EA42 lost me. The older EA41 "short 4xAA" design was a lot better and easier to pocket. Half the EA42 is plastic now=nope.
I know what you mean about the plastic. When I ordered it, I didn't realize the body was plastic, and I was disappointed. However, when I started using it, that disappointment quickly went away. It's extremely comfortable in the hand. It feels extremely solid and durable. I'm not worried in the least that it could break. It's also not reactive to cold and hot the way a metal light is. It was below freezing the other night and my hand wasn't getting frozen like it does holding a metal body.
I agree it's not as "pocketable" as the EA41, but I wouldn't really call that light pocketable either. The slimmer handle can slip into a back pocket pretty well, and it's not all that bad in a jacket pocket either.
The EA42 is a fantastic household light. The UI is extremely intuitive. Just about any "non-flashlight" person can figure it out pretty quickly, with the strobe modes nicely hidden away not causing accidental activation.
It's the kind of all-purpose flashlight you want around during a power outage or emergency that anyone can use. Fantastic performance with the most common batteries on the planet.