The 3310CC is more up my alley but I decided to try the deluxe 3410CC. It has all the bells and whistles for around $40 and I was feeling skeptical. This is only my initial impressions here but I'm pleasantly surprised.
This is an extremely versatile flashlight. I think I understand what ZMZ67 was getting at with the UI. This flashlight has ten modes between two LEDs and it's controlled with a single button. It has H-M-L in spot, flood, or both; and a blinking mode in spot only. I understand why some people like to start in high mode but I prefer starting in low. Part of that is because most of my flashlight use is EDC stuff. This is really a utility flashlight.
The head can be rotated ninety degrees or a bunch of places in between. It has a clip for carrying around, as well as a key ring and a lanyard. The clip has a magnet that sticks very well to appropriate metal surfaces. This means that it can be hung or mounted in all sorts of places and can provide different kinds of lighting for extended project use. Then it can just as easily go on a walk through the woods at night.
Speaking of light and the woods, this flashlight is a rock star. It's 2700K and 90+ CRI according to the manufacturer. The diverse greens, tree barks, etc. of the forest really pop! This helps the spot reach out into the woods a little too.
Shining spot mode against a white wall, there is some color variation in the beam pattern. I thought that was a flaw at first but the more I used this light, it helped provoke nostalgia for the variance of incandescent bulbs. I didn't notice it in a woodland setting but I'm wondering if it made a background contribution to the liveliness of the visual picture.
This looks like its going to be an excellent general purpose flashlight. There's just so much that it can do. There might be other flashlights that do specific things better but this is probably the most versatile flashlight I've seen IRL. It should excel as project lighting. For "normal people" who don't collect flashlights, this could be a great primary flashlight for around the house, at camp, a garage, a workshop, etc.
That said, this definitely isn't an EDC light. For a regular walk at night, I'm still going to reach for a more straightforward flashlight with a simpler UI. Based on my positive experiences here, I think the 3310CC might be a contender for that.
Looking forward to reading it.
