excellent. I would have overlooked that.
Am I blind, or are there no wedge/flat lights?
There aren't. Those all have batteries that aren't user-replaceable, and I'm reluctant to recommend any lights with that characteristic unless they're very inexpensive like the Nitecore Tube.
Okay I thought maybe the ones with a long / life time warranty might sneak into the enthusiast / use case but I understand the reasoning
life time warranty
There could be a case for that. I had assumed everyone with a lifetime warranty had an exclusion for built-in batteries, which will definitely wear out. Surefire says:
Rechargeable batteries and chargers are warranted for two years from the date of purchase.
and
Our warranty does not cover consumables or normal wear-and-tear— things like batteries draining, headbands and headpads wearing out, ink cartridges running out, and switches wearing out—or damage resulting from abuse, alterations, unauthorized repairs, or use contrary to SureFire’s user manuals.
However, Olight says:
If your Olight® product (including its structure, built-in battery, LED, or lens) ever experiences any issues, we promise to take care of it.
Which will have me thinking about the Arkfeld series for the next list.
I have an Arkfeld Pro and the only qualm I have with it is the built-in battery, but provided their statement is true, this light is certainly worthy of the spot on the list!
FYI- this has a 30% off coupon. Just got it for $47
Sofirn SP36 (BLF)
I need to stop browsing.. just bought a d4v2 casually scrolling. Need to sleep now. Screw you reddit!!!
Wurkkos FC11C with the buck driver is now available.
Strongly recommended over the inefficient FC11, although there isn't yet a detailed review of the new variant.
WOOOO. It's like my quarterly subscription to Flashlight Magazine